Ciamillo Design, LLC Reviews 58

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

2.7

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This is unacceptable! I ordered my Brompton brake and lever set in January 2025, and it's now June! Not only have they failed to ship my order, but they're also ignoring my refund requests. This com... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very bad after sale service ,Ted never keep his promise, his new crankset is a failure , 2 ride spider broke, promise to send new for replacement, from last year sept 2023 till may 2025 , still not y... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant engineer that's always on the cutting edge of the bicycle parts industry. Its not everyday that you have someone that can "IMA-GINEERED" a product just by talking about it and coming out wit... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I bought my new Ciamillo lekki L8"s ver recently. A set of Carbon Jewelry for any road bike. They are a sculptured piece of art and almost too precious a brake set. After parting from those precious... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Road Cycling
  2. Manufacturing Service

Written by the company

The lightest road calipers on the market.


Contact info

2.7

Poor

TrustScore 2.5 out of 5

58 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Hasn’t replied to negative reviews


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They are scammers

This is unacceptable! I ordered my Brompton brake and lever set in January 2025, and it's now June! Not only have they failed to ship my order, but they're also ignoring my refund requests. This company's customer service is terrible.
I am still couldn’t get my money back.

Date of experience: January 23, 2025

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't buy its a fraud

This is a fraud I bought a cranckset and brakes in November 2024 it is now June 2025 and I haven't received the products, he doesn't answer emails now for a few months and before that his replay was that his machine broke down. Do not buy I lost 1.400 USD with this purchase

Date of experience: November 28, 2024

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very bad after sale service ,Ted never…

Very bad after sale service ,Ted never keep his promise, his new crankset is a failure , 2 ride spider broke, promise to send new for replacement, from last year sept 2023 till may 2025 , still not yet received…and spindle dislocated . Beware of him!!!

Date of experience: May 28, 2025

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brakes

Brakes worked well from day 1. Set up easy.

Date of experience: November 13, 2024

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Ted for your exceptional…

Thank you Ted for your exceptional customer support!

I bought a Ciamillo zero gravity brake set a few years back. I've always been very happy with these brakes. Recently had to contact the company for a replacement spring . Great experience and fast support! This is a great "Made in the USA" company of high-end performance products. Highly recommended!

Maarten

Date of experience: October 20, 2024

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This is a scam site

This is a scam site. I bought a crankset but the product has never been delivered.
I have emailed them multiple times asking for a refund but they just keep lying and won't refund my money.

Date of experience: July 02, 2024

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Reply from Ciamillo Design, LLC

Hello あるび, As explained in the email to you, since the item has already shipped, we require USPS to fulfill the claim or deliver the product. Once the item ships it can take a few weeks to sort out a refund if the the package is lost. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely outstanding experience

Absolutely outstanding experience! The new bicycle calipers are phenomenal in quality and performance. But what truly sets this company apart is the unparalleled service provided by Ciamillo. I had the unique opportunity to communicate directly with him – the man behind the brand! It's rare to find a company where you can engage with the founder himself. The personalized attention and commitment to excellence are evident in every aspect of their service. Highly recommend to any cycling enthusiast!

Date of experience: May 16, 2024

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent quality and attention to detail

Ordered a set of custom brake calipers. Had a little delay on shipping but received the calipers and they exceeded my expectations. Also in the process of installing, I lost the adjuster on the rear and Ted was nice enough to send me a replacement right away. He also talked me through a couple of technical issues I was having. I would definitely buy from again.

Date of experience: May 02, 2024

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Never received product

I ordered and paid for a swim fin back while I was on deployment. When I returned to the states, I sent several emails reminding him that I had not received my product yet. I had several phone calls with Ted. Each phone call he told me "It'll be ready in 2 weeks."
Eventually he just stopped answering my phone calls and emails.
Just to make sure, I sent another email recently. I am pretty sure he blocked me.

Date of experience: September 22, 2023

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Extreme caution

Extreme caution
These brakes are said to be very light, but also said to provide very little stopping power. I'd give my first hand impression but they were never delivered despite payment in full. Not surprising considering that bike forums across the globe are littered with documented experiences of customers who pay Ted in full, receive nothing, and never receive a refund. Many promises will be made, tracking numbers given, etc. but they are lies. On the odd occasion a refund is given, it is only done after a negative review is posted or legal threats made. The refund is then conditional on the negative review being deleted. It's a multinational scam that Ted has been running for years. Avoid like the plague. If you must have these brakes they can be purchased on AliExpress for a fraction of the price and you will actually receive them. Still, don't expect them to stop your bike.

Date of experience: August 09, 2023

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Reply from Ciamillo Design, LLC

Hello - I am sorry your ordered was delayed. We were hit directly by hurricane Idalia and were without power for two weeks. This caused delays. I do have delays based on surges in orders as well - if customers cannot wait whenever there is a delay or for whatever reason they wish to cancel, we always issue an immediate refund. Please email me asap and I will get your ordered sorted or issue you a refund. lekkitech8@gmail .com or call 386-209-1769.

BTW - the brakes on AliExpress are inferior knock-offs made from cheap carbon fiber with no power. These brakes are dangerous to operate. We have been in business for 21 years without a single catastrophic failure.

All the best
Ted Ciamillo

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Anyone else not receiving their orders…

Anyone else not receiving their orders from Ted?

I paid for the 'on-sale' crankset 6/2/23. Was told estimated shipping 6/28/23 and I never received it.

I emailed a follow-up on 7/14/23 and received an email from Ted on 7/25/23 stating should be out by the end of that week provided his machine was back on line.

I followed up again on 8/28/23 and now nothing from Ted to date just radio silence.

I purchased the lekki8 brakes from Ted (review below) and transaction was uneventful.

I'll update this review if anything changes but I wanted to share with the community my ongoing experience.

9/24 Update - I received an email from Ted on 9/12 in regards this review. He stated he was hoping to get the crankset sent out by the end of the week or 9/15. Still nothing.

I have notified my bank about what is going and filed a claim. They are currently investigating.

Date of experience: September 10, 2023

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Reply from Ciamillo Design, LLC

You were refunded immediately after your last post...

Hello Peter,

I am sorry about your experience but all you had to do is ask for a refund at any time and I would be happy to refund you. We were hit directly by hurricane Idalia on August 30 hence the radio silence you referred to re your message on the 28th. I should have gotten back to you that day but we were preparing for a cat 4 . Then we were without power for two weeks. This caused delays. I do have delays based on surges in orders as well - if customers cannot wait whenever there is a delay or for whatever reason they wish to cancel, we always issue an immediate refund. I understand your frustration with delays; I have been doing custom bike components for 21 years at the artisan level and have always refunded customers if there is an unacceptable delay or for any reason - You never once asked for a refund nor did you update that you were refunded in full immediately following your last post.

All the best,
Ted Ciamillo

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Titanium G23

Was using my bike with the new titanium G23 brakes coming down a long hill with a tailwind: I was flying. There is a 90 degree turn at the bottom. A mountain biker was came around the corner and was totally in the middle of the road not paying attention to anything so I had to reach for my brakes very hard. I was able to confidently stop in time and avoid a major collision. MTB guy said "Sorry dude." So not only are the brakes light as all get out but can pull down from speed quickly. I've also have the L8 and L8 Ultras which are lighter still. With each new design I have seen subtle improvements, exceptional light weight, and darn good braking.

Date of experience: July 22, 2023

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional customer service

I purchased a set of L8 Ultra calipers in the summer of 2022, and unfortunately the front caliper was damaged in a race crash in September of that year.

I contacted Ted to inquire about a replacement, and was blown away by his offer to replace the caliper free of charge!

There were some delays in receiving the replacement, but Ted is an artisan who also relies on other providers for components.

Ted is a great guy, and very easy to communicate with - all you have to do is give him a ring, and he is almost always sure to answer.

I highly recommend Ted to anyone looking for a lightweight, made in the USA, high performance brake caliper!

Date of experience: June 29, 2023

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brake pad question

Contacted Ciamillo with a brake pad question for some older brakes, had a response and solution very quickly. Thanks!

Date of experience: June 14, 2023

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

gravitas 13.1 carbon crank

just received the gravitas 13.1 carbon cranks from ted. beautiful work, the carbon shows through nicely. the weight is 286.7g on my gram scale, amazingly light cranks. this is the last part i need for a sub 12lb build of a titanium framed bike. weight weenies unite!

Date of experience: May 13, 2023

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I'm happy customer :-)

Ted Ciamillo makes ultra-light brakes for road bikes and the Brompton folding bike from England.

I wanted to use the B1 brake for Brompton on my T Line Urban. The pair consisting of front and rear brake weighs only 133 g. That is about 250 g less than the standard brakes. I feel that the braking performance is just as good. My goal is to get the Brompton T Line under 7 kg. The weight saving on the brakes definitely helps.

The communication with Ted Caimiello went very well. Ted usually answered quickly (a few minutes to hours, he lives in a time zone six hours away from me). Delivery was delayed due to organisational issues and I was beginning to fear the same thing happening to me that may have happened to other reviewers in the past. Our communication remained professional and solution oriented and eventually the brake was shipped and delivered. Thank you very much Ted!

27 March 2023 - Date of order and payment
03 May 2023 - Date of dispatch (US Postal)
12 May 2023 - Date of delivery (DHL)

Date of experience: May 12, 2023

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ted Ciamillo is a FRAUD

Ted Ciamillo is a FRAUD! He reached out to us and offered discounts for 10 units of Custom Ciamillo B1 for Brompton brake for $510 each instead of the original price of $850 each. We wired a total of US$5,100 in Nov 2022 and contacted him numerous times. We got the same response, order will be out this week. We got NOTHING! BE AWARE! DO NOT DEAL ANY BUSINESS WITH THIS GUY!

Date of experience: November 26, 2022

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I am a former retailer of Ciamillo…

I am a former retailer of Ciamillo brakes. Ted still owes me some brakes, many times he promised me he is about to send the brakes. Endless lies since 3 years, nothing here. I now know I will never see the brakes. How do you call that, scammer?

Dulight

Date of experience: January 25, 2023

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