Iain investigates a series of Facebook pages pushing fake news about pro cycling – and stumbles on a vast operation producing thousands of stories in multiple languages across numerous niches. Which is pretty weird – and it only gets stranger, and scarier, from there.

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Iain buys a stolen bike on Facebook Marketplace, with a plan to return it to its owner. But his good act takes an ominous turn when he meets the seller, an erratic man with a troubled past and a head full of conspiracies and violence.

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Welcome back to the Rabbit Holes podcast! This episode is an audio version of one of Iain's investigations – a journey into the vast bike industry ecosystem that is AliExpress.

What's it like buying a bike from the platform? How do you know if you'll end up with something good? And, is it possible to end up with something you'll actually want to ride at the end of it all? We get our credit card out and go shopping ... and it's fair to say, it's a pretty bumpy ride.

This podcast is an Escape Collective production, and is only possible through the support of our members. To become one of those, sign up at EscapeCollective.com/join. Sign up to the Rabbit Holes feed for future episodes - we've got a great one in the works.