Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!

[jonathanf2]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804561608314.html

I recently received this helmet in all-white. I have a weird shaped head, so most of the name brand helmets fit either too small or look like giant mushrooms on my head if I size up. This is one area I would actually prefer buying name brand, but it's a sizing/shape issue for me. AliEx sells a few of these helmets that are in the M/L size of 54-62cm that give me the best fit. Style-wise it looks pretty darn slick.

[TidyDinosaur]

Does anyone else experience more problems with the sellers these last few weeks? I made some orders the last few days to maximise the discounts they offer and have had 3 sellers making problems:

- I bought a BBS01 Bafang motor from a EU warehouse. I asked them about it before ordering and there was no problem, would be shipped the same day. Now after almost a week I ask them whey it has still not been sent and they say they do not have the 250W in stock and want me to pay extra for a 500W one and they will slap a sticker of the 250W version on it. Since this is illegal in the EU I have refused. Since I now will have to order another from another seller and the sales have ended this will cost me a lot more 

- I bought a set of Novatec hubs from another seller. He is now saying they don't have them in stock and want me to cancel the order. They are still selling the hubs in their store and it says there are 1600 in stock...

- I order a tool set for brake calipers for cars. Now the seller says the shipping prices went up all of a sudden and want me to pay €9 extra (on a 30€ order) or cancel the order.

[bremerradkurier]

Got the 0.61L model saddlebag and was better than I expected-holds a tube and tire levers tight, contents don't rattle, and doesn't have a strap marring seat posts and fraying lycra.  Also has Silca brand markings which didn't show in the pictures.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804143510847.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.21ef1802boWd29&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

[jonathanf2]

Does anyone else experience more problems with the sellers these last few weeks? I made some orders the last few days to maximise the discounts they offer and have had 3 sellers making problems:

- I bought a BBS01 Bafang motor from a EU warehouse. I asked them about it before ordering and there was no problem, would be shipped the same day. Now after almost a week I ask them whey it has still not been sent and they say they do not have the 250W in stock and want me to pay extra for a 500W one and they will slap a sticker of the 250W version on it. Since this is illegal in the EU I have refused. Since I now will have to order another from another seller and the sales have ended this will cost me a lot more 

- I bought a set of Novatec hubs from another seller. He is now saying they don't have them in stock and want me to cancel the order. They are still selling the hubs in their store and it says there are 1600 in stock...

- I order a tool set for brake calipers for cars. Now the seller says the shipping prices went up all of a sudden and want me to pay €9 extra (on a 30€ order) or cancel the order.

No issues to date, especially with the anniversary sale. Though I did order a bike frameset from SPCycle and prior to the purchase they were responsive on chat, but then stopped responding after the purchase. I was about to cancel the order, but they eventually shipped the frame. They said they would send me pictures prior to shipping, but never did. We'll see how it turns out. Awhile back, I ordered a frame from the TFSA store and they were great to work with. I received regular updates on my frame build and detailed photos and even video before shipment. If the wait time wasn't so long to produce the frame, I would have bought from TFSA again.

On side note, I did have an issue with a carbon crank arm I purchased from the Racework Store. I sent them pictures and replacement request. It took a month or two, but they finally sent me a replacement that should arrive today. If it checks out, they'll definitely have my recommendation as a go-to/honest seller. Plus their store prices are quite reasonable for chainrings and cranksets.

[impmonkey]

Got the 0.61L model saddlebag and was better than I expected-holds a tube and tire levers tight, contents don't rattle, and doesn't have a strap marring seat posts and fraying lycra.  Also has Silca brand markings which didn't show in the pictures.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804143510847.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.21ef1802boWd29&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

Been using this one all year. Great bag.

I went down the path of having one that lets me put my cell phone in the bag.   I purchased one of these last year and love it.  (Yes I put my own holes into the saddlebag sections and the top bag.)

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802951466181.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.344.21ef1802dB5eor&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US.

Before I purchase this set, I purchased several Blackburn top tube bags from Walmart.  (Price has almost doubled singe I purchased mine around 2 years ago.)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Blackburn-Top-Tube-Bike-Bag-with-Phone-Holder/920257211?adsRedirect=true

Just got this one in, will do the same. Looks well made.

[jonathanf2]

I ordered these Sensah hood covers when they were on sale for less than $5 USD. Hood quality feels pretty good. In fact I prefer AliEx silicone hoods over Shimano OEM. The texture and durability is much better.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803784409918.html

FYI - While I find Shimano shifts at the higher gears better, I find I can down shift easier under load with Sensah shifters, same also goes for LTwoo. I have the LTwoo alloy hydraulic shifters coming this week as well.

[Froglover825]

I ordered these Sensah hood covers when they were on sale for less than $5 USD. Hood quality feels pretty good. In fact I prefer AliEx silicone hoods over Shimano OEM. The texture and durability is much better.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803784409918.html

FYI - While I find Shimano shifts at the higher gears better, I find I can down shift easier under load with Sensah shifters, same also goes for LTwoo. I have the LTwoo alloy hydraulic shifters coming this week as well.

Sadly I found that the sensah hoods become loose very easily, the actual feel and durability of them is quite good imo.
Shimano are a lot better at holding their form.

[coffeebreak]

Does anyone here use bullet shaped cameras that can be mounted on the helmet? I want something that's small and light. Any recommendations?

[jonathanf2]

Sadly I found that the sensah hoods become loose very easily, the actual feel and durability of them is quite good imo.
Shimano are a lot better at holding their form.

Looking at the Sensah shifting mechanism, the shift lever extends further inward compared to Shimano shift levers, hence the looser hoods. Who knows if they were forced to design it that way due to skirting around patents?

I do feel like Shimano levers are a tad more accurate at indexing especially in the smaller cogs, but the Sensah shifters seem to do better when shifting under load when going into the big cassette cogs. Also for some reason, I find Sensah shifting somewhat enjoyable, like you want to constantly shift gears just to hear the clicks! Shimano shifting feels a bit sterile if that makes sense?

[jonathanf2]

Does anyone here use bullet shaped cameras that can be mounted on the helmet? I want something that's small and light. Any recommendations?

I'd be interested as well. I watch some California crit races on YT and I'm surprised they mount some of the most non-aero cameras on their helmets. Though I mostly watch to see them crash their expensive name brand bikes! If I was a crit racer, I'd probably just ride the cheapest/lightweight AliEx rim brake carbon frame/wheels/crankset and cheap Sensah shifters/RD. They mostly race in business parks, no reason to even have an FD!

[coffeebreak]

I see folks riding with GoPros which seems like an overkill plus too big and opposite of aero. Personally I am not looking to save watts with some sleek aero camera but I just like the bullet style form factor lol. A few I found are close to $100 ~ which is too rich for what I need it for.

There is one by SJCAM (which is a good budget knockoff of GoPros) in another odd shape that seems more suitable for home use but photos show it being mounted to bikes and helmets. Because of the shape it looks rather funny:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800849981551.html

SJCAM as such is pretty popular otherwise but not sure of this exact model.

[pmark]

IMO the best 2 good cameras for recording bike rides are:
-GoPRO 11
Best stabilisation, I used it on my MTB handlebars, cycling through the local forest and the video is so smooth it looks like I am floating. 
-Insta360 X3
Takes 360 degree video, so you can focus in on different parts of the video when editing.  A bit like switching between different camera angles.  I see a number of commuters using cameras like this as it is great for capturing footage of dodgy drivers. 

However if you get a camera that is supported by Gyroflow (free software), you can get similar stabilisation to the GoPros with a bit of extra work. 
https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/supported-cameras/runcam

For example the Runcam Thumb Pro-W can generally be had for less than £100. 

[Froglover825]

Looking at the Sensah shifting mechanism, the shift lever extends further inward compared to Shimano shift levers, hence the looser hoods. Who knows if they were forced to design it that way due to skirting around patents?

I do feel like Shimano levers are a tad more accurate at indexing especially in the smaller cogs, but the Sensah shifters seem to do better when shifting under load when going into the big cassette cogs. Also for some reason, I find Sensah shifting somewhat enjoyable, like you want to constantly shift gears just to hear the clicks! Shimano shifting feels a bit sterile if that makes sense?

I don't think they really care about patents i'll be honest.
The indexing on sensah is a real pain compared to shimano imo, you really need to get it dialed in perfectly or it performs like trash.
I prefer the hoods shape on sensah, it is a lot more comfortable when i get aero on the hoods and I like the shifting mechanism, but the end product still has a long way to go imo to get the shifting performance that shimano has. The FD is pure trash compared to Shimano, i'm heavily considering just dropping the fd and just running 1x on my sensah setup.

[jonathanf2]

I don't think they really care about patents i'll be honest.
The indexing on sensah is a real pain compared to shimano imo, you really need to get it dialed in perfectly or it performs like trash.
I prefer the hoods shape on sensah, it is a lot more comfortable when i get aero on the hoods and I like the shifting mechanism, but the end product still has a long way to go imo to get the shifting performance that shimano has. The FD is pure trash compared to Shimano, i'm heavily considering just dropping the fd and just running 1x on my sensah setup.

I run the  Sensah Team Pro shifters which are Shimano RD/FD compatible. Mainly because I prefer Shimano derailleurs and I can also run LTwoo shifters as well since they have the same pull ratio as Shimano.

[coffeebreak]

New level of nightmare cable routing unlocked.

Regardless I like the shape and will be on the lookout for Aliexpress special of this monstrosity.