Author Topic: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?  (Read 43662 times)

frnchy

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #60 on: November 02, 2023, 09:34:43 AM »
Do you know the reach and drop measurement of these bars?

Just measured them and they look to be about 75 mm reach and 125 mm drop.

00Garza

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #61 on: November 02, 2023, 03:14:10 PM »

Best of the best to very good
  • Flyxii FE-02 gravel bike frame: a real tank of a gravel frame. I love mine.


I have this frame. Almost 1k miles on it. Only complaint is quite a fit of flexing when standing on the pedals. Fortunately my area is pretty flat so thats rare.

ghiabici

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #62 on: November 02, 2023, 08:04:33 PM »
I'll add a few of my recommendations :



coffeebreak

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #63 on: November 02, 2023, 11:28:37 PM »
None of the above links open up for me, they all just go to Aliex home page. Wanted to look at the bar tape and rear light mount but search is useless. Could you add pictures of both?

ghiabici

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #64 on: November 03, 2023, 12:45:37 AM »
None of the above links open up for me, they all just go to Aliex home page. Wanted to look at the bar tape and rear light mount but search is useless. Could you add pictures of both?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_msMEf68 Rongyao Bar Tape
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mt3dxVw West Biking Bar tape
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMt6VUY Saddle light mount






electrolux

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #65 on: November 03, 2023, 05:44:13 AM »
None of the above links open up for me, they all just go to Aliex home page. Wanted to look at the bar tape and rear light mount but search is useless. Could you add pictures of both?
If you copy and paste it works.

jonathanf2

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #66 on: November 03, 2023, 11:12:29 AM »

Just plain bad
  • Juintech F1 brake calipers: I just could never get these to brake all that well. I tried different pads, rotors, preload adjustment, etc etc etc; ultimately I was descending a notoriously steep and winding local road and I nearly lost all braking power, even after stopping and letting the system cool down for almost 10 minutes. I ordered 105 hydraulic shifters and brakes the next day and they're infintely better. Don't bother with these or other cable/hydro solutions, just go hydro. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799928780428.html

I'm surprised you listed the Juin Tech F1 calipers as bad. I have mine setup on my road bike and they work just fine. I do nothing but climbing and descending as well and I've been lazy to swap over Ultegra R8020 hydraulic shifters I have. Though I'm using higher tension gold brake cabling and semi-metallic finned pads that were released in the last few months. It's made a huge difference in performance.

frnchy

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #67 on: November 03, 2023, 05:16:07 PM »
I'm surprised you listed the Juin Tech F1 calipers as bad. I have mine setup on my road bike and they work just fine. I do nothing but climbing and descending as well and I've been lazy to swap over Ultegra R8020 hydraulic shifters I have. Though I'm using higher tension gold brake cabling and semi-metallic finned pads that were released in the last few months. It's made a huge difference in performance.

I got the Juin Techs in large part because of their positive reputation; I used Jagwire compressionless housing and Shimano brake cables and did all the tweaking I possibly could but they never even came close to the modulation and power of even the cheapest hydro brakes I've tried. I wasn't kind to them in operation either; I'm quite fat and the brakes were on my heaviest bike, and most of the roads around me are in the mountains and descend 2,000-4,000 feet at a time with gradients of 8-20%, and they're often winding too so there's not much downtime for the brakes to cool off.  The particular descent that caused me to get rid of the Juin Techs was Magnolia road (https://pjammcycling.com/climb/238.Magnolia%2520Road) which I use as the ultimate stress test for my braking components.

Tijoe

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #68 on: November 03, 2023, 05:56:57 PM »
I have 2 sets of the GT-P4s and one set of the F1s  I wrote in another thread here why I am moving away from them.   

Ryan_M

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #69 on: November 08, 2023, 11:13:25 PM »
I'm in need of new bottle cages so this interests me much...
do these carbon ones, recommended above, scratch the bottles? My only experience with carbon cages was one of those Bontrager XXX knock-offs, and while it held the bottle well it just left it all scratched, maybe because it was too tight, but I also believe it was a case of rough edges on the carbon.
I moved to Elite Cannibal bottle cages, the nylon one which is already pretty good at <30g each, but the price on these ones right now is just insane, at least here in Brazil.

Another one I was interested is this Xoss N2 one in nylon, seems pretty good price/weight relation
Maybe too late but I (and my GF) have these on our bikes. Maybe 14 in total? All have been flawless.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32939053708.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.27.3c455bbc9KIurR&algo_pvid=cc3535c7-a4e9-49d4-be28-bb80014c8b10&algo_exp_id=cc3535c7-a4e9-49d4-be28-bb80014c8b10-13&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21CAD%2168.16%2130.67%21%21%2148.32%21%21%402101fb0a16995069549822831e8582%2166128263833%21sea%21CA%212589744473%21&curPageLogUid=FmSjcdju58L7
« Last Edit: November 08, 2023, 11:16:34 PM by Ryan_M »

Tijoe

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #70 on: November 08, 2023, 11:45:12 PM »
Maybe too late but I (and my GF) have these on our bikes. Maybe 14 in total? All have been flawless.


I have have six of them on 3 bikes,  Two of my three 29er hardtails, and on my gravel bike.   (I have had a few large bottle knocked out over the past season, but overall they are great cages.)

Wet Noodle

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #71 on: November 11, 2023, 12:35:02 PM »
Not in the overal-best category, but imo deserving of a place on the more-than-decent-for-the-price list:

I like these softshell cloves.

Apart from the gimmicky zipper, these are very basic no-nonsense gloves for autumn or very mild early/late-winter days. Beware, the different-colour materials might also feel different. I have a new-version set in grey and an older set in black. The black ones are of thinner material on the outside. As for looks, the red rubber thingies can be removed with a sharp blade (the one on the zipper has to be cut, for the other the seem can be cut without damaging anything else).

As pointed out by others (and me), these particular SCVCN sunglasses are kind of nice for the price (for people with smaller heads).

Between decent and good: Plain photochromic lenses, black and blue polarising lenses as well as those colour variants that mostly stick to a single colour (depending on taste and use case). The funkier colour-gradient lenses, I find meh (red among them, which is really more like red-golden-something and shows notably different colours depending whether you look straight or to the side).

So far, this tiny smart tail light does what it is supposed to on my daily driver (and completely on its own, apart from charging)

It does the auto-on/off thing with an ambient light and an accel sensor (if you want it to) and has a brake light function (which gets a bit nervous with heavy vibration/shocks as well, but that's not a bad thing).

All of the above seem to be regulars in the 3-for-6-bucks-shipped shelf. Basic variants of the glasses go for as low as 2 bucks, same with the gloves (but 3 bucks for the grey ones, when I last checked). The tail light was 6, I think (but there where several of similar functionality, some cheaper still). With the ridiculous pricing in mind, pls do manage expectations.
(I didn't post links as they might or might not work depending on region and stuff. I hope the pictures are showing, though.)
« Last Edit: November 11, 2023, 12:44:49 PM by Wet Noodle »

jonathanf2

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #72 on: November 17, 2023, 01:33:18 PM »
I've completely given up on Spedao/SRoad ultralight cassettes. The small 11/12t cogs aren't able to withstand out of saddle power sprints. The cogs will start to slip. Save your money, stick with Shimano cassettes and lighten your bike elsewhere.

Wet Noodle

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #73 on: December 20, 2023, 03:10:17 PM »
Not the least bit bike-related, but I just have to. I kind of fell in love with Hobibear barefoot shoes. Apart from the obvious barefooty stuff (thin flexible sole, virtually no dampening, no arch to speak of), they're the most comfy shoes I've worn in a long time, and by a lot. They feel soo good, it's ridiculous (but feet are different, ymmv).

Now as for value: They sell in the 40-bucks range on Amazon (some as Hobibear, some as Within) and the BF crowd seems to like them at that price. On Ali, you can get some models below 25 bucks more or less regularly, and a few as low as ~15(!)* - shipped to the EU. Quality looks decent for 40 bucks, but for ~20, it's almost stellar (now, there will be lemons, but I have yet to get one; uh, shouldn't jinx it). Great value.



There are a few slightly different cuts (where overall shape and fit seems rather similar), a few different colours, textile and faux leather options. Unless you're triggered by the slight clown-shoe look that comes with a wideish ergonomically-shaped toe box, they look really nice.

*) Click around a bit to stuff your search history and then check the coins discount-finder page** (discounts there only work when you "buy now"). And then click around some more. Some have the 3-20 deal on them, some go cheaper as early-bird deals and what have you, and then, some of those are listed on the coins discount page. YMMV.
**) Will for some reason show higher discounts when visited through a mobile browser (probably the same with the app).
« Last Edit: December 20, 2023, 03:18:33 PM by Wet Noodle »

jefflinde

Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress?
« Reply #74 on: December 20, 2023, 06:52:31 PM »
Any thoughts on RISK vs. Wanyifa bolts? I have had the latter in my cart for while.

I am pretty hard on my bikes. Ridden in the rain and mud then hosed down with one of those Muc Off pressure washers, ive trashed a few sets of stock sram jockey wheels as well. I only have sram groups at this point so the ones with 689 bearings use reducers. Between those reducers, the shields, and the questionable quality of the bearings there is a lot of play. They also died really quickly.

Kogel is pretty average IMO regarding bearings but their design work is good and the 688 bearing size has a lot of great bearings available for it. Eventually the plan is to swap these out for Enduro XD-15 bearings. Curious to see if they really are a tough as their reputation.

I have wanyifa to on all my bikes and love it.  I have a few risk items but I don't like labels and I also wanted to get some strange size bolts.  So unless you are looking for the really weird specific parts, I would recommend wanyifa or even try craftsman.