Best way to Chinertown road disc groupsets? :)

[eddietheengineer]

I'm looking at groupset components and trying to decide between Shimano mechanical/Di2, and Sram AXS 11/12 speed. It feels "easy" to get Shimano grey market from Aliexpress, but where should I be looking for the best deals on Sram? I know there are Aliexpress vendors like Ltwoo, but I don't trust their electronic shifting yet and it's not that much cheaper than Shimano 105 Di2.

Do you tend to buy a complete groupset or do you buy the shifters/brakes/derailleurs from Sram/Shimano, and then add in chinese/Aliexpress cranks/cassettes/chains/etc?

[coffeebreak]

Do you tend to buy a complete groupset or do you buy the shifters/brakes/derailleurs from Sram/Shimano, and then add in chinese/Aliexpress cranks/cassettes/chains/etc?

I have done both. Entire groupsets or mix and match with Aliex components to go with rest of the Shimano stuff. I haven't bought LTwoo or Sensah yet. It's always Shimano.

My favorite Aliex components to go with Shimano bits are cassette, chain, resin brake pads, cables, hoses, chainrings, carbon rim brake pads and on rare occasion calipers. My go to store for Shimano groups is Anarancee. Sorry couldn't help you with SRAM  though.

[00Garza]

I don’t think SRAM on Ali will save you much money.
Typically a full group set will be cheaper. Just make sure the whole group set is shimano and they’re not cheaping out with unknown cassette or chain.

[jonathanf2]

If you're sticking to Shimano, Sensah now offers hydraulic Shimano compatible 11 speed shifters now. Apparently 12 speed shifters will follow soon. Also I go back and forth between my Sensah and Shimano equipped drop bar bikes no problem.  Though I only use Shimano front/rear derailleurs and chains (I don't touch aftermarket chains), but I have no problem using AliEx cranksets which I think are quite mature at this point. I do think Shimano cassettes are still better at shifting though, but I am currently using a lightweight SRoad/Spedao cassette on one of my road bikes. I'm also using Onirii disc rotors on my road bikes and Shimano Ice-Tech rotors on my gravel bike.

There's lots of room for mixing-n-matching, I actually find it more fun having a customized setup. I get bored looking at the same LBS bought bikes with no personality.