Shimano di2 groupsets from aliexpress

[landerban]

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about buying a Shimano 105 Di2 full groupset from AliExpress. It’s quite a bit cheaper than buying it locally here in South Korea. Has anyone here had experience ordering it from AliExpress? Did everything arrive okay, or is it risky?

Sorry if my English isn’t perfect, and thanks in advance for your help!

[debaser]

Never had issues. Ordered a 105 2x12 Di2 set from anrancee cycling store (which i find to have some of the best Shimano stuff on aliex) and it arrived in a few weeks, all fine. Have also purchased an Ultegra Di2 set second hand from another dude who got it off AliEx. Definetly legit stuff.

Would be interested to hear if anyone had any bad experiences with this to be frank!

[jjjohn]

i purchased my full 105 di2 groupset around about $800. arrived outside of the original packaging to fit in a small box, but it's been functioning as expected and the components seem to be genuine

[Serge_K]

Thank you for posting about that. I've been asking myself that question. It wasn't always the case that you could get Shimano groups there.
I find it scary, especially because a big perceived benefit of Shimano is the warranty (I've been burnt with ltwoo).
How does warranty work if you buy Shimano groups on AliExpress? Product recalls (cranks)? Is it two years if you're in Europe?
To be fair, idk if your lbs will help you with a warranty claim if you bought the group online from a reputable seller, but somehow I assume so? But via AliExpress?
Shimano is very expensive. If a derailleur breaks and it's under warranty, I want the warranty to actually work.

[meysow]

Well that's a real question, how much more expensive is it against Ltwoo, for reference I'm in France, and I can have a 105 DI2 for around 800€, considering it's a full group, with cranks, cassette, chain. Ltwoo on the other hand, offers fewer parts, and still 530€ for an ER9 V3 or 630€ for eRX, how much cheaper is it in reality? And in your opinion what are the pros and cons for each ones ?

[Jecnerwal]

I've also bought an ultegra di2 from AliX which works absolutely fine. All parts pair up with the Shimano app which implied to me that they are genuine.

In terms of warranty, I would have thought that Shimano would deal with that themselves? What woul dhappen if you bought a groupset from say, Wiggle, in the UK. Who have now gone bust. You'd be in the same situation?

Fingers crossed I don't need to test this assumption

[landerban]

Well that's a real question, how much more expensive is it against Ltwoo, for reference I'm in France, and I can have a 105 DI2 for around 800€, considering it's a full group, with cranks, cassette, chain. Ltwoo on the other hand, offers fewer parts, and still 530€ for an ER9 V3 or 630€ for eRX, how much cheaper is it in reality? And in your opinion what are the pros and cons for each ones ?

Thank you for your question! South Korea is notorious for its consumerism and Import taxes(Korea Certification Mark). Comparing the groupset bought from AliExpress and one from authorized dealer or a bike shop, the difference is quite significant. The cheapest full shimano 105 2x12 di2 I could find localy would send me back 1,530,000 KRW(which is 1124 USD roughly), and AliExpress one with taxes would be roughly 1,150-1,200,000 KRW. This difference is quite to be concidered because I have to take the bike to the shop beacuse I have no idea of how to build the bike, I'm just knowledgable about the specifications.

[Bassa80]

I bought the 105 di2 groupset (electronic parts only, without crankset, chain, cassette) from Yiwu Donglue Bicycle Parts for 550 EUR (after coupons) including tax and shipping (to Germany). I received genuine Shimano parts, everything works well including updating the parts to the newest software version. I completed it with a Magene PES 515 crankset, ZTTO full cnc cassette and KMC x12 waxed chain.
This setup was just over 900 EUR and for me is currently the best value for money I could get. 

[Serge_K]

I bought the 105 di2 groupset (electronic parts only, without crankset, chain, cassette) from Yiwu Donglue Bicycle Parts for 550 EUR (after coupons) including tax and shipping (to Germany). I received genuine Shimano parts, everything works well including updating the parts to the newest software version. I completed it with a Magene PES 515 crankset, ZTTO full cnc cassette and KMC x12 waxed chain.
This setup was just over 900 EUR and for me is currently the best value for money I could get.

That's very interesting, as it becomes an apples to apples comparison with ltwoo er9. So, for 100-200 eur extra, you go from ltwoo to shimano, without having to buy overpriced / heavy cranksets, cassettes, rotors and so on. I assume it included the calipers?
ltwoo has flexibility shimano doesnt have, like changing the number of gears, but shimano is shimano, and you'd have to be on a very tight budget to dismiss this as a good option. And resale value. Simano di2 just sells, and will sell.
did you get 11 or 12s?

The warranty question remains though, idk how i feel about buying shimano parts on aliexpress, in case something goes wrong.

[Bassa80]

It is the 12s 105 di2 groupset that I got, and it included the brake calipers.
With the Magene PES 515 crankset, the ZTTO steel cassette, an KMC waxed chain and some rotors (I prefer the MT-800 as I don't like experimenting with brakes, but there might be cheaper non-Shimano solutions) you have a complete groupset which is almost the same weight as an ultegra di2 groupset yet includes a spider powermeter and is still cheaper compared to a complete ultegra groupset.
I do not have any experience with Ltwoo or other Chinese group sets, but from reading in this forum it appears to me that shimano in 2025 is still the more reliable option.
Warranty is definitely a disadvantage when you get your parts from AliExpress. I never needed the warranty so far, but I would guess that you do not get a replacement in case of an early failure, so that is what you have to accept (and what actually makes not only the group sets but also the frame sets cheaper when you buy them directly from China).