Chinertown
Other Resources => Component Deals & Selection => Topic started by: mrpercussive on September 27, 2024, 09:42:23 AM
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In the market for a trainer as winter is coming and saw these cheap on Aliexpress... Anyone have any experience with these? I've used Kickrs in the past. How do these compare? Thanks!
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806788647607.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.6b4bU3JSU3JSqb&algo_pvid=e08ae19d-2b62-4ddb-ae82-19b885084f8c&algo_exp_id=e08ae19d-2b62-4ddb-ae82-19b885084f8c-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%21643.78%21235.45%21%21%214480.00%211638.48%21%402101c5a417274439758083317e881d%2112000039443364436%21sea%21US%21761118510%21X&curPageLogUid=VyBFUp2GvpI2&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A
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i have 2 smart trainers, and a power meter on my bike.
Inconsistencies between meters, and unreliable data, are extremely frustrating. Very quickly, it's worse than not having power data in the 1st place.
Also, and rather shockingly, the Pogi interview on Attia's podcast has Pogi say he basically trains with HR because the shimano power meter is so useless that it can't be relied upon. That's insane when you think about it, given that the likes of Favero have been flawless for years.
Anyway.
My point: unless there's a major price arbitrage, i'd stick with options that are tested, with warranty and support. Saving 100 eur (random number) on something like that can end up creating so much frustration that i'd be careful.
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In Germany a used Flux S usually comes in cheaper. U can get spare parts online.
GP Lama tested them okay I believe, but I would follow Serge's advise.
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GPLama tested 2 models from Thinkrider I believe, got good readings, worth checking out
here in Brazil the Thinkrider brand is pretty popular, cost-efficient trainers and the brand imports them with good value - about half what you'll pay for the similar trainer from more famous brands. What I hear about these trainers from online forums and such, is mostly good reviews too
So, I agree with Serge's point
If the Thinkriders are much less, like the example I mentioned here for Brazil, I'd go for them, should be a good option
But if the difference is not that substantial, then maybe should be more worth buying some local option, or looking at second hand offerings...
Oh, and don't forget to consider freight and possible taxes to the Aliexpress price.
worth mentioning, Shimano's issue is (from what I remember) that the readings oscillate a lot, and then are not trustworthy. GPLama also has years of reviews on Shimano PM's and comparison to other PM's
but if the readings are consistent, even if the watts are not exactly on point, then it should be ok. This comes from Hunter Allen, one of the pioneers of training with power. The real importance is not that you're doing 290, 300 or 310W during an interval, but the 100 or 150W difference from what you were doing prior. That's where the focus should be.
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$235 shipped to my door is a pretty tempting deal.
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I'm using the Thinkrider X5-neo. Works just fine, everything as expected. Firmware update & calibration also works. Tested pairing over ANT+ with Garmin watch and over BLE with phone running MyWhoos / PowerFun training app.
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$235 shipped to my door is a pretty tempting deal.
EXACTLY!!!! Winter is coming... im soft and wont go outside haha
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Unfortunately not available at this price in Germany, otherwise I would have given it a try.
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400eur in eu atm
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$235 shipped to my door is a pretty tempting deal.
I am so tempted to click…
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400eur in eu atm
And that's the price at which I would absolutely agree with Serge. Rather get a used Kickr or that Zwift thing then.
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Well I caved in and pulled the trigger. I usually won’t buy something that doesn’t have at least a few reviews, but I guess I’m the guinea pig for this one. Came out to $238.63 after coupons and taxes.
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Did you get a hub for it, doesn’t look like it comes with it
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Did you get a hub for it, doesn’t look like it comes with it
Yeah, I can’t find a straightforward list of what it comes with.
All I see in the description is “Cassette: Adaptation shimano/SRAM 8-11s cassette (XDR, CP Freehub optional)”
I thought that implies it comes with Shimano hub. I have the thinkrider hub in wishlist just in case though.
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I understood the same but as I am running 12s I knew I needed the hub, you may be right.
Looking forward to your testing, I may get one for 11.11 if it works out good for you
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Well I caved in and pulled the trigger. I usually won’t buy something that doesn’t have at least a few reviews, but I guess I’m the guinea pig for this one. Came out to $238.63 after coupons and taxes.
At this price I'd buy one just to look at it :D
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At this price I'd buy one just to look at it :D
;D
Still a little nervous since I can’t find a single review on this thing anywhere. But someone’s gotta be first!
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Well I caved in and pulled the trigger. I usually won’t buy something that doesn’t have at least a few reviews, but I guess I’m the guinea pig for this one. Came out to $238.63 after coupons and taxes.
Looking forward to hearing your experience... winter is coming and this Californian who now lives in the east coast is too soft for winter outside... haha
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My unit showed up today. Pretty easy set up. App isn’t too bad. Waiting on spare cassette to arrive to get a test done. I have a power crank on my bike so I’ll be testing it against my Magene PES505.
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So I don't have a torque wrench. Tutorial recommended about 40NM for cassette on the thinkrider. How vital is it to be accurate on that? Can I get away with just getting it "tight enough"?
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So I don't have a torque wrench. Tutorial recommended about 40NM for cassette on the thinkrider. How vital is it to be accurate on that? Can I get away with just getting it "tight enough"?
You should 100pc get a torque wrench if you have carbon bikes, on AliExpress they cost 20-25 Euro shipped and they're wonderful.
40nm is tight AF, it's far beyond tight enough. So for sure, just be brutal with it and voilà, you don't need a torque wrench for that.
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Got it all set up and installed a sunrace 11-46 cassette to match both my gravel and mountain bikes.
Shipping was fast. Waiting on the cassette is what took a while. Thinkrider app is pretty easy to use and paired up with my unit with no issues.
The available options for routes is nice.
Took it for a quick test spin to compare the power numbers on my power meter. It was showing about 5 watts or so under my Magene pes505. Not too shabby.
I’ll be using this to stay in shape over the winter. For the price it’s a good deal. I’ll make a long term review at some point in the future.
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I ordered one for my brother it will hopefully arrive this week. Price from aliexpress was 277,69€ with shipping from spain so there should be no tax issues. Since i will receive and unbox it before my brother comes to pick it up i will hopefully be able to do a first impression and little comparison to my Wahoo Kickr core. I couldn't find any reviews about this particular unit but in the end after some hesitating my brother said fuck it let's go for it. Really interested on how it will perform.
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I purchased a ThinkRider X5 NEO in October 2021 and have been very pleased with how it has worked over the past 3 winters. More expensive, but worth it!
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Bought one too tonight , 273€ from spain to germany.
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I would be interested if you receive the trainer. This person seems to have been scammed by that store:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Aliexpress/comments/1djldre/scammed_by_cox_lafly_eu_bike_store/?rdt=43621
HSCBIKE SARL (from the business license)
Moreover, I find it fishy that Aliexpress says it is sent from Spain as the city is actually from France.
https://rubypayeur.com/societe/hscbike-sarl-914790712
And the CEO is a drop shipper:
https://www.verif.com/dirigeants/Liping-ZHONG-12935289/
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I would be interested if you receive the trainer. This person seems to have been scammed by that store:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Aliexpress/comments/1djldre/scammed_by_cox_lafly_eu_bike_store/?rdt=43621
HSCBIKE SARL (from the business license)
Moreover, I find it fishy that Aliexpress says it is sent from Spain as the city is actually from France.
https://rubypayeur.com/societe/hscbike-sarl-914790712
And the CEO is a drop shipper:
https://www.verif.com/dirigeants/Liping-ZHONG-12935289/
I bought it through official Thinkrider store :
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHzzcov
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Wow, the price if you are in the EU are just insane xD
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Is it cheaper for you ? Generally since a bit more than a year now, all items on AliExpress takes into account the local VAT of EU.
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Is it cheaper for you ? Generally since a bit more than a year now, all items on AliExpress takes into account the local VAT of EU.
No, it is way more expensive for me, and I live in Switzerland xD They don't offer the shipping from Spain...
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So here's my followup on the Thinkrider X2 i ordered for my brother. The price was 277,69€ using a choice day coupon. Shipping took only four days from Madrid to my address in germany. The parcel wasn't damaged or anything and the trainer was well packaged. I was actually surprised by the fact that there was an english manual. All the necessary adapters for through axle or quick release are included. The only thing that seems a little cheap is the power supply. If i compare it's weight to the one of my kickr core i can't imagine it will be the same quality. So if i had to guess one thing that will fail on this thing it's the power supply but that should be replaceable fairly easy. Apart from that the build quality looks and feels solid. The base is attached by four screws and seems solid. I calibrated the trainer using the Thinkrider app which worked like on the kickr.
I did two rides on the trainer, one relaxed zone 2 ride in erg mode and one ride up alpe du zwift (on 50% trainer difficulty). The only real difference i noticed between the x2 and my kickr core is that the x2 leans slightly more to left and right, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. ERG mode was really smooth and the resistance adjustments were fast. Resistance up alpe du zwift also seemed realistic.
This is absolutely not an in depth review, i just did some test rides before my brother picked it up. But so far it really felt like a great alternative to the kickr. With the right deals you can get it for half the price of the kickr which is insane. The only questions are longevity and warranty if something fails, only time will give answers to these. Apart from these two questions it's a great cheaper alternative to the kickr core. I kinda regret not going for the x2 myself and saving 230€.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. If my brother faces any issues with the device i will let you know here.
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No, it is way more expensive for me, and I live in Switzerland xD They don't offer the shipping from Spain...
Try to get it delivered to someone you know living in France/ita/De
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So here's my followup on the Thinkrider X2 i ordered for my brother. The price was 277,69€ using a choice day coupon. Shipping took only four days from Madrid to my address in germany. The parcel wasn't damaged or anything and the trainer was well packaged. I was actually surprised by the fact that there was an english manual. All the necessary adapters for through axle or quick release are included. The only thing that seems a little cheap is the power supply. If i compare it's weight to the one of my kickr core i can't imagine it will be the same quality. So if i had to guess one thing that will fail on this thing it's the power supply but that should be replaceable fairly easy. Apart from that the build quality looks and feels solid. The base is attached by four screws and seems solid. I calibrated the trainer using the Thinkrider app which worked like on the kickr.
I did two rides on the trainer, one relaxed zone 2 ride in erg mode and one ride up alpe du zwift (on 50% trainer difficulty). The only real difference i noticed between the x2 and my kickr core is that the x2 leans slightly more to left and right, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. ERG mode was really smooth and the resistance adjustments were fast. Resistance up alpe du zwift also seemed realistic.
This is absolutely not an in depth review, i just did some test rides before my brother picked it up. But so far it really felt like a great alternative to the kickr. With the right deals you can get it for half the price of the kickr which is insane. The only questions are longevity and warranty if something fails, only time will give answers to these. Apart from these two questions it's a great cheaper alternative to the kickr core. I kinda regret not going for the x2 myself and saving 230€.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. If my brother faces any issues with the device i will let you know here.
Same experience.
I am a little concerned with the amount it leans. Never used a trainer before but I've heard it back be bad for carbon frames. Is that a real issue I should consider?
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Same experience.
I am a little concerned with the amount it leans. Never used a trainer before but I've heard it back be bad for carbon frames. Is that a real issue I should consider?
There are trainers like the Kickr V6 that have this as a feature so i guess there's nothing to worry about. I would say it even takes some of the force off the carbon.
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Bought one too tonight , 273€ from spain to germany.
Received it today, way quieter than my Kickr 1gen, faster reactions and easy to set-up. 1 hour of zwift on it, didn't try to sprint on it yet but it's less stable when I mount the bike.
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Looks like there’s an updated version available now. Fully enclosed unit with a carrying handle.
Been happy with my x2, but having a handle would be nice.
I’m not GPLama enough to know if the internals have any meaningful upgrade. Price is still pretty nice.
$553.92 | New ThinkRider X2 MAX Smart Bike Trainer MTB Road Bicycle home trainer Built-in Power Meter power meter Compatible
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLEwElD
Strange…the price when I paste the link and the price on Ali don’t match up. I’ve seen this a few times now.
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Shooting a bottle if anyone happens to have a thinkrider trainer and an elite direto/turno:
Are these adapters from thinkrider https://aliexpress.com/item/1005008093201503.html
the same as the elite ones? or compatible? https://www.bike24.com/p2402067.html
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Shooting a bottle if anyone happens to have a thinkrider trainer and an elite direto/turno:
Are these adapters from thinkrider https://aliexpress.com/item/1005008093201503.html
the same as the elite ones? or compatible? https://www.bike24.com/p2402067.html
Visually they don't appear to be the same thing.
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Looks like there’s an updated version available now. Fully enclosed unit with a carrying handle.
Been happy with my x2, but having a handle would be nice.
I’m not GPLama enough to know if the internals have any meaningful upgrade. Price is still pretty nice.
$553.92 | New ThinkRider X2 MAX Smart Bike Trainer MTB Road Bicycle home trainer Built-in Power Meter power meter Compatible
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLEwElD
Strange…the price when I paste the link and the price on Ali don’t match up. I’ve seen this a few times now.
I've sent my X2 back and ordered the new one. Will try it tomorrow
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I've sent my X2 back and ordered the new one. Will try it tomorrow
Any issues with it? Or do you just want the new shiny one?
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Any issues with it? Or do you just want the new shiny one?
New shiny one !
And I also think mine is understimating 20w (compared to my quarq power meter and my old wahoo kickr). But for training that's not a real problem, it was consistent for the 3 months I used it.
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New shiny one !
And I also think mine is understimating 20w (compared to my quarq power meter and my old wahoo kickr). But for training that's not a real problem, it was consistent for the 3 months I used it.
Nice. Let us know if theres any major improvements you notice other than having a convenient handle.
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Nice. Let us know if theres any major improvements you notice other than having a convenient handle.
So for now it seems more in paar, but it had a big plastic smell which the first one didn't have. We'll see.
Handle is a good thing
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I received mine (X2 max) today, in the coming days I'll set it up, I'll probably need a cassette spacer as I have a 8-speed groupset.
And after that I won't be able to make any comparison, as it's my first bike trainer of any kind ;D
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I'll probably need a cassette spacer as I have a 8-speed groupset.
Actually I do not, it's included in the box, nice
Now downloading the 28 GB for MyWhoosh
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I’m on the verge of ordering this trainer, but there are very few reviews online.
Any new insights?
If you had the chance, would you buy the X2 Max again?
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I’m on the verge of ordering this trainer, but there are very few reviews online.
Any new insights?
If you had the chance, would you buy the X2 Max again?
Haven't put tons of miles on mine since weather has been beautiful, but its still working fine. A smart trainer delivered to your door for about $250 is a no brainer for me. I'd absolutely do it again.