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Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: carbonazza on April 18, 2023, 12:10:46 PM
Did you contact the seller to ask them about the torques?
They have an official store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005401555576.html

The crankset look great.
Strange they call their 24 alloy shaft: hollowtech(24mm steel shaft) as well as GXP(24/22mm steel shaft, infamously squeezing the non drive bearings)

Is it a 3-bolt interface with the chainring, like SRAM cranks ?

I'm currently using three 24mm alloy spindle cranksets, two are carbon and one is hollowed alloy. The cranksets I'm using all use the 2 pinch bolt setup similar to Shimano, but like I said they use the smaller M5 bolts (4mm hex) that aren't as strong as M6 (5mm hex) bolts that Shimano uses. The cranksets I have all use direct mount/GXP (3 torx bolts) chainrings while using the hollow tech style non-drive side, so they're a hybrid of Shimano and SRAM.

I'm somewhat determined to figure out these AliEx cranksets. The weight savings, price and direct mount/GXP chainring options are quite attractive. Also these 24mm axles use 7075 alloy and mine came with a date/time stamp on the shafts. Even though my cranksets were ordered from different vendors, the axles appear to be the same design that probably came out of a single factory. So far I haven't had any issues, though I rotate the bikes I ride based on my mood and terrain I'm riding in.

Quote from: kbernstein on April 18, 2023, 12:14:53 PM
Avoid! Avoid! Plenty of stories about these cranks failing on the forums and in TraceVelo's comments

A previous post on here was talking about a different Zeroing crankset mentioning the preload alloy bolt as a weak point. So I'm wondering what the deal is? If it's garbage, has it been addressed or is it possibly user error? Also I don't take everything Trace Velo says as absolute, his last bike build had the same crankset I'm using and he mentioned flex and other issues. Yet I'm not having any of those problems.

Quote from: kbernstein on April 18, 2023, 02:55:06 PM
IIRC some manufacturers have now found an alloy/structure that allows 24mm to be sturdy enough but yes, they have a history of failure. On those cranks it's not the spindle that is the issue though. Seriously, I think the chinese could easily make the holy grail of cranksets with proven standards and configurations but I'm still waiting  :-\

They're almost there. The Racework carbon crankset I'm using is pretty darn good. They could have just ditched the 7075 alloy shaft, used a steel axle gaining a minor weight penalty/increased durability and swapped the M5/4mm hex bolts for M6/5mm hex bolts on the non-drive side crank arm. Also I tend to like the flexibility of GXP/direct mount chainrings.
April 18, 2023, 06:49:04 PM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: Froglover825 on April 18, 2023, 08:08:02 PM
From what I've seen is that lots of parts from aliexpress have no issues hitting the "lightweight" criteria, the issue is longevity of the parts.
It's very easy to cut material from a product when you haven't actually tested it to be safe.

Yeah, but AliEx also has sturdy components like the Senicx cranksets that are very similar to Shimano with alloy forged and steel axles. Plus they have regular steel cassettes if you don't want to use the alloy/steel mixed cassettes. I see the lightweight parts on AliEx as go-fast/hotrod parts meant to match or even surpass the weights of higher end components at a lower cost. Shimano parts are just as disposable when it comes to weight cutting. Hambini made a big stink about the hollow bonded Ultegra and Dura-Ace cranksets breaking due to moisture corrosion. In fact all the current 12 speed Di2 cranksets are heavier now than previous 11 speed versions because of the flaws in their alloy bonding process.
April 18, 2023, 09:40:43 PM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc! $6 titanium stem bolts on US Amazon right now. Cheaper than AliExpress at that price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R5T3R4B
April 20, 2023, 12:04:37 PM 		2
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc! This seller has various brown carbon saddles if you're looking to color coordinate. I picked this up to match with my brown bar tape and hoods.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803582895190.html
April 20, 2023, 01:24:36 PM 		3
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: 00Garza on April 20, 2023, 02:54:52 PM
Thought about getting one of these along with brown bar tape to match the tan wall tires. Will probably do so further down the road to mix it up a bit.

I just went for 30 mile on this saddle. No issues at all. It's a few grams heavier than similar saddles from other AliEx sellers, but those extra grams go into the cushioning. Visually it looks really nice as well. It does go well with bikes with tan sidewalls which I currently have on my bike.
April 20, 2023, 06:41:59 PM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: TidyDinosaur on April 21, 2023, 01:00:02 PM
I did torque them to 5Nm, but did not use any carbon paste on the clamp. I must say that during the first ride I had to change the seat angle and did this by loosening the front bolt and tightening the rear by the same amount of turns... Maybe this was not ideal...
Care to share what your favourite saddles are?

I have the saddle you broke. I prefer long nose style saddles, since I can shift position from low-n-tucked for flat speed or scoot up on the nose when I want to spin high cadence up a hill. Looking at your saddle clamp, I'm wondering if that might have caused the breakage? I'm weary of that design, mainly because it seems to apply more direct force into a concentrated section of the carbon rails.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800039426240.html

I think this style of seat post clamp is the best for oval carbon rails. It spreads out the clamping force across a larger section, plus these type of clamps don't slip with a little bit of carbon paste.
April 21, 2023, 01:05:50 PM 		1
Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Quote from: carbonazza on April 18, 2023, 12:10:46 PM
Did you contact the seller to ask them about the torques?
They have an official store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005401555576.html

FYI - Zeroing returned my message regarding torque settings and they said 54nm for the preload bolt! I think I'll stick with hollowtech style crank arms with 2 piece pinch bolts. Most these AliEx cranksets use M5x25mm hex bolts that only need 8-9nm torque and you can easily upgrade the cheap bolts they supply to higher quality titanium bolts.
April 21, 2023, 01:11:56 PM 		1
Re: First time dipping into Chinese components
Quote from: fantomx11 on April 25, 2023, 08:35:53 AM
I have this old entry level Fuji that I don't ride anymore, and I thought it might be a nice platform to start trying out some of the stuff I've seen on YouTube. Also, this will be my first foray into building/upgrading bikes on my own, so any pitfalls to watch out for would be great.

The bike currently has an 8-speed Claris on it with rim brakes. I was thinking of upgrading to an 11-speed. Looking at either Sensah or Ltwoo. I can't tell from AliExpress which are mechanical and which are hydraulic. So, I need help figuring that out.

Also, do I need to upgrade the cranks/chainrings? It seems like I probably would. If so, how do I figure out what kind of bottom bracket I need to get?

I prefer mixing-n-matching. For example if you get Sensah Shimano compatible shifters such as the Team Pro 11 speed shifters, you can stick with a Shimano rear/front derailleurs. I'm currently running a 1x road bike with Sensah shifters and a 105 RD. LTwoo road groupsets 10/11 speed shifters are compatible with Shimano Tiagra 4700/105 R7000/Ultegra R8000/Dura Ace 9000 and GRX 11 speed. I do feel Shimano mechanical levers have better brake modulation though. Plus I like trying different things on my bike. It's a bit boring seeing the same assembly line bikes on the occasional group ride!
April 25, 2023, 11:08:42 AM 		1
Re: LTWOO RX hydro sets
Quote from: jonathanf2 on April 25, 2023, 09:36:34 AM
It should work. I was able to get mechanical GR9 shifters to work with a GRX400 RD. I'm in the process of setting up my R9 alloy hydraulic shifters paired with my 105 and Ultegra RD/FD, I should be done today and I can report back how they work.

I just confirmed that the 2x11 hydro R9 shifters index perfectly with my Shimano 105 RD. I was about to setup the FD as well, but I hit a snag on my build. My barb tool broke partway while setting up my left hydraulic shifter and the hammering method doesn't seem to work. I have another tool on the way so I can finish the build.

One more side note, the alloy levers overall are nice, but the fact LTwoo is using a plastic downshift lever is probably the biggest weakness of the design. I've dialed down the shift tension and the plastic seems sturdy enough, but compared to my GRX 400 shifters on my gravel bike it is mostly metal with only plastic on the paddle. In fact if Sensah releases hydraulic versions of their shifters, I'd probably go that direction instead. Less parts to worry about.
April 26, 2023, 09:30:58 AM 		1
Re: Thoughts on Panda Podium? I could see it useful for people who are scared of AliExpress, but those people would probably just stick with their LBS and big name brand parts. I think a list of Gold/Silver rated AliEx sellers and top rated frame/wheel vendors would probably be a lot easier and cheaper with direct links to their AliEx store or website.
April 26, 2023, 11:42:11 AM 		2