Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!

[wwnero]

Can someone send me an aliexpress link to stores selling legit YBN 11 speed chains please.

I recently bought a shimano 11s chain as a backup from Ali and am only now realizing it’s a fake. I bought it from “preference cycling store” who had pretty good reviews for the chain but looks like the people reviewing it are not able to tell. The key giveaways were that the check mark at the front of the box on the bottom is printed (should be done by hand) and the quick link is in the same package as the chain (should be separate). I’ve read some good stuff about YBN chains, so I think I will give that a try instead

[kbernstein]

Can someone send me an aliexpress link to stores selling legit YBN 11 speed chains please.

I recently bought a shimano 11s chain as a backup from Ali and am only now realizing it’s a fake. I bought it from “preference cycling store” who had pretty good reviews for the chain but looks like the people reviewing it are not able to tell. The key giveaways were that the check mark at the front of the box on the bottom is printed (should be done by hand) and the quick link is in the same package as the chain (should be separate). I’ve read some good stuff about YBN chains, so I think I will give that a try instead

https://aliexpress.com/item/1005004864551092.html

This is the one I bought. I ended up not using it because they sadly only make 116L in 11 speed and my bike needed 118 links

[Tijoe]

Personally, I will never use YBN VG Sports brand again.  The YBN VG Sports chains I purchased off of Aliexpress a couple years ago, stretched and wore out in a couple of months.  They must use some sort of very soft elastic metal. 
For my riding, the most affordable and longer lasting chain brand is KMC.

[00Garza]

Personally, I will never use YBN brand again.  The YBN chains I purchased off of Aliexpress a couple years ago, stretched and wore out in a couple of months.  They must use some sort of very soft elastic metal. 
For my riding, the most affordable and longer lasting chain brand is KMC.

Are you sure they were legit YBN chains? Only recently did I learn how to spot fake shimano chains. I'd have no idea how to check if a YBN chain is the real deal or a fake.

[Tijoe]

Great catch.  After looking back in my purchase history, my aging forgetful mind recalled the brand incorrectly.   The brand I did not like is VG Sports.  I edited my above post.

Big no on these!

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832785546102.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.877.6f7d1802ngII5k&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

[00Garza]

Luke (Trace Velo) was supposedly giving VG sports a second try. Hoping for an update soon.

[wwnero]

Zero friction cycling who is an independent tester has found YBN chains to be really good, almost equivalent to dura ace. From everything I can tell about the testing he does for both chains and lubricants, he seems very trustworthy. Main concern now is to get a real YBN or shimano chain for a decent deal. Not really interested in a KMC chain.

[kbernstein]

Zero friction cycling who is an independent tester has found YBN chains to be really good, almost equivalent to dura ace. From everything I can tell about the testing he does for both chains and lubricants, he seems very trustworthy. Main concern now is to get a real YBN or shimano chain for a decent deal. Not really interested in a KMC chain.

Surely they wouldn't bother making counterfeit YBN products? What a shame they don't come in 126L for 11speed 

[coffeebreak]

Like chains are there fake cassettes too? Looking for a 10s road cassette and looking for recommendations.

[Tijoe]

Regarding KMC chains,   When I look at all my KMC chain purchases, they have been bought either off of Ebay or Amazon.   I found that Aliexpress sellers often have higher prices for these chains than purchased domestically in the US.   

KMC publishes that they have 11 factories in these countries:  Taiwan, China, Holland, USA, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Plus 14 distribution centers around the world.

YBN, publishes that they are headquartered in Taiwan, with production bases located in Taiwan and Vietnam.  (No china?)

[kbernstein]

Like chains are there fake cassettes too? Looking for a 10s road cassette and looking for recommendations.

Look no further than sunshine/goldix imo. I find them better than stock shimanos. (sunshine 10s 11-40 on mtb and goldix 11s 11-40 on gravel)

[00Garza]

Look no further than sunshine/goldix imo. I find them better than stock shimanos. (sunshine 10s 11-40 on mtb and goldix 11s 11-40 on gravel)

I wouldn't necessarily call them fake as they are not actively trying to deceive you like the fake shimano chains. I bought a sunshine 11-16 cassette for my gravel bike, but ended up going with a tried and true sunrace cassette just to minimize potential headaches. I'll keep it as backup just in case.

[jonathanf2]

Quick question, has anyone used the AliEx unbranded suspension stems similar to Redshift and the Cane Creek EE Silk? On AliEx they cost like $65 USD versus $250 USD for the official versions. I want to try one out on my gravel bike, but I'm not sure if I'll like it or not.

[jannmayer]

I haven't tried an AliExpress version, but I do like my RedShift ShockStop stem. It helps take the edge off a bit, although it's certainly not comparable to a good suspension fork.

The standard ShockStop stem is listed on Redshift's website for $170. I got mine during one of their 25% off sales. Still more than the knock-offs though.

[00Garza]

I remember when they popped up. I saw one review by a no name vendor that has since disappeared. It had pictures of the internals which is where they cut corners. Basically it locked up after a few rides and couldn't be fixed. Could've been a one off dud.

After 150 miles on rough gravel I'm looking into suspension options as well. I'm leaning towards suspension posts though. Let us know if you give it a go!