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

[s3si1u]

Anyone tried already Firespider ?
https://firespider.aliexpress.com/store/1100268111

It is the high-end brand of Toseek, that makes bars, stems,...
https://toseek.aliexpress.com/store/912268096

I have the FS160 but have yet to try it. Bought it for an upcoming build and I'm currently repainting the bars gloss black. Feels very good in the hand, though.
I also have "The One Pro" handlebar on my VB177, which appears to be the same as Fire Spider's RTB07. This bar is excellent and without having ridden it, the FS160 appears to be just as high quality.

[zxcvbnmjm]

Does anyone know where i might be able to find a 20/24h disc brake hubset by any chance? Preferably centrelock

[Tijoe]

Any long term review of the IGS630?  I seem to recall some of you have it
There are way too many paid unboxing videos to promote it but almost no deeper reviews with more than a week on it 

I purchased my first one back in November 2022.  I've used it for about around 3K miles of riding.   About 6 weeks ago, my bike was improperly mounted on a bike rack and my bike took a 1/2 header of the the rack at about 55 mph.  The first thing that hit the ground was the iGS630.  It broke the mount clips in the housing and shattered the glass, but the unit still worked.  I am in the middle of getting a replacement from iGS Sports.  (They have been great to work/communicate with to date.)   In the mean time, I ordered a second one off of Amazon and it arrived about a month ago and I have about 800 mile on this one.   

1.  My biggest complaint is that the unit's GPS stops recording at 2mph.    (Others have stated that other brands do the same thing, so who knows if this is just me going to slow.)  I have spent a lot of time walking my fully loaded bike packer up 20% and greater climbs.  It is frustrating because the iGS630 stops recording the climb and auto-pauses.)
2.  The displaying of slope on climbs is not very responsive and lags about 3 seconds before it displays the next slope grade change.
3.  iGS630 always seems to have a different elevation gain and mileage than Strava on my Cell phone.  (On a 50 mile ride, iGS630 will be different my 2 miles and elevation will often be 100s of feet less climbing.   (I need to look into how to calibrate my current altitude. Maybe this is why.)
4  There are almost too many buttons on the unit and too many different screens and functions.    I wanted to be able to quickly use it out of the box, and really need to re-read and remember what buttons and screens do what. 
5.  Since I haven't used any other brands, I have no comparison.  OTOH.  The 500 mile bike packing ride I rode a couple weeks ago, near Ottowa, (The TDW)  I heard many complaints about other brand navigators and bike computers.  Seems like the technology isn't 100% reliable for every brand.
6.  I am still trying to figure out how to upload a GPX file to the App, then to the 630.
7. Battery life is good, but I wish it would last even longer.

[cramy]

interesting video on what not to buy

[ghiabici]

On the subject of what not to buy - the knock off cambium saddle on AliExpress at the moment.

It's a soft rubber saddle which doesn't work unless you like seatpost bolts kissing your backside 

[sbellote]

I'll try to reply to each in separate, maybe can help you better

1.  My biggest complaint is that the unit's GPS stops recording at 2mph.    (Others have stated that other brands do the same thing, so who knows if this is just me going to slow.)  I have spent a lot of time walking my fully loaded bike packer up 20% and greater climbs.  It is frustrating because the iGS630 stops recording the climb and auto-pauses.)

In the app you can change the minimum speed for auto-pause, and even turn-off auto-pause.
This maybe is the best for your case, since you mention walking with the bike. Best to set it off then you can be sure that it won't pause even if you stand still

3.  iGS630 always seems to have a different elevation gain and mileage than Strava on my Cell phone.  (On a 50 mile ride, iGS630 will be different my 2 miles and elevation will often be 100s of feet less climbing.   (I need to look into how to calibrate my current altitude. Maybe this is why.)

this is common for most GPS units - head units, watches, or apps. Each one use different maps, or sensors, that are prone to have interference and measure wrongly
you can always correct the elevation later in Strava, you go into the options of the activity and have there the button to 'correct elevation' according to Strava maps, the system will review your activity path and have the correct elevation. You can go back to the original one if you prefer, in the same options

4  There are almost too many buttons on the unit and too many different screens and functions.    I wanted to be able to quickly use it out of the box, and really need to re-read and remember what buttons and screens do what.

the 'too many different screens and functions' is something that will happen with most units, any brand, especially at this price point where the units have many functions
you can always set the screens how you like, through the app, leave only the essential information that you want to see, leave 1 page only if you prefer.. your can customize as you want

6.  I am still trying to figure out how to upload a GPX file to the App, then to the 630.

you need to have the GPX file in your phone, then add in the app, then sync with the unit. Here's a video:

[jonathanf2]

Not AliExpress, but this is the kind of drone I've been looking for during my bike rides. Action cams and 360 footage don't really record the ride "experience." The only issue is that my city has banned drones from most city/state parks which tend to have the best gravel riding. I guess I can use it when road riding when traffic isn't busy. Price is a bit high and record time is only about 11-12 minutes per battery charge and it won't be able to keep up on fast descents. Though for slow climbing in epic scenery this could be great, especially for social media use. It'd even be fun for vacation shots with family and kids.

https://thehover.com/products/hoverair-x1-self-flying-camera-combo

[sbellote]

Not AliExpress, but this is the kind of drone I've been looking for during my bike rides. Action cams and 360 footage don't really record the ride "experience." The only issue is that my city has banned drones from most city/state parks which tend to have the best gravel riding. I guess I can use it when road riding when traffic isn't busy. Price is a bit high and record time is only about 11-12 minutes per battery charge and it won't be able to keep up on fast descents. Though for slow climbing in epic scenery this could be great, especially for social media use. It'd even be fun for vacation shots with family and kids.

https://thehover.com/products/hoverair-x1-self-flying-camera-combo

Joe (China Cycling) did a deep review on that Hover X1 drone, seems really nice and portable, but yeah, price is salty

[jonathanf2]

Joe (China Cycling) did a deep review on that Hover X1 drone, seems really nice and portable, but yeah, price is salty

I'm sure there will be a price drop eventually, but I'd like to see an update with bigger internal memory (or SD card slot) and battery life.

My buddies and I are alway messing around to get good ride footage by swapping action cams, using phone footage, etc., but this would get exactly what we are looking for when going on those epic rides.

[jonathanf2]

Sensah Empire HRD hydraulic groupset now available on AliEx:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805775443558.html

Update: Initial price was $286 USD and now it's been raised to $299

[sbellote]

there's a Aliexpress sale to begin in 2 days (Aug/21) and until then you can see the current price and the future one, so it's a good opportunity to check how much the price will drop (and if it's really worth it).
Also already get a cart together and be ready to buy as soon as it starts - the bigger coupons are limited, so it's best to buy asap after it starts to not risk it

[coffeebreak]

This definitely wasn't the case back in June. I got a bunch of stuff in the week leading to 6/18. Then exactly on the last day i.e. 6/18, the biggest discount dropped that could be stacked up on previous coupons netting you a good $50 off of $200.

[jonathanf2]

If anyone is running Juin Tech F1 calipers, these look like the first affordable pair of finned calipers for those brakes:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805238102015.html

[kbernstein]

I'd like to replace my rusty stem bolts. I don't know if they're unsafe but they're certainly unsightly (and heavy). Is anyone using titanium aliexpress bolts? Any recommendation?

[jonathanf2]

I'd like to replace my rusty stem bolts. I don't know if they're unsafe but they're certainly unsightly (and heavy). Is anyone using titanium aliexpress bolts? Any recommendation?

Measure your current bolts, these come in 16/18mm:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805307550304.html

I have all my bikes with titanium stem bolts. I never went with integrated stem/handle bars, since I'm picky about my drop bars.

I also picked up this CF stem cap + titanium screw to lighten things up even more:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800028170178.html