Author Topic: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!  (Read 2358756 times)

St0mpB0x

Yeah, I guess the metal bits do look extremely similar. The shaping of the carbon doesn't though. The Passquest seems to have much flatter faces with more rounded edges.

toxin

yeah, a minor aesthetical change that doesn't require a lot to make work, just like lexon. The metal bits aren't just similar, they're exactly the same on driveside and non-driveside

jonathanf2

I was switching out my front derailleur shift cable on my gravel bike and I noticed there was some rust on it. I replaced the cable and put this rubber protector right at the end of the plastic guide tube to prevent water ingress on both the FD and RD. It can also be used with mechanical brake cables as well.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800590400115.html


toxin

huh, thats pretty cool

jonathanf2

huh, thats pretty cool

I like AliEx for little things like this.

FYI - the ZRace XG calipers have been working fine at least for road. Nothing wrong with LTwoo calipers and they might be better if aero is a priority, but since I focus more on climbing I prefer the weight drop of the XG calipers. I've been using them on both my mechanical Ultegra and ER9 bikes with no problems so far.

dsveddy

I like AliEx for little things like this.

FYI - the ZRace XG calipers have been working fine at least for road. Nothing wrong with LTwoo calipers and they might be better if aero is a priority, but since I focus more on climbing I prefer the weight drop of the XG calipers. I've been using them on both my mechanical Ultegra and ER9 bikes with no problems so far.

I run an XG on the back and a dura ace from EBay on the front—aero where it matters more

jonathanf2

I run an XG on the back and a dura ace from EBay on the front—aero where it matters more

Why not go full Dura-ace front and rear?


FYI - the ZRace XG calipers have been working fine at least for road. Nothing wrong with LTwoo calipers and they might be better if aero is a priority, but since I focus more on climbing I prefer the weight drop of the XG calipers. I've been using them on both my mechanical Ultegra and ER9 bikes with no problems so far.

My experience with the xg calipers was fine for the first installation.  But upon trying to rerun lines a second time, I found the threads to be very soft and stripped them trying to crush an olive.  That and the ability to block the brake fluid with the hose placement (shown in trace velo video) was also annoying.

dsveddy

Why not go full Dura-ace front and rear?

Money, I found a random “salvage” DA caliper on eBay, and that was still like $100, which felt like an incredible score at the time.

The other thing is that one of my XG calipers started leaking, which is why I needed to replace it in the first place

Now that I have a setup that’s super light, works well, and is reasonably aero, I can’t be arsed to troll eBay for another deal, and then fork over another $100 for a DA caliper that may or may not work.

jonathanf2

I actually found some decent deals for like-new dura ace calipers on eBay. Now that the cycling bubble has burst, there are a lot of top quality shimano components on sale.

I installed a more recent copy of XG calipers on my ER9 bike and they work really well. On more recent copies of the calipers, someone on YT posted a review showing they fixed the oil port hole by making it slightly bigger. The only other reason I swapped to those calipers was due to having problems running a 140mm rear rotor with LTWOO calipers. The 140mm adapter plate was refusing to line up properly. With XG caliper no adapter was necessary.

My bikes are definitely starting to look like an mis mash of components!

« Last Edit: May 24, 2024, 10:34:32 AM by jonathanf2 »

Tijoe

I no longer have any cables on any of the bikes I ride other than my dropper post cable.  Hydraulic brakes and Electric wireless shifting eliminated the need for those cute little plugs...

jonathanf2

I no longer have any cables on any of the bikes I ride other than my dropper post cable.  Hydraulic brakes and Electric wireless shifting eliminated the need for those cute little plugs...

How are you liking the Wheeltop for gravel? Are you okay not having a clutch? I'm not sure I want to chance going electronic on my gravel bike. If the groupset dies, I'm usually on more remote mountain trails. I am debating converting my other road bike also to electronic. Contrary to other user experiences, my ER9 has been working perfect. Though I wouldn't mind trying the Wheeltop groupset as well.

Tijoe

How are you liking the Wheeltop for gravel? Are you okay not having a clutch? I'm not sure I want to chance going electronic on my gravel bike. If the groupset dies, I'm usually on more remote mountain trails. I am debating converting my other road bike also to electronic. Contrary to other user experiences, my ER9 has been working perfect. Though I wouldn't mind trying the Wheeltop groupset as well.

Since my gravel bike is a 2 X 12, the old rear derailleur didn't have a clutch.  The new EDS TX rear derailleur works the same as I am used to on a 2X set-up.   To date, one of my 1 X 12 EDS OX rear derailleurs, the battery lasted over 5 days of very heavy shifting usage. (Approx 600 miles.)

On my 2 X 12 EDS TX on my gravel bike, the longest ride to date has been 80 miles, and the battery dropped by about 10%.  I suspect I can get 800+ miles, with lots of shifting and still have battery power left.  One thing that bugs me a little on the TX rear derailleur is that the magnetic recharge contact and rubber sealing boot are on the back side of the battery.  I have a difficult time trying to blindly get the charging cable to sit flush and charge the battery.  I end up flipping the bike up in the air so I can look through the rear wheel spokes and get the charging cable aligned so it will charge the battery.
(3 charges to date:  Initial charge,  One when the battery was down by 20% after initial set-up/shift trimming, and then one time when the battery was at 60% and I was going to ride 90+ miles, but this ride was cut short to 45 miles due to snow on the road.)

Hokum

Has anyone perchaince ever seen a clone of the Avid Rollamajig?





Tijoe

Has anyone perchaince ever seen a clone of the Avid Rollamajig?

This might work.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805258822773.html