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

[coffeebreak]

Those super cheap no-name brake pads didn't work for me. Never ending howling, poor braking power and I am not sure if they were resin even -
10 pairs for $7

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805035531478.html

I gave up after 3-4 pairs and just got Cooma.

[Bigbobby1482]

The flatmount adapter from chaser arrived today. Super lightweight, but not as green/blue as the ali listing, this is more light blue ish.
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/Y7yL7du

[coffeebreak]

As expected color variation but they don't look bad! I guess I will order a bunch now.

[jonathanf2]

I'm seriously blown away by these cheap rotors especially in the 180/160mm combo at least for a lightweight gravel setup. I tried them on my other wheelset with center lock hubs using a 6 bolt/CL adapter. On steep downhill descents, there was very little to no brake fade. They work like a champ on either hub format.

For the price and performance I like these over more expensive 2-piece rotors. Highly recommended. Though I found the 180mm rotor needs a bit more alignment adjusting with a rotor tool.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805673187010.html

[Wet Noodle]

I'm seriously blown away by these cheap rotors especially in the 180/160mm combo
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805673187010.html

If you can already tell, how is pad wear?

[jonathanf2]

If you can already tell, how is pad wear?

I just checked. Pads look good with no glazing and wear is fairly minimal. I'm sold on 180mm on the front for gravel especially since these rotors don't weigh that much. I'm now in the habit of lightly sanding new rotors to minimize break-in and I have two different wheelsets properly line-up using these discs. These particular rotors fit well with 6-bolt to CL adapters.

I do like the 2-piece IIIPro rotors as well, but the 180mm weighs more and the 6-bolt mount has a lip surface that gets slightly marred when adapting to center lock.

[toxin]

These are straight up ashima ARO-8 rotors

[jonathanf2]

These are straight up ashima ARO-8 rotors

Then it's based on a proper design! No wonder they work well! 

[lazywalrus]

Anyone tried this Kocevlo stem that's a ripoff of the Deda SMR stems?
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mt866kY

I've had endless trouble with stems on my velobuild. This one is so cheap it seems worth a shot.

Alright, I ordered one of these stems to check it out.
The tolerances seem questionable, there’s a big gap between the alloy stem and the nylon cover/spacer. I feel like this is going to lead to stress concentrations and either slipping or cracking.

It also don’t have the cuts at the back of the spacers that the deda stem has which makes it much less convenient to use.

I don’t think I’ll bother installing.

[jonathanf2]

Not sure if these have been posted on here, but these Kocevlo frame protectors are actually well made. I bought some just to trigger free shipping on small parts I was buying, but they're decent. I was originally using bar wrap to protect the driveside chain stay, but this looks much cleaner. Also the adhesive had no issues with water when I washed my gravel bike. They're cheaper on Pick 3 as well.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806745345539.html

[Tijoe]

This is an interesting observation versus an interesting find.  On many parts I track prices, I noticed that many Aliexpress stores have significantly raised prices right after this month's "Choice sale" ended.   Specifically, one carbon rim I track has been priced at $115 to $130 all year, and now the store is asking $170.

Is this their attempt at a lead up to the 11-11 sale, so it looks like they are giving a larger discount?   
Is China finally working down their excess inventories?
Are they trying to use the same pricing psychology that Amazon and other big companies use where they raise prices to full retail before advertising it on sale so it seems that we are getting a better deal?

[jonathanf2]

This is an interesting observation versus an interesting find.  On many parts I track prices, I noticed that many Aliexpress stores have significantly raised prices right after this month's "Choice sale" ended.   Specifically, one carbon rim I track has been priced at $115 to $130 all year, and now the store is asking $170.

Is this their attempt at a lead up to the 11-11 sale, so it looks like they are giving a larger discount?   
Is China finally working down their excess inventories?
Are they trying to use the same pricing psychology that Amazon and other big companies use where they raise prices to full retail before advertising it on sale so it seems that we are getting a better deal?

They probably know everyone is waiting for the 11.11 sale and just raised prices for those who are in rush to get product beforehand. If the price doesn't drop during the sale, I'd just message the seller. Mention the previous price and ask for a seller discount code that you can stack with the 11.11 sale code. I'd leverage competing product and say you'll buy elsewhere. I think the beauty of AliEx is that you can message sellers direct and negotiate in real-time messaging.

[KaiDeus]

Anyone tried this stem? Seems like the cleanest solution as far as I can see. It is expensive though:
83,39€ | Feuers pinne Voll carbon Fahrrads chaft-10 Grad Rennrads chaft t1000 Kohle faser mtb Leistung dh xc Fahrrad tisch 80/90/110/120mm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJfFkX3

[Bigbobby1482]

Here are some pictures of the chaser flat mount installed. Sadly didn't match the frame colour well :/
There's a lot less material on this than the ztto adapter.
The Titanium torx screws are also pretty soft, almost stripped one of them.
https://imgur.com/a/iYHyRQa

[SillyMochi]

I'd say close enough. Don't think anybody but you will ever notice it