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

[raisinberry777]

Couple of piece reports on a new build:

ZRace R700 brakes - $17
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005921991538.html
Weight: 379g

Nice budget alternative to 105 R7000 brakes and exactly the same weight. Similar style and function at about half the price. A side note on these, and this probably applies to R7000/8000/9100 brakes as well, but the reach is huge. These replaced mid-reach calipers on my Giant OCR and there was still a few mm of reach to spare - so if you have an old frame with mid-reach brakes, you might be able to get away with modern short reach.

Riro Racer R9 crankset - $39
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007637681206.html
Weight: 821g (50/34, 170mm)

Alternative to budget Shimano cranksets - design is similar to the Shimano non-series crankset (that's the FC-RS510 for 11 speed or FC-RS520 for 12 speed) with the solid, scooped out crank arms rather than the hollow arms of R7100 and above. Weight is slightly more than a 105 R7100 crankset (780g for 105, 821g for this). Finish is a lovely gloss black similar to Dura Ace R9100. Pairs nicely design-wise with an L-Twoo drivetrain. Shifting seems decent on the stand and up and down the street but haven't taken it out on a proper ride yet. Main downsides are that it's only available in 170mm, and the spider is integrated (i.e. no power meter options).

[raisinberry777]

Potentially a good budget 8 bolt crank from Goldix?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mscDfXH

EDIT: Actually just the normal 3-bolt I think - never mind.

[courdacier]

Potentially a good budget 8 bolt crank from Goldix?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mscDfXH

EDIT: Actually just the normal 3-bolt I think - never mind.

Q-factor measured on the inside of the crank is kind of unhelpful without all the other dimensions :S

[jonathanf2]

Is this store legit? They claim to have 105 Di2 for $574 USD local US shipping. The only reviews they have though are from selling the Magene PES P505 power meter crankset.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808616141667.html

They also claim to have wheelsets and framesets from various manufacturers, but it seems too good to be true. 

[ZacItaly15]

let me report a bad quality for Nanlio Xm820 hub (the first one was ok) on my second purchase. The inner bushing was stucked and I struggle to extract then the hub body was too slow to spin and drag the chain.
I hammer the axle to center and create more space on the drive side in order to let the cassette body spin and it's better but the leaf spring were too "preloaded" so I change all the 6 leaf springs to reduce tension.
Now it works "quite" properly

[00Garza]

Is this store legit? They claim to have 105 Di2 for $574 USD local US shipping. The only reviews they have though are from selling the Magene PES P505 power meter crankset.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808616141667.html

They also claim to have wheelsets and framesets from various manufacturers, but it seems too good to be true. 

Yeah that seems a little sketchy. On web browser it says can’t be delivered to my address. App it does let me add to cart.
Lots of the review pics look oddly similar. Wording doesn’t seem like English as first language either. And the store is only a few months old. Red flags galore.

[Wet Noodle]

Q-factor measured on the inside of the crank is kind of unhelpful without all the other dimensions :S

I didn't click the link, so this is just general advice. Crank arms are usually ~14 mm thick at the end. If the inner distance at the pedal bore is given (sometimes referred to as I), you can add ~30 mm for a rough estimate.

[dapatcho]

Don't know if it's already been mentioned: Neck gaiters (the buff/had kind)! Last time I bought genuine buffs, they were on sale in a Spanish online shop for around 7...8 Euros, I think, which seemed very cheap back then and much more so today. Just for context ...

On ali, there is a 3 pcs set for 2 bucks in the 3-for-6 section (5 different options, 3 different prints each).

Other than that, they go for below 2 bucks up to 3ish when bought separately, still cheap. I have one of those 3 pcs sets and they feel pretty much like my genuine buffs. Can't say anything about longevity, but for now, I like them; ordered a bunch more with different prints from the coins discount section, too, for effectively around 1 buck a piece.

Did you have a link to these and were they made of a breatheable/cool material? It's may fly/midge season and don't need the extra protein during my rides at the moment. Also open to whatever else folks might suggest to intervene between bugs and my face in the spring and summer.

[toxin]

If your concern is bugs in mouth, unironically breathing practice. Though the claims that you can improve performance via breathing are normally bogus, you can train to be able to nose breathe at a pretty high % of ftp. Imo it's most useful because your body loses less water this way, compared to mouth breathing, but less chance of bugs in mouth is a decent bonus too.

[dapatcho]

If your concern is bugs in mouth, unironically breathing practice. Though the claims that you can improve performance via breathing are normally bogus, you can train to be able to nose breathe at a pretty high % of ftp. Imo it's most useful because your body loses less water this way, compared to mouth breathing, but less chance of bugs in mouth is a decent bonus too.

My concern is more so riding through swarms and having some physical separation, I appreciate the info though!

[coffeebreak]

Anyone notice the insane markup on some of the items?

The Goldix cassette that I bought last week for $23 is now 40. The Ultralight version of the same has jumped to $150 from 95.
Uno 7050 stem has gone from $17 to 31.
Easedon wheels shipping is now $230 (I paid $10) to the USA.
Aero derailleur pulley systems are $85 up from $40.
MagicShine replica by Offbondage is now $32, up from $13.
Elita One handlebar is $122 up from $55 just a few days ago.

Aliexpress wasn't kidding when they flew the banner "Last chance" last week.

[Super_davo]

Anyone notice the insane markup on some of the items?

The Goldix cassette that I bought last week for $23 is now 40. The Ultralight version of the same has jumped to $150 from 95.
Uno 7050 stem has gone from $17 to 31.
Easedon wheels shipping is now $230 (I paid $10) to the USA.
Aero derailleur pulley systems are $85 up from $40.
MagicShine replica by Offbondage is now $32, up from $13.
Elita One handlebar is $122 up from $55 just a few days ago.

Aliexpress wasn't kidding when they flew the banner "Last chance" last week.

I have noticed they have started including the tax in the upfront price, which probably explains some of the rises. Especially if you live in a country that just imposed some pretty ridiculous ones.

[ZacItaly15]

Anyone notice the insane markup on some of the items?

The Goldix cassette that I bought last week for $23 is now 40. The Ultralight version of the same has jumped to $150 from 95.
Uno 7050 stem has gone from $17 to 31.
Easedon wheels shipping is now $230 (I paid $10) to the USA.
Aero derailleur pulley systems are $85 up from $40.
MagicShine replica by Offbondage is now $32, up from $13.
Elita One handlebar is $122 up from $55 just a few days ago.

Aliexpress wasn't kidding when they flew the banner "Last chance" last week.

I live in Italy and I did not notice crazy price changes.
Ask the White House or Elon!

[Crash217]

I popped into AliEx this morning and saw that many things I had in my cart for price tracking/future purchase had near doubled in price.

Yikes.  Wonder what established western brands pricing will do in the US in coming weeks if all this tariff stuff goes through.

[SillyMochi]

Can't speak for the US (might be a completely different story) but for EU prices are currently higher as currently there is no sale ongoing. In between those the listed price is usually 10-30% higher, so the "sales price" is received as a lot lower. I never buy anything from AE when there is no sale ongoing. I just add things to my cart and leave them there for the next big thing. Only then I actually check and compare prices.