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Re: Airwolf: What is this model inspired from? [Trek Madone] Hi all.
I have heard many times from people in the know that Chinese communication is not about saying NO. They avoid the word NO in every possible way! It is easier for them to say YES or evasively go into uncertainty.
On the other side. I do not understand obstinacy in everything in a kind of intellectual property. Sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity. I am not against intellectual property, but there is a limit to everything. After all, you can shift a millimeter or half a millimeter in size, you can lay the fabric a little differently by a fraction of a millimeter or a degree.
Personally, I am not a supporter of total patents or intellectual property!

Best regards
August 11, 2023, 11:32:06 AM 		1
Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress? The good which I will order again or have ordered multiple times already:

1. Blackbird GPS mount: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803662704812.html - Love the look. Minimalist and stable. Have it on 3 bikes.
2. RISK bar end plugs with expander : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800099911213.html
3. XOSS light : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804318675408.html - minimalist black monoblock design that goes really well with the Blackbird mount above.
4. Ultralight cassettes for road (Not MTB) : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800045575507.html - Sunshine is just one, many others make same design. Had good luck with road cassettes but not MTB. Stick to 11-28/30. Have it on 3 bikes.
5. No name, unbranded carbon saddle : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804373322850.html - Used to be $18 and arguably the best one I have found. As good as MIXD branded ones. Its unfortunate they have increased the prices. Have it on 2 bikes.
6. TOWILD light : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802488550065.html - way better battery life than XOSS but isn't slick. Battery can be taken out and replaced on the fly, excellent beam.
7. ZNIINO H corner bard copy : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804059388076.html - Fantastic. No flex, super light and just plain clever (thanks to Surly). Bought 3 times.
8. Garmin Varia tail light mount : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804675184906.html - Amazon sells these for $12 each. Get 10 pack from Alix for $25.


Money down the drain products:

1. Cyplus/blackbird/Moots and what not speed-cadence sensors: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2261800105285991.html
2. Cheap ZRACE rotors : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804147936070.html - couldn't stop their wailing. Not cheap either. Get Shimano RT30/56 for same price but better performance with resin pads.
3. Cyclami ultralight tubes : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803947217839.html - slow leaks, damage during installation, leak from valve base. Everything that could go bad went bad - except actual flat from foreign object.
4. Tiny underseat bag : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804445576703.html - trash
5. Tubeless rim tapes - avoid all from Alix.
6. RISK colored screws for stems - Not Ti. Poor soft material that strips easily.
7. Sunshine MTB 12 speed cassettes : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803959318100.html - too much variation between cassettes. Could not index two of them. Poor QC. Hit or miss, buy at your own risk.
8. Cheap $5-6 bar tapes
9. Ceramic jockey wheels - your shifting will suffer. Don't matter how cool they look or for what derailleur they are being used. Every single derailleur I used them on (105 R7000, Ultegra R6800 and 8000, SRAM Red 22) caused shifting to go bad.
October 27, 2023, 11:23:45 AM 		1
Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress? Here are some quick reviews of stuff I've received so far:
October 28, 2023, 08:42:07 PM 		1
Re: Best value carbon wheels?
Quote from: eddietheengineer on October 30, 2023, 08:04:00 PM
That's pretty solid! How much was the shipping, another ~$100?

Those look pretty nice! I need to look into Hygge some more, I've definitely heard that brand during my searches.

Yes! I was looking at some of the wider rims and was planning on maybe 28-30c tires. I can't run anything larger than 25c at the moment with my current bike. What width do you recommend? I assume a bit wider than 2mm  :D

I've ate one number, edited it. I meant 21mm internal. Contact Leon and see what he can do for You. I have their rim catalog and they have some good wide range of rims in variety of sizes. See the attached file
October 31, 2023, 04:09:04 AM 		1
Re: Best value carbon wheels? Had good experience with Prox as well. Responsive and we're able to adjust my order quickly due to a mess up at my end. Very nice carbon, and have held up for a heavy bloke like me for 1000km

That said I ordered rims only, so can't speak to their hubs or wheelbuilding.
November 01, 2023, 04:46:14 PM 		1
Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress? Looking through my orders, I realize just how much bike stuff I've bought on Aliexpress...  might as well contribute my experiences. I'm not going to review the genuine name-brand (pretty much all Shimano) components I've bought, as those are known quantities. The subsections below are in no particular order, as I'm just going through my order history to compile this list.

Best of the best to very good

Very good to good
  • Generic front light: I think this is the same one sold by "Offbondage" (lol) and a few other stores, but this one doesn't have branding which is why I went for it specifically. Nice and bright with a flashing mode, has a good bar mount, USB C charging. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804897699962.html
  • OG EVKIN HB010: good shape, reasonably light, external cable routing for easy setup. I have this bar on my commuter and it works well. Only reason I don't rate it higher is because the first one I had snapped when my bike fell over in its stand - can't really fault it for that but my other carbon bars have survived their bikes tipping over. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805458531947.html
  • Generic bike baskets: I use 2 of these on the front rack of my commuter for light but bulky cargo loads. Not super well-made but they do the job and fold down for storage off the bike. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805376389581.html
  • Sunshine cassettes: I've had 3 of these; 2 11-speed (11-36 and 11-42) and one 12-speed (11-46). They shift fine, not quite as good as Shimano but that's to be expected. Very heavy though. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803959318100.html
  • AVID HS1 brake rotors (definitely copies): 6-bolt only, but they don't warp because they're thick, they brake well, and they're incredibly cheap. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832609689188.html
  • Nipple holder: makes the process of lacing a wheel much nicer. For 3 bucks, well worth it. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802890581426.html
  • ZRACE Blade MTB crankset: simple fitment and steel axle, same as Shimano hollowtec cranks. Reasonably light, graphics aren't too obtrusive and the included chainring is surprisingly good. I have found that it creaks a bit when it gets dirty but it's so easy to pop off and clean that this isn't a major issue. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800868849020.html
  • Spcycle M05 frame: size medium in glossy red color came in at 877 grams - amazing! Despite the weight, it's been a very solid hardtail for my not-very-extreme needs. Only drawback is the rear driveside dropout is too thick for the stock hanger so I had to file down the hanger to make room. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802796251755.html

Good to meh
  • TOSEEK 143 saddle: the shape works fine for me. The construction quality is decent but the middle unsupported section tends to sag a bit too much imo. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805099852978.html
  • ZTTO MTB cassette: shifts ok, not nearly as good as the Deore cassette I was using on my previous MTB groupset. But this cassette is amazingly light, the claimed weights are accurate, and I think at least some of the shifting issues I have are down to some derailleur hanger issues on my MTB frame. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800094553452.html
  • IIIPro centerlock disc rotors: they don't warp which was a major improvement on the Dura-Ace rotors I was using, but after about 500 miles they developed a squeal I couldn't get rid of even with brake cleaner and sanding their surface. Swapped to Campy Ekar rotors and have been very very pleased with them. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804105057808.html
  • ZRACE Hardrock crankset: I've used two of these. One has lived on my gravel bike for 1,500 miles, has been beaten up, fully submerged multiple times, been put through singletrack riding and 1200 watt sprints, and is basically brand new. The other one had the axle and driveside crankarm separate and develop play within 100 miles on my commuter where it never saw any abuse. So... ymmv. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2252799820023948.html

Meh to bad
  • Ridenow TPU tube: I only use these as backup tubes on my road bike. The one time I had to use it, I was riding close to home with a friend and he punctured with no spare tube, so I threw this in his tire and it flatted within 5 minutes. Fortunately I was able to ride home and bring him a butyl tube! I tried patching it when I got home but it failed with 3 different patches.. So small and so light, but this really is an option of last resort in my saddle bag. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803826508749.html
  • Sensah SRX Pro: The shifting was very good, but the clutch on the derailleur was so weak that it dropped my chain several times a ride. I quickly replaced it with a Deore rear derailleur + JTek shiftmate which worked ok. The braking was ultimately the dealbreaker - see below - but I kept the shifters around on my commuter bike, paired with a SRAM Force 1x rear derailleur, and the shifting was great and the braking much better with rim brakes. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802576089351.html

Just plain bad
  • Juintech F1 brake calipers: I just could never get these to brake all that well. I tried different pads, rotors, preload adjustment, etc etc etc; ultimately I was descending a notoriously steep and winding local road and I nearly lost all braking power, even after stopping and letting the system cool down for almost 10 minutes. I ordered 105 hydraulic shifters and brakes the next day and they're infintely better. Don't bother with these or other cable/hydro solutions, just go hydro. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799928780428.html
November 01, 2023, 05:34:35 PM 		1
Re: Best and worst overall quality/value components/tools/gear from AliExpress? I'll add a few of my recommendations :
November 02, 2023, 08:04:33 PM 		1
Re: Best way to Chinertown road disc groupsets? :)
Quote from: eddietheengineer on November 03, 2023, 08:48:39 AM

Do you tend to buy a complete groupset or do you buy the shifters/brakes/derailleurs from Sram/Shimano, and then add in chinese/Aliexpress cranks/cassettes/chains/etc?

I have done both. Entire groupsets or mix and match with Aliex components to go with rest of the Shimano stuff. I haven't bought LTwoo or Sensah yet. It's always Shimano.

My favorite Aliex components to go with Shimano bits are cassette, chain, resin brake pads, cables, hoses, chainrings, carbon rim brake pads and on rare occasion calipers. My go to store for Shimano groups is Anarancee. Sorry couldn't help you with SRAM  though.
November 03, 2023, 09:20:24 AM 		1
Re: Best way to Chinertown road disc groupsets? :) I don’t think SRAM on Ali will save you much money.
Typically a full group set will be cheaper. Just make sure the whole group set is shimano and they’re not cheaping out with unknown cassette or chain.


November 03, 2023, 09:35:55 AM 		1
Re: Best way to Chinertown road disc groupsets? :) If you're sticking to Shimano, Sensah now offers hydraulic Shimano compatible 11 speed shifters now. Apparently 12 speed shifters will follow soon. Also I go back and forth between my Sensah and Shimano equipped drop bar bikes no problem.  Though I only use Shimano front/rear derailleurs and chains (I don't touch aftermarket chains), but I have no problem using AliEx cranksets which I think are quite mature at this point. I do think Shimano cassettes are still better at shifting though, but I am currently using a lightweight SRoad/Spedao cassette on one of my road bikes. I'm also using Onirii disc rotors on my road bikes and Shimano Ice-Tech rotors on my gravel bike.

There's lots of room for mixing-n-matching, I actually find it more fun having a customized setup. I get bored looking at the same LBS bought bikes with no personality.
November 03, 2023, 01:03:33 PM 		1