It's been a while since I shared reviews, so here's a fresh batch covering all the fun knockoff stuff I've bought and tested:
Paul Components "Royal Flush" Crankset & 46T chainring URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806034748468.htmlReview: 9/10.
Details: Surprisingly well-made copy of this iconic crank set that's been out of production for several years. There's a number of knockoff versions of this crank set kicking around AliExpress, most of which use a SRAM GXP-style of chainring mounting system. This one uses the identical system that the original used, which is four bolts on the backside of the ring. The crank arms are bright polished silver and include the Paul Components logo and crank arm size. The 46T chainring I got was black, and like other Paul Components copies on Ali, it seems that Chinese manufacturers prefer a black coating over actual anodizing. I don't think there's much choice available in chain rings; all I could find was black or silver 46T. Given that there's a lot of similar knockoff chainrings but they use a different mounting system, I'd stick with buying the 46T from the same seller to ensure compatibility. Following Paul Components' instructions, I mounted this crankset to a 111mm ISO square-taper bottom bracket. It fits fine, although enough of the spindle taper is showing to make me wonder if these knockoffs might do a little better with a JIS spindle. I've been riding these on a fixed-gear for the past month and have no complaints. They get a lot of attention and oohs & ahs. It's a "statement piece" for sure, but if you're looking for a cool fixed gear / single speed crankset and are happy with a 46T chainring, then this one is a great buy.
Paul Components "Love Lever" URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805644578947.htmlReview: 6/10
Details: Passable copy of the Paul Components lever. Similar to the Royal Flush chainring, it's not anodized black, but rather some kind of coating. They arrived in a copy of the Paul Components box, so points for that, I guess. Overall, they work as expected and are a decent budget copy. One issue I had was that they use an adjustable grub screw to pre-set the lever pull; this is normal, but the grub screw on the right-hand lever won't stay put. I backed it out fully, and over the course of one ride, it screwed itself back in. That caused a problem of the reducing the lever pull to the point where the rear brake was almost fully engaged. This happened twice. After the second time, I removed the grub screw entirely, fixing the issue. However, it loses a point in my review for this problem.
Paul Components "Mini-Moto" Brakes URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806929778574.htmlReview: 6/10 & a warning...
Details: These were sold out on Ali for a while, so I bought a front & rear set through eBay. The first set the seller sent me was unfinished and totally unusable, on account of them lacking the mounting holes in each brake arm where the tension spring inserts. Some of the arms were also missing the Paul logo. I complained to the seller, and had to send several photos before they agreed to replace them. I later found similar negative reviews on Ali from buyers who received the same junk. Surprisingly, a few weeks later I received a new package from the seller that had two sets of front & rear brakes. All of these sets had the correct mounting holes and logos. However, all of the sets I received were missing the front & rear rubber gaskets that are part of the legit ones (each arm should have two gaskets). These aren't essential, and replacements can be purchased from Paul Comp if you really want them. Still, points off for that. Also, the tension springs may be reversed - one side is silver and the other gold, to delineate which go on the right side and which go on the left. It seems the kock-offs were the opposite of the real ones; another weird detail that took me a little bit to figure out. I installed a set on my bike and have been riding them for a few months. No complaints on performance. They work as expected and pair well with the knockoff Love Levers, since they have the same black coating finish as the levers and the Royal Flush chainring. Still, with all the issues I encountered, I can't recommend them. You might get a junk set, and even if not, they will be missing some bits.
Paul Components "Klamper" Brakes URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806567943125.htmlReview: 8/10
Details: I got these back in December and have been riding them for six months now. I am completely satisfied with them. They are paired with SRAM rotors and SRAM Rival levers, with the Kool Stop pads ordered from Paul Comp. From day one, I've gotten excellent braking and modulation from them. Before them, i was running hydro-mechanical disc brakes, and these have a smoother action. Adjustments have been simple, and overall "set it and forget it". One thing I did notice is that the parts specs are slightly different than real Paul Components Klampers. I ordered orange anodized adjusters from Paul, and when they arrived, they would not mount onto these knockoffs. Overall, I would recommend these without hesitation, and at currently $70 a set on Ali, I'd consider them a good value for the money.
Paul Components "Gino" light mount URL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805193813992.htmlReview: 10/10
Details: It's just a piece of machined aluminum, so pretty hard to F this up. They come in a copy of a Paul Components box, and do what they're supposed to do.
POC Air Rapha helmetURL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805171124727.htmlReview: 5/10
Details: It looks cool, but didn't fit my head right. I later tried on a real POC Air helmet in a bike store and it fit perfectly, so the issue is with the knockoff. Normally I'd consider fit a personal thing, but given it's not a problem with a real POC helmet, I'd say pass on this one.
Rapha handlebar bagURL: Can't find it on Ali right now
Review: 9/10
Details: Good quality copy of the Rapha handlebar bag. I've seen / handled one at a Rapha store, and this knockoff is indistinguishable from the real thing. I paid $25 with shipping from AliExpress, which is a good bargain considering the real one is close to $100. No complaints here.
Rskit portable mini electric pumpURL: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806009816913.htmlReview: 4/10
Details: Not a knockoff, just a piece of junk. When it works, it can inflate a tire to ~80 PSI within about 20-30 seconds. The problem is that after more than one tire, the thing overheats and shuts down. Then it won't turn back on unless connected to a charger for a while. It's let me down twice, and I only carry it right now until I can get a better one, and I still bring a backup manual pump. Do not buy.
Another update on the Ingrid RD-1: I've now been riding it for 6 months and am very happy. Early shifting issues turned out to be related to the shifter (a Sensah Empire) and after I upgraded to SRAM Rival, it's working well. This is another knockoff that has proved to be a good investment and I'd recommend it to folks interested in a visually different, cool derailleur and who are using a mechanical shifting setup. My original review can be found here:
https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3910.msg53365.html#msg53365
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