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

[jonathanf2]

Great finds. Been noticing this trend on Amazon and eBay. Is it that Ali-ex is getting expensive or Amazon cheaper? Nothing beats Amazon's convenience. Placed an order for cassette. I would have ordered the ospw too but there's no R6800 compatible one on sale.

Yeah, sometimes you really have to dig to find these items. There are probably thousands of small sellers on Amazon, sometimes items never appear on top searches, so it takes a bit of digging to find the good stuff. Also I used to run 105 5800, but I much prefer the shadow RDs based on ease of tuning, bigger cassette capacity and better protection from bumps and falls. If you ever come across a discount 105 or Ultegra R7000/8000 short cage, these OSPWs are basically mid-cage designs. I'm not sure if they help or not, but I don't think they hurt either!

[jonathanf2]

Ali has gotten A LOT more expensive in the last few years (50-100% more)... Free shipping has also become more and more scarce...

I've noticed bike frame prices/shipping have gone up as well. There are only a few select sellers even worth considering.

[coffeebreak]

If you ever come across a discount 105 or Ultegra R7000/8000 short cage, these OSPWs are basically mid-cage designs. I'm not sure if they help or not, but I don't think they hurt either!

My Fuji roadie has R7000 and there is 40% discount on that model too. Got that one instead. Let's see how it works!

Update. The 40% off seems to have been taken down at least for R7000 model after I placed the order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BR632QL6

[jonathanf2]

My Fuji roadie has R7000 and there is 40% discount on that model too. Got that one instead. Let's see how it works!

Update. The 40% off seems to have been taken down at least for R7000 model after I placed the order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BR632QL6

I believe it's a one time coupon. Also I cross-referenced on AliEx and I don't see much, if any difference between the R8000 and R7000 models. I actually like this Ceramic Speed style OSPW since it has more holes for a stiffer spring engagement which I tend to prefer. It helps minimize chain drops and in theory should work better if you want to run 1x on a non-clutched RD.

[coffeebreak]

Zniino gravel bars are here in a record time. Fast shipping apart, there was insane amount of packaging material that took solid 5 minutes just to unwrap and take the bar out. The bar itself is pretty light and seems well made - except an ungainly looking "carbon" inscription on the front, which I think I'll remove.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqqAK6E

[00Garza]

Nice. Mine should be here Monday. Luckily there was a “no logo” option for the bars I got.

[coffeebreak]

I probably messed up while ordering. Definitely go with no logo option, it's bad. With that said, the bars are kinda expensive for what they are. I'm surprised Toseek and others aren't making this design.. yet. Looks like they are charging for the unique look.

Edit: there is alloy version of the same bars at half the price- https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804562159361.html
Don't like the ugly welds but I guess they will be hidden under bar tape.

[Tijoe]

Has anyone ridden these bars on the road yet?   I was temped to order a pair of carbon last November when they were $75.  Now it is the "full price" time of the year and I will wait on ordering higher priced items until later in the year, unless I see prices drop again or a good sale.

[Confused]

I have the Zniino carbon gravel bars and taken them out for a few rides with not issues. One was the initial shake-down on some walkways and through various city areas. The second went on fire road type areas with mild rock gardens. No issues with them in either area. Adding small extenders on the horns/area in front of the brake mounts opens up additional hand positions.  Originally I ordered the 720 width but decided to go smaller. If someone wants the 720s I can make a great deal.

Some videos on reddit of a guy using the bars - and having his dogs along. https://www.reddit.com/r/gravelcycling/comments/wchjbq/bikejoring_two_dogs/

[Tijoe]

I presume that one of the advantages of these bars is that you can us mtn. bike 22.2 hydraulic levers and they mount in a position that mimics regular drop bar brake levers.  My question is, how do the shorter length of "single finger"  levers feel/work for braking?  Does one have to find hydraulic brakes with longer levers on them? 

My interest has been that I have a 29er hardtail that I change its configurations to different wheelsets, and forks.  I would like the option to be able to use flat bars, but currently I have been using carbon gravel bars, where I use cable brake levers to Juin Tech GX P calipers.   If possible, I would like to be able to run full hydraulic calipers and levers, and be able to swap between flat and gravel style bars without a bunch of part swaps.

[coffeebreak]

My question is, how do the shorter length of "single finger"  levers feel/work for braking?  Does one have to find hydraulic brakes with longer levers on them? 

I have the same doubt. I guess I'll soon find out since the brake set I'm using is Tektro hydros with short mtb style levers. I didn't look into it yet but if they make replacement longer blades (without changing the whole lever body) I'll get those.

[jefflinde]

Got the racework carbon cranks in. They are 180 grams lighter than the zrace ones. The raceworks ring is also a 42t direct mount. The zrace is a 40t w/ spider.
I was careful with the nondrive side bolts. So far no cracking, will check after a couple miles.

Have you had much time on these?  Do the decals look to be under the clear coat or can they be pealed off? 

[jonathanf2]

Have you had much time on these?  Do the decals look to be under the clear coat or can they be pealed off?

I have this crank. The decals are definitely under the clear coat.

[jonathanf2]

After having used these aftermarket hood covers for a few months, I'm sold on their quality. I much prefer them over Shimano OEM hoods and I find them much more durable. Also they're less likely to crease when folding them back. I first bought them for my 105 5800 shifters and recently picked them up for my GRX 400 shifters. On a side note Shimano GRX 400/600, 105 7020 and Ultegra 8020 all use the same hood style. GRX 810 shifters might fit these as well, but I can't confirm. I opted for colored ones just to look different and you can find matching bar tape to really complete the look!

I haven't bought from this seller, but you can find them all over AliEx or Amazon if you're US based:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804759038624.html?

[coffeebreak]

DIdn't see any conversation regarding Chinese tires. Has anyone tried these?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804706173465.html

I sent message to two sellers asking if the 40c version was tubeless - one of them said no and other said yes. I am leaning towards no, since it doesn't mention them being tubeless anywhere in the listing but then many times those listings do have factual errors. Regardless, how bad can these be?