AliExpress products that are good thread

I've been rolling the dice with AliExpress a bit more on the last few years, and have been mostly really pleased. How about we post up products that are especially great and save some money for mags?

I'll start:. This $32 jersey is super nice. It's comparable to the Starlight one i have that goes for about $80, but it's not quite as nice as the $160 Sugoi RS one. Fit is wild: I actually wear an XS at 175cm/63kg. Ms CE has kind of stolen it though.

US $32.03 11%OFF | SPEXCEL 2021 New Coldback Fabric UPF 50+ Pro Aero Short sleeve cycling Jerseys Seamless No collar design zipper pocket green
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLATTAO

I'm going to order some more Spexcel stuff and will report back. I also just got another shipment with brake pads, rotors, and a cassette and will let you all know if that stuff is worth getting too.

Lotta good info here

https://ridemonkey.bikemag.com/threa...u-love.293091/

Man, that ridemonkey thread makes our PR threads seem focused and on-topic.

Anyway, I just rode my road bike and remembered that the ZTTO 11-32 cassette has been working well for about 1500 miles and still looks new. It weighs about the same as 11-28 Dura Ace. It doesn't shift quite as smoothly, but it's acceptable with the DA Di2.

Last year I got some water bottle cage brackets that have been working out just fine. (As in they keep the bottles in the holder pretty well and all not like the aluminum series that tend to release a bottle going over a pebble.)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000032374253.html

Tire studs for my studable fat tires. About 15% of local price.

Never used AliExpress. Thought I'd read something about having to send a photo of your ID to sign up for an account? Or maybe that was Alibaba. Or are they the same? Either way, I've had some decent luck on Amazon lately with things like brake rotors and pads. Have also had reccos from friends for pedals and a few other things.

AliExpress is really easy. No weirdness required, and you can pay with a CC so you have that protection as well. It's like a clunky Amazon (with a similarly soulless owner which is likely hurting the world in the end, but that's another thread). In many cases you're buying from the same companies for less than AMZ costs. Alibaba is connected, but it's more for massive industrial quantities, I think.

I just got some floating brake rotors that were like $10 each, so I'm going to test them out and let you all know.

I didn't want a spendy, fancy multitool to carry on my SS, so I picked up this super-compact chain tool.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000...656b4642eXBiQr
Works just fine, and I love the clever design. That, my 3wrencho and 3 hex keys are (nearly) all I need to carry. And yeah, I also tried one of the floating rotors. Been working fine on the SS with SLX single-pots for two years now.

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Originally Posted by evdog

Never used AliExpress. Thought I'd read something about having to send a photo of your ID to sign up for an account? Or maybe that was Alibaba. Or are they the same? Either way, I've had some decent luck on Amazon lately with things like brake rotors and pads. Have also had reccos from friends for pedals and a few other things.

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AliExpress did not require that at all, just like most sites- create a login and add in your billing information (and shipping if not the same). Alibaba very well may have more requirements since as stated it is for higher quantities and more business type of dealings between merchants all over the world and the Chinese manufacturers or distributors of products. Must be Alibaba that you are thinking of.

I've posted about the ZTTO dropper remote before, but here it is again:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3298...martRedirect=y

It's a Wolf Tooth copy. I've had one for awhile now, nice and smooth.

Closer to the Wolf Tooth "light action" or regular lever?

This thread is full service.

The ZTTO looks nearly identical to the WT LA beside it on my bench. I should prob sell one of them bc I don't need 2 spares.Attachment 411506Attachment 411507Attachment 411508

Call me old fashioned, but I’m gonna recommend, when possible, buying from companies that manufacture awesome shit in the US. Wolf tooth and King Cage are two examples of options in this thread. $26 Stainless Steel King Cage will never drop your bottle.
The thought of buying and shipping a tiny piece of alloy from the other side of the planet just boggles my mind.


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Sorry for turd in the punch bowl

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Originally Posted by joetron

Call me old fashioned, but I’m gonna recommend, when possible, buying from companies that manufacture awesome shit in the US. Wolf tooth and King Cage are two examples of options in this thread. $26 Stainless Steel King Cage will never drop your bottle.
The thought of buying and shipping a tiny piece of alloy from the other side of the planet just boggles my mind.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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I don’t know, the oil slick ano presta valve caps you can get for .99 cents are pretty damn awesome… ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joetron

Call me old fashioned, but I’m gonna recommend, when possible, buying from companies that manufacture awesome shit in the US. Wolf tooth and King Cage are two examples of options in this thread. $26 Stainless Steel King Cage will never drop your bottle.
The thought of buying and shipping a tiny piece of alloy from the other side of the planet just boggles my mind.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

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Is Wolftooth sourcing 100% US made raw materials? Something is getting shipped across the planet in most cases even if it's "Made in the USA." Also, there's plenty of examples of companies just slapping their logo on the same stuff (maybe with some extra QC) and marking it up, so it's not unreasonable for consumers to cut out the middle man (and accept some of the risk inherent therein).

I'm not saying Wolftooth et al. aren't good companies that aren't worth supporting, but there's plenty of nuance here.

Yep, and Wolftooth doesn’t make oil slick valve caps either!

I can definitely add the Spexcel 2022 version of the bib shorts to the list. $32 is about a third or less if what they are worth.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

I can definitely add the Spexcel 2022 version of the bib shorts to the list. $32 is about a third or less if what they are worth.

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Link? Need some new bibs. How's sizing?

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Originally Posted by climberevan

I can definitely add the Spexcel 2022 version of the bib shorts to the list. $32 is about a third or less if what they are worth.

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How do they compare to the other "cheap but good" shorts that have popped up in the past few years like Neopro and Black Bibs?

Small is perfect for me at 64kg/175cm. They fit pretty much the same as my previous favorite cheaper bibs, dhb. The pad is positioned pretty forward, which I like.

IMO they are nicer than TBB Ultimate. Idk about Neopro. The 2021 Spexcel bibs fit smaller and have a different pad. I like the 2022 ones better.

US $31.49 10%OFF | SPEXCEL 2022 New PRO TEAM BIB SHORTS Road MTB Cycling Bottom With High Density Pad Mens Bicycle Shorts
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLQzEcO

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Originally Posted by Dantheman

Is Wolftooth sourcing 100% US made raw materials? Something is getting shipped across the planet in most cases even if it's "Made in the USA."

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Raw materials are fungible. Buy more goods manufactured on this side of the oceans, recycle your cans, and there will be less shipped across the planet. No one pays extra for Chinese billet. If you don't care you don't care, but trying not to care because of raw materials would be a poor habit.

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Also, there's plenty of examples of companies just slapping their logo on the same stuff (maybe with some extra QC) and marking it up, so it's not unreasonable for consumers to cut out the middle man (and accept some of the risk inherent therein).

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Agreed

One word of caution with AB is returns are basically impossible.

Endless back and forth between you and the merchant, they'll ask for multiple photos of the issue, then more because the first ones weren't good enough. Then they want a video etc and ultimately they'll refuse a refund. (AB seems to stay out of the process for the most part. If you and the merchant can't make it right you can 'escalate' it but AB seems to just side with the merchant)

I had used them before many times and besides slow shipping, no other issues. Just look at any purchase as a bit of a gamble.

This cassette has been decent. It's made like the high end SRAM ones (1pc CNC steel), and looks great. GF likes the tiny gear for steep dirt on her gravel bike, and shifting is fine. It's not as smooth as a Shimano cassette, but part of that might be that the 105 derailleur isn't supposed to handle 11-40.

US $50.82 23%OFF | Ultra-light full hollow M8000 11 Speed Cassette 11-40T/11-42T Ultralight MTB Mountain Bike Flywheel For Shimano HG System 311g
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0boeGI

I finally ordered a pair of those Spexcel 2022 bibs.

They really are very nice, and the shipping was surprisingly fast for aliexpress.

I'd say they run a pinch small. I ordered a large as almost all of my cycling bottoms are L (one M) and they seem a little tight. Not tight enough that I'd be confident XL wouldn't be too big and I suspect they will be just fine when the elastic breaks down a bit after a couple rides and washes.