I wish I'd known the snail and fouriers rings weren't made of cheese. I'd have gladly used them. I've just picked up whichever RF, wolftooth, blackspire etc 30T was cheapest on ebay when I needed one for the last half dozen years.
Alibayexpress parts you love
- Thread starter Udi
- Start date
To be clear, I haven't put these rings thru their paces on my real mountain bikes. I use direct mount rings there.
The Snail 4-bolts are on light-duty beater bikes.
That said, they appear to wear just like every other 7000 series chainring.
The Snail 4-bolts are on light-duty beater bikes.
That said, they appear to wear just like every other 7000 series chainring.
I have. (SNAIL, MOTSUV etc. they're all the same and all decent quality, the only downside is the logos)
I've been running Chinese (Ebay/AliX) 104bolt NW chainrings on many of my bikes for around 4+ years now. That's on on Both my DH bikes, an FS slopestyle bike, a trail hardtail, a 4X hardtail, and XC FS bike and a 170mm travel Ebike.
Between them I've done 20000+ miles on those rings.
on my Emtb the Ebay chainrings rings last longer than the chain and cassette does (circa 3-4000miles). I run the whole drivetrain until the chain slips under power (assisted) in the smallest sprockets and replace the lot together. (cheap 10 speed Shimano Deore cassette, cheap 10 speed SRAM chain, Ebay NW ring and replace the jockey wheels in the Zee mech about every 3 cassettes)
I only have one bike with a direct mount chainring (RaceFace cinch). I fucking hate them. the Ebay rings are 15% the cost, much less hassle to swap and more durable. Did I say I fucking hate direct mount chainrings? ALL of them!!
Haha, I loved the chinglish spiel recommending a chain guide if you need 100% security. Not even a lie.
Machine shops in Germany, and I believe that's for a very specific part (thin-wall machined stainless steel pistons).
Hard to scream "not in house" over a part that no other brake even has.
Assembly and warehouse were moved, but they are too small of an operation to make their own CNC/anodizing facilities viable.
Me too, two of the MOTSUV 104BCD rings from alibaba on my bikes, very satisfied.BTW I'm looking for a 96BCD 30t ring, so far to no success.
In early June I got some real TLD shorts from my shop and they lasted about 300m of riding. First jump (new 29" DH bike) I did a whip and felt the tire buzz my right thigh, only a little more than "just barely". Then I tried to gap from a roller down into a berm (not a line the builder intended) and had to really reach to clear the knuckle. I got a pretty good tire buzz on the landing just to the left of my butt crack. At that point my friend pointed out a rip when the tire had just hit the short. I rode the 2 blocks home and looked at the shorts. In both places the tire had worn right through the fabric. I work at the shop so I called our TLD rep. She said she hadn't heard of anything like this and would definitely warranty. She had me email her a bunch of photos of the damage. Months later we never saw any replacement shorts show up.
A pair of random surf shorts would have more durable material.
Y not Shimano?
BTW I'm looking for a 96BCD 30t ring, so far to no success.
Or something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224027235237?mkevt=1&siteid=1&mkcid=2&mkrid=711-153320-877651-5&source_name=google&mktype=pla_ssc&campaignid=10454314772&groupid=112166165668&targeted=pla-293946777986&MT_ID=&adpos=&device=c&googleloc=1005166&itemid=224027235237&merchantid=116792603&geo_id=154&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzeTZ66HW8wIVFeR3Ch0WHAOmEAQYAyABEgKtg_D_BwE
Well, I tore the palm off a set of TLD GP gloves after ~30 minutes of riding in the wet. We stopped to move a log off the trail, I grabbed it, it slipped my hands, BANG! within a second both my gloves were palmless. The palm material was so thin I seriously doubt it would have protected my hands in the event of a crash. I was a very cash deprived student at the time, so I decided I would stay off their overpriced marketing and settled for Fox/Thor/etc.
A while ago (when I could buy cheap stuff off eBay) I used to hunt for american football quarterback gloves to wear in the wet season. The Nike Vapor Knit ones would be really cheap once the boreal summer was coming to an end, and they would stick to the grips like nothing else.
Not "in house", but down the street. Everyone needs a pricey stem that matches their fork offset..
https://ridetenet.com/
https://ridetenet.com/
Wolftooth makes a lot (most?) of stuff in house, which I hadn't realized.
Re: TLD clothing... it's a learning curve. You should thank the universe for steering you in another direction.
Second, I wonder which of these clothes are actually fakes vs. grey market, production overruns, didn't pass qc or otherwise, coming off the same factory line as the legit. Saw a lot of this when I was in China, as did my brother.
Second, I wonder which of these clothes are actually fakes vs. grey market, production overruns, didn't pass qc or otherwise, coming off the same factory line as the legit. Saw a lot of this when I was in China, as did my brother.
So, this is not exactly fleababa product, but I want to give a shout-out to the Kalloy Uno stem. Strong, light, cheap.
Under $20, under 100 grams for the 35x35, what’s not to love. Maybe the best ‘bang for the buck’ in mountain biking besides trail tool ground-scores.
(Edit: which I always try to get back to the owners, with little success)
Under $20, under 100 grams for the 35x35, what’s not to love. Maybe the best ‘bang for the buck’ in mountain biking besides trail tool ground-scores.
(Edit: which I always try to get back to the owners, with little success)
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Free shipping too.
I like their chainrings, but maybe its just the conditions or my level of hack on the bike, but they wear out quick. Is one season per ring a thing?
Going to order a steel ring the next go around.
that's not my experience with their rings, I can get multiple years out of them with regular chain replacing.
yea, gray market is a big problem, see what shimano & sram are doing (regional sales restrictions, i seem to recall they implement penalties or something for companies caught selling OEM product aftermarket), as well as colnago
I used to love the old TLD Air gloves with the coarse mesh on the back of the hand. Had a few sets that last multiple years. The new version is worthless - they changed the fit and closure and the two pairs I tried came apart at the seams within a few rides. A mate got me to try the FIST gloves and now running those instead.
Same experience here with the old and new TLD Airs.
90s styling?
Kalloy used to make stems seat posts and bars for a ton of other brands. Their UNO range has always been cheap, strong and light.
Fuck you Keith Bontrager
so uh, anybody figure out how to buy sram stuff and feed a poor person without paying sram yet?
I don't need parts but I'll buy them on principle.
I don't need parts but I'll buy them on principle.
surprisingly little to add here. I don't know if I've bought anything from aliexpress as the whole thing kind of creeps me out. I will gleefully buy off amazon or ebay.
I have some bar ends
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XG51Z4M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that work well. Better than plastic but way cheaper than a set of NOS brooklyn end caps.
Some carbon spacers, not sure which brand or whether it matters, I just was dissatisfied with my FSa plastic ones so I grabbed some generic carbon ones off ebay for cheap and they work OK.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0812FSML5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also have one of those mentioned Kalloy Uno stems for my road bike. It is excellent and well built and allegedly light. Made of 7050 and cost me $25. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193880530254?hash=item2d242e1d4e:g:MAkAAOSwz2lXChAz
Oh yeah, one garmin mount I grabbed off of amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBS3QMM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 has worked great without issue.
I looked at those chainrings but they weren't compatible with SRAM's road 12s so I passed and bought the real thing from wolftooth.
I have some bar ends
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XG51Z4M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that work well. Better than plastic but way cheaper than a set of NOS brooklyn end caps.
Some carbon spacers, not sure which brand or whether it matters, I just was dissatisfied with my FSa plastic ones so I grabbed some generic carbon ones off ebay for cheap and they work OK.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0812FSML5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also have one of those mentioned Kalloy Uno stems for my road bike. It is excellent and well built and allegedly light. Made of 7050 and cost me $25. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193880530254?hash=item2d242e1d4e:g:MAkAAOSwz2lXChAz
Oh yeah, one garmin mount I grabbed off of amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBS3QMM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 has worked great without issue.
I looked at those chainrings but they weren't compatible with SRAM's road 12s so I passed and bought the real thing from wolftooth.
The fact that it's a Chinese site means that I won't buy from it. I also prefer to support local businesses. If my LBS has what I need in stock, I purchase it, even if the price sometimes makes me wince. If I need to order, I do LBS or on-line about 50/50 depending on what the item is.
Did mean all of the above, often the same gear is on amazon and ebay. If it's something expensive/risky I use ebay for the buyer protection. That's two votes for the Kalloy stem, sounds decent.
Nice to know "what's good" of the cheap stuff available across the board, some of it even makes its way to bike stores (albeit at inflated prices) so @johnbryanpeters can feed both China and America at once.
For a while this summer seats and stems became so impossible to source I ordered some "Kore" saddles from ebay and no name stems from Amazon to sell at our shop. We marked them up only like $10 above what we paid and they flew off the shelves.Nice to know "what's good" of the cheap stuff available across the board, some of it even makes its way to bike stores (albeit at inflated prices) so @johnbryanpeters can feed both China and America at once.
I've stocked up on some consumables via Aliexpress.
Pads and bleed kit from Cooma via this store.
So far so good on the pads.
YBN makes a top quality chain, but they can be hard to find so I found them on Ali.
Avid HS1 style rotors from this shop.
www.aliexpress.com
For the price of a single set of pads/rotor/chain from a shop I've covered years worth of them from the above. My spouse and I both daily ride a pair of cargo e-bikes all year round in Vancouver and we chew through pads an rotors, we're now well stocked for the parts shortage apocalypse.
Pads and bleed kit from Cooma via this store.
So far so good on the pads.
YBN makes a top quality chain, but they can be hard to find so I found them on Ali.
Avid HS1 style rotors from this shop.
10.63US $ 20% OFF|2 Pieces Brand New Avid Hs1 Mtb Road Folding Bike Disc Brake Rotors 160mm Or 180mm 6 Holes Disk Brake Rotors 12 Blots Bb5/bb7 - Bicycle Brake - AliExpress
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
For the price of a single set of pads/rotor/chain from a shop I've covered years worth of them from the above. My spouse and I both daily ride a pair of cargo e-bikes all year round in Vancouver and we chew through pads an rotors, we're now well stocked for the parts shortage apocalypse.
I made an offer on Ebay for $175 on one of the trueing stands I referenced earlier. The buy it now was 225, they countered at 224, lol! Tried to see if I could use Ebay for the same price as Alixpress...
It's a road stem, not sure I'd huck the gnar on 120mm of glory, but it feels stiffer than my truvativ thanks to its two-bolt closure. I scooped up a shimano pro koryak for that. I have to rack my brain and think if there's any other garbage I've accumulated. I usually go for brand-name closeout stuff as I can have confidence that it won't explode, even if it's last year's colourway
This season I have experimented the following parts with good success:
- 11-46, 11spd, HG light cassette (ztto) currently 1500km of enduro and some Bikepark and looks barely used.
- 9-46, 11spd, XD light cassette (ztto) same built but less time on it but no reason not to believe it will be as good as the HG.
- bleed kit (transparent with yellow bits)
- ARC boost hubs, 100+ poe, 32 jbend spokes. 1500km on it, nearly 80,000m of elevation enduro and bike park. Bearings died mid season which is easily replaced and happens to me even on reputable hubs. Freehub sealing isn't the best so a quick clean every so often is advised. Got a new set for my next bike and the freehub seal seem to have been improved.
- I used different flat pedals on my race bmx and off season too. Currently using some nylon carbon fiber models that looks pretty close to the Kona wahwah pedals (named shanmashi or something). Excellent grip and feel, the oversized bearing isn't amazing but it is an easy fix, everything else is good.
- Satori 31.8/150mm dropper has been really good, I installed it on my winter hardtail last winter and it is still going super strong. It was pretty dry inside out of the box and after a little bit of stendec fork grease it has been perfect since.
- ZTTO dropper control. Now this one is so/so, it works really well and is pretty well built, but ergonics are a bit off if you don't have big or bigger hands I think. I am a size 11 for gloves and it is just ok for me, wouldn't give it to my girlfriend for instance.
- ZTTO single clamp grips with the really thin rubber fins are pretty good if you like thin grips, rubber is tacky enough
- I tried different discs mostly from ZTTO in 180 and 203 size, all good. They are on the heavier side but I guess it is not a bad thing for heat management (had branded light discs that would heat-up way to quickly before). Not sure if they wear out faster than normal discs but since they are cheap as chips I replace them as soon as the braking surface starts dishing.
- Miscellaneous like cables, housings, barbs and olives, stem spacers, grub screws, Ti screws, valves and so on.
Once I saw some of the AExpress products sold on Alltricks under their brand name (Neatt) it definitely helped me trying more stuff off AExpress. Not all is good (rings are cheese, cheaper cassettes are meh, still experimenting with pads) but you can make substantial savings and not compromise on performance soI would rather put my money into buying quality tires for instance.
- 11-46, 11spd, HG light cassette (ztto) currently 1500km of enduro and some Bikepark and looks barely used.
- 9-46, 11spd, XD light cassette (ztto) same built but less time on it but no reason not to believe it will be as good as the HG.
- bleed kit (transparent with yellow bits)
- ARC boost hubs, 100+ poe, 32 jbend spokes. 1500km on it, nearly 80,000m of elevation enduro and bike park. Bearings died mid season which is easily replaced and happens to me even on reputable hubs. Freehub sealing isn't the best so a quick clean every so often is advised. Got a new set for my next bike and the freehub seal seem to have been improved.
- I used different flat pedals on my race bmx and off season too. Currently using some nylon carbon fiber models that looks pretty close to the Kona wahwah pedals (named shanmashi or something). Excellent grip and feel, the oversized bearing isn't amazing but it is an easy fix, everything else is good.
- Satori 31.8/150mm dropper has been really good, I installed it on my winter hardtail last winter and it is still going super strong. It was pretty dry inside out of the box and after a little bit of stendec fork grease it has been perfect since.
- ZTTO dropper control. Now this one is so/so, it works really well and is pretty well built, but ergonics are a bit off if you don't have big or bigger hands I think. I am a size 11 for gloves and it is just ok for me, wouldn't give it to my girlfriend for instance.
- ZTTO single clamp grips with the really thin rubber fins are pretty good if you like thin grips, rubber is tacky enough
- I tried different discs mostly from ZTTO in 180 and 203 size, all good. They are on the heavier side but I guess it is not a bad thing for heat management (had branded light discs that would heat-up way to quickly before). Not sure if they wear out faster than normal discs but since they are cheap as chips I replace them as soon as the braking surface starts dishing.
- Miscellaneous like cables, housings, barbs and olives, stem spacers, grub screws, Ti screws, valves and so on.
Once I saw some of the AExpress products sold on Alltricks under their brand name (Neatt) it definitely helped me trying more stuff off AExpress. Not all is good (rings are cheese, cheaper cassettes are meh, still experimenting with pads) but you can make substantial savings and not compromise on performance soI would rather put my money into buying quality tires for instance.
Saw those ztto cassettes but questioned it.. $150ish for it vs $300 for a GX from Sram.
How does it shift, because it looks to barely have any shift ramps?
Some of their ads say don't backpedal in the 50t gear. hmm.
101?
199?