Orient Express - Cheap Chinese Rims / Wheels / Forks / Frames / Cranks / Etc

Anyone had any luck with 'urban' cycling shorts from Aliexpress or similar?

The tracking for my order hasn’t updated since 3rd June:

Carrier: Yanwen economy air mail
Jun 03, 2018
07:14 am
Arrived at UNITED KINGDOM

Seems like my order is stuck/lost in customs?

I’ve never had an order shipped with Yanwen air mail. My two others orders were shipped on the same day with China mail and arrived over a week ago

Try the tracking number on Royal Mail or parcelforce sites

Bought 4 Avid HS1 rotors for £3.62 each inc. bolts and postage, pretty happy. Seemingly decent quality, I installed 4 and they all look straight and round, no swarf, drilling in the right places and so on. The material is the only thing that could be suspect.

Not sure if there's such a thing as fake rotors but I guess we'll find out when I try to brake on a downhill and die (or not) in an explosion

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AVID-G3-Brake-Rotors-Disc-12-Blots-BB5-BB7-MTB-HS1-Brake-Disc-160-180-203mm/263693435374?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=562840414828&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

There are some on there for as little as £2.60 but those are the ones I bought that just arrived

Not sure if there's such a thing as fake rotors

There is

I found a discussion about them somewhere on the internet in the past but consensus was they do the job just fine whether they're fake or not. Quite brazen to sell them as Avids on eBay if they are fake.

Tried the tracking on both and just get a “code not recognised/incorrect” message.

Ah sometimes works for me. Usually the Ali tracking stops once it srs to the UK and then you need to find who’s carrying it the rest of the way.
17Track might give you more info

So I'm going to do the order this week I think - happy to add a few extra if people email me beforehand!

I'm aiming to order by / at the weekend so DM me before then if you want something

Great stuff, I'm definitely keen for those rims.

yes, but the ones I got howled a bit more than the originals (and weighed more and rust....)

I've actually never had a problem with noisy disks except a bit in the wet, maybe dodgy rotors will be the end of my lucky streak

Took a punt on one of these 6th June, arrived Wednesday, 2 weeks later. Looks decent quality, weight bang on. Weirdly has a logo on one side but not the other, I ordered no logos. I'm expecting the glue to give up prematurely but we will see.

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My kit from "GD Cycling Jersey" arrived last week while I was away (I ordered these: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/AOSTER-2018-Cycling-Jerseys-Keep-Dry-Mesh-high-quality-Cycling-Clothing-Mountain-Road-MTB-Bike-Bicycle/2885060_32845990345.html?spm=2114.12010615/itm2home-3.8148356.61.257e6c196Rc0qd and https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/AOSTER-Cycling-Bib-Shorts-Ropa-Ciclismo-Moisture-Wicking-Shock-high-quality-Stitching-Italy-rubber-band-Proof/2885060_32844258494.html?spm=2114.12010615/itm2home-3.8148356.37.257e3ec93PcU7H)

The shorts are a bit of a strange fit. I wear a small in Rapha, Cafe du Cycliste etc, and so ordered a small. However the bib straps are too tight on the knock-off ones and have very little stretch. Similar issue with the leg grippers, which seem to be made of a much less stretchy material than most shorts. The pad is pretty rubbish - full of all sorts of little contours that put pressure where it shouldn't be. So overall a bit of a write off.

The jersey is a bit better. The cut is reasonably tight if not as close as modern jerseys. Fabric is lovely and breathable and the sleeves are not baggy. However the hem gripper is too short and as a result the jersey tends to ride up towards the belly button while riding.

Overall it's a 4/10, which is a shame, but you pays your money you takes your chances. At least there was no customs duty on the way in

Any recommendations for reasonably secure bottle cages please?

Some designs look like they’d jettison a bottle at the first sign of patchy bit of road.

Elite. They cost £7 so doubt buying fakes is worth it.

I hear you but I like a bit of 3k weave. I’ll regret it when my bottles go errant in a race but until then...

Seatpost recommendations please...

My previous purchase of China's finest crabon no longer clamps properly, so the saddle tilts up and down at inopportune moments.

My requirements are:

• 27.2mm diameter, at least 300mm long
  
• Layback/offset, 20-25mm should do it
  
• Using standard (round) railed saddle
  
• Comfort rather than absolute stiffness*
  
• Lightweight would be nice...
  
  

Ta.

*I appreciate this is rather undefineable, but if you bought a post based on "must transfer all my awesome power to the pedals", it's probably not my cup of tea.

I used to encounter the same problems you do. I solved them by using carbon paste on the inner circle of the seatpost, and torquing the screw to 8nm.
It doesn't move anymore, and I didn't die (yet).

I wouldn't bother again with a chinese carbon seatpost. The one I got didn't measure up to 27.2mm properly and was an absolute waste of money.

I've got one of these, or an earlier iteration of. It's been great, but has -recently- developed a squeak when I push a bit hard.

Mind you. I have a SMP on another bike that also squeaks, so MAYBE IT'S JUST MY FAT ARSE.

In my experience squeaking of carbon SMP is caused by the faux-metal silver paint on the rails. If you remove the saddle you will probably find the paint cracked to bits, I could remove it with my nail or a small knife. Getting rid of that, around the clamped area has removed the creaking with my SMP's.

Zero issues running this type of post for the last six months.

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Bit fiddly to get the angle right though

Nice one! Will investigate that this weekend...