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

Please report back. Interested to see how these perform. I half fancy a pair my current build if they're decent 🤞

I’ve had a set of original EE brakes too so hopefully can give a reasonable feedback in terms of quality and performance!

I have the X-Light prime bars and love them. There was a seller on eBay with a multiple sets of them and the aero bars a while ago (maybe Wiggle outlet?). I got them for around £90, 182g in 40cm.

@BlackMath On behalf of the entire thread, thank you

I saw some on eBay for around that but I have a decent wiggle gift voucher to use so makes sense to get them using that.
In case it wasn't obvious, prime don't make any of their own parts, they're just rebranded catalogue pieces but the bars and stems are all controltech, or at least the same ones as controltech also sell branded as their own.

Great thanks

Interesting. Anybody knows who makes the Prime Primavera carbon saddle? Really keen to try it but it seems to have been out of stock forever.

Can anyone shed any light on these? They look like a bastardized Lekki8. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003742137791.html

When does the lunar year holiday start?

Not a chance. Look at the fixing nut for a start!

Those are bottom pull, for Brompton etc.

Meanwhile, inadvertently appropriate brand for Ti cable clamp screws

1 Attachment

Tuesday 2nd i think

link?

lol cool

For anyone interested, I ended up ordering a Seka Exceed RDC and it’ll get some parts off another bike. Seems to be an 8 week turnaround.

Shall provide feedback for anyone interested, but basically my reason for going this route is that I wanted: (i) an aero frameset that wasn’t a boat anchor (no real use case for “full aero” in Japan as it’s too mountainous); (ii) threaded BB (this is T47); and (iii) clearance for 700 x 30 or over (there’s some races with some gravel here that better suit wider clearance).

Originally I’d wanted an SL7 or perhaps an Ostro, but both are mental prices and shite availability at present. Time will tell, but this doesn’t seem to be too far from those framesets.

Please do report back.

Please convince the Rides of Japan guy to do another build video for you when it arrives!

It may not be an interesting enough build for Tobias, but I’ll have a word!

Really looking forward to seeing this. Please take lots of pictures

Will be sure to do so 👌🏻

Non-unifrom thickness isn't necessarily something to worry about, a well engineered / made bar won't have a unifrom layup. Having significantly different bar thicknesses between left and right should be slightly concerning though. The first two pictures look quite thin walled.

Received a set of these arundel copies a couple of weeks ago. Look great and seem sturdier than the Planet X carbon cages which have been my goto. Work well on the bike in that I haven't really noticed them on the few rides I've done with them.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32328421837.html

Got to be honest, after 3 or 4 tries, I've given up on AliX cheap carbon cages. I just buy elite ones now, they've always worked well and aren't particularly expensive (and I don't have to wait 2 months for delivery).

Yeah, the fake Arundels I had last year were baggy and dropped bottles. Maybe they’ve tightened them up. Real Arundels are solid. Would be good to know if the ones above are tight.

Anyone got any handlebars recently ? Looking for 420mm with internal routing, but internal routing that is actually usable & not totally shite (3T i'm looking at you).

lets see the bike