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

rooting around on Alix shows these ones that claim 600mAh and 4.4Wh

But then these ones claim 500mAh 2.96Wh

Hmmm who to believe?
If I can find at least one person on the internet who's compared them the real deal and say that they offer the same battery life then thats probably good enough for me. But I haven't found anyone saying such things yet.

£40 aren’t they like £50 now!?! The ress as l deal ones that is

7.4v * 500mAh ought to be 3.7Wh, so maybe they're already accounting for the capacity it will lose over its lifetime.

Ah ha, thank you! Yeah, £17 odd each does appeal but it's whether the saving is worth it for something which may die and leave me sans gears. Probably worth getting a legit one it just feels like the fakes should be decent enough given it's 'just' a battery...

I feel iffy about non genuine batteries burning down my wooden shed ..

There is that too. Must have landed on mine when I fell off today and it snapped the tab, but at least it didn't pop.

Interesting.

These are two of my genuine Sram batteries. Note that one is made by Celxpert in Taiwan and the other is made in China but I can’t tell who manufactured it. They both seem to give slightly different numbers.
What does it all mean?

I guess I’m just paranoid that the Alix ones could well have printed any numbers they like. But it’s interesting that one claims to be 600mAh?!

If an AliX one for £18 gives the same run time as the genuine ones then it’s a no brainer, but obviously not so much if they have half the run time of the real McCoy

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Yeah, I mind when the cheap super bright £12 cree led lights were all the rage.

@GoatandTricycle hadn’t realised they were more like £50!

They work out about £38 posted from r2-bike right now with no import taxes to pay.

They have probably used recycled worn out cells and just printed bigger numbers on the case. Bigger numbers = moar sells.

The real ones are certainly more believable. "Typically about 300mAh, maybe a bit more if it's new" is, to me, a lot more likely than "we've crammed much higher capacity cells in here for half the price"

I have bought my share of crappy no-name batteries and if they're half the price and you buy twice as many, you've gained nothing.

I have bought my share of crappy no-name batteries and if they're half the price and you buy twice as many, you've gained nothing

Thanks, this is the logic and reason I needed to hear.
Buy cheap, buy twice!

accounting for the capacity it will lose over its lifetime.

Or just the inherent losses due to internal resistance, and the fact that Ah capacities are measured at a specified drain rate which might be lower than the actual application rate. Wh is the area under the graph:

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So explain it to me like I’m 5….
The AliX ones are probably shite? Or worth a punt?

The numbers on those AliExpress batteries were likely chosen out of thin air and have no relationship to what's actually inside.

OTOH the capacity of the SRAM battery isn't ambitious for its physical size, so no reason to think a generic wouldn't be able to at least match it.

Seems a false economy though.

Bottom battery says made for SRAM by CTech.
SRAM likely buys stuff from many subcontractors who may in turn contract out. Especially with current supply chain issues which will continue, you have to get what you can when you can.

At work we have spares on backorder for 6 to 9 months. It’s worrying.

AliX ones are probably shite? Or worth a punt?

That's basically the whole of this thread. Given the relatively small price difference and the fact that battery QC is what stops your house burning down, in this case I wouldn't risk it.

Cheers!

Any experience of “carbon-ti” hubs? I’m
considering a set of new wheels for my Look 785 Huez RS. I’m pondering lightbicycle (which I already have a few sets of) vs Campagnolo Bora 45 hoops. Any thoughts? Guess light bicycle will come out around 1000 vs 1400gbp for the Campagnolo. Campagnolo weight in at just under 1500g whereas lightbicycle are more like 1370-1400. Would be running tubeless

@Saffronspokes was selling some wheels with those hubs

Yes I have some and they are nice. Recommended by Arkane as well from memory

If they have been in a while (months), they do permanently expand. If you take a bit of time to get absolutely all the air out, they do roll up almost as small as when new thought.

Any experience of “carbon-ti” hubs?

@thecycleclinic sells them, he might have a view about whether they're good at your weight and riding style.

Ah yeah / I need rim brake tho

Yeah they're pretty Gucci hubs, very light but also solid and durable. Pretty sure most folk rate them in the wheel world.

Has anyone had luck recently getting a response from Carbonda?

Chinese New year