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

disc brake pads

yes, almost exclusively, on all bikes

does not compute

OK, so which brand/sellers do you go for?

my brompton has disc brakes too

I just search pad type (shimano etc) sintered and sort by number of orders and just get the one with highest orders

Have you found anywhere for a decent c64 copy?

How about chains for Shimano 105? Any AliX brands/sellers that will do the job?

A snapped chain can throw you over the handlebars, from experience. In traffic, that's less than ideal. Just buy legit chains.

just no, there are plenty of fake chains out there too, use a trusted shop (not ebay, amazon, etc. either)

Buy your legit chains from a legit chain.

Merlin tend to have very cheap chains

I have used several of these (on 11speed 105/ultegra)

£8.95

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-cn-m6100-deore-road-hg-chain-12-speed-202446.html

Decathlon own brand ones are KMC X11 chains but for only £15

always legit chain, from a proper shop

A few years ago I got a Decathlon-boxed X10EL for £5 less than the usual price for a KMC-boxed X10 not-EL. It was a pleasant surprise and not in stock when I went back the following month.

Hello hive mind
Any recommandation for a good quality paint protection film on AliX ?
I previously used Tesa 54994, but the ebay seller doesn't ship it to France anymore :/

Ordered some Roval Rapide bars for my Tarmac. They seem ok for £88, rather than £575

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but will you die?

I’ll blame the £2.50 brake pads

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What's the go-to frame manufacturer these days? Not sure what I want really, but have an itch. Is Chinese carbon as cheap as it once was? Am I better off buying second hand from ebay?!

Put the £487 saved into dental insurance.

very much welcome your thoughts on these. are they forum approved? how wrong could it possibly go?

Why are people generally happy to ride cheap carbon wheels, but not cheap carbon handlebars? Surely rims take much more stress/abuse? Is it because of the relatively simple design of a carbon rim?

are you calling Lightbicycle 'cheap carbon' ?

Why are people generally happy to ride cheap carbon wheels, but not cheap carbon handlebars? Surely rims take much more stress/abuse? Is it because of the relatively simple design of a carbon rim?

More reputable sellers in the wheel space but they are not cheap carbon

For me it about failure modes. Rims tend to fail by cracking at the nipple holes, it generally happens slowly and there's redundancy in the number of spokes. Handlebars are wrapped and when they fail, it tends to happen quite quickly with no chance of holding it upright. Also, handlebars aren't the easiest things to make. Small tube section, tight bends, funny clamping interfaces... Rims are just a big circle with a few holes drilled.

are you calling Lightbicycle 'cheap carbon' ?

I have no point of reference, I'm not a buyer.