All my Aliexpress MTB purchases reviewed.

Isildur said:
Welll, bugger, things not as hunky dory as first expected. After my maiden commute on the fork, 25km each way, by the time I got home there was a knockin' and a rockin' in the setup.

Did the usual things, expecting that everything had just settled in, but the the quick nip up of the top cap didn't resovle the issue. The expansion plug just wasn't holding in the steerer tube, even up to 8nm tightening. Did a full disassemble of it, all looks good, then figured I'd try another I had on hand from the previous fork, a circa 2010 Neco expander.

Hmmmm, the Neco doesn't want to go in. the lip of the lower compression nut is catching on something. Stick my finger in the fork and have a feel around, hmmm, no wonder the other compression plug wasn't holding, there's 3 prominent ridges/lips of carbon left over from the moulding, running vertically all the way down the steerer length. Hard to see in the photos, but they do indeed go all the way down as far as I can see. Thankfully they're 100% not cracks, but certainly a quick finishing process was done.

Currently in messaging with the Ali seller to see what their thoughts are before I try to get a tube of some fine grint sandpaper in there. If that's what has to happen, I'll be OK with that, but I'm interested to see their thoughts first.

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Some compression plugs just aren't that good and will slip even with carbon paste etc. Especiall the ones that have multiple segments across the legngth. A steerer tube that has an out of round internal surface doesn't help.

I have tried a few and the grippiest one I found is this one: https://dedaelementi.com/expander-70

1727227623707.png
 
Bought another branded T-Mac copy (and some longer pins). The previous ones have been excellent.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$1.70 | 50pcs M2 M2.5 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 DIN916 304 Stainless Steel Black Grade 12.9 Hex Hexagon Socket Cup Point Set Screw Grub Bolt
a.aliexpress.com

5/10/50pcs M1.6 M2 M2.5 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 M10 M12 DIN916 Allen Hex Socket Cup Point Set Screw Grub Bolt 304 Stainless Steel Black - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
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Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$67.15 | GOLDIX Ultralight 3 Bearing Pedal Waterproof Dustproof Antiskid CNC Pedal for MTB ROAD Bike Folding Bike Big Pedal
a.aliexpress.com

GOLDIX Ultralight 3 Bearing Pedal Waterproof Dustproof Antiskid CNC Pedal for MTB ROAD Bike Folding Bike Big Pedal - AliExpress 18

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
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Compress_20240929_120208_8553.jpg
Compress_20240929_120207_7304.jpg
Compress_20240929_120206_6452.jpg
 
What's the go to Aliexpress shop for legit Shimano drivetrain parts at the moment?

If price reasonable going to ditch my SRAM GX lever and derailleur to XT 12 speed. Will leave the chain / cassette / front chainring for the time being unless the Aliexpress deal is too good to pass up (bit too lazy to change freehub)
 
northvanguy said:
What's the go to Aliexpress shop for legit Shimano drivetrain parts at the moment?

If price reasonable going to ditch my SRAM GX lever and derailleur to XT 12 speed. Will leave the chain / cassette / front chainring for the time being unless the Aliexpress deal is too good to pass up (bit too lazy to change freehub)
Click to expand...
Delic Bike Store is always a good option, albeit not an AliChoice vendor so freight becomes a factor. But the pricing ends up much the same usually. The other one I've used to good effect is OK Bike Store.

You may not need to ditch your shifter unless, you really don't like it. I'm running the original Eagle X0 shifter on my Ripmo, along with M7100 derailleur, and X01 cassette, with zero issues.
 
Isildur said:
Delic Bike Store is always a good option, albeit not an AliChoice vendor so freight becomes a factor. But the pricing ends up much the same usually. The other one I've used to good effect is OK Bike Store.

You may not need to ditch your shifter unless, you really don't like it. I'm running the original Eagle X0 shifter on my Ripmo, along with M7100 derailleur, and X01 cassette, with zero issues.
Click to expand...

Cheers. I’ll check those stores out.

I want the multi down shift of XT.
 
Updates to my build, well, would have last week but the site issues made that impossible ;)

The Seller has offered a partial refund of $20USD, just chasing that through the system now. I'm happy with that for the minor flaw.

I've lightly sanded the inside of the steerer tube to get ride of the ridges, and that has allowed the compression plug to hold enough for proper preload. A couple of rides and holding solid.

teK-- said:
Some compression plugs just aren't that good and will slip even with carbon paste etc. Especiall the ones that have multiple segments across the legngth. A steerer tube that has an out of round internal surface doesn't help.
Click to expand...
The steerer tube was slightly out of round internally, but getting everything nice and smooth has meant good compression all around and no issues with holding.

Ackland said:
From your previous photo, I'd also make sure that your compression plug is long enough to extend all one way down to your stem lower bolt so that the entire tube is supported
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The photos might be a bit deceiving, but both plugs are 50mm, which is plenty for the stem I'm using, which has a fairly short clamp length.
 
fjohn860 said:
Bought another branded T-Mac copy (and some longer pins). The previous ones have been excellent.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$1.70 | 50pcs M2 M2.5 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 DIN916 304 Stainless Steel Black Grade 12.9 Hex Hexagon Socket Cup Point Set Screw Grub Bolt
a.aliexpress.com

5/10/50pcs M1.6 M2 M2.5 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 M10 M12 DIN916 Allen Hex Socket Cup Point Set Screw Grub Bolt 304 Stainless Steel Black - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
a.aliexpress.com a.aliexpress.com

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$67.15 | GOLDIX Ultralight 3 Bearing Pedal Waterproof Dustproof Antiskid CNC Pedal for MTB ROAD Bike Folding Bike Big Pedal
a.aliexpress.com

GOLDIX Ultralight 3 Bearing Pedal Waterproof Dustproof Antiskid CNC Pedal for MTB ROAD Bike Folding Bike Big Pedal - AliExpress 18

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
a.aliexpress.com a.aliexpress.com

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263? Wow you really don't want them to come out do you!
 
Isildur said:
Delic Bike Store is always a good option, albeit not an AliChoice vendor so freight becomes a factor. But the pricing ends up much the same usually. The other one I've used to good effect is OK Bike Store.

You may not need to ditch your shifter unless, you really don't like it. I'm running the original Eagle X0 shifter on my Ripmo, along with M7100 derailleur, and X01 cassette, with zero issues.
Click to expand...

Anyone else got 1 or 2 more worthy legit Shimano AliExpress stores otherwise I’ll just roll with one of these that I trust the pictures the most.
 
Any Ali shop recommendations for

- bike bags (top tube, burrito bag etc)
- tubeless valves
- TPU tubes
 
Jabubu said:
Any Ali shop recommendations for

- bike bags (top tube, burrito bag etc)
- tubeless valves
- TPU tubes
Click to expand...


TPU tubes, I have bought these in the past.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$9.37 | RideNow Ultralight Bike Inner Tube 700C x 18 25 28 32 Road MTB Bicycle TPU Inner Tube 26 /27.5 /29 Inch French Valve Length 45mm
a.aliexpress.com

RideNow Ultralight Bike Inner Tube 700C x 18 25 28 32 Road MTB Bicycle TPU Inner Tube 26 /27.5 /29 Inch French Valve Length 45mm - AliExpress 18

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
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Have used one. It is still doing duty in a mate's rear tyre.


Have just bought these as a replacement. No idea if they are any good or not. Hopefully I never need to find out.

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$18.55 | Ultralight Bike Inner Tube 26 27.5 29 Inches MTB Bicycle TPU Material Tire 45mm French Valve Super Light Anti-Oxidation CYCLAMI
a.aliexpress.com

Ultralight Mountain Bike Inner Tube MTB 26 27.5 29 Inches Bicycle TPU Tire 45mm Metal French Presta Valve Anti-Oxidation CYCLAMI

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
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One observation between the 2 is that the pink ones don't have a threaded stem and nut. This does make pushing a push-on style pump a bit more of a faff.
 
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