£1000 AliExpress Carbon Road Bike - 600 miles later

My £1000 AliExpress carbon road bike. After 600 miles, what’s been great, and what caused major issues???

SIROKO CLOTHING – 10% off (automatically applied via link below):
https://srko.co/tracevelo

My size and weight:
Height - 6ft 2In (188cm), Weight - 11.5 stone (73kg)
My sizes for Siroko clothing:
Jersey & Jackets – M, Bib shorts – L

So, a few weeks ago I built myself an ultra-budget disc brake carbon road bike, and nearly all the parts were bought from AliExpress. It has a completely unbranded Chinese carbon fibre frame, deep section carbon wheels from EliteWheels, a 12 speed groupset from L-TWOO, and weighs just under 8kg. Plus the cherry on top, the total build cost was only £1000!

I was really pleased with the build, but after a few rides several problems started to arise. The unbranded carbon frame caused a number of issues, mainly around the seat post and saddle clamp, but more worryingly, the set of integrated carbon handlebars I purchased (from a brand called RXL-SL) developed a MASSIVE crack at the steerer tube. I replaced them with a set of carbon bars from a company called Aeronova, which don’t seem to be all that good, but they have held up so far.

However, a number of the budget parts chosen for the build have been absolutely fantastic. The RX 12 speed groupset from L-TWOO has been incredible. It was easy to install and setup, it shifts well, and looks great too. The mechanical disc brake calipers and disc rotors supplied with the groupset are from a brand called ZRACE (their BR-005 calipers), and they too have been great. The lightweight TPU inner-tubes from RideNow have also been flawless, alongside the SROAD 12 speed cassette, and the carbon wheelset from Elitewheels.

So it has been a mixed bag in terms of the parts, but after some work on the bike, it now rides beautifully. But the real question here, should you replicate this approach, or just but a name brand bike?

Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:26 – Sponsor segment
01:50 – Intro
03:23 – The good stuff - EliteWheels
03:43 – The good stuff - RideNow TPU inner tubes
04:27 – The good stuff - Senicx crankset
05:17 – The good stuff - Costello pedals
05:56 – The good stuff - L-TWOO RX 12 speed
06:48 – The good stuff - SROAD 12 speed cassette
07:57 – The good stuff - ZRACE BR-005 calipers
11:32 – SUMC 12 speed chain
12:17 – The bad stuff - RXL-SL carbon handlebars
15:47 – The bad stuff - Unbranded carbon frame
21:12 – Unbranded frame - additional points
24:17 – Conclusion
26:17 – Should you replicate this approach?
28:13 – BONUS CLIP

Music:
Birocratic (http://birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)
Lakey Inspired (  / lakeyinspired  )
Noir Et Blanc Vie (   / billyoce..  )
NoMBe (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa2L...)
BioDrive (https://biodrive.bandcamp.com/)

Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - http://www.go2dev.co.uk

About Trace Velo:
I love cycling, and I love getting pro cycling kit for less. If it’s cheap, from China, and made of carbon fibre, I’m interested!

Instagram:   / tracevelo  

Email: [email protected]

Please note:
With the exception of Siroko and Senicx, other products demonstrated in this video have been purchased by me, and I have no affiliation to any of the sellers or vendors shown.

In addition, I am not a professionally trained bike mechanic. There can be risks associated with using products that are unbranded, untested, or come from sources where the provenance is unknown. Please talk to a qualified bike mechanic if you are in any doubt.

In essence, be careful, do your research, and cycle safe!!!