Ali Express Bicycling Club Store.

[postman]

Well i am going to try their stuff,i will take a punt on a gilet,and i might get a free cap with it,might need that to keep the sun off my bonce covering up on my cancer skin,a normal baseball cap will be too thick,£15 is not a bad punt,but i do wonder if there is a Royal Mail customs charge attached.

 

[Hacienda71]

Just bought a carbon frame and wheelset off Ali Express, no custom charges. You should be fine with a cap.

 

[wonderloaf]

I'm expecting my latest AliExpress order tomorrow, a couple of cycling related purchases (gloves and a chain splitter) along with a few other bits and pieces. Total order was about £25 and haven't had to pay any tax and duties so think you should be ok!

 

[rualexander]

Aliexpress final price includes UK vat and duty if under £135.

 

[super_davo]

There are gems on AliExpress but there is a lot of dross too. I would always check https://chinertown.com/index.php for reviews/ feedback. Its a fantastic highly specialist forum and definitely helps navigate what's on offer.

 

[Arjimlad]

Bought a couple of Neewer bike lights from there, with a beam cut-off... so far so good and no customs charges either. Also, took a punt on some heated insoles for the winter for £8 which worked fine, and some battery-powered heated gloves too for very cheap.

 

[PaulSB]

This not specifically cycling related but one should be extremely careful about purchases from Ali Express and Temu. In other fields there is reason to question product safety and therefore quality.

If something, in the case of these suppliers the price, is too good to be true one should always ask why. Personally I wouldn't consider any product from these sources on possible moral, exploitation and safety grounds.

 

[super_davo]

This not specifically cycling related but one should be extremely careful about purchases from Ali Express and Temu. In other fields there is reason to question product safety and therefore quality.

If something, in the case of these suppliers the price, is too good to be true one should always ask why. Personally I wouldn't consider any product from these sources on possible moral, exploitation and safety grounds.

AliExpress is a marketplace, same as Amazon or Ebay. Like both those platforms there are reputable brands and traders and some less so. There are also degrees of protection available if you know how to use them.

My advice is:
* Buy Choice whereever you can - you get the most protection and the fastest delivery
* Stick to the bigger AliExpress brands that people vouch for on Chinertown or other Forums. I would happily recommend ZTTO, IIIpro, Ryet, Goldix, Spedao as trusted parts brands I have personally bought; YKYW, SpExcel and Darevie for clothes; Toopre and Risk for tools. This doesn't mean every product is good... it just means that they have a brand name that has been going for a while they try to protect
* If you are buying anything 'original' like Shimano there are good prices available but only ever use highly trusted traders like Anracee or Yiwu Donglue - never anyone unnamed or with low feedback
* Never buy anything counterfeit, ever

I don't get the 'moral, exploitation and safety grounds' argument. A massive % of stuff you can buy is made in China even if it has a mainstream Western brand on it. Reputable traders selling via Choice have brand names to protect and need to comply with the legislation in the jurisdiction they are selling in (e.g. you can't get flashing lights if you set your country as Germany.) And much of the same stuff is available on Amazon, which arguably is an even less moral place to buy.

Also in connection to another earlier comment prices under £135 always include taxes and tariffs, so you will never be stung for customs.

 

[PaulSB]

AliExpress is a marketplace, same as Amazon or Ebay. Like both those platforms there are reputable brands and traders and some less so. There are also degrees of protection available if you know how to use them.

My advice is:
* Buy Choice whereever you can - you get the most protection and the fastest delivery
* Stick to the bigger AliExpress brands that people vouch for on Chinertown or other Forums. I would happily recommend ZTTO, IIIpro, Ryet, Goldix, Spedao as trusted parts brands I have personally bought; YKYW, SpExcel and Darevie for clothes; Toopre and Risk for tools. This doesn't mean every product is good... it just means that they have a brand name that has been going for a while they try to protect
* If you are buying anything 'original' like Shimano there are good prices available but only ever use highly trusted traders like Anracee or Yiwu Donglue - never anyone unnamed or with low feedback
* Never buy anything counterfeit, ever

I don't get the 'moral, exploitation and safety grounds' argument. A massive % of stuff you can buy is made in China even if it has a mainstream Western brand on it. Reputable traders selling via Choice have brand names to protect and need to comply with the legislation in the jurisdiction they are selling in (e.g. you can't get flashing lights if you set your country as Germany.) And much of the same stuff is available on Amazon, which arguably is an even less moral place to buy.

Also in connection to another earlier comment prices under £135 always include taxes and tariffs, so you will never be stung for customs.

Not one single brand you name means anything to me whatsoever, therefore I would not trust the product.

During my working life I was involved in supply to major UK multiple retailers. I recall 40+ years ago one of them being subject to an embarrassing centre page spread in the Daily Express. The company I worked for was a supplier, but not the supplier, of the product concerned. The product was a potentially poisonous plant, I can genuinely say this was a mistake driven by a lack of understanding or experience at the time. The Daily Express milked this for all it was worth, picture of a young mum holding her toddler in one arm, plant in the other with the toddler apparently about to grab it. You can imagine. Clearly designed for sensationalism and maximum embarrassment to the retailer.

Fifteen or so years later, at a different wholesale company, I spent three years chasing business with the same retailer. To get listed we had to complete and comply with a manual approximately 3" thick and consisting of 100+ pages, following this we had to pass an interview. It would not have been possible, at the time, to dive deeper into the supply chain. For example I had to give undertakings and provide evidence product we sourced ultimately from Kenya and South America was ethically produced. During the period we supplied this retailer another wholesale producer in broadly the same industry, horticulture, but in a different sector, was "exposed" for exploiting seasonal eastern European labour. The truth of the accusation was highly questionable but this didn't matter. The day this hit the headlines our customer demanded we answer deep questions regarding our seasonal workforce and their accommodation.

Is this because of some deep moral compass on the retailer's part? Probably not. It's to avoid reputational damage. It does though demonstrate the lengths UK, and I would suggest all major brands, go to in order to protect their reputation. What lengths do unknown Far Eastern companies go to to protect their brand, products, workforce, environment?

 

[super_davo]

Not one single brand you name means anything to me whatsoever, therefore I would not trust the product.

During my working life I was involved in supply to major UK multiple retailers. I recall 40+ years ago one of them being subject to an embarrassing centre page spread in the Daily Express. The company I worked for was a supplier, but not the supplier, of the product concerned. The product was a potentially poisonous plant, I can genuinely say this was a mistake driven by a lack of understanding or experience at the time. The Daily Express milked this for all it was worth, picture of a young mum holding her toddler in one arm, plant in the other with the toddler apparently about to grab it. You can imagine. Clearly designed for sensationalism and maximum embarrassment to the retailer.

Fifteen or so years later, at a different wholesale company, I spent three years chasing business with the same retailer. To get listed we had to complete and comply with a manual approximately 3" thick and consisting of 100+ pages, following this we had to pass an interview. It would not have been possible, at the time, to dive deeper into the supply chain. For example I had to give undertakings and provide evidence product we sourced ultimately from Kenya and South America was ethically produced. During the period we supplied this retailer another wholesale producer in broadly the same industry, horticulture, but in a different sector, was "exposed" for exploiting seasonal eastern European labour. The truth of the accusation was highly questionable but this didn't matter. The day this hit the headlines our customer demanded we answer deep questions regarding our seasonal workforce and their accommodation.

Is this because of some deep moral compass on the retailer's part? Probably not. It's to avoid reputational damage. It does though demonstrate the lengths UK, and I would suggest all major brands, go to in order to protect their reputation. What lengths do unknown Far Eastern companies go to to protect their brand, products, workforce, environment?

Am I correct in interpreting from this answer that you are not particularly engaged in the contemporary market for cycling products and the manufacturing chain that supports it? In which case, this probably is not the thread for you

 

[PaulSB]

Am I correct in interpreting from this answer that you are not particularly engaged in the contemporary market for cycling products and the manufacturing chain that supports it? In which case, this probably is not the thread for you

If with this rather supercilious comment you're asking if I'm aware that much cycling equipment is manufactured in the Far East the answer is yes.

That doesn't negate my earlier remarks as European manufacturers, retailers etc. don't suddenly remove all the relevant precautions built into their supply chain because the product is produced outside of Europe.

 

[MontyVeda]

The brompton compatible front rack i got from ali express is well sturdy, and the price was negligible (compared a lot of stuff for a Brommie). Absolute bargain. Only downside is I now keep getting emails from ali express promoting all their other front racks, and they don't make unsubscribing from the emails easy... and on those grounds alone, I'm not sure if I'll buy from them again.

 

[postman]

Well i have taken the plunge and bought three items,gilet,arm sleeves and a bandana,not going to break the bank if they turn out duff.Bought these because my son is taking me out to Otley in three weeks time.I might have time to get a ride in with my two mates before.I gave my son my matching Gerolstiener blue top and jacket,hence the need for a gilet of another team top the red and yellow Cassie d'Epargne .head thing i need to cover the bald head and my helmet won't go on over a baseball cap and finally arm sleeves to cover up so i don't catch the sun what with chemo damaging the skin.Anyway i might just be getting back for two or three more years,76 now,been off the bike since July 2023.