5 Cheap AliExpress Bike Upgrades!

AliExpress is a great place to find cheap upgrades for your bike, and here are a few that I really rate!

SIROKO CLOTHING – 10% off (automatically applied via link below):

Admittedly AliExpress does have a bit of a reputation for cheap rubbish, but after spending years and years shopping there, I have found quite a few hidden gems. If you know where to look, and what to focus on, you can easily upgrade your bike on the cheap.

So in this episode I’ll show you a couple of products that I’ve found, and really like. You can find my affiliate links to everything talked about below.

Ridenow ultralight TPU inner tubes:

OFFBONDAGE TPU inner tubes:

Passquest oval chainring:

Carbon bottle cages:

Indicator bike light:

Lightweight disc rotors:

BSC300 cycle computer:
Use code ‘tracevelo’ at checkout for 15% off

Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:18 – Ultralight TPU inner tubes
03:58 – Passquest oval chainring
06:37 – Carbon bottle cages
07:35 – Siroko Sponsor
08:50 – Indicator light
10:10 – Lightweight disc rotors
12:35 – BSC300 cycle computer
14:55 – Tooless thru axle

Intro roll:

Instagram:

Email:

Please note:
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!!!

[DanVee]

I would advise some caution with the Ridenow 19g inner tubes. I purchased 8 of them and punctured all 8 within 200 miles of riding (both wheels). To be fair to the tubes I am a heavier rider at 97kgs, however I contacted the manufacturer and they said the weight limit was 130kgs. My total weight including bike and items I carry puts me well below the maximum recommended weight. Tubolito make tubes that weigh 19g that they label as a "spares" tube- which would suggest it'll get you home in a pinch but shouldn't be your primary tube. My guess is that these tubes function like the tubolito spares tubes, but either due to unclear marketing or translation issues, they're sold as simply a lighter TPU tube. I use the 36 gram ones currently from Ridenow and have had no issues after hundreds of miles in wintery conditions.

[the-mighty-taco]

As an MTB enthusiast, I've found Ali to be an excellent source for chainrings. Back when SRAM was charging exorbitant prices for ovals, I snagged an Ali alternative for under $14, and it's been running flawlessly since 2019! Ali excels at providing "simple" bike parts at great prices.

Luke, thanks for doing all of this. More than once I've bought things based off your IRL experiences, has always worked out well for me.

[mydwchannel]

Got a BSC200 6 months ago, accidentally dropped it and smashed a button. iGPSport replaced on warranty NQA, and gave me an out front mount and silicone case as gifts! Top marks!

[juanpecan]

Love your energy in your videos. All the enthusiasm, none of the cyclist smugness.

[shepshape]

Thanks for another great video. I wish there were many more channels like yours, dedicated to saving us money rather than bowing to big name sponsors who vastly overcharge for everything. We need to make cycling a more affordable sport so that more people are out there riding.

[chinabicycle]

from my experience, I can say that many drivers will not understand this flashing light that you are turning or not, for them it will just be a light of some kind

[colcast]

The 2g stuff cracked me up! Great content as always

[mathewemden]

I have been watching this channel for a while now. It dawned on me the other day, I don't use ali express, I'm not really interested in buying knock-off parts, yet I still really enjoy this channel. I do learn a lot about bike maintenance, manufacturing processes, bike tech, and so on. Also, I really like Luke's goofy sense of humor; It's very entertaining! I'll keep watching and clicking that like button!

[maiconleonard]

Happy to see that my bottle cages get lukes seal of approval...bought them randomly and a bit sceptical but now my confidence has risen

[guestd]

Luke, just started watching your vids and I’m super impressed with your enthusiasm and content… wishing you and your family a Happy Christmas and New Year…..

[edwardjones]

Regarding the oval chainrings, the huge change in feel is when going back to regular chainrings. It's there that my bike felt 2kg's heavier. Love oval

[Ronald-qjnx]

I've fitted a number of these Ridenow TPU tubes (36g, 700x18-32) onto a set of carbon wheels with an internal rim width of 19mm and 3 different 28mm tyres: Continental GP4000II, Goodyear Eagle Sport, and Vittoria Corsa N.EXT G2.0. All 3 tubes installed into the Continental tyre developed micro leaks withing hours (all were good out of the box) whereas the 2 tubes installed into the Goodyear and Vittoria tyres are still fine. I note that the Continental tyre inflates to a size much bigger than the Goodyear and Vittoria tyres which inflate very similarly. My hypothesis is that the bigger size of the Continental GP4000II casing resulted in the tubes being stretched too thin thus resulting in the leaks forming, even though the actual inflated size was still within it's max 32mm limit.
It could be coincidence that the tubes that I used in the Goodyear and Vittoria tyres happened to be good and the 3 that were put into the Continental were already bad, I would need to fit more tubes into each tyre to confirm my suspicions, unfortunately these tubes aren't cheap enough for me to keep fitting my brand new tubes and risk having them get punctured. I will just use butyl or latex tubes in the bigger tyres for now.
The tubes that did hold air are performing very well, I love them.

[babyneon]

I'm a casual single speed bike rider.i like to make my bike fun to look at. Bright colors and fun accessories. I even have green and yellow tires. I'm always looking for new stuff

[BigMut]

“Just looking through this magazine here, it says you should subscribe” 😂😂😂😂

[markvonwisco]

3:58 Everything old is new again. Riders of a certain age will likely remember Shimano Biopace chainrings. I had them on a Trek 400, which was my main bik for most of the 90s and early 2000s.

[alancritchley]

Very funny. Like the comedy. Makes bike parts even more interesting ! Well done and Merry Christmas luke.

[BeyReaper]

Hey Luke, I really want to build a gravel bike build but I'm afraid I'll forget something small that I'll need. Can you do a video basically creating a check list of things to buy in addition to the frame/drive train/seat/wheels/handlebars, all that stuff and all the additional small things that are needed for an entire build. Basically list everything needed to build a bike plus the tools for the job assuming that I don't have all the required tools.

[Haplo]

Your videos are gold: solid content, humor and a little bit of WTF, just the right amount ;)

[leosarrade]

My Siroko bib is in the mail! Thanks for the special pricing!! I always enjoy your content.

[frazmars]

Luke my man, you're a gem! Useful videos for the masses. Btw, the baby related sleep deprivation is showing, but keep at it cycling and doing the good work, and you won't balloon up like I did after my baby came along.