4 min read
Many cyclists avoid shopping on AliExpress. The site is often associated with knockoff products, excessive shipping times, and sometimes questionable quality. And riders are not entirely wrong in their assumptions—but it’s not the whole story. You can actually score truly amazing cycling equipment on AliExpress, provided you know where to look and how to search.
Over the last three years, I’ve bought many excellent pieces of equipment on the site. Through my research and purchases, I’ve learned how to sift through the junk. And I will help you find the sellers, products, and pages that make AliExpress a legitimate way to save money on bike parts and apparel that would otherwise be much more expensive.
The biggest obstacles to buying gear on AliExpress are: 1. Shipping is slower, 2. Tracking info is merely a suggestion, and 3. Returns require reading the fine print. Plus, quality can sometimes feel like a gamble.
That’s why the only way AliExpress really works is if you shop carefully. My best advice is to look for stores that have been around for years. Then, seek out products that have high order counts, real reviews with real photos, and listings that clearly explain what you’re getting. If a product looks like a mockup, uses AI models, or is a blatant ripoff of another brand, it’s usually not worth the gamble.
Every item on this list is something I bought with my own money and have actually used for multiple years and/or thousands of miles. These are five AliExpress buys that ended up being good enough to keep, use regularly, and recommend to other cyclists.
Kalloy Uno Stem
Lengths60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, and 120mmAngles+/-7 and +/-17-degrees
You’ve probably heard the saying, “good, fast, cheap: pick two”. It refers to the triangle of service; you can never have all three. Yet somehow, Kalloy delivers all three with its Uno stem.
The Uno stem is, indeed, light, strong, and cheap. It’s also super clean, and sizes range from 60 to 130mm in length. It wasn’t until we found an unbranded version of the ASA105 stem that I became a huge fan of it. For only $40, the 7-degree rise, 100mm extension stem version weighs in at under 100 grams. And to top it off, this stem even features titanium bolts. For this price and weight, I cannot think of another 31.8mm stem you should buy for a road or gravel bike.
Spexcel Long Sleeve Jersey
SizesXS, S, M, L, XL, and XXLOptionsThermal, short-sleeve, and long-sleeve
There is an overwhelming amount of cycling apparel on Aliexpress. So, it can be hard to filter out pieces that aren’t either complete knockoffs or have designs I wouldn’t wear. I took a shot with Spexcel because of their simple colors and minimal branding. I’ve been wearing this long-sleeve jersey for two years and now own nine pieces of Spexcel kit in total.
Their prices, while still competitive with much larger names, have unfortunately risen considerably since 2024, when I first purchased this long-sleeve (for a staggeringly low $28). The sizing for Spexcel has been accurate, as someone who typically wears a medium jersey in MAAP, Rapha, and Attaquer.
Ryet 3D Printed Saddle
Colorswhite or blackOptionsplastic base or carbon base
Riding with the wrong saddle shape can be quite uncomfortable. It can also cause injuries such as saddle sores, even if it’s 3D printed or constructed with cutting-edge materials.
On paper, everything about this Ryet saddle looked good for me. It had the right weight, width, design, and positive reviews. Considering it is one-tenth the price of a S-Works Power Saddle, I decided to see if a (then) $42 saddle was worth it. After logging more than 6,000 miles on the Ryet, I have no real complaints. There has been no glue delamination, and the honeycomb doesn’t have the “cheesegrater” effect I’ve experienced on other 3D saddles.
Ridelove Bottle Cages
Weight24 gramsOptionsglossy, matte, 3K weave, or UD weave
Bottle cages are the kind of component that only need to serve one job and do it well—keep your water bottles in the cage. While bottle cages are an easy place to save some grams (and almost anyone can install them on their own), prices for cages range wildly, from a few dollars for ones on Amazon to over $100 for boutique carbon examples.
I weighed these cages at 24 grams each. These aren’t the lightest in the world, but after almost two years of daily use, I have had no problems. I haven’t had bottles eject on bumps, and they don’t mar the bottles either. For around $12 each, these are worth having around. However, the next time, I’d opt for the matte finish as the clear coat is beginning to show wear on the inside.
Ridenow TPU Tubes
Sizes700x18-32c, 700×32-47c, 700×18-28cValve Lengths45, 65, and 85mm
If you like lightweight TPU tubes, then AliExpress is the most cost-effective way to stock up on them. RideNow is a popular choice for TPU tubes, and several of us at Bicycling run them in our own tires. They’re incredibly light, pack down small, and offer better rolling resistance than butyl tubes.
If you’re ok with waiting for around 2 weeks to save a few dollars, these come out to under $9 each. However, note that there are “new” and “old” versions of RideNow TPU tubes. The older model is lighter due to the use of plastic valves, which are prone to freezing and cracking with C02, or melting when used with some mini inflators. Sticking with the newer version avoids these potential headaches or a roadside disaster when a plastic valve fails.
Tom Messina is a multidisciplinary graphic designer and editor bringing his years of experience to Hearst Magazines’ Enthusiast Group of publications. With a maker mentality at his core, his knowledge spans to furniture making and repairing, chair collecting, mid-century design, mural painting, pizza baking, 3d printing, and sample recognizing.
thomas.messina@hearst.com