6 Ridiculously Cheap but Great Bike Products Tested - All Under £34!

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

"Insanely cheap" isn't something I'd be touting about anything as important as a handlebar. Would you shop at "Discount Parachutes" online outlet in China? :-)

[@S2Sturges]

Yes, a few years ago I bought a set of "Time" carbon bars, from a highly regarded seller on another website, that snapped at both sides of the stem at a inopportune moment, insides of bothy arms lacerated by carbon shards. Went back to Ritchey alloy bars, a industry standard.

[@markusherold5484]

stay clear of the cheap carbon handlbars mine developed a crack its not worth it :( aluminium has always worked and will do so without braking the bank

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

cheap carbon bars ... ummm ..... bars are one thing you don't want to fail on you ... I'll pass .... but thanks

[@michaelclark3860]

There’s enough anecdotal evidence out there as well as reviews on AliExpress itself to show that you should not trust cheap carbon handlebars. I see a number of comments already saying the same.

[@Charlie-sr6dv]

Those mini electric pumps are fantastic. My friend has one you reviewed and had 3 flats on our recent bicycle tour. Saved lots of huffing and puffing reinflating his tire. I have the bigger version with pressure guage. Have had to use on a number of occassions and it is worth its weight in gold.

[@KoenMiseur]

I think the Cycplus AS2 Pro is a much better pump, the gauge is accurate and it stops when you are at your chosen pressure and it can pump up at least 5 28mm tires to 5,5bar.

[@davidarthur]

Thanks I'll check it out - keen to do a roundup of some different electric pumps in the future

[@Flashback_Jack]

The electronic pumps with the screens are best. Set a PSI and start pumping. The benchmark unit for this is the Anoutway AT1 Pro.

[@davidarthur]

Thanks I'll try and check that one out

[@KoenMiseur]

Nah the Cycplus As2 pro is, a lot of reviews out there.

[@n22pdf]

I wouldn’t buy an electric pump.. one more thing to charge and carry along with a standard pump just in case the electric ones becomes faulty or goes flat. Just my opinion, prefer manual pumps..Pete 🚴🏻👍

[@paulwoodward8265]

On a 90 min commute in

[@WarHammerWH]

I won’t encourage cheap Chinese crap just to save a few dollars.

[@paulappleyard5832]

You'll catch some for Ali carbon bars! I have an Ali carbon seat post on my winter bike 2 years without issue. Ali carbon saddle on my summer bike again zero issues, I'm not brave enough to go Ali carbon handle bars. Really the only thing holding these brands back is reliable certifications from reputable testing houses. Chinese companies have a habbit of faking these. Lots of snobbery around Chineese products as well.

[@RockyScorcese]

I opted for a mini pump with a pressure indicator so as not to exceed to PSI on my hookless rims.

[@S2Sturges]

I have other Rock Bros products and I find them great value. The torque spanner looks the pants, be interested in one of those.And the heart rate monitor, deft going to get one of those..! Cheers!

[@CyclingAlgarvePortugal]

That torque wrench is 28.60eur Pump 55eur Handlebar 49eur Why Im getting different prices ???

[@TomDeLombaerde]

@@CyclingAlgarvePortugal same story here

[@rejean2744]

Spend an extra $25 and get an e pump with a pressure gauge. Well worth it.

[@Rich_Mitch_Creative]

Great to see you shouting out the cheaper HR Straps Dave, nice one. I've been using one for around £30 (from Amazon) for the last year and a half and it's not missed a beat (excuse the pun). The one tip would be to take the unit off the strap when you're using it as it really saves battery life. I might be the only person to have only learnt this recently, but it's been brilliant for the life of the coin battery. Cheers!

[@davidarthur]

Good tip that, thanks for sharing. I tried one from Amazon but it didn't last long, this Magene is the best 'cheap' one I've tried so far

[@Rich_Mitch_Creative]

@@davidarthur The one I have is by COOSPO, but if it fails I'll look into the Magene for sure, cheers Dave!

[@davidarthur]

@@Rich_Mitch_Creative ha yeah that is the one I tried :(

[@johnnyboy4711]

Magene H303 and other models are great(GEOID also) but after a period of time the readings go off the charts on the upper limits unusable- had to cut a gap on HRM strap between the buttons leaving a inch gap like wahoo ticker ,and seems to have sorted out the spikes in readings

[@kalleandersson916]

Magene HR-monitor is great. Been using it for like 6 month never let me down

[@philipsimmonds1103]

They cut corners on the soft 1/4 inch drivers ..

[@HannibalLecter-g5r]

do not buy that torque wrench, nor the park tool for that matter. A torque wrench is a precision item and both of them are the same sh*t . Buy one from wera or norbar that are real tool companies, not money grabbers like park tool. Also the measurements and the inspeciton paper of that wrench are fake . Having an 4-5-6 thousand bike and not having a proper torque wrench is inexusable

[@leerichy6489]

People seem to have forgotten this is the same company that offloaded " Chris King " headsets. I'm sure they came with a certificate too 😅

[@tdomino]

Torque on bikes is not that critical, missing recommended value by 1 or 2 N.m will surely never be a problem. Cheaper, less precise, torque wrenches are probably a good option if you're on a budget but still want to make sure you're not massively over/under-tightening a bolt.

[@leerichy6489]

Cheaper, less precise....probably a good option.....😅 you sound really confident.

[@stuartdryer1352]

Can you use these electric pumps with TPU tubes (due to heat)?

[@WredFawks]

I've heard stories of them softening and sagging the ultralight ones with the plastic valve stem. There are a couple brands though that have a metal valve stem at the cost of a couple grams more weight, but won't melt from a warm pump head and have a removable valve core, so.

[@oliverp6770]

I recomend the ones with a tube between the pump and the valve. These ones worked flawless for me with TPU innertubes. I have the Cyclami A2S

[@barryliu3473]

Very interested to see the kocelo bars’ logevity

[@moobaz8675]

I like my teeth and jaw too much to go cheap on a carbon handlebar. The other products look good but they won’t damage or kill you with a catastrophic failure.

[@stijndeklerk]

"Join the fun" spending money. 😇

[@kevindean9613]

How ethical are these companies that produce this stuff ? Or does noone actually care ?

[@oplkfdhgk]

more of this please.

[@fabianmolyneux2308]

Great Vid thanks

[@glennoc8585]

Ive got that tprque wrench 😊

[@DanG87123]

Presume those bars gave passed the relevant safety standards?

[@Abudirs]

Some of them come with a pressure gauge little screen

[@NeilXDavis]

I was with you until you presented the carbon bars. Many of us use Ali for bits and bobs but carbon bars from god knows where are just too risky for me. I’m surprised by you on that one.

[@EmmanuelNataf]

Yeah but do we want to ship small individual products all the way across the globe?

[@paulwoodward8265]

well they don't do that, that's why the lead times are huge. They wait till they can fill a shipping container. Carbon footprint of that is surprisingly reasonable. Pretty much everything is made in China and shipped here these days in any case, so I wouldn't sweat it from an environmental footprint for that reason alone. But that assumes the goods are fit for purpose and will last - if they wind up in landfill it's not so good. I'd need some convincing on the quality of stuff this cheap. But, bike gear typically has insane prices compared to normal gear, some of that is distributers, resellers, there's a lot of advertising, etc. Ali don't have those overheads, so maybe these prices are not unreasonably low... Let's see!

[@EmmanuelNataf]

@@paulwoodward8265 "They wait till they can fill a shipping container" > could you share where that information is? I'd be surprised if any of those companies wait until they can fill a whole container to ship stuff to Europe, but I'd love to be wrong :).

[@oliverp6770]

@@EmmanuelNataf most things I ordered on Aliexpress needs only 4-7 days to come, it cant be shipped in this time, they must have them stored somewhere in europe.

[@TomDeLombaerde]

torque wrench is 28€ and not 14

[@davidarthur]

That's odd, just checked and it's definitely showing as £14.67 for me...

[@TomDeLombaerde]

@davidarthur not thé first time that I have noticed different prices

[@ciaranhickey5904]

Where did u get the pump for £34

[@NY_indy]

there are rechargeable mini pumps with digital gauges, they are a little larger than the one being reviewed

[@davidarthur]

I will have to check some of them out

[@emanuelpradera9717]

The cheapass carbon bar is a no-no.

[@MAEBikr]

David - your face might look different after your 600th bump on those bars...........

[@enigma1000]

I would want to know how this stuff is produced for the price and what quality controls are in place. I’d rather pay more for known provenance and ethical standards. China has a terrible human rights record for good reasons.

[@hypez604]

Do you really recommend that 150g handlebar? Ovalized drops means the clamps of the shifters that are designed to clamp around ROUND objects will create uneven pressure points and will likely lead to an early surprise failure of this bar. Recommending such a product is shoddy at best

[@davidarthur]

I'll reserve judgement until I've reviewed it obviously, but weight weenies will love its low weight. The handlebar is round where the hoods clamp, it's lower down in the drops that it's ovalised

[@TomDeLombaerde]

@@hypez604 there is a great bar called thé one....

[@pauliui78]

Building the red army. No thanks.

[@Flashback_Jack]

Your loss. Half my full carbon track bike and pretty much all over my road cycling kit is from Ali. Saving boatloads and the stuff is pretty good for what you pay.

[@davidtydeman1434]

You would be shocked to find out where the name brand products that are available at your local bike shop are made

[@Daniel-bv2wc]

All filled up on that western propoganda eh? Good luck finding something thats produced in the uk... lol

[@madisonvillavert745]

You ride your bike to exercise then you buy a battery powered pump to avoid the effort. I don't get it.

[@leerichy6489]

If a torque wrench is a good investment why buy a cheap replica? Mine have lasted me decades, as they will for a home bike mechanic. I wouldn't use one of those.

[@Flashback_Jack]

There really isn't much to a functional torque wrench. Even the worst of them fall within acceptable calibration that isn't all that different than more expensive ones.

[@leerichy6489]

Good luck

[@Flashback_Jack]

@@leerichy6489 Good luck for what? I have essentially the same set this guy has. Came with a calibration chart and it works perfectly fine.

[@stuartdryer1352]

These cheaper ones are certainly accurate enough for cycling work.

[@leerichy6489]

The perfect match for your Aliexpress cheap carbon bars, stem and seatpost. When you're flying downhill on your road bike you will be so glad you made the right choice......won't you?