The Worst MTB Product I Have Ever Used! | GMBN Tries Cheap AliExpress Forks

[@DC13333]

You can't blame your short brake cable on the fork. There is a reason you trim the hose for your original setup.

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

Yes, very true, but the plastic clip that wrapped around the leg couldn’t be torqued up and it moved too easily. This is why most fork manufacturers have a bolt that goes directly into the leg, so I still don’t think it’s good from a safety point of view.

[@ulysse31_aka_nix]

Yeah ... She clearly picky and with already made stands on the product ... Does she knows that people that buy those kind of product already know and are aware that they are NOT getting a fox or rockshock fork ?? Too bad to make a video to "mock" a cheap product ... Just because its cheap ...

[@IVQueiroga]

I dont know if you saw the same video as me, but the point isnt the short break, but the clip displacement that force a close hose/wheel position. And she complain not about the amount of free cable, but the displacement. Those clips are shit and dont let you properly displace the hose even with longer cable. And beeing cheap, isnt a excuse for a really shit product (if you know those forks, you know they are cheap shit product that could leave to really bad crashes). The flex are way 2 much for a safe product. They kinda work until they dont, and fckn with your face on the ground. I have some friends with big crashes while doing some easy xcm. Imagine putting some hard work on those things. Btw, there is a video of Seth's with one of those (a Bolany one, they all use the same cartridge on legs)

[@ulysse31_aka_nix]

@@AnnaOnTheBike there are like a TON of different more and less known chinese brands for bike forks ... And she went for THE MOST UNKNOWN BRAND EVER available on aliexpress ... She clearly wanted to get something unsafe in order to say "look ! Chinese products are bad ! You must buy a Fox ..." ... Nowadays everybody knows that if you buy the cheapest things on aliexpress or wish, you are taking risks ... BUT on the other hand , everybody knows that you can also find decent chinese products with minimum investment ... It won't be a Fox of course ... But it can be decent ...

[@dvs620]

​@@ulysse31_aka_nix Or, you can search the used market. I bought a Rockshox Recon 130mm for $55 because it was a take off fork and he just wanted to get rid of it.

[@garymartin557]

Asking for a friend. When you state the brake line is poorly routed, how is that the forks fault and not the person who put the thing together?

[@kieranrigney2484]

Yeah sounds like the brake line is a bit short. It's only a problem because the retainer compresses downwards with the travel unlike a normal fork.

[@Frombie_01]

It was a right handed front brake caliper. Is that normal in the U.K.?

[@kieranrigney2484]

Yeah that's how they run it. Same here in Australia.

[@fillfreakin2245]

I was thinking the brake line would be fine for a left mounted brake. It's a problem with UK riders, lol!. Or the company for not knowing that brake mounting isn't universally the same.

[@joules2936]

@@Frombie_01 do you mean is it normal for the front brake to be actuated with the right hand lever in the uk? Yes it is, just like it’s completely normal for the front brake to be the right lever on all motorbikes around the world.

[@ItsATrap614]

I thought it was really funny how the mechanic seemed only semi-interested in the beginning but got really into it once he saw how bad the fork really was :P

[@jedscaramella3398]

Love the mechanic in the background. Trying to do his own work but couldn't help looking over to see what happened next

[@lormagni]

Marketing would not say they're flexy, they would say they're compliant!

[@qwertyazerty2137]

On point!

[@Blowfeld20k]

Bruv, there is a job waiting for you in advertising and marketing. Am just about retired now, but they always need quick witted boys and girls who understand the shtick (wink)

[@eternaloptimist2840]

I have some 30 year old RockShox that handle similarly, I replaced them with rigid forks because I value the ability to steer.

[@patrickmcphail9637]

I can't believe it. That fork comes with genuine RickShawx parts.

[@suedehead73]

A quick search shows Rockshox Judy Silver TK Solo Air Boost Forks - 29" at.£135 so why buy no-name Chinese forks for more

[@ratinthecat]

Yeah I recently picked up a set of Recon Silver RL 29" for $184, or a bit over £150 when I add in shipping. Some of those AliExpress forks have some pretty sick holographic decals though, ha.

[@mtbodyssey369]

Where did you find that, all I found is laughable small 100mm at £200. If you refer to the ones on eBay those are knock offs.

[@cristianoiria]

A Judy doesn’t give views?

[@jbstillman]

I got the same Judy Solo Air for my hardtail. It was $20-30 more than the cheapest sketchy brands. Couldn't be happier with it for the price. People wondering if they should go lower than $130 for the Judy Solo Air... No, this is your absolute safe quality rock bottom air fork you should even consider. (and I am an AliExpress bike parts fan!). ..

[@johncarrington8612]

Dangerous product for people that do not know much about mtb bikes and are looking for something cheap. The brake line might be ok for american set-up with the front brake on the left.

[@MichaGajek]

@@johncarrington8612 its actually "most of the world" setup. Every European country I am aware of also goes for the front brake on the left side

[@stanley3647]

@@MichaGajek Right hand front brake is proper one - look into motorcycle world. Why do different to bicycles? I use right hand front brake in both - motor and pedal cycles, and assure You this became more natural after while. Lot of brakes can be switch from left to right, without disconnecting hose (like SRAM), or all mechanical one. Some need to be disconnected and rerouted - like Shimano but, this is a not complicated process with bleed kit. Try by Yourself ;)

[@irfuel]

@@stanley3647 Nobody cares, on a bicycle. It's all a matter of habit.

[@stanley3647]

@@irfuel i agree, it is no legal reason to do one or another way. But when riding on motorcycle as well, front brake on right hand is better (more natural) on pedalcycle.

[@irfuel]

@@stanley3647 I raced motorcycles for years on track. I never confused braking on my bike (front = left) with braking on my bike (front = right). It's a non-issue.

[@consciencedub]

Had a Cargo brand fork on a free ride rig in the 90s. Thing had a hidden “not intended for off-road use” sticker on it. And boy was that sticker correct!

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

It's like these forks you find on budget-friendly trekking/urban bikes (got a Pegasus Solero with such a SR Suntour fork), they have a visible rake and are tapered in the lower part and you also see on the upper part that this doesn't have a lot of travel. You still can do some gravel and light off-road with these (as they aren't category 1 road bikes) but of course not comparable to real MTBs.

[@nicholasschifano8615]

@@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381 they are called gravel forks now and go for $900...better quality (1.2/1.5kg) but nothing new...

[@regarcher3376]

I bought a titanium fixed MTB fork from Ali Express and it's been solid. Many years and many miles so far.

[@lukabe92]

I always wondered what those parts would ride and look like inside, thank for testing it! :D Just one little thing: The way the seals on the outside look and the way the fork holds air have nothing to do with each other. The outside seals are just for keeping dust out and oil in. The air seals have to be in a spot where they are safely in between two parts to withstand the air pressure.

[@MTBikingislife]

Loving the reactions of the service tech team!!! “Is this a wind up!?” 😂😂😂😂

[@alex_mcclay]

The worst "unbranded" part I've come across so far is the Radius hydraulic disc brakes. It seems like every pair will start to leak and fall apart eventually. The worst thing about them though was that they're not just available as an OEM part they were actually put on production bikes including some Trek Marlins back around 2020 when proper branded parts were harder to come by.

[@TRESYKES]

It looks like 2 droppers upside down

[@qwertyazerty2137]

I totaly don't get the idea of inverted stantions, especially if they're oil based.

[@audunskilbrei8279]

@@qwertyazerty2137there are some mechanical advantages because you have the thicker part of the fork at the top where the forces are greater. Some obvious disadvantages too of course.

[@kamilcuniak8412]

@@qwertyazerty2137 all motorbike suspension manufacturers must be wrong then ; )

[@Beli4l]

​@@qwertyazerty2137 if you ever have the possibility to try an intend, push or dorado inverted fork, do it. Thanks me later ;)

[@Metal-Possum]

@@qwertyazerty2137 Stiffer part of the fork is up top, and the seals are always bathing in oil so there's less stiction and a theoretically longer lifespan.

[@Blowfeld20k]

3 week ago, bought a beautiful pair of 2016 Fox 36 performance, from eBay perfect condition, had a full service history too ..... £135 open auction. Also bought a pair of weight weeny Specialised future shock carbon forks (am building my 5' nothing daughter her 1st proper XC bike) they cost me £80ish ........... Everyone just needs to drop the industry imparted need for retail therapy. A proper old git me, been riding since early 80s MTBs have always had stupid priced end of the market, just learn to ignore it. Simple

[@rong.9130]

The steerer tube was "too thick to go in" because of the pipe cutter. Those leave a ridge where they've pushed material out of the way; the effect is probably more pronounced with cheap aluminum. A guide and a hacksaw leave a better cut.

[@vittocrazi]

I find its a better cut if you use the pipe cutter and then just chamfer the Edge with a file. Takes less time, too.

[@rong.9130]

@@vittocrazi Yup; I also endorse this technique, but I didn't see a file come out in the steerer-cutting montage, so I'd still say it was the pipe-cutter which caused the problem in the video.

[@vittocrazi]

@@rong.9130 ye. And thats a common mistake, from my experience

[@SKBKER]

Cutting disc never fails . Takes a little longer but you get the perfect cut .

[@vittocrazi]

@@SKBKER i personally disagree. It doesnt make a better cut than a hack Saw, plus It makes a lot of noise. Cordless IS less terrible. But still. The only thing It has going on IS that its faster

[@DBazzy]

I'm a simple man. I see any one of the presenters doing anything sketchy, I watch.

[@lenolenoleno]

140 GBP isn't even cheap. You can get a new takeoff Marzocchi Z2 (essentially a Fox 34 Rhythm with a more basic damper) for that money.

[@BigBoyYogurtMan]

yupss i got a brand new 120mm Rockshox Judy for that same price

[@vittocrazi]

@@BigBoyYogurtMan where? They are 450 GBP for me...

[@benwalker740]

Where from. I'd like them

[@BigBoyYogurtMan]

@@benwalker740 from bike-discount!

[@Metal-Possum]

Here in New Zealand they'd be at least 3 times that.

[@ГумарКарама]

I have seen even foxes squaking with oil when you decrease air pressure in them)

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I've seen them getting sucked in & leak. All fork have the potential to suck 😂

[@alex_mcclay]

I have seen foxes squeaking kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIu0pHV_aNxrqNE

[@thetechfromheaven]

I've seen a kid destroy a Fox 34 fork with a simple speed reductor bump, and he is not even 70kg of weight!

[@302hardtailr6]

After I saw that there was no actual screw in axle they should have been thrown in the trash. You are very brave for even bolting them on and riding with them. You probably damaged the front wheel bearings though. That was a very interesting presentation though. Thank you for having them torn down and inspected.

[@stevehague3836]

thanks for checking it out ! i will stick to better forks from rockshox , etc.

[@organmusicVI]

I love the chill vibe of this video

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

Aww thanks ☺️

[@madtownangler]

I once ran a couple bolts through a cheapo shock once to turn the shock into a rigid fork because it got blown and I couldnt afford a new fork at the time. This was before you could buy used forks on the internet

[@feedbackzaloop]

In the meantime there are even cheaper forks with classic construction, not moto-style, and decent production quality. And when they wear out in a year or so, still cheaper to replace than service.

[@thetechfromheaven]

The Balogna forks have come a long way, I have the Foxlany 32mm ones in my Scott Scale Elite 2012 daily beater in order to not waste the original Reba fork and it is almost as good as the RS. I have done jumps and rock gardens with it and it has taken it like a champ, for being daily beater forks they are great and even Balony sells parts and upgrades also for very cheap.

[@razzor4708]

That's why all of those bikes like Twitter, Makea from China and etc are basically ride 1 year and go for parts. There is a SR Suntour forks exist for a reason and even cheapest one will work 100 times better than this. Also, they are reliable as hell and minimum maintenances, especially elastomer one..

[@onepunchvegan866]

There is cablerub because in GB you ppl ride the breaks on the wrong side. 95% of all ppl ride front break on the left side. Thats the reason. 😂

[@vilemeister]

No our brakes are alright. It's the forks that break!

[@tom6493]

Good luck stopping a motorcycle with the lefthand “brake” lever…😂😂🤦‍♂️

[@yyams]

The king wants a word with you, sir. Expect a man in a red suit and tall fuzzy hat at your door within the hour.

[@niclaskarlin]

​@@tom6493i otb in 5km/h when using the wrong brake when driving electric motorbike in super slippery clay. Hurt my shoulder real bad, but it's OK now, nothing broke...

[@winjinsinjon]

Probably be fine if you just want them to look good while riding on local canal paths, but then again may as well just keep that standard sr suntour coil forks most cheap bikes come with.

[@stanley3647]

On canal paths, You not need 120mm travel ;)

[@vladimirmikusik4786]

Usually is not a problem find RS Recon Silver under 200GBP. So for me this fork is unbuyable.

[@linea2000]

I've rode some cheap bikes in my time. At least these did return. Now, a Zoom fork....

[@darreldudley8432]

Does anyone remember the SID World Cup Blackbox from the mid 00's? They were this flexy 😅😅

[@AlanWGMeraz]

Aliexpress its like a roulette, sometimes you get awesome stuff for cheap and sometimes you get crap for cheap.

[@ChristianPareATLAS]

Marzocchi are a billion times better. I am curious to see RST and Suntour forks like the middle range ones. Which models are better? For kids bike the are very popular even good quality brands have those

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I've tried the 2023 Marzo z1 on a Marin rental bike this thing has so much flex I wondered if every reviewer were paid. But fox isn't that rich 😂

[@morthias666]

RST are horrible, I remember them from late 90s and early 2000s and I honestly think they are getting worse. Suntour - quite the opposite, they used to manufacture trash, now these are pretty good for the price. I'd still take RS over any of them though.

[@dvs620]

​@@morthias666 Suntour sponsors guys like Tom Isted and Sam Reynolds. The stuff they do at Darkfest (and Crankworx for Isted) is far more abusive than anything any of us are going to do. Raised my eyebrows about Suntour because I had only known their coil stuff you find on cheaper bikes. Plus, Suntour has a trade in program and will even give you credit for those cheap coil forks you find on Walmart bikes and the like.

[@martinangelomooney1010]

Try Suntour Epixon.

[@marko2262]

Rst is bad:]] I had one , broke it in pieces , good place in trash xd

[@dtibor5903]

I have Bolany fork, classical configuration. It works pretty fine, it not very smooth and i like that!.i prefer over my much smoother floating Manitou fork.

[@qwertyazerty2137]

Can you tell which model do you have as they don't brand them with any code or name designantions. I just had my first ride on my bolany 26 inch qr 100 mm air fork and the impressions are that this fork is quite rubbish. It works sort of, but the amount of forward backward flex is dreadful tbh. Then, there's a quite significat play on the stantions which probably contributes to that flex. Then, the bottom negative pressure valve of the air cartride has got a stripped thread so pumping it is fiddly. Not sure, how well the cartridge hold up the pressure, I'll check it tomorrow. Then, the rebound adjustment is actually an on/off switch. You have 13 clicks on the knob but only with the last 3 the rebound starts to slow down. also, the claimed 100 mm of travel is not true, as it bottoms out at ~92 mm. I did a zero maintenance before the ride and did a check up. Both stantions utilize non-servicabke cartridges. They are featherweight, especially the rebound one which is not confidence-inspiring. Don't want to cross it off yet, but it my be a bummer waste of 120$. I expected better quality for this money.

[@dtibor5903]

@@qwertyazerty2137 i have a 29er for with QR and the amount of flex is similar to other more expensive forks. It has a little play but i don't mind it. Everything else is fine and worked out of the box.They ship without oil in the lower part of the fork so it does not leak but that results in the fork locking up in 20-30 hours of usage . I've done service on it few times because all forks should be serviced after 20-50 hours, even the expensive ones.

[@dtibor5903]

@@qwertyazerty2137 also i don't care about rebound setting, the default open position works fine. I have the one with air+small coil. I do occasonally race with this fork on amateur level.

[@qwertyazerty2137]

@@dtibor5903 ok, so your's is an oil fork. Mine is not, both the air spring the the damper are non-servicable cartridges. There's no oil-soaked sponges to lube the uppers. There are just cheap plastic bushings in the lowers. coated with grease.

[@dtibor5903]

@@qwertyazerty2137 mine has stated 120mm travel and it does exactly that

[@Craig00005]

Surely those forks are going to kill someone and the price is ridiculous they shouldn't be on the market but saying that i think you should give them to Sam pilgrim to test for his opinion and his video would be hilarious on these forks, love y'all gmbn and Sam pilgrim ❤️❤️

[@thetechfromheaven]

Sam has tested several Chinesium forks, some of them have come up pretty decent like the Zoom "enduro" ones

[@hindesite]

Bushings wrong size? No worse than my Fox Float 36 then...

[@feedbackzaloop]

Huh, thought "float" was about damper technology? Well jokes on you!

[@mtbodyssey369]

Not sure if you are aware, but on Amazon and eBay UK there are forks with decent 140mm travel, which are around £100 and from the looks of it better quality.

[@waiata216]

I am 68 and thinking of buying my first bike for 30 years . I am gob smacked by the tech. Its like biking now for some or maybe many is for spec geeks and the riding is something you do in between talking spec and up grading. After having watched many videos I believe I will go for a hard tail for light trails some enduro hill road riding and around town. So something around UK pounds £800 -1000 USA $1000-1300 plus helmet and safety gear. Also I might fit the tannus puncture proof tyres another £100 pound. Which is pretty reasonable.I dont mind the slower pace cause I will not be racing any one..

[@madmax2069]

I knew seeing the lack of the lower cross support that there was going to be a lot of flex. And wow, that quite a lot of flex.

[@brilog69]

This was a good video. The forks not so much. You cracked me up with all the commentary!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

Thank you ☺️

[@XEvil9]

this is not actually true that buying brand forks will be cheaper for long term usage, because most of the high efficient forks maintaince (service kits, oil, work) does cost a lot, sometimes the same as this fork, so you probably can just buy new one every season and throw the old one to the trash xD

[@DAVIEPTV]

I'd buy.., the blue o ring 😂

[@justanotherhooman6122]

Would choose a suntour xcr air over these. Low maintenance and very easy to service 👌

[@loft4me]

It resembles an RS-1, but sans any badging or stickers, as the fork is too elemental even for the manufacturer to take the time to badge it. This product, however, falls along the business model of similar things shipped from overseas, being in my experience the overseas action camera. Part of the business model is to present something so blatantly cheap and copied but enticing in price - enough so that the consumer is tempted to try it "once." If they get enough customers to try it once, there is no need to improve or regard quality as something desirable. And the fact that they are overseas in an insular country makes it hard to retaliate. My recommendation is don't jump at the price, but rather take the time to review this or similar products on the internet. And ask yourselves, even at this tempting price, is it worth it?

[@massimo79mmm]

the worst fork ever: aliexpress fork. my bergman the beast : hold my wine 😂

[@kris8165]

I like the fork😅 Once it would stop working,I would just turn it rigid! Cool design! Cooler than RS or Suntour or 🦊😅 Greetings from Croatia 😎

[@qwertyazerty2137]

I just had my first ride on a bolany 26 inch qr 100 mm air fork and it's quite rubbish. It works sort of, but the amount of forward backward flex is dreadful tbh. Then, there's a quite significat play on the stantions which probably contributes to that flex. Then, the bottom negative pressure valve of the air cartride has got a stripped thread so pumping it is fiddly. Not sure, how well the cartridge hold up the pressure, I'll check it tomorrow. Then, the rebound adjustment is actually an on/off switch. You have 13 clicks on the knob but only with the last 3 the rebound starts to slow down. also, the claimed 100 mm of travel is not true, as it bottoms out at ~92 mm. Don't want to cross it off yet, but it my be a bummer waste of 120$.

[@aliens1990990]

that canyon paint job is just gorgeous!

[@MissingLinkMTB]

I bought Suntour forks off AliExpress and I can't tell the difference if there is any.

[@AdamHKatona]

It's probably an original Suntour fork. It's a Taiwanese brand, so it's not surprising to find them on Ali.

[@thetechfromheaven]

I wouldn't be surprised if they are all made in the same factories like carbon frames. I've seen some big box brands already coming with Balony and LTWoo parts so it will take not to long for the Chinese to figure out how to improve fork building quality and compete with all the "mainstream" brands

[@kukuhwanengkirtyo861]

The manufacturer of this fork should thank you for a free review of their product and trust me that they will be able to produce world class fork in 2-3 years.... Racework ? Just remember this brand for the next 3 years.

[@AdamHKatona]

I don't think so, because their intention is not to create a world class fork or even a good enough one but to rip people off. That's the mentality behind these products.

[@thetechfromheaven]

It will happen like with carbon frames, every big brand nowadays produces their frames even the top of the line ones in China. They will catch up I'm sure. I've recently acquired a Balony 32 fork and it has done great despite daily abuse and absolutely no service for 3 months.

[@madtownangler]

Obviously you didn't get to use forks in 1991 with less than an inch travel. The only elastomer forks were just fine but the air forks sucked. One time I rode my bike twenty-five miles back with a shock blown and all the way down After that I used shocks that were air on one side and elastomer on the other.

[@njohnson3331]

My worry is that the people who end up buying these things don't know better. An experienced rider will know better, but a beginner might not. That's even more dangerous since a new rider might not realize that a part isn't going to hold up under normal riding conditions.

[@saddleweary2777]

Call em gal, you made a very important video, and made it fun also. Great job!

[@sarcasmisthelowest]

I bought some thicker longer travel forks off Ali X after a bad bottom out. They are great but when I went to unscrew the brakes the Aluminium thread came out with the medium strength thread locker and the bolt. I fixed it with some J B Weld and two stainless steel thread inserts. I covered the end of the insert with wax. It’s hanging in but the aluminium annealing / hardening is where they are saving the money. So if you do buy them don’t use thread locker on the threads! And don’t ride hardline either. The internals are same as a well known mid brand fork so parts are available.

[@doublej9717]

Loved it, intro was Top Gear presenter worthy!

[@BlueGoose2]

where's the WARNING: DO NOT RIDE ANYWHERE sticker ... lol

[@frankblom8546]

AliExpress fork, loads of flex. Let's go full send down the trail. You have more confidence with this Ali fork than me on my new bike with a rockshox pike.

[@mylesmackey2430]

PUSH has a video of their engineer explaining why that whole “put the front wheel between your knees and try to twist the fork” is an invalid test for how well the fork performs. The $2500 PUSH fork also flexes like that in that test but people who ride it say it’s amazing

[@albikes8484]

Thats how all forks felt in the early to mid 90s.

[@gary6361]

With all that flex, these forks can make a super easy trail exciting!

[@loomspace]

Honestly to manufacture this fork, packaged and shipped to your door for 150 is a remarkable feat.

[@ref0270]

I'm curious & in no way defending Chinese throw-away gear, but inverted forks needs a predictive steering hub. Maybe that would help the wonky steering?

[@Velo1010]

Can you imagine two weeks of hard riding on these forks 😮

[@thetechfromheaven]

Hold my Balony 32 forks bro 😂💀👍

[@marcopaganotto9125]

You should have bought some DNM USD-6.

[@Zwiesel66]

It looks like this fork could easily kill you - It is a crime to sell them.

[@waiata216]

One thing which I notice me though is that nearly all the vids are about new bikes. Very few vids on how MTB's stand up to 2 -3 years of steady use. How often, how hard and how much is maintenance . Is that because buying new and endless upgrading is more popular than low maintenance long term ownership vids?

[@martinangelomooney1010]

Can you try a Suntour Epixon 120mm please.🙏🙏🙏

[@thetechfromheaven]

Balony 32 🤑

[@Bob_Shy_132]

Hahahaha. Way to take one for the team! When you did the flex test...Lolololol. My twenty year old sid forks don't even flex that much! And TF are great! I bought some shock mounting spacers for my superlight from them that are still running strong five years later.

[@andymoss4285]

I retrospect would you have tested this with a full face and body armour?

[@andyeunson270]

I bought a set of fancy expensive carbon ceramic brake rotors a while back. Claimed all the power but more modulation than steel rotors. In a sense that was true because the calliper and master cylinder provided the same power, but there was way more modulation. So much so that it was impossible to lock up the wheels. Very little grip between pad and disc. Absolutely frightening to ride down anything in North Vancouver where I lived at the time.

[@juansanchez-tr1dq]

Those shouldn't be used on anything other than a smooth sidewalk, if at all!

[@jamesmincher3435]

Good idea to show us the cheap stuff saves us getting ripped off

[@ameliabriggs3678]

I've got a set of DNM USD6 forks, they're fine, no weird noises, no metal fragments Although I suspect the Racework Forks are just ripoffs of DNM forks, they certainly look crapper.

[@joules2936]

I have had loads of positive experience with unbranded parts from Ali and eBay. Carbon rims being the biggest items (price and size). Ali is a goldmine, if you know what to look for. In the case of forks, Slate bicycles released a budget gravel sus fork that is just a badged version of a fork available for approx £100 on Ali, and by all accounts the forks are ok (not great, but ok, serviceable to an extent and safe). Given the difficulties that big brands have had with inverted forks, if anyone thinks that some cheap ones on Ali are going to be ok they are poorly informed at best (or in the case of GCN, perhaps choosing them deliberately knowing they will likely make for the best content).

[@ExplosiveNotes]

Ali Clarkson trying to eliminate his riding competition through his famous side hustle.

[@zefe3886]

Wait! is this Ali Clarkson's product?

[@ExplosiveNotes]

@@zefe3886 No, it's Ali Clarkson's joke about AliExpress being his side hustle.

[@fudganuld]

Rather you than me..ha And surely the cable issue is YOUR problem ,not the forks..Looks like your cable length is way too short..!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

Yes it was short, you’re right, but the cable tidy was a plastic ring that moved around and couldn’t be torqued. Most forks have a bolt straight into the leg, because this is safer. This clip wouldn’t be safe even if I had taken the time to refit a whole new brake hose, in my opinion.

[@FunctionFIVE]

I love budget intend

[@lukedriscoll7748]

I snapped a eBay special carbon stem riding down a staircase on my CX bike on the way to work. Replaced it with a Zipp stem that has taken many more years of abuse.

[@mikeburgh3956]

I just want to say you're brave for mounting that & riding on that. Could've been a bad day but thank goodness it wasn't 🙏🏼

[@papagodzilla5465]

i know some people run a budget and look for cheap parts. But this kind of product shouldnt even exist. its only going for landfills quickly and really bad for the environment to mass produce. its a waste of materials, and right now, we should worry about it.

[@Chorge1972]

Brake cable was YOUR fault… sorry! And yes: USD-Forks feel flexy when cornering - you need to get used to it. Did you ever try a Dorado? Would be great to compare their stiffness… Overall you get much much more than you paid for - I‘d say.

[@niclaskarlin]

3:30 Turns off all damping. 3:40 Ohh, they're so springy!

[@shrinkingshrimp]

Rebound =/= damping.

[@niclaskarlin]

@@shrinkingshrimp That's true

[@ornleifs]

Not bike related but I've never heard the Phrase "Oh My Days !" which Anna uses quite a lot so I looked it up and it's actually from the eighteen hundreds but has remained relatively rare until the twenty-first century and especially associated with its use in Multicultural London English - I found that interesting.

[@waiata216]

yeah I noticed that as i know some of the black guys on football club vids use "oh my days". I think it is possibly a euphemism for" Oh my God " 😅 Get in and C"mon are going mainstream too.

[@JeffMTBinVA]

Funny and a great lesson to those starting out, don't buy no name cheap crap components. Gutsy riding with that thing and no extra padding.

[@saltybmxer6977]

The fact that they have to put a warning in order to make a comment should be an indication that this isn’t a good video in the first place. A quality video doesn’t need it. How can I take this remotely serious? If you are getting negative comments it’s not the commenters, it’s the presenters. . Just sayin. Common sense. This was intended Ed to be rude just pointing out the way I see things.

[@cozmicpretzscher]

As regards to the brake cable, British have brakes the wrong way round, if it was in Germany the brake would not be a problem as it's on the left side.

[@izabelalidzbarska1657]

Rebound still better than most rockshocks😂

[@noline1548]

I've had some carbon rims and titanium spokes from aliexpress for 4 years now on my dj bike, they are the lightest wheels I could make, and I had not a single issue with them. I've broken a lot of bones since then, but the rims are intact. Regular alloy rims would have been destroyed way before that.

[@glen3509]

Anna, I'm thinking of ordering a pair of Rock Shox 26" Recon TK Silver. What do you think of these suspension forks?

[@marcandrecoutu4798]

So sad all the limited and finite ressources we are wasting making this garbage

[@OMaldoBatt]

That's the R3 BrokenNeck 0.0, right?!?!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

😂

[@MADC1973]

Oh my! Cannondale can make a lefty fork with one lower/stanchion and no arch and make it essentially as strong as a conventional fork. That contraption could get someone seriously injured...or worse. Stuff like that gets on the market and the inexperienced buyer is gambling with their life by buying that thing. GMBN need to increase their efforts to educate consumers on what is appropriate AND safe to buy. More of these videos please. It's a moral obligation to make these kinds of videos. Of course a little humour is fine but the message must be a serious one.

[@Emz_Jhaye]

For single-crown inverted fork? For me, Marzocchi Shiver for the win. 🤣🚴🤙

[@ravennexusmh]

my £60 mint condition Reba RLT dual air forks coming in at 1.3kg, or these. the choice hard.

[@peterliljebladh]

I would not trust that for shit. Same goes for almost every product that has more than 3 repetitions of wordings and in excess of 17 syllables to describe 1 faulty disaster.

[@andreemurray7039]

Can't be any worse than some of the stock forks you get on some bikes

[@harzenduro]

Yup. Good idea to test some low quality fork without actually wearing any protection but a helmet.

[@BestKiteboardingOfficial]

This is basically a litany of errors from GCN, sure it's cheap crap but I wouldn't let her anywhere near my bike.

[@trevorwynkoop8591]

Forks need a bridge or double crown. This probably wouldn’t be that sketchy with one of those features (other than maybe the axle coming loose).

[@Lloyd-su2dg]

Fun video. No surprises really. Only surprise was apparently i can get Z1's for 300 quid on sale. Show me where - i'll get 2 😂 Would be good to get a buying guide for 2nd hand forks n shocks

[@nukedathlonman]

Uhh, is one side of the fork longer then the other?? (Or is that just the lens playing tricks on my screen)

[@juliangarrett6373]

One leg has air spring so it stays extended. One leg has damper so it can look shorter because there’s no force to extend it. The axle and hub are ‘supposed’ to keep the leg lengths equal

[@Nbomber]

you can buy a used fox 36 for a similar price.

[@alexanderwald2046]

"hm, the rebound is rubbish! there's no way to fix this!" turns the rebound knob. "hm, it actually works!" thumbs down, unsubscribe

[@thetechfromheaven]

Obviously they won't talk good things about some random forks when they are sponsored by all the big box brands, it actually made me laugh how they try to make this look way worse than it actually is 😂