Dirt Cheap OVERSIZE CARBON Pulley Cage - Install and test

A carbon fibre oversize pulley cage with ceramic bearings - £33 from AliExpress! How bad can it be???
I’m sure we’ve all seen the oversize pulley/derailleur cages from Ceramic Speed that many of the professional riders fit to their bikes. They look pretty awesome and claim to make the drivetrain more efficient by reducing friction. However, I’m also pretty sure that many of us can’t afford to pay the pretty ridiculous prices that Ceramic Speed Charge.
But luckily, AliExpress has it covered with a carbon fibre oversize derailleur cage running ceramic bearings, for £33!!! So for that price, I had to check it out.
After replacing the terrible ceramic bearings, I fitted it to my Shimano 105 R7000 rear derailleur, and honestly, I’m pretty impressed. It looks really cool in my opinion, runs really well, and shifts flawlessly. But is it worth it?
I suspect it makes little to no difference in terms of efficiency, but it’s cheap, adds basically no weight to the bike, and could potentially save you a watt or two… So I’ll let you decide.
Got any questions or comments, stick them in the comments 👇 and I'll try and get back to as many of you as I can!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Start
01:35 - Closeup
02:55 - Ceramic Bearing Removal
05:29 - Installation
07:25 - Weight
08:14 - Performance
10:38 - Marginal Gains
Cheap CERAMIC JOCKEY WHEELS - a fatal design flaw!
• Cheap CERAMIC JOCKEY W...
Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - www.go2dev.co.uk
Music:
Birocratic (birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)
Fresh Healthy Perspectives
Lakey Inspired ( / lakeyinspired )
The Process
Noir Et Blanc Vie ( / billyocean2185 )
Still Not Rite, MydNyte
DS Productions Music ( • Sad Emotional Piano Mu... )
Sad Emotional Piano
About Trace Velo:
I love cycling, and I love getting pro cycling kit for less. If it’s cheap, from China, and made of carbon fibre, I’m interested!
Instagram:
/ tracevelo
Email:
[e-mail]
Please note:
All products demonstrated in this video have been purchased by me, and I have no affiliation to any of the sellers or vendors shown.
In addition, 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!!!

[@1fizzychicken]

It’s always a good day when you see there’s a new Trace Velo video in the KZbin suggestions 👍

[@jy7245]

Tell me about it man

[@Lazy_Jay_Racing]

Every time 😁👌

[@Jkl158]

GCN “lose their nut” over certain equipment because they are sponsors

[@bluemystic7501]

And the only way you know they're sponsors is because GCN is very upfront about it so.....

[@747cycle]

@@bluemystic7501 well they're very upfront about it because they got into hot water a number of years ago about their lack of disclosure. cyclingindustry.news/asa-rules-wahoo-and-gcn-flicks-in-breach-of-advertising-standards/

[@bluemystic7501]

@@747cycle That's not what the OP was referring to.

[@markj.a351]

GCNs case with ceramic speed is quite telling. They were all for them while the sponsorship money was rolling in but then when it ended they've actually said not to bother with the OSP system in their tech shows.

[@FPLMikkel]

@@markj.a351 Granted it makes zero point for a normal end user you still see non-sponsored pros (also in triathlon) using Ceramic S peed products quite a bit. Anyway I really enjoyed the fabric tour they had with Ceramic Speed, but I will never buy any of it :)

[@simonwalker2460]

Mate you are by far the funniest presenter on youtube never mind just bike stuff.....you deserve your own tv show👍

[@AndreasRavnestad]

This channel is exactly what would happen if DIY Perks drank way too much coffee and suddenly had a knack for bikes.

[@sc0608023]

Ah, DIY Perks…ha, these two gentlemen even look alike!

[@WTFduesGUY]

Genuinely one of my favourite channels atm. Waiting for that chinese TT bike build

[@ChinaCycling]

1:09 - not sure why I pissed myself laughing at the AliExpress airhorns. AliExpress rave posse unite!

[@TraceVelo]

LOL! Joe, you definitely fit into the AliExpress rave posse, no denying that! 😎

[@ChinaCycling]

@@TraceVelo I am a pretender. I've never bought anything on AliExpress. :( Haha. #SecondWorldProblems we just use Taobao in China. Oh, by the way, can you still do big chainring with big sprocket on the cassette? It looks like the OSPW has effectively shortened the chain?

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah so the chain I'm running was sized with an 11-28 cassette and the regular derailleur cage. With an 11-28 cassette, the new oversize cage works great with the full range of gears, but i recently upgraded to an 11-32 cassette which i fitted a few days ago. So with the larger cassette in this vid paried with the oversize cage, I can't quite reach the full range, but I tend to avoid cross chaining as a rule anyway, so not a massive deal. The chain could def do with being a few links bigger tho tbh.

[@MxCraven]

@@TraceVelo Was the 32 for some future gravel munching with the new disk brakes and wider tyres, or just so you can spin it like Froomey up the climbs? :P

[@TraceVelo]

@@MxCraven Yeah so I recently moved from London to the Cornish coastline in the UK, and the hills around here are next level. 11-28 was all I used to need, but hitting 20% inclines every mile or so, that 11-32 is already paying for itself!!!

[@steveindorset]

.....rarer than men wearing Rafa that don’t jump red lights!🚦 Really made me burst out laughing!!! 😆😆😆👍👍👍👍

[@gregstevenson7401]

I'm one. I see it all the time.

[@carlossorianodomingo3987]

I see that thing isn't happening only in Spain...

[@JohnLemieux]

Red lights are for motor vehicles. If there’s no cross traffic (and I can clearly see that’s the case) I’m not coming to a full stop.

[@marcdaniels9079]

@@JohnLemieux And you are why car drivers hate cyclists. Well done and thanks 😮

[@judosteffer]

This is my new favourite channel! About time someone did one looking at getting good value for bike parts, and then testing if they are any good. Fantastic work and a natural , really funny presenter!!! Don't ever change!

[@Angieboy173]

Your show is very underrated. Your nutty energetic information packed episodes always bring a laugh with some great info!! Keep up the great work brother 🤙

[@azngouki]

Earned a sub and like Luke. Your content is A1 and real to the common man wants to modify their bike safely and on a budget. Great tip on swapping to sealed bearings!

[@abedfo88]

Luke you madman, I've been eyeing up one of these for a while so thanks for being the Guinea pig. Completely awesomely above average video as ever.

[@TraceVelo]

Cheers Andrew! Good to see you lurking in the comments as always 😜

[@flyinlo1474]

As others have probably said, it may only be 1 to 2% in efficiency gains, but the wow and cool factor definitely 100%. Thank you for another awesome video

[@thistlebubs]

Fair play, exactly the kind of honest reviews that I’m looking for. Well done 👍. I’ll just clean my chain more often then 😀

[@xandervanheeringen5154]

Nice video, Luke! There’s another reason: if you want to change your short cage for a long cage. Shimano’s long cages are quite expensive and hard to come by. Now I can use 11-32 cassettes on my Dura Ace di2.

[@tristank9821]

1:55 "This shaft here, ha heh... sorry..." God, love this guy already.

[@gvtrivia6780]

dude, your video is the funniest yet best of all out there addressing this thing. thanks

[@floatrollcrawl]

Love the channel! Always happy to see a new video out!

[@TraceVelo]

Cheers Jared, glad to hear it!

[@scooterza]

Okay, that "last to the coffee shop" cameo performance gets a subscribe from me. That had me laughing out loud! Nice one!

[@smallhatshatethetruth7933]

I got tears, such a sad story

[@boyacki]

watching these more recent videos for the introduction alone is so worth it! Love the humour and presentation. always very entertaining and informative , Thank you!!

[@mrskeltal3281]

Indeed. Someone give this man a job tv presenting...he's a natural!

[@TraceVelo]

Cheers P Wan!!! Much appreciated!

[@boyacki]

@@TraceVelo please keep up the good work! Also, are you now out of the Surrey area? you mentioned Richmond once so you must be local

[@TraceVelo]

@@boyacki Yeah so I actually moved out of London a few months ago, I live down south in Cornwall atm. I do really miss blasting round Richmond Park and heading out into the Surrey Hills tho. Those rides are tough to beat!

[@MrAlpal2005]

I love how you are making yourself laugh at your over exaggerated gestures. Great video. Well done

[@SantiVSKATC]

Looks like the chain length could benefit with a link or two more.

[@mrskeltal3281]

I was gonna say, would switching from a standard medium cage to something oversized like this mean additional links required?

[@core2zero]

@@mrskeltal3281 you are adding additional length to the path the chain has to move to complete a revolution, so yeah, you should add a link or two more if your new cage is longer and if your chain was properly sized before

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah, good obervation! So the chain I'm running was sized with an 11-28 cassette and the regular medium derailleur cage. With an 11-28 cassette, the new oversize cage works great, but I recently upgraded to an 11-32 cassette which I fitted a few days ago. So with the larger cassette in this vid paried with the oversize cage, the chain could def do with being a few links bigger tbh. But if you are currently running a medium cage, just swapping it out with this oversize cage, you will be fine on the chain sizing IMO.

[@treadtyred9742]

@@TraceVelo Do you know if Shimano set the arm spring to high or low tension as standard?

[@attorreatravere4590]

@@TraceVelo One criteria is to be able to go "Big ring/big cog" without damaging your derailleur (lower length limit) and to be able to go "Small ring/Small cog" without the chain to bouce/bang against the stay (higher length limit).

[@keithchristner4522]

Not gonna lie, I loved the GCN dig. Lol

[@renegodde5483]

Got one of those on my DI2 Ultegra for a couple of months now, absolutely flawless function I must say. However, 2 things you should do: 1. Replace the bearings once fall is getting close. As you mentioned, the stock ones are not going to survive long in wet conditions. Packing them with grease may help a while, but ultimately, a set of proper SKS bearings will cost you about 15€, so what the hell. 2. While you‘re replacing bearings, make sure you add some Locktite to the screws putting the cage back together. Otherwise, those tend to come lose und suddenly you got a little bit of a problem.

[@rachidnord660]

do you have the size for the bearing replacement?

[@THSimagery]

Hey there! do you have the spacing for the sealed bearing?

[@frederiklauferts]

@@rachidnord660 9x17x5 mm (LTwoo pulley)

[@SephGarreffa]

Do you still recommend? Any negative points?

[@vaiquemquer]

​@@frederiklaufertsthank you

[@hervinderpurewal4369]

luke love your videos makes my day when a new one arrives. awesome.

[@mikele2259]

Your videos are great man 👍 really enjoy them. Please keep it up 💪

[@bombdiggitydave3881]

Subscribed from across the pond in the USA. Your info on doing a cheap version of this item was informative and your energy and antics were fun to watch. I'm not at all sure if adding this bling will give any true gains either but alas, it just looks smarter and has a cool factor that stock does not. Thanks!

[@edpilling4955]

Good work! Quality video review as always.

[@TheBigCheese233]

Just watched the pulley wheel video. Im ready for this!!!

[@Elias-iq2sc]

Tbh this was the best video introduction ever

[@martinextejt3453]

Great to watch until the end. Sure looks great! I'll double down on keeping my chain clean though. Thanks for doing the research.

[@TyProvosty]

Love your presentation style. Quite wonderful!

[@feldybikes]

12:40 that was oddly specific

[@peenito]

I don't even have gears and I saw it from beginning to end. Great channel!

[@TheCup0joe]

It’s like you’ve read my mind! I’ve been looking at these!

[@yoyodynepropulsion.systems]

I love your videos and they way you produce them. Some much awesomesauce.

[@andyh2677]

great production as usual luke ...thanks

[@mwilko79]

Great video matey...love your energy 👍

[@TraceVelo]

Cheers Mark! Really appreciate it!

[@editdroid99]

Another banger! I just realized, after watching your videos for a while now, how much my bike resembles yours. Cheap Chinese carbon frame (Seraph) in matte black, Tiagra R4700, and cheap unbranded Chinese carbon wheels. I too am a massive cheapskate (or at least my wife is), so your videos have opened my ride up to the possibility of the #CarbonLife. Thanks! I'm a total copy cat, but I think I'll skip the oversized cage... for now. I am thinking pretty hard about those carbon handlebars though. Keep up the very excellent work!

[@TraceVelo]

Nice! Carbon cheapsakes for life!!! But yeah, this is definitely one of those upgrades that doesnt really do much other than look cool tbh. But the bars im currently running, great so far but ive only put a few hundred miles on them. Ill keep you posted tho!

[@SuperNeilB]

Never mind the bike....you look like me!

[@supercyclisttv1734]

Thank you for sharing dude, very informative

[@Opiti72]

Luke, you show be a an actor man :-) Great videos!!!

[@cyclingfan7303]

Dude, Broadway is waiting for you!

[@TheImprobableIronman]

Loving your work sir. Laughed out loud about your observation that, "If I was a professional rider, I probably wouldn't have chosen the cheapest wheels, bottom bracket and bearings that I could possibly find!".

[@TraceVelo]

Maybe there is a gap in the professional riding scene for a bargain bucket race team!

[@TheImprobableIronman]

Absolutely. And it would be so funny so see one of the bigger teams struggling to keep up with them. :-)

[@anserrizvi3304]

@@TraceVelo Team Trace! With Ali Express as the headline sponsor! 😂 😂 😂

[@Dogbreath1974]

Another great video Luke

[@cachetrider8970]

Man that cafe segment at the end really hit home and got me emotional.

[@cyclejohna]

Thank you so much, your videos are always informative and clean cut to the point. Been researching for months if the R7000 RD is compatible with the R4700 RD of shimano. Thank you.

[@CJ-zk1kl]

Nice one Trace. Looks a good upgrade.

[@virtualvelo2744]

You just save me a thousand quid, eh. Sending you all the love sir. Thank you

[@davidtydeman1434]

Love the video presentation as always - there has to be a good reason why Shimano doesn’t offer oversized pulley wheels as standard or as an option

[@larisonjohnson]

Luke, throwing out the zingers...I like it! Rafa red light jumpers! 🤣🤣🤣 ...well done. I felt that coffee shop story down to my toes. Love the tech however. Thought about it in the past but for a few watts, not sure it’s worth the AliExpress risk. I’ll be waiting to see how yours gets on.

[@nachelia]

Loved the dark backstory

[@simonliew9728]

Hey Luke, I really love your vid and loving Aliexpress too.

[@Aiden3moore]

Very very good video, I really enjoyed it

[@dolandbrowne969]

Great videos on bike stuff and you are hilarious 😆

[@davidzimmerman7770]

I put mine on the other day on my 105 group it's awesome how smooth and quiet my bike has become.

[@FiveMinuteVelo]

An informative and entertaining video again. When you were demonstrating the gear shifting on the trainer, it looks as though you need to do a few extra links in your chain. Did you put any more links in to compensate for the larger jockey wheels?

[@daffaabieza1938]

It’s good to know that your name is as always...... Still, luke

[@NewPolishScientist]

One day will be Lucas 😅

[@ianthecyclist4868]

thanks for the info!! really helpful.

[@aldrinclementina4297]

I have to be honest. In the beginning I've founded this guy annoying. But after I subscribed and watching more and more of the videos I realized that "As Always Luke" is funny man..lol 😂 thnkx for the video 💪🏾

[@svelobikes9049]

The best cheap upgrade was when I bought clip-on tri-bars for 30 canadian dollars.

[@patsizer3581]

Yep, definitely the cheapest go faster upgrade...

[@warreng5963]

Top class yet again! How are you getting on with those Elite wheels?

[@MerlinGreece]

Thanks for the tips, from my R7000 105, I changed the plastic rollers with the ultegra rollers, they have bearings . I gain 1,5 watts 🙂🙃🙂🙃 with 10 pounds cost.

[@joshuabuilds3051]

Marginal Gains is the name of the podcast that got me to start running a waxed drivetrain.

[@mikeypalmer3977]

Another fun video! For 2 watts I dont think I'll bother myself!

[@brendanhughes7956]

Great video, thanks.

[@saj78769]

Good video Thank you 👍🏼

[@JUSSTTIINFU3K]

Wow nice package 😀 new and enhanced

[@timmiller7154]

excellent and informative

[@billbrett365]

Great video; lots of info.

[@Yeslah]

Hi trace back with another banger

[@terrywin2661]

The part where he explains how you can, "brag about it to your mates on the group ride" is POSITIVELY HILARIOUS!!!!😂🤣

[@tomcruz3774]

I'll wait for you at the cafe stop dude. No homo

[@georgewatson3166]

Sensah Empire 2x12 might be worth a look, if you're feeling frisky. Not too much info on the groupo around online. Great video as always btw.

[@Speedy.V]

Luke. Your awesome.

[@valderja]

Looks cool I reckon. Love the new disk build by the way. What did that all cost to put together?

[@deskelly9313]

$1200 just for the cage is literally insane. Apple and audiophiles come to mind. Aliexpress is awesome

[@airwilliam24]

Is it possible to be a budget audiophile lol :D? I like headphones a lot but I don't spend more than like $200 on them.

[@libertytoursjamaica9689]

Great video one love Jamaica 🇯🇲

[@lonprime4353]

Top seus vídeos... Estava com dúvidas sobre esse equipamento, más acabei de pedir aqui pro Brasil valew....

[@wazzup105]

looks wicked no matter what.

[@masterchief819]

love you dude

[@suliom2258]

Luke, I really enjoy your videos. Been watching them for over a year and finally subscribed. Just curious what clip on mic you use in the vids?

[@alexanderbolton3708]

The café stop ... fabulous acting! 😭😭😭

[@KarlenBell]

4:14 I was thinking: are you able to just take the seal off of the regular bearings and put it on the ceramic ones? That way not only do you have the benefit of low-friction ceramic bearings, but you also have protection against mud and grinds with the seals.

[@MarkMilotay]

I was wondering that myself. The other was to find sealed ceramic bearings to replace them with.

[@casobank]

The ceramic bearings will actually last longer than the steel ones; just take a seal off the steel bearings and put it on open side of the ceramic.

[@THSimagery]

@@casobank Hey there, Have you tried this?

[@casobank]

@Herman Copelin I have, with great results, might I add. My personal use was for a longboard I built 4 years ago. I found that ceramic bearings marketed towards skaters were overpriced and no difference other than the plastic case/seal. I took the seals off a set of cheap steel bearings, ordered a set of ceramic bearings from aliexpress, and they fit in perfectly.

[@casobank]

@@THSimagery Just make sure the bearings you buy are rated for an application similar to your use. In other words, don't use rc car bearings on your bike lol 😉

[@stevenrholland]

Did you have to use a longer chain? Love your videos!

[@anaxa4883]

Looking forward to the ltwoo shifter review!

[@TraceVelo]

Literally got them in the post a few days ago, so stay tuned!!!

[@tthheekk]

Haha 'shaft' loved that. 😂❤

[@bokeron0000]

Hello , thanx for the videos , they are quite interesting and funny . I saw you using Giyo gloves , could make a review for those someday? Thank you!!!

[@comedance3162]

Nice video as always, very entertaining. Would it be nice to use a weight scale to see how much grams force it will cost to start the crank set moving. Paddling backwards. Oversized vs Stock also interesting vs new Ceramic vs dirty Ceramic vs freshly cleaned ceramics? Just by pressing to a pedal till the pedals start to move. Sorry for my bad English

[@vd0o666]

Did your chain length stay the same? You are a very talented KZbinr love your work.

[@kieranpstratton]

Hey @trace velo love the channel. Just wondering, as the ceramic and aluminium bearings are the same size, could you harvest the seals from the aluminium and put them on the ceramic?

[@matt_acton-varian]

Nice bling upgrade! In theory, would it be possible to have transferred the seals from the standard bearings? It's fiddly but I have seen people service and regrease sealed bearings using a pick to delicately remove and refit the seals. Or would it affect the interface between the ceramic bearings?

[@aldrinbaradillo5714]

That was a great video content and presentation! Hoping you make a video regarding a road bike that uses mountain bike RD as it has a clutch with reduce chain slap. It seems intuitive that Shimano is applying their MTB tech to Road drivetrain like 105 with Shadow tech.

[@davidtydeman1434]

Shimano make an Ultegra rear derailleur with a clutch for road bikes

[@nachelia]

Can you do a gravel build?

[@J273]

Luke you're awesome my friend, youve gained a new subscriber 👍Those long sleeve tee's you wear in a your vids, where do you get them bad boys from? Thanks

[@gottabekdamak]

Awesome content as usual. As someone else in here did, I messed up my stock setup and this is a cheap replacement for it. Just ordered it along with the bearings... How about a cheap wireless/electronic setup??? :)

[@drans60]

Hey Luke! Curious to know when you’ll have a video/review on the sensah empire pro 12 speed group set? I threw one on my Chinese tideace and it’s been super smooth!

[@Squash_Man]

Anything with bearings will be better than bushings for derailleurs. The same goes for rear shocks on mountain bikes. I switched to needle bearings years ago for my rear shock. But I agree that the bearings need seals.

[@fredmeredith2452]

You should try taking the seal of the non ceramic bearing and put them on the ceramic ones. not sure if it would work but worth a go!

[@MrJay_White]

my reason for using these, is they add chain capacity. meaning you dont stress the gears so much on wide range cassettes.

[@valopez1000]

Hi, did you change the chain? , really enjoyed the video. Thanks

[@LimYQS]

6:56 i took me an hour to do that then i realized what i did wrong... apply force on the derailleur spring and hanger portion to bring the cage out on your bike shift it to the largest cog... will make it a whole lot easier!