What We Learned From Building A Cheap AliExpress Bike | GMBN Tech Show 369

[@gmbntech]

Would you like to see more videos from the AliExpress bike? Have you been tempted to do your own cheap AliExpress bike build? 🤔 Let the chat know 👇

[@usernamefromhell]

Yes please! I have a "Pasak" frame I'm building up.

[@tim__sadler]

I have no doubt that all fans of this channel have considered making a cheap bike from scratch at some point - in the past our options were hidden in the classifieds, car boots, swap events and large e-commerce store clearance pages. But now we have this crazy AliExpress site with all these shiny components which might be real, or they might be close to real, or they might just be cheap. I have no doubt that some of these products will be fine for some, but having worked with 'real' bike brands over the years, this just isn't a good thing for our sport - yes, you can argue that it gets people on bikes and bikes are too expensive....- but these companies do not support the sport we all love. They do not support the riders we all follow. They do not support the trails we all shred. And ultimately they do not support the rider with testing or warranty backup. Not going to judge those who choose to buy this stuff, but for me, it's interesting content, but not something I'll be replicating. Instead I would much rather buy the best possible components 2nd hand - yes no warranty, but would your rather have a 2nd hand race winning dream frame or a brand new untested badly finished frame? Just my thoughts though.

[@juffkasvennsson4609]

Im interested what @gmbn thinks about that .

[@philballphotography]

Yes, put some real forks and tires on it. You also didnt mentioned the stem again, but when you built it - it had sharp edges. Hopefully you deburred/chamfered the edges. Sharp edges on clamped joints create intense stress risers and causes scratches which make it even worse. This is great way to end up with snapped handlebars. So if you do swap the bars like you said, smooth out the stem edges too.

[@Gmh6477]

From experience The AliExpress bikes frame and some parts on it (not including the suspension) is no worse than a calibre with similar levels of build quality and spare parts availability. You also don’t get the full warranty from Calibre if you order the bike online and assemble it yourself you have 0…. If you do a side by side comparison make sure you get one from a shop without a heads up to calibre and you also strip it down so you can see the lack of facing which you complained about on the Ali bike and the piss poor BB cup threading.

[@fireballyang7310]

Chinese here... rather than going into "Cheap Chinese crap" topic, you should be looking for some top end Chinese bike parts. They are really getting somewhere here in China and should be competitive in international market the next 3 years or so

[@schultzy1971]

German here. There are some incredible good Chinese brands already : Voicevelo, 9Velo, Cybrei, Elves, Farsports, Elilee, Santic, Tavelo, Yoeleo, ....long list.

[@eriknope885]

I would love to see an episode where Sam Pilgrim is riding this rig until breaking point.

[@edmundscycles1]

Warranty: canyon dropped the ball on most of their road bikes with seat posts wearing out the frame. Guess what they didnt do. Replace under warrenty . Just a cease to ride and a rubber bumber sent out after 8 months . Or shimano dura-ace and ultegra cranks that only hot warrentied after a major law suit in the USA . Warranty is pretty rubbish.

[@TheLion-b3h]

It’s nice to see this MTB channel come down and calm down a bit for the everyday riders, things are WAY TOO EXPENSIVE, this was a good piece, for the poor MTB people out there…you can do it..!! 🎉

[@edmundscycles1]

Lol had huge alignment issues with cannondale , commencial, giant specialized. Mind you, I've spent 22 years in a workshop.

[@zixinxia194]

true, specialized is well known for rejecting rma as well.

[@atonium2027]

Worked for 3 years in a shop. Can confirm there are loads of quality issues with big brands..

[@edmundscycles1]

@atonium2027 had one customer had to return 3 frames that came straight out the box with issues with the carbon. Bb cups detached from the carbon frame. Carbon not cured propery with another and the third had cable guides that were blanked off so you couldn't thread any cables through. 3k frame . Absolute joke.

[@uldi1s]

For the piston reservoir cap that fell off: don't think there is absolutely no support. Send them a message explaining and they'll most likely send you the cap. I have had many good cases with AliExpress sellers, they can be very supportive. If not, it's not AliExpress to blame, some sellers could be not very supportive, but most are. And if they're not, you can always open a case explaining and they'll either reimburse you totally/partially, or send a replacement.

[@youngstadan4999]

Still pot luck and a long wait

[@filipruml]

@@youngstadan4999 Yes, but that what's what you get for paying less. If you're not okay with that trade off you can order from a local store.

[@Jojo-sq5hl]

I built a hardtail last year and sourced a lot of components from China. The SLX upkit I ordered came with the 12 spd Sunshine cogs that was hyperglide. I had to sell it and get a Deore cassette in microspline. It is important to pay attention to product descriptions and get in touch with seller if unclear. It was an error on my end as I have been on a road bike for the past 6 years and was not aware of the new techs and trends of mountain biking (boost, microspline, 27.5+, thru axle,, asymmetric rims, etc)

[@wwaveydave]

Not buying chain stay protection on a bike you're building is on you, as is ordering the wrong type of tyres for the test. Seriously, stop blaming the bike for your mistakes. I enjoyed these videos, but came away from them with a real nasty taste of bike snobbery. Nobody expects a sub £1000 bike to be as good as a £2000 bike or be smashed down a bike park by a pro. At the same time some of the downfalls seemed to be from the builder and not the bike itself. I used AliExpress parts to turn an old 2016 3x 29er hardtail into a 1x for less than £100. I don't expect the groupset to last forever, but if it saves my main bike from salt corrosion for the next few weeks it will be worth its weight. If you could afford to do so, something like this as a winter bike would be amazing.

[@mattimeo117]

@@wwaveydave This. I've honestly had nothing but good experiences with AliExpress, mainly by being careful with the descriptions of what I order and choosing sellers with lots of reviews

[@davidevans4704]

Very well said.

[@benikos]

Seriously , I watched this video and feel like I’ve wasted 25 minutes of my day. Do better!

[@wwaveydave]

@@mattimeo117 This is the key. Just be careful. If it looks too good to be true then it usually is. Personally I almost always buy "Choice" which gets around the import issues and delivery times (usually 5-7 days delivered), although you can't always get this with frames and wheels you can sometimes. Never buy Shimano or SRAM etc as it's not worth the risk of it being counterfeit. Do buy the Chinese branded stuff. LTWOO, ZTTO or Sunshine for groupsets have been excellent. ZRACE or PRO for brakes and steering bits. TOOPRE for tools. They are usually pretty good. What I'd like to have seen in this video is a full, Chinese brand bike build using Chinese brands with a bit of common sense in the build. It would still be under £1000 but would highlight what you can get from Chinese brands. Everyone starts somewhere. Give them a fair chance.

[@dale1552]

I disagree here, I dont think it's snobbery. GMBN are a MASSIVELY sponnserd channel so naturally they will push towards buying from the big brands. what they should have said is to build a bike with older outdated parts from the big bands because they are likely to last longer and probaby be a higher quailty. I think they should do a test with ali express vs older parts and compare.

[@jameshall8260]

#quiz - All City Log Lady... My cousin still rides her's!

[@edmundming2921]

Why not a "High $ Bike" from AliE😂. And compare the low built & high built vs a brand name bike... AliE😂 vs Brand name bikes.

[@DirtlovR]

3:19 I know some mechanics and follow some bike shops on socials and big brands definitely have quality issues as well. I've seen a Canyon that was welded so badly it left two tire trails when going straight. The difference is it's a lot easier to get replacement or money back from a bike shop or big online brand than some random aliexpress vendor.

[@JiorujiDerako]

Agreed. I've built up multiple bikes with AliExpress parts, but also have the privilege of working at a local bike shop and assembling bikes out-of-box, and you definitely run into little quality issues with both. I'd say main difference is, with overseas stuff, you'll need to start up a conversation with the seller and hope for a resolution, or come up with your own rough fix, while with the bike shop it's mostly the shop dealing with the brand when something comes in broken; the customer (hopefully) never has to deal with that end if they're buying through a shop. Just because they don't get to see the issues doesn't mean they're not happening, those issues are just getting caught by more eyes and hands along the way and there are dedicated contacts and systems whenever someone at the shop finds some stripped-out bolt or bent tab or the like.

[@maldridge7630]

All City "Log Lady" is name of the bike named after Catherine Coulson's character. This "Log Lady" bike frame was All City's first MTB.

[@jamesrohner3792]

But isn't that bike still available?

[@rongaistudios]

do a teardown of that fork and see if its well serviced and if all the dampers are any good...still think it can perform better.

[@plainuser48596]

About big brands that cost more, but you get more quality - get top-end fork from either fox or rockshox. It will cost you as much as that whole bike, and you still will likely need to do service of the thing before you ride it (bad Assembly, too much grease, factory shrapnel) and in the case of the later - resize bushings. Ok, how about bike brands, then? More than one that I know of installs bottom tier plastic headsets on their enduro and trail rigs (some of them are even your sponsors), other big brands have issues with bikes breaking in half, refusing investigating than blaming and attacking guy they put into hospital (Orange) or delaminating (canyon), doesn't sound like a good quality. Then there are ebikes and horror stories of cranks falling off (tq), and motors having a life span of 200 miles (fazua). For the price these brands sell their stuff it should be absolutely perfect out of box, but it often isn't, not even with multiple replacements. Not saying cheap knock - off brands are better quality, but at least they don't charge top-end dollar for bottom tier quality

[@plainuser48596]

How about after warranty service? Good luck getting your motor or battery fixed or replaced for 5-6 years old bikes . Same goes for mech hanger and other propriety bits and bobs. Some brands will have them, many won't support you - "time to get new bike"

[@usernamefromhell]

With major bike brands dropping like flies, putting your faith on "warranties" is pretty pointless.

[@DirtlovR]

I don't know man, when buying in lbs you have a buyer protection (2 years in my country) and we're yet to see an online brand go under. I feel pretty confident about my Canyon's 6 year door-to-door guarantee.

[@etherealicer]

Also, warranty is not a big worry if it is soo much cheaper. Liability is a bigger issue but that would be more a worry when you import an ebike.

[@usernamefromhell]

@@DirtlovR in my country you have zero protection of any kind, and shipping back a broken bike would be prohibitively expensive and a huge hassle.

[@DirtlovR]

@ I don't know how it is with other brands but Canyon covers shipping when dealing with warranty issues. They also cover additional costs if you need to use a mechanic since obviously not everyone knows how to repair a bike. Tough luck with your country consumer laws, it's nice to have mandatory protection.

[@mtbboy1993]

@@DirtlovR 5 years in Norway, including bikes. Even electronics with operative system got 5 years mandatory compatibility updates since January 2024. So if a cycling computer won't work due to firmware or software they get in trouble, or the electronic shifting app not working on new Android or what ever. So far not heard of that. But great laws were implemented. 2 years for wear items. Obviously chain, cassettes, underwear won't get 5 years coverage.

[@dougtracey53]

I'm really happy with the Shimano XT 8100 and 8120 brakeset I bought on Aliexpress, which only cost £350 and I understand that it's actually Genuine Japanese OEM kit! I wouldn't buy anything without them having a large number of orders and a decent shop feedback profile with specialism in these kinds of parts, but there are certainly bargains to be had in there.

[@dale1552]

I do feel you've missed a trick here. Enjoyed the video but i think you should do a side by side with a bike build of £1000 of older outdated parts or second hand genuine parts. I picked up my Obrea occam H30 for a great price, last model the shop had, ex display model over 50% off retail price, great first bike and its tax free on cycle to work! massive win. it can be done without ali express

[@ameliabriggs3678]

I have a dodgy framed Kona Process, the front forks are DNM (Surron), the rear shock is DNM (Surron), Carbon Bars, Dropper lever etc all from AliExpress, with no problems (Kinda, the rear shock needed to be reamed out to fit). Ultimately, I know the risks, and if you are fine with that, then carry on. Riding is supposed to be for fun.

[@user-rl4ji5ne4o]

That frame (CY5) isnt a heavy duty ride. Its an AM frame. Same with the CY6. I'd have saved a load of weight on the coil shock by using a DNM AO-38RC air shock which would match it's purpose. Most shop images show air shocks on them. 1000g of ballast down to 300g. Youll really notice the weight difference. The CY7/8 need coil shocks as they're heavy-duty Enduro frames. There are loads of full-suss enduro frames on the market in China right now from brands like Winbo, Fastwork, Lutu, X-Cobra, Pasak, Java, Sodce, Foxcat, Yueh. Fastwork is the most popular budget brand amongst young riders, then Winbo and Foxcat.

[@burrellbikes4969]

I had frames and other parts from AliExpress brands replaced under warranty multiple times. I seriously don’t think Owen actually took the time to research and plan the build out. Lots of mistakes made. He mentioned the ones with the cassette - but at the moments acted all sketched out by something that proved to be his own mistake. And the ZTTO wheels have a great reputation which is well earned. Why wasn’t that solid reputation mentioned. Honestly, I still am a bit suspicious that there was some intent behind representing this bike in a poor fashion to keep their brand sponsors happy. A far better video would have been, “Can we build an affordable, quality bike from AliExpress?” And the Chinese products hates needs to stop. A huge amount of bike products are built there. You don’t think people ever leave companies for something different? You don’t think their engineers ever start their own brands? You don’t think they have outstanding colleges for great education? Enough with it. They build great stuff we all use all them time.

[@flaccid-frog]

All-City Cycles released a model named the Log Lady, paying homage to the character Margaret Lanterman, known as the "Log Lady".

[@ericthedesigner]

I have to grind on every bike frame I've bought, even name brands.

[@jeromep4148]

You are right regarding needing to be a competent mechanic to do a build - name brand or not name brand components. There are so many great budget bikes out there post Covid that doing a budget custom build only makes sense if you are really interested in the “process”. I have done 7 of them , but I enjoy the process and am willing to put up with the work necessary to “get it right”.

[@TheBoofliss]

I bought a set of koozer hubs on sun rims from AliExpress. Cost me £130 and been faultless. We laced, dead true. The hubs themselves run really nice. I've been an CNC machinist for 25 years and I'm well impressed with the machining on these hubs. China do produce some lovely parts.

[@lefthorse1]

So , not a word about the chainring ?? How you fixed , what do you put in place ?

[@tonymighalls9667]

What’s your opinion of the cranks, they seem really nice for the money.

[@irishmark]

Would love to see a feature on eyewear - specifically something looking at options for those of us who already wear glasses day-to-day.

[@jackiegammon2065]

I definitely would not buy parts/frame to build a bike from some company that hasn't been in business long or doesn't offer a warranty. I would definitely think about budget priced bikes, but the difference ends up being in the warranty or lack of warranty... I definitely do not want to be a "test"product on a company that did very little testing on their bike/parts.

[@RichardMaguire110]

Tank you for all the Ali Express bike videos, very interesting and enjouable.

[@heywood165]

Rear dropper? Stick some VHS tape on the chainstay and some low cost Rockshox suspension on it and send Rich out on a UK enduro championship. I guarantee he’s good enough to finish top 3.

[@hindesite]

Big brands get it right? They do not. My Silverback had 2 twisted frames from new (from 2 different models). Retailer did deal with this, but that shows no QA testing. Same with my Giant Trance - at 4 months the front fork had a loose bushing, and loose cage nuts - and since the bike was already second hand (at 4 months!), no warranty. 2014 Stumpjumper had defective Avid rear brake from new, Specialized changed it the next year but again, shows no extended testing. Even my older Trek 3900 had defective front brake (replaced under warranty, but these bike brands are supposed to be good).

[@heywood165]

Fair enough, the Silverback (never heard of it) was faulty, but the other problems weren’t a specific issue to Giant and Specialized, it was only that they had put those parts on the bikes in the first place and points to them if they gave you a warranty for those issues. I’d have just bought some better brakes 😂

[@hindesite]

@@heywood165 by just buying better brakes you seem to agree that warranties are useless. Might as well buy cheaper stuff with no warranty and replace as necessary. Probably quicker - try dealing with Fox directly as a customer and see how it goes.

[@HawkeyeSkunkWorks]

I want to see a video where they take apart the shock, the fork, the hubs etc. Cut apart the frame! See the material, check the welds etc. We all know there’s a time and place for “Chinese” bike parts but we don’t all have the budgets to buy a full bike, test it and then tare it apart for science. Big fan of GMBN stuff but I have to say, for these videos the presentation, testing and just overall, I felt these videos weren’t done nearly as well as they could have been. Probably in part trying not to offend brand sponsors and people who can’t afford big brand. Biggest take away, buy a “cheap” bike from a reputable brand and then go from there I suppose.

[@ericthedesigner]

I've been buying from ali express since 2012. never had an issue or shipping delay. Awesome CarbonFiber products! An air bubble or 2 but I don't care because I protect my composites with vinyl or paint.

[@scottorgan2255]

The warranty on a new bike is usually for the frame, that it is free of defects. the rest of the bike are consumerals, they wear out with normal use they can be serviced and replaced if needed

[@hindesite]

TBH I love what you started doing with this build, but you did make some basic mistakes that people who are more experienced with dealing with imported parts would likely avoid. That stem, for example, was horrendous and there are better options for the same price. You got a few other things wrong as well. No chainstay protector? Wrong chainring? Really budget tires?

[@TimSwinson86]

It would be interesting to see if you can get some older better suspension 2nd hand for similar prices to compare those as well. I think some people would use a mix of new and used parts where available.

[@hindesite]

The crank bolt remover looks great, but an inner tube used the same way will work just as well, for free.

[@liquidSpin]

I don't get why anyone would slam Dangerholm. He's doing what a lot of us would love to do. He's a true rider and has a true passion for our sport. Yet, seeing people hate on him just because he's building unique bikes? How pathetic can you be or rather how jealous can you be for someone doing that?

[@feedbackzaloop]

It's an common sport to hate on celebrities. And let's be fair, Gustav is a big name in cycling game.

[@matstevenson610]

Your big argument in the podcast about lack of warranty is just wrong. These parts and the frames DO have warranty. I've built a few and had to send back and get a replacement before.

[@MrStevegregory]

All city Log Lady 😊

[@joev1611]

Confirmed and remembered! Heard it was a great ride.

[@johnnyboy4711]

Did d you order the incorrect components? Which fed into the issues during build?

[@callaway5148]

Anno purple... I'm in the 90's again!

[@soldier2gud4me]

He's right there's even SRAM 12s that has HG which is unusual. You can easily make the same error since most 12S are coming as MS rather than HG

[@captainjack15mini]

I feel like this video should've been tagged with a wacking great big sponsor tag. Half of the problems you faced were your fault. Alignment issues are on literally every manufacturer, and if you don't think that's true you're kidding yourself. Everyone at GMBN does a fantastic job with everything and we all, as viewers greatly appreciate. Stick to that. We know you're paid by the big boys to say they're better. Don't try and lean everyone away from decent products that 9/10 come out of the same factory as the name branded stuff everyone thinks is built locally purely because it's got a brand on it.

[@rob92026]

#askGMBNtech - Could you do a segment on fork offset. It's been around for a while now but it's not discussed much: what is it, why we should care, how do you measure it, how does it affect handling especially on an older bike, etc. Cheers!

[@neilz3219]

To be honest I've seen worse alignment on Commencal frames.

[@catskillmtnsmtb6147]

All City Log Lady my man!

[@markk527]

I love the information about AliExpress Bike. It would be cool if you could compare it with a cheap custom-built bike with brand name parts. I'm thinking about a things like a Suntour Raidon fork or Shimano Deore/Sram NX, ... I'm sure you can build a bike in a similar price range like that.

[@zonoskar]

Where's Anna?

[@jonathansanchez1305]

Use a DNM DV22AR if you need a coil. It is smaller than normal coils. No piggyback though.

[@danielcobb8886]

Adding your own chainstay protector should be a given.

[@andrewince8824]

Interestingly I immediately thought of the Marin Hawk Hill for the bike with a Twin Peaks name. Not single speed though.

[@Seppster58]

#QUIZ Really got me digging for the answer - Maybe the character of Margaret Lanterman or Log Lady - so guessing " All City Cycles Log Lady".

[@Titot182]

It's so bloody easy to mess up an order on ali express, especially when you've got multiple tabs open and you reload the page for topcashback. Wanted my P3 hubs in boost, the price difference was only a matter of pence, accidentally ordered the 100/142 kit. Bugger. Still built the wheel and put in spacers to compensate

[@RoyBramlowe]

congrats on 500k

[@snowman22ism]

I love constructive criticism but why are so many people so righteous about their opinions? They speak down to people and half the time they aren't even objectively correct. Ugh.

[@bakerdeathwish88]

Pls put a decent forkand suspension on that frame, say suntour. Then shimano groupset, maxxis tires! Really curious about the frame

[@tanderson278]

#AskGMBNTech Q Factor conundrum - I started riding an MTB in 1996, but I discovered I had an issue with the Q Factor on the standard setup (Shimano XT triple 22-32-44). I remedied this by swopping the std 122mm bottom bracket with a 102mm BB. I rode this bike for over 15 years without any issues with chain line or chain suck. My problems started when I needed to renew the chainset with all the replacement chainsets having integrated axles at the std 175mm Q Factor. The discomfort of ankle strike forced me to give up MTBing and ride road bikes instead. Now that Gravel chainsets are available, could I now use a SRAM Force 1 wide chainet with a BSA 73mm BB? Any other options to keep a Q Factor below 155mm?

[@Alan_27ATH]

I don’t know if ‘Keith’ would have the patience to wait for months to build his bike.

[@hindesite]

This build had a LOT of potential, and for the testing I loved the what should have been a subtle Stag reference BUT hated that it became the Top Gear equivalent of hooning around a track drifting a Lambo. A more down to earth evaluation would be useful. For us, you know, normal people. What is the bike like after a year of use, for example? (Hint - it'll be fine).

[@etherealicer]

Sam Pilgrim has put a £350 Ali Express DH-bike through the paces about a month ago and while that was a lot cheaper bike it did not hold up well. I would actually like to see this £1000 go down stairs a few dozen times (maybe with lower tire pressure, just to see how it takes impacts), that should give a decent measure of longevity. On a budget I would probably go to either a Decathlon bike (they have a fairly good reputation) or even more likely to a second hand build.

[@hindesite]

@@etherealicer going down stairs a few times won't show anything useful, like brakes leaking after a year or two, or BB bearing becoming notchy, or pedal sleeves drying out. The problem is real long term testing doesn't fit this medium.

[@etherealicer]

@ No, but it will fairly quickly show the quality of the wheels and the frame. Stairs are brutal. Not so concerned with things getting slowly worse, more concerned with catastrophic failure.

[@germanbuzo]

So what about the same frame whit good brand premium components?

[@briankelliher5026]

Damage control.....

[@raketoped]

Thank you

[@andyamos8594]

A whicked session! Really enjoyed the frank informative feedback! 👌

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Thank you! Cheers Owen

[@jeromep4148]

Cheap Chinese suspension is pretty crappy currently.

[@Benri05]

They should focus on coil shocks since that technology is already tested, building air forks for cheap won't be as durable.

[@ish474]

when I built me ex girlfriend her first proper mountain bike I used the best VALUE parts I could. I spent around $2700 usd for a Specialized Status 140 frame set build. I didn't want the bike to be limiting as she was learning. I can handle a sketchy bike but I didn't want anything to put her off riding, let alone, getting hurt.

[@dougbikescle5405]

Tech Quiz: All-City Log Lady

[@ltrtg13]

I don't what was happening with my tablet. When Owen was going to talk about this week's videos. When the splash screen was shown and the high pitch buzz sounded. My tablet unexpectedly brought up the search function. When I skipped back and played it again. My tablet did it again. I don'ts remember it doing that before. Weird.

[@nicka-m]

Duno!!! I thought the first video had a good moral argument. This feels like a back-track due to attack in the comments. But the point still needs to be said, and you should stand your ground. Having faith in the products we buy, its why we have such things as Kite Marks. Parts that have no evidence of testing and quality control have no place in the sport. People can be hurt. E.G. Putting Neil out on Amazon style Dakotah bars at Dyfi seemed so barmy. I notice you took the stem off this build before the stag got on it. The conclusion should be, no test, no quality control, save up and buy better.

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Thanks for your insights Cheers Owen

[@clarencekuna6760]

All City Cycle - Log Lady? Tht the bike for the quiz?

[@rottieshepcalibre9156]

I learned that Keith don’t care 😜

[@jmilton5842]

All City made the Log Lady, if that's what you're referring to.

[@mtbboy1993]

23:51 Some if it just comedy builds. Most are serious for specific demands. Some are for making the lightest bike he can, using a Scott frame. Some of his solutions aren't for me, it's not for everyone. I'm not a fan of internal wires and housing in the handlebar, headset and so on. Also not a fan of slammed cockpit, this won't work for me, horrible for the back, neck, upper body. But he showcases less known brands that make good products, some are great value like Garbaruk, super light high end cassettes, that beat Sram, Shimano in both price and weight, some are crazy expensive, like Trickstuff brakes, Hopp carbon parts, various carbon components, Garbaruk pulleys, cages, not something you need. Some of the stuff he shows, he makes himself, like custom remotes, and modification to remotes.

[@johnnyboy4711]

Chinese OEM manufacturing warranty is getting much better with European customer support elite wheels oar example,just ask gcn

[@1972mdc]

Love the concept but I’ll just buy a used one from pinkbike and service it

[@tim__sadler]

#quiz - All City Log Lady - tasty rigid MTB from 2016ish (I really shouldn't answer so quick, as I am sure others just copy?)

[@sandmanmtb4life]

I was gonna comment this answer but you beat me to it.

[@salamander__5182]

7:00, but not with marin bikes😢

[@jonathansanchez1305]

You can upgrade those dampers for pretty cheap

[@mtbboy1993]

if they fit into the fork then yes. but not worth it on super bad forks. These are knock off forks, but if it was a Rock Shox yes, you could swap internals, upgrade damper. But I could get a used fork, even Rock Shox for similar price or less than a knock off fork, or just double the price in Norway during the season especially when the market is flooded. Even Fox 36 forks can get less than half of retail.

[@jonathansanchez1305]

@mtbboy1993 suntour dampers are cheap

[@jonathansanchez1305]

@mtbboy1993 you probably think the whole build is shot anyways. Why do you care Mr.Namebrandonly?

[@jonathansanchez1305]

​@mtbboy1993 if buy a used big brand then your going to have to rebuild it anyways. The rebuild on a cheap fork is less expensive already

[@mtbboy1993]

@@jonathansanchez1305 you are right, but In some of these knock off forks, they already use Sr Suntour closed cartridges, they can't be serviced, but if they do that, it means you can upgrade the damper, but this probably isn't the case for every fork out there. But lowers cracking, crown coming off the steerer tube isn't worth the risk for me. I've seen footage of cracked lowers on the knock off xc forks, seen footage of a fork crown failing in a race, resulting in a crash as the fork folded forward.

[@pgn666]

So you still have not learned how to measure the head tube angle :(

[@youngstadan4999]

Youd get a boardman fs for a grand , dont hear many people moan about them .

[@a8f235]

The main issue is what will a bike like that be like after 1 full season of use. Then you end up with lots of unknowns of how to fix things because of questionable parts and so on. It is expensive to be poor, so my advice is to stop buying cheap... (Just because you do not have the money at this very second, doesn't mean saving is a new terminology to you so do not try to act stupid with me...)

[@bikespike711]

We are being lectured again on why we should stick with ‘big brands’, when almost everyone watching this is going show us how to buy and put together a good bike from China. Or what components may be great value fir my current bike. This bloke is droning on about workers rights, copyrights, human rights abuses and warranty - without checking his facts - a good few products from Ali Express come with warranty. A lot of the ‘big brands’ manufacture in China, directly or indirectly. The technical critique of the bike is superfluous (picked and assembled by presenter), could easily have ignored many better and cheaper components on Ali Express. Comparing it with named brands is laughable for that reason. Not impressed.

[@AnOnym0uS888-5]

Allie is okay for some bits but suspension i would strongly advice anyone to not buy from there,

[@etherealicer]

And after watching Sam Pilgrims video, DH-bikes for £350 :D

[@seano218]

I gotta ask Shaun, do you work on your bikes in silence? No stereo, you covered all the basic needs, heat, electricity, fridge... but no music?!! Please don't say you use your phone's speakers.

[@jonathansanchez1305]

Cult is a brand...

[@SalMangano9]

All City Log Lady

[@xtrainerchronicles2085]

All this brand shaming. I didn't here Steve brand shaming bafang on his factory tour. I do but from Ali Express and I will agree... Buyer beware. Just do your research.

[@jamesrohner3792]

@GMBNTECH Brand Scott model Big Ed

[@skinheadjc]

690g for a TI MTB frame seems 🤔 implausible...

[@gravity.gourmet]

@@skinheadjc 690g lighter than the aluminium version I think...

[@skinheadjc]

@gravity.gourmet lighter than most carbon road frame 🤣 I'm guessing they missed the 1kg...

[@feedbackzaloop]

I'm a simple man: I hear "proprietary" I get outraged. Also, could we please quit that "chromium" vs stainless nonsense propagated by Enduro salesmen? Majority of stainless steels, including most common 304 and 316, _are_ chrome steels. If you want to get technical, please refer to martensitic and austenitic types.

[@SwordFighterPKN]

The warranty thing is not worth that much. As others have said companies are dropping so a warranty can be useless. If you buy second hand there is no warranty anyway. Companies will do whatever they can to not cover a warranty. What this build really exposes is the difference between those that get their stuff for free or serious discounted vs. those that actually buy their own stuff.

[@juffkasvennsson4609]

Well said

[@damianhambly6493]

im stuck in a canyon helppp!

[@Beefdmz]

There's no debate, you're promoting products that are ripping off established brands that put time and effort into R&D only to have them cheaply copied. You should'nt be giving the products the time of day IMO

[@chriss20r]

2 seconds ago is diabolical

[@hypez604]

You claim to be a bike expertise channel, but then you can't order the right cassette for a bike build when you literally had 3 months to go over this build details... just saying. Clowns gonna clown.

[@derlx3180]

this vid is just a waste of time... thx!

[@anthony-xk8wc]

🇫🇴🔥🔥🔥🇫🇴

[@hesgone6699]

Basically GMBN Tech has dug itself into a big hole and cant get out. If it wasn't so entertaining I would unsubscribe

[@sj-jb1nm]

Can't stand this bloke.

[@OwenBikeNerd]

Fair play I find him annoying sometimes too - but potential more importantly are you thinking of an Ali Express build or are you intrigued by the new wave of gearbox bikes like the Athertons? Cheers Owen