When people think about AliExpress, the first thing that comes to mind is usually “cheap knockoffs” or “sketchy quality.” And to be fair, I’ve had my share of parts that didn’t live up to expectations (see: my failed stem story). But I’ve also come across some surprisingly solid products—things that work well, last longer than expected, and offer good value for the money.

So, in the spirit of fairness, here’s a look at some of the good AliExpress finds that have earned a place in my gear rotation:

The Unbranded But Reliable Bike Tools

One of the first surprises I had was with some basic bike tools— hex key sets, soft jaws, cable routing tools. For a fraction of the price of name-brand options, they’ve held up shockingly well. Some of them are even shop grade while others will most assuredly wear out. I wouldn’t recommend things like cable cutters (for steel shift and brake cables) or torque wrenches because I believe that buying quality tools is something that usually pays off. However, there are exceptions where you can save a lot and the quality isn’t really affected.

My top 5 tools from Ali:

Derailleur alignment gauge.

Hydraulic hose cutter and barb driver

Universal vice jaws

Wheel truing stand

Hex key sets (the colourful ones)

Small bike parts

Chainrings

Why spend $90cad when you can get the same thing for $14cad. I’m sure they violate every SRAM patent to do with tooth profile but that doesn’t bother me too much. They are also available in every colour, size and common mount options.

Hubs

Koozer are more reliable than some of the big expensive brands. Even the bearings they use seem to last in all kinds of terrible conditions. I’ve probably bought a dozen Koozer hubs and I can’t recommend them enough. Generally I’ve stayed with xm390/490 and I’ve used them for some really high end bikes and also on my dodgy dumpster bikes. Not a single pawl or freehub driver has failed after 4 years.

Cranksets

I wouldn’t touch anything that looks like a 5dev or Alugear knock off. However, there is a Prowheel official store that sells their DMJ crankset and I’ve bought 7 pairs now. Lots of length options (I've mostly chosen 160Mm and 165mm) and I’ve not held back on how or where I use these. We did a train down Godzilla, VBN and cased some of the biggest jumps I’ve ever seen and they didn’t bend or break. The spindle is thicker than a Shimano Deore and they weigh similar to an XT. They use the 3 bolt mounting pattern (which is the easiest to find on Ali.) I know people say you shouldn’t trust load bearings parts from Ali, but these are the official Prowheel cranks and they are good enough to be spec’d as OEM for some bikes expected to take a big hit.

Brake rotors

For the dumpster dive bikes I really don’t mind throwing on cheap 160mm rotors. The bikes are only worth as much as a set of Shimano rotors from an official source and I’ve never seen any of these steel rotors fail yet, though I’ve not really put them on any bikes going off-road. For the good bikes I still like to use any decent brand of 2.0mm thick rotors (Galfer or Hayes.)

Takeaway

Shopping on AliExpress can feel like a gamble, but sometimes you win. The trick is to stick with simple products, avoid the stuff where safety and precision really matter (like stems and bars), and hunt for the bad reviews (check YouTube.)

It’s a reminder that not everything “cheap” is junk—sometimes it’s just a good deal hiding behind a funny translation and a month-long shipping wait.