The nikinik Journal
Three years on the RYET 3D printed saddle. It is still my favourite saddle and it still does 200 km days without numbness, and there is something about the carbon version you should know before you buy one.
Seven months and 2,000 km after my first review, the TOSEEK TR5500 carbon cockpit has given me nothing to complain about. No creaks, no cracks, no movement at the clamp, and the same stiffness it had on day one.
I have tested a lot of cheap bottle cages. The one I stopped replacing is titanium, and it costs a fraction of what a branded titanium cage does. Here is why it is worth more than the plastic option, and the bolts that finish it properly.
I built the Seaboard CX03, a chromoly steel gravel frameset from AliExpress, into an everyday all-road bike. Under $400 buys welds, alignment and finish that embarrass the price, plus a steel fork in the box. It gives up some stiffness, and it is still the best value frameset I have bought.
Yesterday I rode the Engelberger Aa gorge loop out of Engelberg — 24.5 km and 760 m of climbing past waterfalls, alp-cheese huts and the Stäfeli restaurant. Komoot calls it difficult; on my AliExpress MTB build it was simply one of the most beautiful rides I have done in Switzerland.
Five months and 2,000 km after my first impressions, the verdict is in. The 10PLUS T-Series carbon wheelset has given me zero problems! Here is how the star ratchet hub, spokes, and carbon rims held up to real riding.
Canyon just revealed the Predict, a prototype road bike stuffed with 360-degree radar, edge AI and an AR helmet, all aimed at predicting crashes before they happen. The safety mission is genuinely noble — but it also asks how much complexity we really want bolted to a bicycle.
I have been carrying the WEST BIKING 14-in-1 ratchet multitool in my saddlebag for several months. At under $20, it has quietly become the tool I reach for first — and there is exactly one thing it gets wrong.
I spent a full winter season training on the CYCPLUS R200 — a direct-drive smart trainer with a 2,200 W ceiling and ±1% accuracy for under $400. Here is how it actually held up across Zwift and MyWhoosh.
A carbon disc brake wheelset with a 36T star ratchet hub and Pillar 1423 spokes for under $400. I just mounted them — here are my initial thoughts.
If you are interested in building your very own carbon AliExpress MTB, let me tell you how it went for me!
I fitted the TOSEEK TR5500 T800 carbon integrated handlebar to my road bike expecting compromises. What I got was a genuinely rigid, well-made cockpit that embarrasses bars costing three times as much.
It is winter and dark? Or you want to ride until later in the evening? Maybe dynamo lights are just what you need for your road bike!