Inspired by many YouTubers and bike builders before me (TraceVelo, China Cycling, Jourdain Coleman… just to name a few!) – I've decided to try and build one of my own!
Here's the list of parts I purchased and their relevent costs (costs are estimates in USD, as I've purchased them in my own country's currency so there will be deviances of a certain amount). All parts, branded or not, were bought straight from AliExpress.
Frame: SERAPH X36 Internally Routed Frame (Size 54) – USD$500 + USD$105 (for custom paint)
Wheelset: ADLERAUGEN 700C 50-60mm Ceramic Bearing 90-tooth Ratchet – USD$770
Crankset: Magene PES P505 Power Meter Cranks 53-39T (170mm) – USD$318
Bottom Bracket: DINO Ceramic Bearing 24mm BSA – USD$20
Groupset (Shifters + Brakes + FD/RD): WHEELTOP EDS TX Carbon Fiber Hydraulic Disc Set – USD$675
Cassette: RIRO RedHawk 11-speed 11-32T 163g – USD$121
Chain: KMC 11-Speed X11-TT (Likely a counterfeit) – USD$23
Pedals: WOODMAN Carbon Fiber Flat Pedals – USD$84
Saddle: RYET Carbon 3D Printed 175g Saddle – USD$88
Brake Discs: SHIMANO Dura-Ace R9100 SM-RT900 160/140mm Set – USD$208
Tyres: CONTINENTAL GP5000 AS TR 28C – USD$171
Bike Computer: XOSS NAV – USD$25
Other Miscellaneous parts from AliExpress (Tubeless valves, Bartape, Bar-end clamps, Storage box, etc.) – USD$45
Total Build Cost – Around USD$3,153
Total Build Time – Around 3-4 weeks (I live in South-East Asia, so shipping times will be a lot shorter)
It should be noted that all my parts arrived without any issue, which may not be the case for everyone. Sellers I have communicated with have also been very responsive (please check that they are BEFORE placing an order!)
Feel free to ask any questions if you're interested in doing the same, or share your stories if you've built your own AliExpress bike – am interested in hearing them!
by Toots4Loots
4 Comments
How do you feel about the strength of the frame
What’s that bike bag
Nice looking bike!
Both of my bikes were built almost entirely from parts I bought on Taobao (the Chinese domestic version of AliExpress) with the exception of the frame of my Ti bike, which I bought directly from Waltly. I find that as long as you read the reviews and buy parts only from sellers with a fair amount of sales volume, you can get pretty good stuff off of Taobao.
I had thought of going with a Chinese electronic groupset (Wheeltop’s wasn’t available when I upgraded to electronic shifting, but LTWOO’s was) but the price difference between the LTWOO model and 105 Di2 wasn’t huge so I decided to go with Shimano instead, but still from Taobao regardless. It’s definitely geniune.
This thing looks incredible. You gotta keep us posted on how it rides.