# A Shiny Thing I Built: Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty...



## Xipe Totec (15 Sep 2021)

...And collapse in fits of hysterical laughter.

Or - A Road Less Travelled (because it will break & I'll need a lift home. Twice a week.)

So, like many cyclists of, or at least approaching A Certain Age, I have found myself increasingly drawn towards the beguiling shimmer and gleam of semi-precious metal, tempted by promises of silky, magic-carpet like ride quality, and notions of 'a bike for life' (oddly realistic when one's Inner Nihilist is - for no identifiable reason - doggedly estimating one's remaining lifespan in low single figures). And an inexplicable attraction to shiny, shiny things.

A Ti build always felt prohibitively expensive (bloody HOW MUCH for a sodding pushbike frame???) but Covid put me in the position of inadvertantly saving enough to make a modest but well-specced build within reach. I had a fairly clear idea of what I wanted: a ride-all-day bike - relaxed geometry, relaxed riding position, clearance for big (32+) tyres (for bloody awful local tarmac & a bit of light gravel-ing), room for guards if necessary, discs, road-oriented gearing. So endurance/allrounder/gravel/road - or what GCN used to call an 'Enduralgroad' back when they were funny.

Anyway, a Planet X sale and an occasionally impulsive nature led to this coming through the letterbox back in May:







'This' being a Planet X Tempest frameset. Wheels & groupset next. I had an idea aesthetically of what I wanted & (despite myself) found myself drawn to deep-ish rims. A quick look at carbon wheels within my vague budget demonstrated that there was no appreciable adavantage over alloy so I decided on Fulcrum Racing 400DBs.

Groupset next - well, that's obvious, innit? 105, Groupset Of The People! Oh - out of stock. Unavailable. Available for pre-order, delivery date unknown... Wait - what - it's in stock? Hooray! But... It's how much, you say? But, but, but, that's twice what it cost last year - and I'm pretty sure that's £50-odd more than when it launched, you know, nearly 4 years ago... And the crank lengths I want, and the chainring & cassette sizes aren't available? Oh. OK then...

And this is where it gets weird. And where I may well (if you have persisted thus far) lose the room...

_"Taaake a journey back in time
Leeave the western world behind
Croooss the mountains to Peking
Wheeere the paper lanterns gently swing..."_

Still here? Oh good. The journey in question was not so much to the Isle Of Wight circa 1983, rather than to AliExpress and the glittering Oriental hinterland of obscure bicycle components which, for various reasons (one suspects broadly copyright-based) are unavailable in That There Western World.

And a choice, then. A Shimano 105 groupset with a selection of dimensions & ratios I don't want, for a little under nine hundred quid; or an ad-hoc 'groupset' of random weird components with names you can't pronounce, for the princely sum of £242, delivered to my door?

What could possibly go wrong?

In due course (about 10 days) a package arrived. I admit to having had some preconceptions about what would pop through the door, maybe something like this?




Reality can sometimes be sobering...





However, once all the sticky tape & bubble wrap was off...





So - 11-speed shifters & mechs very closely based on SRAM - Sensah was apparently set up by former SRAM employees. Brakes are cable-operated hydraulics, with fluid housed inside the calipers, chainset is a Hollowtech/SRAM hybrid styled a lot like Rotor. The chainrings are one-piece, machined from a single piece of aluminium. The random other parts were sort-of thrown in, incuding 140mm discs I didn't use & an 11-32 cassette, which is wider than I would prefer, and a suspiciously cheap-looking chain that I probably really shouldn't use...

If you're still here you're probably wondering if you're actually going to see a finished bike at any point. You are - but I have to tell you, the treasure trove of weirdness that is AliExpress is more than obscure (and possibly dangerously unreliable) components. Have I mentioned I like shiny things? They have shiny things. Lots of very shiny things.

More parcels arrived, and after a few weeks, this is what I had:





And so, about a month ago, I was finally able to adjourn to the shed, dig out my hammers, pipe-wrench, superglue and nailgun, and after innumerable hours of banginging, snorking, drilling, grinding, waving arms about and screeching *this* emerged, blinking its bleary little eyes in the light of a new dawn...





And you know what? It's great! It's smooth, comfortable, everything works -the gears are slick and very precise, the brakes better than either the Ultegra calipers on my Dolan or the Avid BB7 mech discs on my Boardman. It's early days yet - I've so far only put 250-odd miles on it but it seems to be everything I wanted. Clearly I have no idea how reliable any of the components will be in the long term (the cheap chain already went in the bin!) but for such a comparitively small outlay I don't really mind. Well, unless it maims or kills me, I suppose.

If I survive, the longterm plan theoretically involves upgrading components to 105 or something similar, when it becomes available & hopefully more sensibly priced - but to be honest I really like my weirdo groupset & random other parts. I sort of hope it lasts.


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## fossyant (15 Sep 2021)

Looks good. I've thought about a cheap hard tail build using the Chinese components.


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## ianrauk (15 Sep 2021)

Welcome to the PX Tempest club.


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## Spiderweb (15 Sep 2021)

That looks fabulous 👍


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## Specialeyes (15 Sep 2021)

Just diving in, mid-read, to commend you on your cheesy Level 42 reference!


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## Milkfloat (15 Sep 2021)

for the knock off components. I must admit I have looked in the past for a commuter hack bike, but never jumped in. I am very interested to know how tricky setup was and how long they last. So please head out in all sorts of nasty weather and try to break them. I am going to subscribe to this thread as I want to know more.


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## T4tomo (15 Sep 2021)

Excellent frame to build from and the groupset looks fin, if changes gear and stops the bike that's what you want!! 

Titanium needs a bit of shiny bling to liven it up....I'm not convinced by the bottom half of the bar tape though, that maybe a step too far...

Wheel and tyre combo is lovely.


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## DRM (15 Sep 2021)

View: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT-oEzVFV--c6iZAiomqKKQF9q4yfDz0Y

This guy has bought lots of Chinese bike parts and used/reviewed them, some are better than others


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## cyberknight (15 Sep 2021)

DRM said:


> View: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT-oEzVFV--c6iZAiomqKKQF9q4yfDz0Y
> 
> This guy has bought lots of Chinese bike parts and used/reviewed them, some are better than others



he tested the shifters and a piece inside broke as it was made of plastic rather than metal in the sram originals, i think they fixed the issue later on


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## DRM (15 Sep 2021)

cyberknight said:


> he tested the shifters and a piece inside broke as it was made of plastic rather than metal in the sram originals, i think they fixed the issue later on


I believe that’s correct, however he does buy the stuff himself, so if it‘s a load of carp, he says it is.


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## Xipe Totec (15 Sep 2021)

Well - it's both a surprise and a relief to get such positive responses to my little exercise in absurdity! Cheers! 



Milkfloat said:


> for the knock off components. I must admit I have looked in the past for a commuter hack bike, but never jumped in. I am very interested to know how tricky setup was and how long they last. So please head out in all sorts of nasty weather and try to break them. I am going to subscribe to this thread as I want to know more.


Setup was really straightforward - everything goes together, adjusts & works as you'd expect. In the past I've found setting up SRAM to be less finicky than Shimano and this (being a total knockoff) appears to have inherited that - other than a couple of cable tension tweaks, nothing's required fettling since assembling it.



T4tomo said:


> Excellent frame to build from and the groupset looks fin, if changes gear and stops the bike that's what you want!!
> 
> Titanium needs a bit of shiny bling to liven it up....I'm not convinced by the bottom half of the bar tape though, that maybe a step too far...
> 
> Wheel and tyre combo is lovely.


The bar tape is a bit odd! The pics don't do it justice though - it's colour-changing, iridescent & reflective, and changes from different angles & under different light. I've honestly never seen anything like it. Which may or may not be a good thing. It was a bit of a pain to fit - it's not particularly flexible & fairly thick and was impossible to get as tidy a finish as I'd prefer at the bar ends. It's also not a texture you'd want to hold onto all day (quite slippery) which it's why it's on the drops. Where I seldom am... 



DRM said:


> View: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT-oEzVFV--c6iZAiomqKKQF9q4yfDz0Y
> 
> This guy has bought lots of Chinese bike parts and used/reviewed them, some are better than others



I watched his vids when doing research about the Sensah stuff - there's really very little info out there. As he said, the plastic actuating lever that's prone to breaking has been updated to a metal component - when I ordered, I was basically crossing my fingers that mine wouldn't be turn out to old stock, & fortunately they do have the uprated part.


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## dan_bo (16 Sep 2021)

Wossat stem? Like it.


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## slowmotion (16 Sep 2021)

It's a lovely bike, and thanks for reminding me of Ozymandias.


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## Xipe Totec (16 Sep 2021)

dan_bo said:


> Wossat stem? Like it.


Cheap AliExpress tat! It is gorgeous (imo) to look at but does feel quite flimsy compared to others - remains to be seen if it can cope with the combination of post-apocalyptic roads & my bulk!

Also available on That FleaBay, only up to 90mm though.


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## cyberknight (16 Sep 2021)

the chainset looks bling , im tempted


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## DRM (17 Sep 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> Well - it's both a surprise and a relief to get such positive responses to my little exercise in absurdity! Cheers!
> 
> 
> Setup was really straightforward - everything goes together, adjusts & works as you'd expect. In the past I've found setting up SRAM to be less finicky than Shimano and this (being a total knockoff) appears to have inherited that - other than a couple of cable tension tweaks, nothing's required fettling since assembling it.
> ...


I’m quite intrigued to see how this pans out over time, I hope you can keep updating the thread as time goes on, the bike looks really good.


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## Xipe Totec (17 Sep 2021)

DRM said:


> I’m quite intrigued to see how this pans out over time, I hope you can keep updating the thread as time goes on, the bike looks really good.


Will do - although I'll probably use it a bit less over the winter, so my old Boardman CX hack doesn't get jealous!


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## Xipe Totec (26 Sep 2021)

cyberknight said:


> the chainset looks bling , im tempted


They seem to be available with a bewildering number of different names on them & AliExpress keep spamming me with offers to buy another one!

Wonder if it's really £15 delivered?


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## cyberknight (26 Sep 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> They seem to be available with a bewildering number of different names on them & AliExpress keep spamming me with offers to buy another one!
> 
> Wonder if it's really £15 delivered?


thats just for the BB


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## FrankCrank (26 Sep 2021)

cyberknight said:


> thats just for the BB


A lot of stuff on Ali is advertised like this, click bait is probably the best way to describe the practice.


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## Xipe Totec (26 Sep 2021)

cyberknight said:


> thats just for the BB


Shame - I didn't investigate enough to find out. Although considering mine came as part of an entire groupset that was £242 I would expect it can be had fairly affordably. If the chainrings turn out to be made of cheese I might find out soon.


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## cyberknight (26 Sep 2021)

Xipe Totec said:


> Shame - I didn't investigate enough to find out. Although considering mine came as part of an entire groupset that was £242 I would expect it can be had fairly affordably. If the chainrings turn out to be made of cheese I might find out soon.


the pro wheel chainring on my commuter lasted a year , you can buy a new ring for a similar amount is all im saying
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...52545031-04066-UneMJZVf&device=c&gclsrc=aw.ds


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## Xipe Totec (26 Sep 2021)

cyberknight said:


> the pro wheel chainring on my commuter lasted a year , you can buy a new ring for a similar amount is all im saying
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...52545031-04066-UneMJZVf&device=c&gclsrc=aw.ds


As far as I can see it doesn't look like replacement rings are available for these RaceWork/LitePro/whatever AliExpress things - they're a single unit with both rings machined from a single chunk of alu & attached using that SRAM 3-bolt centre fixing. What's interesting is that my suspicions about its durability come from my experience with a Prowheel triple I had on a Decathlon Triban about 10 years ago - think I got about 3000 miles out of the rings on that, if I was lucky.

If they do turn out to be cheese I suppose I could use SRAM rings - but when replacement with cranks that look like this are available, why would I do that?







Actually, my mouse is hovering over the 'buy' button right now...


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## Dale 1956 (12 Nov 2021)

Wow nice build.I love building a new bicycle it makes me feel good.


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## AndyRM (12 Nov 2021)

I'd forgotten about this build! That bar tape is absolutely wild


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## Xipe Totec (30 Jul 2022)

This is probably due an update!

Not put a huge amount of miles on this as it has to share me with two other bikes & Zwift, but around 1100 miles later, the only cheapo original part to give up the ghost is the BB, the left side bearing having become rough & noisy approaching the 1000 mile mark. Quick & cheap to replace with a Shimano Tiagra.

Everything else still going strong & working properly, although the rear mech cable has needed a bit more regular tensioning than I'm used to. It's the original cable supplied with the mech so may not be the best quality & the heavy spring in the mech itself probably doesn't help. I have a spare in my toolbag but will replace it anyway, next time the bike gets an overhaul.

Aesthetically, the bling oilslick finish on the front bottle cage is flaking & the alloy underneath appears corroded - but that's cheap shiny rubbish for you. Likewise the ridiculous reflective rainbow bar tape on the drops has started splitting, presumably due to the material hardening & cracking where it's stretched. So that's going in the bin.

Otherwise all looking good, will post some pics once it's had a hose-down & new bar tape.


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## cougie uk (30 Jul 2022)

Lovely looking bike. What's the seatpost and tyres please ?


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## Xipe Totec (30 Jul 2022)

Tyres are Donnelly Strada LGG, 32mm. Best deal on a 32mm tanwall road tyre I could find at the time. So far holding up well, very little signs of wear. Running with tubes at 80psi.

Seatpost is a gimmicky thing with integrated LED light - came up in a search when I was looking for a silver-finish alloy post.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/brand-x-lightskin-seatpost-light-usb-charge-/rp-prod189801


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## cyberknight (30 Jul 2022)

how are the shifters going ? i can get a set of 10 speed to replace my tiagra for £65 that are looking worse for wear .


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## cougie uk (30 Jul 2022)

Oh wow. That's a funky seatpost indeed. 

Is 80 a bit high for 32mms ? I'm running my contis at 50 on the front and 60 on the back. No issues with them in a few years.


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## Xipe Totec (30 Jul 2022)

cougie uk said:


> Oh wow. That's a funky seatpost indeed.
> 
> Is 80 a bit high for 32mms ? I'm running my contis at 50 on the front and 60 on the back. No issues with them in a few years.



80's the max recommended pressure for these but I am a bit on the hefty side - 95kg and then some, after comfort-eating my way through Covid! Could get away with less in the front but the rear distorts a bit under my bulk as it is, & may be prone to exaggerated wear & pinch-flats on the local bomb-cratered roads if I ran it with less.



cyberknight said:


> how are the shifters going ? i can get a set of 10 speed to replace my tiagra for £65 that are looking worse for wear .



Fine so far, still just like new. The rear mech has a very stiff spring compared to Shimano, so that makes the lever action a little heavy after the 6800 Ultegra on my road bike - but I'm sure that won't apply to the Shimano-compatible stuff. I have no complaints at all about the functionality of the Sensah components but I guess durability/reliability remains to be seen.

£65's a big saving over 'proper' Tiagra but might be worth digging around to see if there any reviews & long-term experiences out there. I admit I bought the parts for mine fully expecting them to fall apart in a few months, it's so far a pleasant surprise that they haven't!


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## Bollo (30 Jul 2022)

I like how you’ve retained the aliexpress aesthetic while building something that isn’t a death trap. I like it. Chapeau.


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## StuAff (30 Jul 2022)

Francis Cade has been running a 12 speed Sensah group for a while, he's just posted an update on it....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6vc5BpMpPw&ab_channel=FrancisCade

PS: nice bike!


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## Xipe Totec (30 Jul 2022)

Bollo said:


> I like how you’ve retained the aliexpress aesthetic *while building something that isn’t a death trap*. I like it. Chapeau.



Jury's still out on that one!


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## Xipe Totec (11 Aug 2022)

Updated update! Small hiccup replacing the rear mech cable, after finding the cable outer had shredded where it fits into the shifter - the fitting's too narrow to accept a ferrule & it looks like the consequence of stiff mech springs & nothing holding the outer together has taken its toll. Bodged at the moment but I'll have to replace the outer & open out the seat in the shifter to accept a ferrule. Bit of a pain in the bum as I'm having to use full-length outers, making the process more of a faff.

Anyway - gratuitous shiny-bike-in-the-sun pic with new bar tape.


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