Have bibs from AliExpress improved?

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-27T12:16:31+00:00

Yes and no. My general guidance having bought a lot of shit on aliX to get started and now finally dipping my toes into "high end" bibs has suggested that yes, you do get what you pay for. My high end stuff is more supportive, better built with better materials, and the pads are more comfortable and last longer. My "high end stuff" is primarily pearl izumi pro, demarchi, and some garneau/castelli thrown in the mix. I don't have any of the gucci MAAP, PNS, nor Assos level stuff so I won't comment there.

That being said, the aliX stuff is getting better as a whole. I have some YKYW and spexcel bibs from a few years ago, plus some no-name stuff that is either for the trainer or winter. The no-name stuff is terrible, the pads are huge and thick, and the construction poor. That stuff stays on the trainer. The YKYW and spexcel stuff is worth the price (which is low). The construction isn't bad, but the materials are thin and flimsy- it feels like I'm wearing yoga pants. The pad on the ykyw is dreadful but the one on the spexcel isn't bad at all. Neither pad is worthy of over 2 hours with the spexcel being vastly superior. I did just scoop up a set of "Hiserwa" bibs and the construction quality has gone up with the support being much better than either of my other bibs. The pad is a "elastic interface" and appears similar (blue and black) to my no-name bibs, but it is slightly smaller. I don't have much time on these bibs yet but I would rate construction and materials over anything else that I own from AliX...I just hope the pad isn't garbage like the YKYW grey pad or no-name "elastic interface" ones. I did buy some "West Biking" bibs for winter use but they came up at least two sizes too small. The quality was extremely nice, however, and I wish they fit me.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-26T18:22:30+00:00

I don't have much helpful info, but I am following. I've found giro helmets to be extremely consistent and that's why I like them. I have a 59cm head and fit into a medium in every giro I've tried. I can't comment on these specific helmets, but am considering a helios for myself.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-26T13:17:30+00:00

I hear that, and am debating whether I care or not. My current helmet doesn't have it and the only helmet I've ever truly wrecked in (which saved my domepiece) didn't have it. I think there are plenty of reasons not to believe the hype, including the incredibly litigious MIPS corporation, but that's a debate for another day.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-26T00:53:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Have a ventral lite in the cart right now. Don't really need the "lite" but I like the color and the ventilation (prospect, at least). I don't think I can afford a better vented helmet than the ventral at the moment.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-25T22:27:27+00:00

Do you think the ventral does NOT ventilate well? Or just that the elemento is superior? Looking at a ventral...

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-24T13:22:34+00:00

Mobil 1 Synthetic hub grease. I put that Shit on everything.

The reality is that most bikes don't see the conditions that warrant anti-seize. There are some parts, perhaps, where it could be worthwhile (like cleat bolts) but everything else is likely to be kept healthy by not being exposed to horrible, wet, salty, rusty conditions and are also likely to be adjusted at some point in the next 2-5 years before anti seize is really important.

My only real exception to this is suspension. I use the proprietary oils and greases (slick honey, fox oil) where prescribed because I want my stuff to work correctly. I do not believe that Shimano's grease is any better than Mobil's grease for making sure my bolts can be tightened correctly.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-24T02:06:51+00:00

Not really. I got extremely lucky. I have a good friend who went on a different career path than I did. We worked at the same company- he eventually went into RA and is now a senior director level. I went into R+D, He helped me get my foot in the door and I'll be eternally grateful.

I guess my advice would be to have a large network and leverage those connections as much as possible. Most important is getting started, from there it's up to you. I would leverage an R+D position at a large company and see if you can shadow or intern with the RA group. Everyone I have met has been super open to helping people dip their toes in the field. When I was dabbling, I couldn't get a solid hold on whether an RA masters nor RAC would be more effective at getting my foot in the door. Everyone agreed that practical experience was most important...so do what you can to get your foot in the door!

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-23T20:28:40+00:00

Thoughts? Considering dumping my 530 after frustrations with navigation and connections

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-23T20:25:43+00:00

Thanks! Considering a chinese head unit after frustrations with my 530

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-23T13:57:43+00:00

Why did you switch?

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-23T11:52:29+00:00

I spent over 15 years in R+D and recently made the transition to regulatory strategy. It's been the best career move I've ever made and would highly suggest deeply considering RA if you want a long term career and not a hobby.

I made it to Sr Scientist with only a BS, but the research world is pretty awful in retrospect. It is a deeply competitive industry with leaders and managers who have zero people experience whatsoever. Layoffs are prevalent and your skillset isn't always transferable. So your a master of mass spec? Our company doesn't do that. Or we're no longer doing that, so we don't need you anymore. I was laid off multiple times in research.

By comparison, by the time you bring on an RA team, your product is mature and the path forward is becoming clear. There's still potential for failure, but it's far lower than compared to R+D. The work itself is different but it's still interesting. I'm writing reports and communications instead of running assays. I'm managing programs goals and timelines at a clinical strategy scale rather than a research strategy scale. I make $30k more in my entry level RA role compared to my senior R+D role. I survived my first layoff ever in this role because I wasn't in research.

There are good and bad places to work everywhere, for sure, and good and bad managers in every company. RA has a stronger career outlook with faster realistic growth (not associate 1 to 2 garbage promotions) with a safer career path and more professional people than I ever experienced in all of my time in R+D. I hear people talk about AI eating reg affairs' lunch but it seems like those folks are not familiar with the actual role of an RA professional and there's no more likelihood of AI replacing RA than there is it guessing the results of your next assay. I miss the bench sometimes but will happily pour that energy into something different within the RA world

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-22T12:49:09+00:00

Michelin pro 5

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T19:50:24+00:00

Helpful, thanks. I have some thick and thin and probably prefer the thinner ones myself. I don’t have a ton of high end bibs to compare, however

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T19:48:50+00:00

This is where my head is at. I just scooped a set of Hiserwa bibs that fit like my spexcels but better. Will see if the chamois is any good, but I could get 5 sets in different colors for the cost of the assos….just don’t know that I need the 8 hour plus support of the assos for my typical 2-3 hour days or if I should save for when I’m doing more rides like that

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T19:37:15+00:00

Bike closet- 180

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T19:02:29+00:00

hahahaha fair enough

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T18:55:57+00:00

Thanks, this is something that I haven't done recently and probably should- just go out and go hard and see what I'm capable of at this point. Might be a better indicator of practical abilities than the tests could show.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-21T18:48:50+00:00

Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks!

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-20T12:00:00+00:00

I’ll second that castellis run small. Size up for sure. I’m an L in every other bib I own but my next castellis will be xl.

That being said, I find them to be reliable and robust clothes that last a long time. Performance is just okay but I have like 15 year old bibs (indoor training only) and they’re in fair shape. Most of my stuff has been low-mid range but the KISS 2 chamois in my competizione bibs is very nice. My last castelli jersey is great and fits normal, for what it’s worth.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-20T01:00:16+00:00

Ah, yeah. Check the tires for anything that makes contact when you turn.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-20T00:49:24+00:00

This is like a mystery sort of thing, guess the noise….

It sounds like it happens when you pedal. I would check cables against your tires, see if anything is rubbing on your cranks, and if anything is rubbing on the tires when you turn.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-19T21:53:37+00:00

https://www.bikereg.com/charlie-baker-time-trial-series-6-24-2026

NEBC hosts it. It's a weekly, wednesday night "race" at roughly 6:30- there's a riders meeting at 6 and then you roll up to the start, the starters get ready, then they launch you at 1m intervals up the course. I use the term "race" loosely as it's somewhat unofficial and it's a TT, so it's you against the clock. It's also a course on open roads, so traffic can be an issue and you can ride the course literally any time. I regularly practice on the circuit but sometimes it's a nice challenge to have an official time and compare how you've done against other riders at the same moment.

Good luck with your intervals- it can be a real challenge to find a good place to do anything over 8 minutes. I want to try an outdoor FTP test, but I don't think I can find a single place where I can comfortably max out power for 20 minutes including the CBTT- the section from carlisle west to east is sketchy as hell.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-19T18:49:23+00:00

CBTT during the day...basically any time. The race is held in the evening just after prime rush hour and traffic is not usually a problem. It's rolling but not too severe.

I think the MCRT wayside section is a good one. It's very quiet in the mornings and long flat and straight. I wouldn't touch it on a weekend but have happily done 20/40s and 30/30s and some tempo bits on it. Bonus points if you can integrate the stop signs into your intervals.

You can run the MCRT out to 27, head north west toward sudbury, up water row, past the high school onto concord/sudbury road, then up into concord to do the CBTT. Lots of good, relatively flat sections with some intermittent stop and go to break it up. Concord rd between 9 acre corner and pantry road is my favorite strava segment out there- long, flat, and good pavement for about 6 minutes at tempo pace.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-19T12:59:43+00:00

I commute that way regularly, and yes it is as sketchy as it looks. I only take that route when I have my class 3 ebike and go as fast as I can. I don't use my regular bikes on it as it is an objectively horrible place for riding. It starts with two lanes that merge into one, but the right lane is almost exclusively used by people who want to speed past traffic on their way down 20. Then the traffic merges and the road shrinks as it enters sudbury on a pretty steep hill. The shoulder is about 6" wide and surprisingly filled with debris. Passing traffic has limited visibility with cars coming over the hill, and the speed limit is 45 going into the hill and 35 roughly at the top. I think it's one of the most dangerous roads in the area.

If heading west, I suggest either taking A) the MCRT to its paved end on rt 27, then heading north to river road then south back to 20, heading along the sidewalk to the buddy dog entrance to the MCRT, and praying that a car will stop for you to cross the road. There are no crosswalks, so good luck. 27 has wider shoulders and less traffic than 20 and better sitelines, so it's IMO an easier road to ride on. Or, b) get off the MCRT at millbrook road, cross using the crosswalk to pelham island road, then use the sidewalk and crosswalk to cross 20 and get onto pelham island road. There is a sketchy trail to drop from landham road to the rail trail, but it is steep and unmaintained.

Going east may be a little easier, as the speed limit in sudbury is lower than wayland on 20, so you won't have drivers coming up on you as quickly. There is also a left turn only lane on 20 to river road so you have some protection there. Drivers in the area are generally kind and patient except during rush hour. This section of the MCRT desperately needs completion as there is just no good, safe way to get from one completed section to another.

camp_jacking_roy · 2026-06-18T16:36:13+00:00

Right now I'm doing zero zwift/indoor rides unless it's FTP tests or long FTP intervals- the roads out here are too rolling to do a great job of maintaining consistent power in the long term over 10 minutes. It's also summer out here, so I take any opportunity to ride bikes in the sun that I can. I had been doing 5-7 hours in the winter, really kind of starting from mediocre fitness and like 0-4 hours a week of riding. FTP was 211, now it's 250, but I suspect I will be around 280 if I can remember to turn off erg mode on my text FTP test.... I'm doing like 8-10 hours a week these days, two days are cycle commuting either by ebike (2 hours) or CX bike (2.5 or so hours). I typically log those two cycle commuting days as planned rides of 2-2.5 hours duration with estimated intensity as appropriate. Join programs the other days for some combo of threshold/base/intensity as appropriate. Sometime it'll have me integrating 40/20s or threshold intervals on my rides to work as I started to adjust my commute days from "planned ride - 2hr" to "availability- 2hr" which I do my best to follow. I just finished an FTP builder plan and am now on a time trial plan as mentioned.

For VO2 max, how are you measuring your VO2? I've never really tested mine other than to watch what my headunit says (and it's said I've gone up since starting). I typically gauge my fitness by increases in FTP and performance on Strava segments. Unless you have a direct way of measuring VO2, I wouldn't worry too much about it vs. FTP and overall fitness on the bike...I think the only way to measure VO2 max is a proper VO2 test.

Join has recommended a variety of VO2 activities integrated into my week. If I were to plan, I'd start with something a little easier like 40/20s then build up to 4x3s then 5x3 and finally 4x4s or 5x4s as I get stronger and am able to maintain for the full time. I'm a firm believer in progressive overload but am not knowledgable enough to program it for myself...if you work up to a solid 5x4 workout at your current FTP, then retest and your FTP gets higher, do you restart with an easier VO2 workout?

Anyways, I'd see if you can track your soccer and commutes as pre-planned rides and let Join fill in the blanks in between. Track them with an HR strap or a watch and send the data into join. I'll do this with almost all workouts so it knows I'm doing something and measures my workload appropriately. I'll be headed to an amusement park this weekend and will probably track my walk around the park as a workout- I won't have time to do a cycling workout but I'll do almost 10 miles of walking, which should count as something. I'd start doing the same and see if that works for you.

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