Temu for cycling goods

[michaelbiker]

On 9/15/2025 at 8:41 PM, NC_lurker said:

Question, how do you stop those oval seat rails from creaking? I tried a saddle with carbon rails and the creaking drove me crazy! I'm assuming that my seat post is designed for round rails and the ovalised carbon rails just didn't fit properly..

You need to get 9x7 compatible clamps on your seatpost head. Some seatposts come with these. Some seatposts it should not matter but if your seatpost is not compatible you are going crush the rails and cause all sorts of issues, so be careful and check.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

A couple of really solid thumbs up for latest purchases. 

This seat is ugly as sin but worked perfectly for tandem stoker yesterday. It’s wider than it looks but she didn’t bounce off the seat over a single bump and didn’t complain of a sore butt (a true first): Shock-absorbing seat that is very ugly but works

And then this seat is not quite as ugly but smells like a rubber recycling plant when you first open the package. The smell does go away pretty quickly. It is stiff and so, so comfortable and not a single pressure point during 98km Ride Joburg yesterday (something I truly struggle with) and my butt isn’t crying today: honeycomb saddle for less than 300 bucks

And finally I did the ride yesterday in this brand new bib - no chafing or discomfort at all. Sizes run slightly small so go one size up. Cheapy ladies bib - not the exact one I bought but same pad and style

 

[Mook]

I just got 2 tops from Temu. Material and stitching quality is great. I went for 1 size up from my usual size and the fit is perfect. Consistency might be a problem. I got 2 different colors from the same brand, yet one fits slightly slacker than the other.

The zips engage well, but time will tell if the quality holds up over time. For the price ....... absolutely worth it.

[Dusty]

Has anyone used a Temu carbon mtb fork successfully or unsuccessfully?

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

On 6/30/2025 at 9:56 AM, Dexter-morgan said:

Good day, has anyone purchased any ceramic bearings from Temu? I see they are very well priced.

Ceramic bearings are snake oil.
Especially the cheap ones.

Rather buy decent steel bearings.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

29 minutes ago, Dusty said:

Has anyone used a Temu carbon mtb fork successfully or unsuccessfully?

Well I suppose it’s successful until it’s unsuccessful, but I have the Toseek one on the tandem and no issues so far. After quite a few serious bumps at speed at Ride Joburg I asked LBS to give it a good check and it’s 💯. The tandem is a steel frame and heavy.

Don’t know if I’d trust it more or less than another fork 🤷‍♀️ 

[Dusty]

5 minutes ago, RobynE 🚵‍♀️ said:

Well I suppose it’s successful until it’s unsuccessful, but I have the Toseek one on the tandem and no issues so far. After quite a few serious bumps at speed at Ride Joburg I asked LBS to give it a good check and it’s 💯. The tandem is a steel frame and heavy.

Don’t know if I’d trust it more or less than another fork 🤷‍♀️ 

Thank you.

[Byran Pr]

I’ve ordered quite a few things from TEMU, and honestly, I have no complaints so far. The Donen brand, in particular, makes some solid cycling gear IMO. My thinking is: I’m going to sweat in this stuff, so there’s no point spending R2,000+ on premium lycra for everyday rides when I can get something pretty close in quality for a fraction of the price.

So far, I’ve bought bibs, jerseys, gilets, and sunnies from TEMU, and I’m really happy with all of it. I ride around 300 km a week fully kitted out in TEMU gear, and it’s held up perfectly well. For longer weekend rides (100 km+) and races, I still wear my “expensive kit,” but for training, the TEMU gear does the job just fine.

Overall, I’d say TEMU is great for cycling apparel (If you know what to buy). That said, I wouldn’t buy bicycle parts from there just yet, at least not until they start carrying reputable brands like Shimano and the like.

Edit: I’ll also add that I’ve had no issues with returns. Once I log a return on the app, the courier usually collects it the next day, sometimes even the same day. There are no return fees either, so if you’re not happy with the item quality, just send it back and they’ll credit you. In fact, if the item’s value is under about R50, they usually just credit you without even asking for the item to be returned!

Edited October 30, 2025 by Byran Pr

[guidodg]

have used a carbon fork (Kocevlo) very successfully 

[Dusty]

15 minutes ago, guidodg said:

have used a carbon fork (Kocevlo) very successfully 

Thank you. That's the brand I'm looking at.

[guidodg]

9 minutes ago, Dusty said:

Thank you. That's the brand I'm looking at.

 

Edited October 30, 2025 by guidodg

[Spinnaroonie]

I understand there’s a general sentiment against trusting TEMU for serious purchases, but I have to admit that my hesitation has decreased significantly. After conducting some research, I feel comfortable trusting certain brands. The Chinertown website is an excellent resource for this. For instance, I’ve discovered that some brands on TEMU offer reliable cassette options. Kocevlo has a strong reputation for its carbon products. In fact, the carbon wheels they sell are credible too; while they are branded as Meroca, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that Meroca is actually the manufacturer behind the Sigma Sports house brand carbon wheels (VEL Wheels).

Edited October 30, 2025 by Spinnaroonie

[BuffsVintageBikes]

@Spinnaroonie Do you mind sharing your source for this information as AI does not agree with your sentiments? I've been keen to order myself a set of those Meroca carbon wheels but resisted based on poor reviews of lesser know Chinese carbon manufacturers. I don't place any confidence in the reviews on Temu.

[rock]

I bought R19 silicon grips (out of curiosity, piggy backed my daughters order) from Temu. dont feel great out the packet lets see after a few uses - seems more plasticy than silicon.

 

[Spinnaroonie]

14 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

@Spinnaroonie Do you mind sharing your source for this information as AI does not agree with your sentiments? I've been keen to order myself a set of those Meroca carbon wheels but resisted based on poor reviews of lesser know Chinese carbon manufacturers. I don't place any confidence in the reviews on Temu.

I pulled the trigger on a set a few months ago after turning the internet upside down for a solid month or 2.  I don't recall/have my exact sources on hand because I was cross-referencing daily to put my mind at ease. I just did a quick search now and here's a post from WW that shows the VEL wheels being sold via the Meroca store. https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178397

 

Here's an Amazon link that shows it straight-up. https://www.amazon.de/-/en/MEROCA-Wheelset-Clincher-Tubeless-Ratchet/dp/B0FBGJMPBB?th=1

 

I also looked into the Meroca brand on the Chinertown forum and was happy with what I saw. 

 

The final nail in the coffin was that the VEL wheels have identical spokes, hubs and inner and outer widths to my set. 

 

Anecdotally, I'm very happy with my wheels (1450g), as they replace the Alu PR2 stockers (2kg+-). The DT Swiss patent expired for their rear hub design, so these 36T ratchet Chinese clones are pretty bang on (Hambini verified) plus I'm running modern inner (23mm), outer (31mm) widths and a deeper section rim. My bike is rated for 28mm clearance but my 28c tubeless tyres now stretch to 30+- and there's still plenty of clearance. I've done 1500km on them so far and will report any defects if they crop up.

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Thanks, appreciate the detailed feedback 👍