Temu for cycling goods

[W Smith]

56 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

I have had way better service from Temu on many returns than anything i have had from Takealot TBH. Returns have been credited instantly, goods have actually been collected and some instances they just told me to keep the faulty goods and credited me. Takealot fight with me for weeks.

Thats pretty good service and I can assure you that given that they are my go to for everything right now. Searching on temu and Aliexpress is my go to for anthing

FWIW I have worked out that most of these guys locally were actually just sourcing from China anyway and doubling the prices. And the suport is better from the merchants directly as they happily swap out or let you return. Why not just go direct?

Goods I get from them or have gotten Temu/Aliexpress:

Bib shorts - Max approx R 600 - Ciovita R 2k to start with. I can buy 3 sets and have some change for a jersey for every one Ciovita. 

Jerseys - R 250 to R 300 - again R 1800 to R 2300 locally. Many cool quirky designs for R 250 a jersey.

Small pocket pump - R 640 vs Ryder selling the same thing for R 1400. Works brillinatly

Saddles - 3 D printed carbon saddes R 1k vs R 4k locally.

Clusters - 12 speed clusters R 1200 - okay the shifting and ramps arent magical and they clunk a bit, but 12 speed NX clusters R4k to R 12k. Even at R 2k you can get two for every original Sram cluster,

Chains - as per above. Brand name chains. 

Lights - back lights and front lights. Top quality - same as shops.

Motorbike kit from Aliexpress. This is a very long list and its brand and model specific. All at about a third to a quarter of the price. I literlaly ship for specific bits for my Triumphs, and the Thruxton isnt a common model. 

Screens Givi R 2600 - Aliexpress R 800 - needed some twaeking but its great

Handlebar risers - again a third of the price.

CE certifed body armour and riding pants.

Cell phone bar mounts - knock off of Quadlock for R 200 versus R 3000 for the vibration damped ones.

Custom bits like valve caps, sticker kits, anodised oil dipsticks - like R 60.

Bits like engine covers for specific models - Triumph Thruxton - radiator guards, front axle bobbins etc. 

I have even had some of these delivered by the local post office in paarl - takes time but gets through. All tracked.

I truly do not uderstand the luddites and naysayers that dont get that you are being ripped off by local guys doing the import and adding fat margins - acting as middlemen. You are willingly handing them your money. No other way to stack it, and they are grinnnig and screwing you.

I am not a rich man, but I can tell you that the brand name watch still only tells the time. The bags still only carry goods. Sworks is basically a paint layer on a stem in most cases the difference is so marginal the only reason you buy it is the pose value.

Luxury is IMO the biggest con in the world and the truth is you all fall for it. Keeps you spending money on goods you dont need to impress people who dont matter and the chinese are making most of the worlds luxury brands anyway.

Never mind looking at whats happening in the car market. Jetour is selling more than Audi, BMW, Merc and Mazda in SA already. Same is about to happen in bicycles with Chinese road bikes. BYD have their own ships. 

Watch whats going to happen with Avinox and ebikes - they have democratised ebikes. You can buy a Top spec Outer bike locally with an Avinox motor for R 180 k whereas the Sworks Levo or Levo R with less power is almost double the price. Sorry - which part of this dont I understand?

Wake up.

My Hi Tec hiking boots for which I paid R1800 has a "Made in China " sticker inside.On Temu you can buy similar boots for R500-R600. 

[Paul Ruinaard]

https://www.facebook.com/TheCyclingWeek/posts/any-cycling-products-on-temualiexpress-actually-worth-buying/122154340772899102/

 

From another forum

[HdB]

Plenty of dodgy sellers on Takealot these days.
I've bought bedside table lamps, that turns out were bought on special at Mr Price Home and resold at a significant markup. I know this, as they didn't even bother removing the Mr Price Home price sticker.

Certainly some things that are worth rather buying local. But when you regularly see the exact same thing with a different logo, for a much higher price than on Temu/Aliexpress, its less "supporting local" and more "paying to knowingly be fleeced"

[nick_the_wheelbuilder]

On 11/15/2025 at 11:29 AM, cadenceblur said:

 

Those are great-looking wheels!

[Paul Ruinaard]

1 hour ago, HdB said:

Plenty of dodgy sellers on Takealot these days.
I've bought bedside table lamps, that turns out were bought on special at Mr Price Home and resold at a significant markup. I know this, as they didn't even bother removing the Mr Price Home price sticker.

Certainly some things that are worth rather buying local. But when you regularly see the exact same thing with a different logo, for a much higher price than on Temu/Aliexpress, its less "supporting local" and more "paying to knowingly be fleeced"

I was also skeptical to start and was really tentative with some small shipments to begin.  Now I have to step away and review my carts later as I keep adding. I have had some rubbish as well TBH. My best quote was from a a mate who was looking at the quad lock phone mounts who contacted me and asked me what I thought of them. I showed him the Temu knock off I got for I think R 120. Quadlock are like R 2k and then thats for the base version. His reply: "Is this for real?". He bought two cycling jerseys for R 200 each for the same trip plus two mounts for under the cost of one quad lock and his cheapos have the vibration damping.  I think most people think it is too good to be true or are just not adventurous enough to try some new ways of buying. Always been an early adopter, and I have burned along the way sometimes but as long as you are astute.

 

 

[ChrisF]

On 5/4/2026 at 1:15 PM, betaboy said:

It seems many South Africans are extremely happy to be building the Chinese Empire… the real problem arises when we bring up the words:

-Customer Service

-Guarantee

im still Temu & Alli Free. 👌🏻the bargain virus dragon will never bite me!💪🏻

 

Never is a lonnnnggggg time.

 

Thankfully I dont have the patience for that spinning wheel .... though I have a few gifts from friends who bought it from Temu

[Skubarra]

23 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Never is a lonnnnggggg time.

 

Thankfully I dont have the patience for that spinning wheel .... though I have a few gifts from friends who bought it from Temu

go to the website, the annoying spinning wheel is only on the app

[HdB]

7 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

go to the website, the annoying spinning wheel is only on the app

Can't you just ignore/close/skip it? I use the app, and have not bothered with spinning wheels etc.

[Paul Ruinaard]

31 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Never is a lonnnnggggg time.

 

Thankfully I dont have the patience for that spinning wheel .... though I have a few gifts from friends who bought it from Temu

use a browser interface - does away with the normal temu stuff that irritates the sh*t out of me as well. 

[michaelbiker]

2 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

Never is a lonnnnggggg time.

 

Thankfully I dont have the patience for that spinning wheel .... though I have a few gifts from friends who bought it from Temu

100%, it's the one of the main reasons I prefer Aliexpress, that and they do have more variety.

[NC_lurker]

My search for bib shorts has a winner, InBike brand going for R430....By far the best fitting options I've found on Temu. They're a fairly slimline cut which suits me very well at 1.85m/79kg (ordered size M). Just bought a second pair. Haven't ridden longer than 2.5hrs yet in them, but signs are good.

I tried numerous other brands, Souke aren't bad but they're generally short in the leg & not as snug a fit on me.

https://share.temu.com/uirkPIickTB

Only slight negative is that the waist is pretty high. Not sure what the deal is, it seems a common design (fault) on pretty much all the Temu bibs I've tried.

Edited Thursday at 05:02 PM by NC_lurker
More details

[babse]

Also finally pulled trigger on bib shorts. Went with souke after many solids reviews. Quality and Chamois is very decent. I prefer longer leg. Sizing initially felt bit small but after first wash it was true to size. Still happy but will look at alternatives for longer leg length...

[tinmug]

Here's a thought.

If we all buy from a store in China from suppliers in China then stores and suppliers in South Africa will dry up. Bear that in mind every time you click to send your ZARs to the East (and yes I am not a complete idiot I know some things cannot be purchased here and 98% of the stuff we need is made there anyway).

[Ethandpeiser]

I just set up my Kore top gun sl60s carbon disk brake wheels. They weight 1350g for a 60mm wheelset. I've taken it for a quick spin, they feel super stiff and responsive. Did a quick 1200w sprint to see how they feel and there's no flexing. China is advancing big time

[NC_lurker]

8 hours ago, babse said:

Also finally pulled trigger on bib shorts. Went with souke after many solids reviews. Quality and Chamois is very decent. I prefer longer leg. Sizing initially felt bit small but after first wash it was true to size. Still happy but will look at alternatives for longer leg length...

Key is to study the size Guide, specifically looking at the actual product chart. Also different models from the same brand can have slightly different sizing. For me inner leg needs to be around 24.5

It's worth checking the measurements quoted for the Souke bibs you bought and use those as a baseline when looking at other options.

[Cyclewizz]

You guys are fancy.
I bought a bib the other day for R137.00 and have use the same type of bib for ages.
Have 1 of those that will die in the next few months.

I did buy a fancier bib with an 8 hr shammy and that bib is way nicer.
I think it was around R280

The prices on Temu are forever changing which is a bit annoying but when they low it's time to buy.