Nougat Limar Gourmet Soft Nougat 150g $7.99 ($19.50 elsewhere)
Adult Cycling Knicks with premium Italian made seat pad $16.99
Rexel +50 Auto Feed Cross Cut Shredder $99.99 ($139 @ Officeworks)
25% off Vegetable Garden Bed 1200x900x300mm $29.99 - 2yr warranty
Finally! Thanks OP. I've been waiting for this for a YEAR.
As I've given up on comma's I got enthused with the title;
nougat bike gear - chew while you ride
paper shredder garden bed - awesome! self mulching garden
fire safety welder - that runs on oxymoron
If you buy a $200 ALDI mountain bike and try to actually go off-road with it…god help you.
I'm sure its fine. I would actually get it if it was more of a hybrid version.
Fairly sure that people buying a $200 bike are not expecting $2000 build quality and performance.
didn't mention what size but list of inclusion are quite impressive, disc brakes, dual suspension, alloy frame and rims.
I wouldn't exactly call that rear suspension. It's just a spring, wobbly as hell. It definitely would ride better without it.
Bought the DS 26" mtb bike. Yet to assemble. No size specified (will measure it tonight…hopefully around 19"). Some componentry seems an improvement on Crane's previous models (eg. rapid fire gear changer rather than twist grip), but still uses 7 speed freewheel gears and non-adjustable preload on forks. So forks and rear shock might be the first things I replace. Will find out how pogo'y the rear spring shock will be and whether more preload can reduce it (really needs the ability to adjust rebound dampening). Hopefully will be more reliable than the rear air shock that only lasted 5 hours of light to medium duty on my $800 DS mtb bike.
Will see if the discs squeal and how well they brake. I will need to tighten some of the spokes, which are loose.
Crane mtb might be a keeper, after an initial 2 min test ride on the road. Was expecting the bike to have a terrible ride, but was happy with the initial test. Need to test offroad. The rear suspension did not pogo as much as I thought it would and the shock matches one I saw on ebay for $15 from China (Crane=650LBS/IN and 175mm i2i, not sure on travel though).
Seat post too short for tall riders, esp given the frame is only one size. Ok for me (180cm tall :) Confirmed size of frame is 19" (from centre of BB to top of seat tube).
Seat looks to be comfy, plenty of padding. Tilt adjustment is old school.
The front steel forks have low end look (no preload adjustment), and absorbed the dropoff from footpath to road ok, even though it only has about 20mm of travel…haha.
Brakes pad cylinder adjuster needed winding to make the braking decent. No squeals….yet, even though the brand is ABK (generic Chinese??). Apart from the Shimano gearing, everything else looks like Chinese brand componentry (eg. brakes, wheels, tyres, shocks, seat, etc).
Dabs of grease in various spots, so this might indicate that critical areas are greased too (eg. Bottom Bracket, steering and axles bearings).
Steering stem is steel and not alloy. Looks cheap, but does the job.
Gear changes shift well. No false shifts, hunting or crunching. Lever/shifter not as stiff/crisp as higher level Shimano shifters (eg. Alivo), but they do the job.
I think this DS bike would make a good comfortable onroad recreational bike to soak up the pothotes and bumps in driveways/footpaths. Would lose a little energy to the rear shock. Hoping it will be adequate offroad (but may struggle with logs and pace on single tracks). Might need a few parts (forks) to be replaced.
Quality of finish is what you expect from typical low end bikes, and paint finish is a bit uneven, but once the bike gets covered in mud, you will not notice the this.
One good thing, I won't feel so paranoid about someone stealing the bike if I parked it outside the shops, or left it on the back of my car. Not like a > $2,000 DS MTB.
The $200 Crane DS 26" mtb (19" frame) weighs around 16.8kg, my $800 DS 26" mtb (19" frame) weighs 15.5kg, and has mostly lighter alloy components (eg. Magnesium forks). The Crane has a lot of steel (according to my magnet) - forks, handlebar, stem, cranks, seat post, etc.
The top of the frame is a bit pointy rather than the usual cylindrial tube frame, so might be more painful to crash on.
the rear suspension is intriguing (I'm not a bike nut, so haven't even noticed bikes since I had mine some 20 years ago) and I don't know the pros and cons of disc brakes vs caliper brakes, but it seems an ok price.
I bought the Jensen M2000 recreational mountain bike from Anaconda this week for $149 so I could ride around the park with my daughter - http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/New-Products/M2000-Recrea…
a half price helmet cost me slightly more than ALDI ($29.95 vs $24.95).
I'm tempted by the bike light set though - I can't see myself riding much at night, but best being safe than sorry.
your Jensen M2000 is steel frame which weights a bit more. I am not a bike expert but from what i read disc brake will still work if you ride on muddy track.
Correct, disc brakes pretty much don't really care whether it's wet or dry, dirty or clean. Try breaking with a dirty wheel and a caliper brake.
bb_hunter and liquid_metal - thanks for the info guys!
I spotted similar bikes for sale for a similar price at Masters and Super Cheap Auto as well.. so I'm guessing a few container loads have arrived and been divied up between various retailers. The other bikes had front or rear disc brakes etc. and other similarities.
Was pretty keen on the bike myself but after a bit of googling, the general consensus seems to be it is completely junk.
Note that those $9.99 chisels are amazing value for the price. Definitely recommend every woodworker picks up a few.
The catalogue I just picked up shows the chisels as $12.99. Though saying that, I'll be picking a set up after reading that review.
What do people think of the gas less mig welder?
That eBay one had a 15amp plug.
and only 1yr warranty :(
how much bags of aldi garden soil do u need to fill the
Vegetable Garden Bed 1200x900x300mm $29.99 - 2yr warranty
also is it better to use this
or plant straight in the ground?
Depends on what your soil is like. I have shale (a mix of crumbly rock and clay) so for me these are great. If you are blessed with good soil, plant straight into it. If your soil is rubbish, buy a raised garden bed.
Am I reading that right on the LEDs? The non-dimmable $7.99 top out at 40W equivalent. The $9.99 top out at roughly 60W and 70W equivalent. Darn I want to go LED but need 100W equivalent if I don't want to live in the dark or rewire my house.
Anyone use the garden beds? Any good?
Yep, awesome. I have about 6 of them!
Yeah I use one and am happy with it.
Why wouldn't Aldi have air pumps listed on a bike gear sale???
I bought the screwdriver set, scroll saw and ratchet wrenches from ALDI a few years ago and they've all been fantastic. Very happy with them.
Well I decided to buy the 500 Lumen Trail light for night riding.
First impressions, it is not a particularly well-made product.
Cons:
Purchased the black/silver version, already found several imperfections in the paint that may be an issue down the track, some painted areas appear uneven, which could be an issue with heat dissipation (500 lm after all).
The battery has no indicators for how charged it is! Unbelievably you need to disconnect it from the charger and hook up the light to get this information!
The padding for the attachments is very cheap medium density foam often used in packaging (non-durable/formable). This will no doubt wear unevenly and from previous experiences, this type of foam tends to 'crack'.
Only 2 power levels available (100% power - 500lm - and 30% power - ~150lm) and having owned a 150lm light previously, it is not really bright enough to ride at night with (small lead time for obstacles).
Reflector is of average quality and somehow has scratches on the inside.
Pros:
Satisfying clicky button - there should be no confusion for if it has been pressed or not, good feedback and audible clicks.
Supposedly 7 hours run time at 30% power
Very clear glass lens (fixed focus), will test the spread/throw later tonight
The rubber gaskets for fixing to the handlebars feel strong and sturdy
Battery pack is not too heavy, should be wearable on helmet without too much negative effect
The charging LED on the recharge pack/plug indicates red=charging and green=fully charged.
Tested the light in the office during the day, and it seems to be BRIGHT. Lots more than my 120 Lumen Bikemate light I bought from Aldi a few years ago. Can use it as a sun lamp, as it feels warm pointed at the cheek (with eyes closed) =:O The light is fairly focused, good for long range, yet allowing some light to spread out to warn people of your approach. Looking forward to ride home, but hope it doesn't annoy too many people.
The old and new versions share the same charger and battery pack (not sure if the internals match though..Voltage, AH), with the new one having a gripper cable plug.
My 3 yo battery pack is still going like new….lasts me for about a month before needing a recharge, so that is about 7 hours on flash mode/30% mode. The padding/foam on my old battery pack has lasted well over 3 years. And the old light has not let me down.
So I did not hesitate in buying this one, so car drivers can see me better. Now, what to do with old one.
No issues with paint on my one. Light switch button (large) seems an improvement on old one which was small and a little difficult to press. But light from the led charge level indicator might be annoying, so can use thin tape to reduce it's brightness.
One trick on my 3 yo Bikemate light/battery, was I had to power on the charger first, before connecting it to the battery, and then a couple of hours later, the charging indicator would change from red to green/yellow (full charge).
Doing this the opposite order (connect first and then power on, as per old and new instructions), would prevent the indicator from turning green. So not sure if this same trick is needed for new charger.
Oh, with wearing light on helmet, cable was long enough to allow battery to be in rear pocket of cycling shirt or backpack, if the extra weight of battery on helmet is a concern.
Ahhh my charger light was green from the get go. Must have been charged already.
I'm more concerned with vertical spread, seems like it has about the right amount of spread vs throw.
Also it seems that foam only relates to the helmet mount. Which is where I'm going to trial mounting it.
Saw the charging led go from red to green after 10mins of charging.
Sorry, didn't look at foam on the helmet cradle. I use mine on the handlebar. Bit fiddly to fit to the handlebar with the rubber ring, but it makes for a firm hold.
No annoying glare from the LED charge indicator/button, so no need to tape up.
The light is bright and definitely a keeper. With the twin lens, you get a good throw forward to see the track, and a good spread to let people know you are coming. Compared to my 120 Lumen (3W) one, this one (10W) seems about 3 times as bright :) Was seeing a lot more distant reflectors/road signs being lit up.
Given both have the same battery (7.4V 2000mAH), I am expecting to get about 2-3 hours in flash mode. Will be very happy if it's around 7 hours though.
Stopped one car from leaving a side street when it was blocking my path from the footpath. The passenger wound down his window to ask me to turn off the light (flash mode). At least they noticed me.
After 50 mins of riding on flash mode + 10mins on full, the battery is down to 75%, so estimate to get about 4 hours total with my combination of usage. So it might only last me a 1.5 weeks of night commuting before needing a recharge, rather than 4 weeks from my old 120 lumen Bikemate light which uses the same battery capacity.
The helmet cradle has plenty of velcro for attachment. Too much for my purposes. Will cut it to suit after 60 days use.
Interestingly the flash-mode seems to be slightly brighter than the 30% mode (at least on my one).
Seems like 100% / 30% / 40% flash.
@Telios:
My 500 Lumen light in flash mode, goes to 100% brightness (or close to it).
As I overtake a lot of riders on my ebike commute, I find the flash mode is good to let other riders know that I am approaching. Use to use my bell a bit.
I bought the light not sure if all the parts were in the box as it was the last one
any ideas how to attach the light to the bike or a helmet
thanks
To attach light to bike, use rubber rings to hold light on handlebar.
For helmet, attach supplied platic cradle with velcro strap to helmet, and attach light to cradle using rubber rings.
The instructions should show this.
Already in Melb city store today there are only 2 mens bike shoes left, both opened packages
The white (velcro)SPD compatible bike shoes seem ok for the price, but do not have as stiffer sole as the Shimano ($130) ones I have, and have less rubber tread, so expect them to wear down quicker, if you walk on the footpath much. Will see how long the top material last.
I had to go to two Aldi stores to find a size 10 (as of 10am). There was only one other size 10 left in white velcro version.
Cycling shoes (white velcro version) are good and a keeper. I would not call them Premium as they are titled. The soles are not as stiff as my Shimano ones, and I only notice this when cycling hard. Otherwise, during normal use, after 10 mins of riding, I forgot that they were Crane shoes. Walking, they feel a bit like soccer boots.
The INOC bike shorts were a bit warm. Just passes as a keeper. Gel padding does it's job of keeping my bottom comfy. The outer is a bit slimmer and thicker material than the Crane versions, and they pass as normal shorts. Zipped pocket is a good idea even though small size makes it hard to access, but shorts are lacking a left side pocket. For cooling, much prefer my 4 yo Crane shorts, which I still use for daily commutes.
The INOC bike shirts are good at cooling, with the mesh sides and back. A keeper. Slightly itchy on occassions, but hoping it to go away after a few washes. Simple design on front, means you don't stand out as a cycling pro.
The toolkit looks to have a good range of tools, but they look a bit light duty. Should suit me as a backup toolkit or one for when I am transporting the mtb to an offroad location.
Missed out on the garden bed, anyone wanna offload or know where there's still stock?
Finally German lumens