Chinese groupset

[boyse7en]

I've bought an old Cannondale Caad 8 which needs a good refresh as it has been sat for a decade or so and is in a bit of a sorry state.
Frame and wheels are good (after a clean) but the Shimano Sora 2 x 9 drivetrain and brakes look beyond redemption.

I was going to buy Shimano bits secondhand to gradually replace them all, probably with a mix of 105 and Ultegra, and also update it to 10 or 11 speed.

However, I have seen the Sensah Empire Pro groupset on AliExpress which seems to be a bit of a bargain and being all from one groupset should mean i don't get any compatibility issues.
Anyone tried a chinese groupset? Good, bad, indifferent experience? There are some reviews on YouTube which seem reasonably positive, but i don't know how unbiased the reviews are.

[Gribs]

Tracevelo is good for reviews on Chinese gear and seems to call it out when it's crap.

[WPA]

What would you do for spares if it goes wrong

[boyse7en]

WPA said:

What would you do for spares if it goes wrong

They seem to sell bits separately too, so while i might not be able to get a specific screw or something, i could buy a pair of levers or RD and just replace it. Much of it seems to be compatible with Shimano too, so could swap in parts if needed.

[WPA]

boyse7en said:

WPA said:

What would you do for spares if it goes wrong

They seem to sell bits separately too, so while i might not be able to get a specific screw or something, i could buy a pair of levers or RD and just replace it. Much of it seems to be compatible with Shimano too, so could swap in parts if needed.

Your choice but would not touch it myself, enough SH Shimano parts available

Also don't forgot to go 10/11 or 12spd you will need new wheels.

[boyse7en]

WPA said:

Your choice but would not touch it myself, enough SH Shimano parts available

Also don't forgot to go 10/11 or 12spd you will need new wheels.

I'd like to go Shimano, but even second hand it is twice the price of a new Chinese groupset.

If you have a 11-34 CS-HG700 or CS-HG800 cassette you can run 10/11 speed on a 9-speed hub

[outnumbered]

Can't say anything about Sensah, but my mate (who is usually Campagnolo everywhere) has just bought the L-Twoo electronic groupset for a new bike he's building, and the build quality on the mechs looked very good indeed when we all examined it in the pub.

[boyse7en]

outnumbered said:

Can't say anything about Sensah, but my mate (who is usually Campagnolo everywhere) has just bought the L-Twoo electronic groupset for a new bike he's building, and the build quality on the mechs looked very good indeed when we all examined it in the pub.

I've started looking at the Ltwoo stuff on AliExpress too, but info is a bit sparse so more research is needed.
I won't be going electronic, and according to the reviews i have seen/read, it is better to steer clear of the 12-speed setups if you have mechanical shifting, so I'll stick to 10 or 11 speed.