Bikes Direct, anyone?

I have known of the site for several years but they just started posting more bikes(ss, fixed, and w/Sram) for sale. Has anyone every purchased a bike from them? Does anyone know how they can sell bikes for so cheap?

The Motobecane team track has Dura-ace cranks,chainring, bb, and cog. 6066 Aluminum frame w/ carbon fork. Its $800 for the complete bike. All the components alone would be around 800, but you get a frame, fork and wheels with it.

There's also a Dawes sst al for $370! Its aluminum w/ carbon fork

Then theres the Sram bikes. $2700 for a bike with full Sram RED?! Once again the components are around $2000 alone! comes with carbon frame and fork, ritchey stem and bars, aksium rims, and carbon seat post. This bike actually looks really nice too!

Anyone know whats up? I'm thinking of getting the ss cross bike they have or getting the kilo tt with reynolds 520 frame and sugino cranks and putting some cross tires on it for winter comutting.


http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm

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Permalink Reply by bill on October 15, 2009 at 12:24pm
i have a kilo tt. the wheels are pretty much garbage. kinda flimsy and mine dont want to stay true. also, for winter you probably want fenders and i dont really see how a fender will fit between the front tire and the downtube on one of these. right at a half inch of space and mine still has the super thin tires that come with it.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on October 15, 2009 at 1:28pm
Bill,

I've been enticed by their prices as well. Aside from wheelsets being crap, is there anything else you'd recommend being wary of?

bill said:
i have a kilo tt. the wheels are pretty much garbage. kinda flimsy and mine dont want to stay true. also, for winter you probably want fenders and i dont really see how a fender will fit between the front tire and the downtube on one of these. right at a half inch of space and mine still has the super thin tires that come with it.
Permalink Reply by bill on October 15, 2009 at 1:47pm
the rest of it seems solid enough.

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
Bill,

I've been enticed by their prices as well. Aside from wheelsets being crap, is there anything else you'd recommend being wary of?

bill said:
i have a kilo tt. the wheels are pretty much garbage. kinda flimsy and mine dont want to stay true. also, for winter you probably want fenders and i dont really see how a fender will fit between the front tire and the downtube on one of these. right at a half inch of space and mine still has the super thin tires that come with it.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on October 15, 2009 at 1:52pm
Cool. Thanks.

bill said:
the rest of it seems solid enough.

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
Bill,

I've been enticed by their prices as well. Aside from wheelsets being crap, is there anything else you'd recommend being wary of?

bill said:
i have a kilo tt. the wheels are pretty much garbage. kinda flimsy and mine dont want to stay true. also, for winter you probably want fenders and i dont really see how a fender will fit between the front tire and the downtube on one of these. right at a half inch of space and mine still has the super thin tires that come with it.
Permalink Reply by ad on October 15, 2009 at 1:58pm
I just bought a Kilo WT single speed from BD to use this winter. http://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott_wt.htm. The WT has long reach brakes and can take full fenders and wide tires. I have 700 x 32s and full fenders on it right now. All and all a pretty good deal for the price. Frame is as solid as any entry level single speed, 520 Reynolds steel. Wheels are definitely the weakest point, but they are a bit better than what comes with the standard TT (same wheels that they spec on the TT Pro). I replaced the Kenda tires and the saddle right away, but probably would have done this on almost any bike I could have purchased. Graphics are a bit much, but I just covered them up with electric tape. For $439, you get a solid frame and can slowly upgrade the lower level components with what you like over time and still spend less than many other entry-level single speeds.

You will most likely have to tweek and adjust the bike a bit when you take it out of the box, or bring it to a shop to have them adjust it. My headset was pretty tight and the bottom bracket was a little loose. Pretty easy things to adjust if you know how or are willing to look things up on the web. The wheels were true, but I have heard of some bikes showing up with out-of-true rims (likely a shipping issue). The brakes also had to be set up, which isn't hard as long as you feel comfortable doing it.
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on October 15, 2009 at 3:21pm
Conventional wisdom I've seen on other forums is that the bikes are basically sound (the frames are made in the same factories that make Bianchis and such) but that they come in need of a pretty serious tune up and that there can be some heavy skimping on parts you can't see like bottom brackets. In some cases it looks like the groupsets alone are worth more than you'd pay for the bike, but at the lower end I'd think you might come out ahead fixing up a nice old steel frame, especially as (while tastes vary, etc.) the graphics are pretty ridiculous.
Permalink Reply by John Hebda on October 15, 2009 at 3:28pm
I bought their single speed / fixed cross bike a while back and love it. With most of their bikes, they seem to give you a great bang for your buck. I've had a great experience so far w/ my bike - have had it just about a year. No problems w/ the bike, shipping or really anything! I've also had a few friends buy from them and also have great experiences...
Permalink Reply by Fred Noinaj on October 15, 2009 at 7:47pm
Thanks guys. Yeah, with the prices they are selling products at it is very tempting, but remember to still support your local bike shop! Especially Iron Cycles
Permalink Reply by Ron on October 16, 2009 at 12:29am
Motobecane, Mercier, Windsor, Dawes. Owned by Bikes Direct. Great French and British names not affiliated with the old companies, whatsoever. They are the essentially spec sheets sent to Taiwan. Remember this. FIT IS EVERYTHING! What's the better value? A bike that you got cheap, or a bike that fits like a glove? Hopefully you will ride your bike long after the initial purchase. I say get a bike that you love. Don't fall in love with a price sticker.
Permalink Reply by Mark Trulock on October 16, 2009 at 2:53am
A friend has 2 bikes from bikes direct, he loves them. You can get a bike with a great groupo for the price of the groupo alone. If you were as good mechanic as my friend is you could swap out parts until your happy.

I love my LBS though (On the Route), their prices are good and they setup my bikes exactly they way I want. Like raising the handlebars because I can't pedal on the drops anymore due to my advanced weight.

Mark
Permalink Reply by ad on October 16, 2009 at 4:06am
I think people are corrrect to note that there are benefits to buying a bike at a LBS even if it costs a bit more. A good LBS will adjust the bike and make sure it is set up correctly before they let you take it out the door. Some LBSs will also help you get a pretty decent fit if you ask them to help, although many places seem to just adjust the seat and send people on there way (even at shops with good reps). I think it breaks down to the experience of the person you are working with and how busy they are when you buy the bike.

If you go the BD route, keep in mind that you will be completely on your own as to how to adjusting the bike so that it performs up to standard (much more difficult for geared bikes). While not an expert, I'm fairly comfortable adjusting and tuning a bike and I have ridden long enough to know what my body likes fit-wise. If you have experience setting up bikes or are willing to learn, a BD bike is solid and a very good deal in most cases. I personally felt it was worth it because a similar bike from a brick and mortar store would have cost me at least another $200, placing it out of my budget. I can now use the $200 saved over time to put components on that I really want.
Permalink Reply by anthony nicholson on October 16, 2009 at 5:14am
I bought my current ride from them... a Dawes-branded road bike for around $495. It serves my purposes b/c it's for commuting, not racing, and so I don't care if it has lower-end components that get beat up a bit. The wheels do seem pretty crappy (AlexRims R900s). Not sure if it's the rims or just the abuse it takes, but I've had a lot of broken spokes on the rear wheels.

I'd go into it with the mindset that you'll immediately toss and replace the saddle and tires, and you should be fine. Oh and has been noted, the color and decals are just hideous and embarassing.

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