jowen

I stumbled across the 2015 Kestrel Talon road bike and was very surprised at the price.

It seems to have very nice components, and for what it is, I am wondering what makes this bike so cheap compared to most other brands out there?

Marcus_Ti

A few things:

A) It is a 2015 model, and retailers need to dump the 2015s to make way for the 2016 paint jobs.

2) and this is the big one...Someone will need to spend $150-$200 of labor putting the bike together and setting it up. Either the buyer will need to be handy with a hex spanner, or will need to pay a shop.

Xherion

I bought a 2014 Kestrel Legend and have absolutely no complaints about it. Got it for a steal online in March this year. Kestrels are cheaper because they don't have the strong brand recognition and are now owned by ASI, which is the same parent company as Fuji, SE, Oval, etc. I would not hesitate to buy another.

In terms of assembly, it's very minimal, similar to most online ordered bikes. Just have to attach the the handlebars to the stem, break calipers, put on the wheels, seatpost and slightly adjust the derailler (I suspect they came fully assembled, but in shipping the FD cable bolt loosened and lost purchase to the cable). Still fairly minimal and simple assembly that you should be able to do yourself or pay a shop a pretty nominal fee to do.

rms13

Kestrel is owned by the same company as Fuji and they generally offer better pricing than many big brands. Your likely getting a heavy entry level carbon frame and heavy house brand wheels. They don't give you the full shimano group just shifters and deraileurs. Is that bad? No but it's how they hit the price point. If you buy at Performance, Jenson or another brick and mortar store they assemble it for free. If you buy from bikes direct there is some assembly and tuning required. Most people can finish assembly with a few Allen wrenches and watching some YouTube videos. If you want a shop to do it, they really shouldn't charge more than $75. Most shops charge $150-200 to build a bike from scratch and that's not what they are doing if you buy a bike on line

Bah Humbug

Of note, the Talon is one of the oldest, if not the oldest frame still in production. The design and mold were paid for long ago...

IcySmooth52

Exactly. The Talon is an ancient design. Not a bad one, but only kept around for so long because of it's versatility of going TT or road bars. First made in the early 2000's.

jowen

Thank you for the replies and insight into this bike everyone.