bostongarden

BTW, I forgot to mention, good thread...

bostongarden

Ok, I'm good now, just got my average posts per day back over 2.

baiskeli

Here we go yet again

D.J.M.

Their water is not wet enough :-)

StephenH

"What's the Problem with BikesDirect?"

I don't see ANY industrial cruisers on their site. So there.

bailcash09

BURN HIM!!!















.....oh....sorry

mattm

this thread is shillarious.

wanders

Has Bikesdirect stopped beating his wife?

roccobike

Will someone please pass me the popcorn?

rockabilly808

here we go again......

rollin

No way that's happening.

Henry back to the Arse would be a step backwards.

On the other hand the "O" on the Arsenal shirt represents the number of trophies they have won this season (again)

bikesdirect_com

Now that is funny!
My wife is 20 years younger than I
She runs 3 to 5 marathons a year [in fact we just got back from Boston]
When she comes in and says 'I'm going for a short run' it means 15 to 18 miles.
She goes to the gym for weight training 5 days a week
She won the adventure bike regionals here by over an hour [in an 18 hour race]
While I sit here and type on forums she is doing pull ups in the office

I do not think I sould try to beat her!!!

patentcad

Mike, I do realize you get a ton of **** here, but the whole Mahatma Ghandi quote is a major stretch you bike industry martyr you. Hey, I paid for my Fly Ti last night, how come it's not in my garage already? Let's get those bikes shipping already.

Does Mrs. BD like how the Fly Ti descended, unlike MTB Action? Did she race it with those squirrely little skinny Kenda tires?

bikesdirect_com

She loves the Fly Ti
and at the nationals she used wider tires as the terrain was different than Florida
the skinny Kendas are like all good tires - good for what they are designed for
but not good for some other uses

we are coming out with a heavier cheaper Ti AM hardtail that will have wider tires and a wider cassette

[in fact, we are coming out with about 8 different Ti bikes]

Please post your pictures and review of this bike

stevesbike

I recently bought a nemesis frame, am going to race it in district time trial championsihps in a few weeks, and tried to find out what the headset specs were (cane creek, campy etc). The tech support at bikesdirect didn't know, posted the question in a forum on RBR with other posters wanting to know, but no reply from bikesdirect (even though they sponsor the forums there). It should be a simple question to answer and the kind that would help with their reputation among serious riders/racers (where that just means people who know headsets have different specs etc).

patentcad

Thanks Mikey. Hope to be enthusiastic and finally earn those BD Shill Royalty checks.

Does Florida actually have any geography that would be considered 'terrain' in the rest of the USA?

rollin

incorrect

rollin

I don't know, I think it fits in nicely with the overall bd "tom-shillery" marketing ethic

edit. besides everyone knows Gandhi rode a full bamboo Calfee, that cat could climb

voltman

Down to the wire stuff.

crtreedude 

Okay Mike - we have to know, does your wife beat you?

patentcad

That Ghandi dude would have been KOM.

Arrowtalon

I know a few people that have purchased bikes through bikesdirect. I'm looking to do the same. My general conclusion is that if you can get a very good sale price on a bike you like locally, you should buy local. Example: If you can find a similar bike you know you like for a hundred bucks more, you should get it. The reason is that you should not expect service from BD or any of their stock brands (Mercier, Motobecane, etc). If the frame fails after mile 23, you're pretty much at their mercy.

Comparing BD bike prices to retail is no centest in my opinion, especially if you live in one of the high retail zones. A similar quality BD bike will save you $200-300 vs the high retail market, accounting for labor and tune-ups included at an LBS. (That isn't to say the quoted MSRP on BD are in any way accurate.)

The BD bikes are good, competent bikes. The only deficiency in them that I see is in paint quality. It really is poor, and it will wear out quickly. Most of the Al frames are Kinesis or other reputable makers. The Mercier frames were, if not are, identical to Fuji frames (Kinesis 7005).


In short, BD bikes are fine. The service is risky, but the price can make up for it. Know your bike fit before you buy, do your homework, and you should be fine buying from BD.

Arrowtalon

One thing to note about these forums that I've learned: There are people on here that are bike geniuses--veterans that have been around and know their stuff. Their input is invaluable. There are also many anonymous LBS owners and sales personnel on here that will give predictable answers biased toward whatever product line they're selling. They don't like people buying bikes online, for obvious reasons. However, most LBS people on here fall in the good category). A third group is the group I see often when I'm racing in the sport class circuit--people with more money than experience that are willing to drop $1500-2000 on a "starter bike." I view this crowd as akin to the country clubbers showing off their golf clubs. They'll bash BD or other online venues to make themselves feel better about spending so much on their own bike.

DrPete 

Others still choose to try to make themselves sound superior to other cyclists using phrases like "more money than experience." That way, the fact that they're riding in the same "sport class circuit" doesn't matter, because they can go home believing that they're the superior athlete for not needing a more expensive bike...

crtreedude 

I don't have a more expensive bike because I know it isn't going to help me anyway...