sced

You're being disingenuous. It's obvious what goes on. BTW: do you or have you ever had a BD bike?

waporvare

So that's your bike I take it? I mean, I can post numerous pics of broke bikes from every manufacturer out there.

With that being said, that doesn't look like CF, is it alloy?

ShooterK2

Bought this Windsor Dover for my son, and then another one for my girlfriend. Got another BD bike for my younger son. I've had zero problems with any of them. Wish I would've discovered them before I spent the money for mine at the LBS. Nothing against the LBS..........just that I don't have the kind of money to spend extra when it's available somewhere else cheaper. The closest LBS to me is over 2 hours away anyway, so add the cost of that trip to everything I buy there. For less than $400, these are really good bikes. Sora epuipped (I know, spare me..........like I said, I've had zero problems), Kinesis frames, CF fork. I've never waited over 3 days for anything from BD. No, I'm not a shill. Not a racer either. Just a guy who likes to ride bikes, and enjoys it when the family goes with me.

MrCrassic 

^

BikesDirect is a pretty unique dealer in comparison to local bike shops or (dare I say it) Wal-Mart/Target/etc. Additionally, it seems that many have or might have a stigma against purchasing a complete bike online and from an unfamiliar manufacturer (since, I believe, relatively few people are familiar with Kinesis and the like).

With that, I think it's worthy of its own thread.

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tombailey

I bought one. It was a POS. I spent so long working on it (specifically - headset, stem, bottom bracket) that it never fulfilled it's purpose as a rain bike. So I got rid of it. Unfortunately there was nothing actually broken so I couldn't send it back. Just cheap parts on a poorly assembled bike. I felt like I got what I paid for. Wasn't worth the time/effort for me despite the low cost.

sced

Which model did you get and when?

urbanknight

Alright, can it before this thread gets locked and tarmac dude has to start yet another one.

Crast

BD does a lot of the things that a manufacturer does. At the low end side, do you think Trek is really innovating all that much? No, they take an aluminum frame they've already done, use a Madone color scheme from 4-5 years back, and spec out a component mix that will fit their target price point and quantity yield. Then they have some factory (in asia for the low end bikes) churn these out and have them start shipping to LBSes.

While yes, it takes less "R&D" to make a BD bike, they have to do many of the same things someone at trek is doing for a low end bike. Someone has to choose a frame, figure out colors and decals, spec out parts, and contract a factory to start building them and shipping them to the US. Yes, some of their component mixes seem outright silly. Like why do they sell fixies with 80 gear inches as the default gearing? I don't know. But for the most part, they do a good job.

And then there's the hard to argue with value. How many other places can you find a complete MTB with full XTR drivetrain and juicy 7 hydraulic disc brakes for $1200? Even if their bikes are 'crap' (which they are not) they spec out a full mix of components nearly all of which are name brand, and use pretty good frames, and put it all in at a price slightly above what buying the groupset and brakes would cost. Sure, it's not a 'real name' brand and their marketing tactics are questionable. But their bikes are not, and I don't see why people can't start a thread to post pics without it being slammed upon.

sgtp

I'll post up a pic of my my moto grand sprint tonight, but looks like it wont be in before the lock

bdcheung

do they manufacture bikes?

Crast

Does Fuji? Does Schwinn? Heck, even Bianchi, others have a whole load of bikes that are manufactured for them by companies like Kinesis which never hit a building owned by the 'manufacturer' and just go straight from china to your LBS or Walmart.

Hunt-man

Here is mine, in Ti. A great bike for the money. The ride is a bit stiff buy I use it for my race bike. Bikesdirect was great to deal with. Lets stop the attacks and enjoy them.

AngryScientist 

i'll throw my 2 cents in: i have a windsor clockwork from BD.

the bike was exactly what i expected it to be. it went together easily and the shipping/ customer service was seamless.

there were a few parts that were cheaply made on the bike which i promptly replaced, worst offender being the stem. other parts i intended to replace anyway were the saddle ( i would put my own saddle on ANY bike), pedals (same) - and i slapped on some campy brakes to round it off.

bottom line - good value bike as long as you know what you're getting into.

TarmacDude

How do you like the Ti fantom cross? Is the ride softer than a road bike? Do you have a separate set of wheels to use it as a "road" bike? I've been interested in this bike. Only thing is the cons of this bike have been the integrated headset...some people say it could wear out, and than others say, it won't.

BengeBoy 

Thanks for posting this! (Motobecane Fantom Cross in Ti, $1795 or $1995, they keep changing the price).

That's the bike I was interested in as a commuter/rain bike. Have you seen any significant threads and/or reviews of that bike?

redtires

I would agree with pcad as well, but I'd like to add something that I see as well. The OP asked for opinions on BD...that would include things like "I enjoyed my experience, and I like my bike" or "Their customer service sucked and my bike came broken". Those would be examples of opinions regarding BD. Now, what I see a lot of is "hey, can I have an opinion on BD?" the response is more like "your a shill, go away" or "all bikes not sold by BD are superior". Pcad makes some excellent points regarding needing a knowledge of fit and the ability to build a bike from a box. But, most of us here buy components online, clothes online and accessories online...and often searching out the best prices on stuff...then sharing the information with everyone here, generally without consequence. I dunno man, if you know what your doing, BD is a steal of a deal.

Hunt-man

It would be a good commuter / rain bike. I got it to ride cross on. I can't say it rides much different than my aluminum framed Bianchi Axis. It is a good bike and not a lot of flex in the frame. Beautiful Ti and I melted off the stickers and it looks great. I've got some back problems and I'm thinking of racing cross on my full susp. mountain bike this year, only about 9lbs heavier....

I haven't ridden it with road wheels but it would do really well. I've got cross tires on it and it is all stripped down to race, plus I still have the Bianchi all fendered out for wet weather. Don't know nothing about the headset, still working for me.

I am thinking about some better wheels for cross season.....

darksmaster923

Uh... I have the Dawes Lightning 1000 on the BD website...

cuda2k

Well, looks like I forgot to hit the "close after reply" button there. Sorry folks.

Okay, I've cleaned out what, in my opinion, does not contribute to the topic of the thread. If you don't agree, then PM me. If you don't like BD as a company but have no experience with their bikes, then don't post. If you want to contribute to Tarmac's research into his potential new bike, fine, post. If you don't know the difference between the two, either don't post, or PM me and I'll be happy to explain. Thank you.

Hunt-man

No, Thank you.

CardiacKid

So there is a new rule that one actually has too know what they are talking about before they post something? Does this apply to all threads or only to threads about companies who advertise on Bike Forums?
Why are people allowed to openly criticize every bike manufacturer in the world, without having ridden their bikes, but are now barred from saying anything critical of BD unless they have actually tasted the Koolaid?

TarmacDude

Big Thanks.

cm02WS6

I have a Moto Ti "Team" that bought on the holiday sale for $2000 and received about 10 months ago. I've probably got about 2500 miles on it so far. Component-wise, you can't beat the price I paid for the full DA7800 and the Ritchey WCS cockpit is nice. My only complaint about the component spec is that the Ritchey WCS wheels were total crap, extremely flexible to the point that I could not even take one hand off the bars without feeling out of control. I replaced those with Easton Circuits and the bike turned into the bike I was hoping for. Otherwise, the only other change I made was the saddle. The bike itself is a good bike. It rides nice, seems stiff enough, and corners well. The quality of the build was good. Everything was adjusted correctly and the only real problem I had was that the headset expander plug wasn't installed correctly. I'm relatively new to cycling, so I guess you should take my opinions with a grain of salt because I really don't have much to compare it to other than the 2001 Trek 5200 I bought used and got hooked on cycling with. I'm 5-11, started at 180 lbs and now I'm down to 165, and I got the 53 cm size. This bike does everything I need and I don't feel like I'm compromising anything. Actually, I was able to replace the wheels, saddle, and just recently bought a PT rear wheel and I still probably came out ahead of other bikes with a comparable component spec. As with any bike purchase, the assembly should be checked over (which the LBS does if you buy from them).

patentcad

I do find many of the BD flame throwers are doing that from hearsay and often seem to have some axe to grind. I can only tell everybody that I bought a bike from them and had a great experience, and for that I am continually labeled a shill. That's inaccurate, offensive, and worse, very, very stupid. Of course, that latter quality is in keeping with BF Tradition, so I can't get too upset about that.

I don't have any axes to grind. The company offered a great product at a great price and came through in every way. I also consistently state that I don't think BD is for everybody for a number of reasons, and I think it's impossible to satisfy every customer with their business model. I've even discussed this issue with the owner. He knows that. If a company like his has 85% customer satisfaction, considering all the ways you can get pissed off buying a bike mail order, I'd say they're doing something right. And BD is doing most things right (if not all). And that's why they're thriving. They're not successful because they're some kind of massive scam operation, and that's what some of the posters here are saying.

I'm confident that 5 years from now BD will still be around. Scammers don't generally last that long. Well, the GOP does, but that's a P&R topic.

TarmacDude

I am waiting for their Ti bikes to come back in stock, but have been contemplating the fantom cross ti. I'm not sure if they got new models coming in or what. I'm surprised you are using a 53cm size considering that you are 5'11. Were you fitted for the bike? Any ways, do post some pics with the easton wheels if you get the chance. I'd probably sell the ritchey wheels as well for some ea90 aero wheels. How much were you able to sell the ritchey wheels for?