happa95

Hey, everyone. With my limited budget of about $400, I've decided to look into Bike Direct bikes. There are plenty of good reviews on all of them but seeing as it'll be my first fixed gear bike, I'd definitely like to try them out first. I've heard that many of the bikes offered are the exact same as other higher priced offerings. So, before I go to my LBS, can you guys tell me which BD bikes are the same as which non-BD bikes?

alexgate

There is no direct equivalents. Only similar geometries, and similar level of components.

Squirrelli

I think he meant rebranded/debranded/etc.

Framset wise...
Kilo TT is basically a KHS Flite 100.
Windsor Hour is a Fuji Classic track/ Fuji Feather/ SE Lager
Motobecane Team Track is a Fuji Track Comp.

Component wise...
I feel too lazy to compare them all.

seejohnbike

Around these parts, it's highly discouraged to go to a shop to try things on/out, only to order the same (or highly comparable) thing elsewhere. If you have ridden other road/fixed/ss bikes and know your size, just order your size and be done with it. If you don't know your size, I suppose it's kosher to go into a shop or two, let them know you're shopping around and you just want to get sized up. But no more. Hell, if you're daring or have a good relationship with your LBS, you can be highly upfront about your intentions, but let them know you want to buy any immediate upgrades from them (bars, pedals, saddle, wheels, whatever you want...), and that you might want them to look it over before you ride it. (The assembly quality on BD bikes is notoriously shoddy)

Most bike shops know that the bikes direct bikes are pretty good deals, and a good bike shop won't be bitter about the fact you bought your bike elsewhere, and will hopefully give you good reason to return for your other biking related needs. However, if you blow smoke up the figurative ass of a bike shop, and then come in with your BD bike, and act like it aint no thang, you might be met with some opposition, bitterness, or general less willingness to help than if you were straight up with your intentions.

edit: that is, if your intent is to go into your LBS and test ride the 'equivalent' model, then order the BD model...

happa95

Thank you for the informative response, seejohnbike, and all your points are valid. I am an absolute newb to biking in general and have no clue what size I should be going for. I'm 5'3" with shorter legs so I'm thinking probably a 47 or a 49 at the most but I really don't know. I think you're right about being upfront with my intentions. Being such a newb, I'm going to need help building and adjusting my BD bike, anyways. I'd also probably go with some reasonable upgrades from them, as well.

seejohnbike

atta boy.

if you're willing to play with ~$400, and let the LBS know whats up, they might be able to come down in price a little bit on any closeouts from the 2010 lines (2011 bikes are coming out very soon. you couldn't have picked a better time to snag a new bike), and you'll be good to go.

Otherwise, if they can't meet you somewhere close on the price for a complete bike, you can always respectfully disagree, grab a moto track for $280, and offer to spend the remaining $120 on some combination of once over, front brake, bars, stem, pedals, wheelset, etc. the once over is recommended if you're a newb and its a BD bike, and front brake is certainly recommended if you're new to fixed riding, everything else is pretty much up to preference. Oh, and while it's not an immediate necessity, even if you don't get a new wheelset, you might want to look into getting a new cog/lockring combo (~$30 total), as the stock ones are pretty crummy, but vitally important to fixed riding.

AngryScientist 

$400 is a decent budget for a fixed gear bike, IMO. they are pretty simple machines, and that budget should definitely get you something functional.

i know for sure there are bikes at a local shop i frequent under $400 on "clearance" simply to clear room for the 2011 models on the way in.

good luck!

hairnet

they dont do any assembling. "factory direct"

chas58

I bought a closeout from a local bike shop.

I test rode bikes from 4-5 different shops, but one shop gave me a good fitting, and that was priceless. I’ve been riding bikes that didn’t fit for decades, and having one that fits like a glove is, well, priceless. It is so nice. The lifetime maintenance and lifetime parts discount at the LBS is nice too.

Bikes direct is great for people who really do know what they are doing, or for people who really don’t have $$$ and don’t care.

If you do care, but don’t have a lot of experience, you can make a big mistake. Most of the bikes I test road I didn’t really like, but one stood out on the test ride.

I am so glad I got the fitting with my new bike. I’ve been riding wrong for years and never knew any better.

happa95

Thanks. I will definitely look at some clearances. But theoretically, what if I went and tried out the SE Lager and KHS Flite 100 just to get a feel for them and to make sure which size I need (while stating my intentions to buy off of BD). Then, after buying the similar bike off of BD, if I brought it into the LBS and had them build and set up my new bike, as well as replace a lot of the crappy components. Even though I'm not very experienced with bikes, they should be, right? So that way, I end up with a well set-up bike with decent components for less money.
p.s. I still need a helmet and gloves and all that so I wouldn't exactly be ripping the store off.

Capocaccia

Agreed. A bunch of the 2011 models just came out so make sure to ask for any old 2010's they have in stock. They are going to need to sell those first. I got my 2009 Langster MSRP 830$ for $530 the week the 2010 models came out.

mconlonx

Maybe this:
- Go to LBS, size yourself up on a bike.
- Get BD bike.
- Since you are noob to this, bring the bike to the same LBS for setup, maybe some upgraded parts and install as well.
- Tip the mechanic...

graciela

Just curious about some of the points made in this thread cos I've seen them time and again online whenever someone mentions BD. Will an LBS really turn away business and/or give you bad customer service or attitude because you come in with a BD bike or one that you didn't buy from them? I can understand it on principle but when I think about the state of the economy, I have a hard time believing that a business would refuse work cos they didn't get 100% of your business. Buying a bike is but one of many bike-related purchases and it's probably the shortest lived. Keeping that bike in working condition goes on for years. Service, maintenance, replacements parts, and maybe the purchase of a bike from the LBS in the future seem like better reasons to get past the BD stigma.

I've heard stories about bike shops that are rude to customers that don't meet their cool and hip factor and people advise others to stay away. So why would a shop want to turn someone away cos they have an internet bike? Then that person goes on Yelp or other community and lets others know that so and so isn't open to certain customers. Maybe I am that delusional to think that the rules of business apply to bike shops but you know, it sounds kinda crazy to me.

abax

hi, i'm a total noob too and lurked on these forums for a while. just letting you know i received my IRO Mark V 2 days ago and i love it. it's only $400 base price and was recommended in other threads for that price range (vs BD bikes). the staff were really helpful answering my questions as well.

https://www.irocycle.com/markvbuild-a...heelset-2.aspx

OUgreen

I can only write about my own experience, but I took my Pake that I ordered online to have the headset installed at my LBS and they were more than happy to do it. The only comment they made was that they could also order Pake and other brands for me and would do their best to price match. There is another LBS in town where the employees are pretty elitist about their products and I did not have the same welcoming experience there.

iTripped

Hold on a sec. If you are considering the Kilo TT and also want to upgrade parts, then mebbe you should consider going straight for the Flite 100. Here's why: add the cost of the Kilo to the cost of parts AND cost of installation (you said you were new to this, I assume you want them to install any upgrades) and you are dangerously close to the cost of the KHS Flite 100 already. Keep in mind that on the KHS, you won't have to swap out any parts as they default to better ones in key areas (notably the wheels). If money is your big consideration, you might find it cheaper overall to go for the bike at the local shop. Plus, a bike bought local will usually have better support over the long haul from said shop.

Capocaccia

My personal experience: Ive personally been in the shop while and employee refused to sell a bike due to the customer asking for a free water bottle or cage. The employee didnt have to give the guy anything. But, selling a bike at full retail price vs a 3$ water bottle cage combo seems like a little bit elitist. I bet if he was asking for a madone the guys would have thrown in tune ups.

plowmanjoe

you can easily pay for a good fitting, therefore it is not priceless.

SlowRoller

Hi graciela. I believe what seejohnbike is referring to is if you were to go to an LBS, have them work with you on selecting a bike, getting the right size, and checking out what options you like, and then you go turn around and buy it online. This is different than if you were to just bring in a bike and have them swap out components for you or get some basic servicing. That's what he meant by being upfront with your intentions to buy online.

graciela

Hi SlowRoller. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Reading John's comment again, it does sound more like what you suggest. I was just curious about it because I have seen a lot of people make the claim that an LBS will be snooty or refuse service because of a BD bike around the bike forums. Someone said as much to me when I posted a question about getting a new bike a few months ago.

Reading some of the other comments in response to me, guess you don't even need an internet bike to get bad service!

chas58

Ya missed the point.

besides, I don't think he want to spend a couple hundred most shops around here charge for a walk in fitting.

mconlonx

If a salesperson spends hours coddling a customer only for them to go out and buy a bike on teh interwebz, there might be some hard feelings.

If a customer is up front about just finding out what size bike will fit them because they are ordering a bike online and will be bringing the bike in for setup, that shop would be shooting themselves in the foot to turn that customer away -- profit margin on bike sales are pitiful compared to margin on service, and good service leads to a regular customer who might be interested in a shop bike at some point, not to mention upgrade parts and install service fees. Might also result in a discussion about bikes the shop can get from their vendors which might be competitive with BD offerings.

Shops are like the people working there, though--all kinds of different attitudes and outlooks.

DiabloScott

Could always go to W-mart and try on the bikes there for size... nobody will get upset about that.