Why are these bikes less expensive then?

Have you been reading the rest of the thread?
- They don't come fully assembled, lubed, etc.
- There isn't any service included (tune-ups, warranty, etc.)
- The frames are not as fancy
- There's no LBS overhead to pay for

Originally Posted by nivekdodge
Why are these bikes less expensive then?


While all of those except for warranty may be true, the biggest factor, which has no effect on tangible value is marketing expense. For a mainstream bike, 25% to 40% of the price is marketing. I believe the average is ~30%.

Direct sellers usually have marketing expense in the single digits ~6-9%. So figure that with all other things equal, a $2000 lbs "name brand" bike should only cost ~$1500. Take into account lower profit margins, distribution and assembly cost and the price easily lowers to ~$1200. That's with zero performance difference.

While a free tune up "costs" the lbs something, it should be more than offset by sales generated by the visit. After all , it's the best time to get someone back in the store for incidental purchases.

Thank you all for your imput..
Since posting this I purchased two bikes from BD. They came exactly as advertised. Assembly was simple ( about 30 minutes). I couldn't be happier with my purchases. Aluminum frame with CF forks and seat stay, Ultegra components, Vuelta XRP pro superlite rims, and a hollow carbon fiber crank for $1200 including shipping and no sales tax. Bikes ride and work great. I couldn't be happier.

What model did you select? Any photos?

And again, I have two BD bikes still hanging in the rafters awaiting their fate.

In answer to the original post, yes I have bought from Bikes Direct recently. My experience was fine. There's a lot of opinion both positive and negative towards BikesDirect. Everyone has to look at there own situation and decide what works best for them. In my case it was the best option for me.

i bought my windsor, the hour [along with 3 other friends] off bikes direct and they all came on time, with no flaws. with no prior knowledge of bicycles, i assembled all 4 bikes in about 20 minutes each. very simple.

Yes, you've made it clear that your choices are based on feelings instead of rational thought. Many of us have to be concerned with actual value and are constrained by our budgets.

Rational thought did come into place in making my choice, especially after many miles of riding each one. Looking back, concerning myself just with budget constraints really caused me to ended up spending money on two bikes that really don't fit my needs, and money that would have gone in purchasing a better fully equipped commuter bike that I have checked out locally, and would better fit my needs.

dynodonn's experience may seem pretty subjective, but it is a perfect illustration of one of the drawbacks of buying a bike - any bike, not just BD -online: you can not tell from a 3" X 5" picture on a computer screen if a bike is going to be suitable for its intended use.

I have limited experience with bikes direct (my nephew has a Dawes bike), and I read all the comments here and elsewhere with great interest. I am an experienced cyclist and an experienced bike tech, and I know what I am looking for in a bike, and I think I know how to compare the BD bikes with my 'ideal' to make my decision. FOr less experienced cyclists or techs, buying an inappropriate bike or lacking in suitable mechanical ability can make online bike purchases turn sour.

I might someday buy a BD bike, but I don't think everyone should.

You're right. I should hang up my new bike. It's a 29er SS from BD and it's not intended for single track.

I remember hearing something about a 'non-off-road 29er' from BD before but I forgot the details... and when I go on the BD website I cannot find any mention of any bike not being suitable for off road, but I rememebr seeing somthing about it before.

Which model of bike is it?

Which bike did you buy and why do you say it's not intended for single track?

@ LarDasse74 and AlmostTrick: I was being sarcastic. I got the Dawes Dead Eye.

I agree with the caveat that the mechanical ability needed is pretty light, not to mention that there are bike shops that will put it together for people.

OTOH, when a cousin asked my advice, I steered him to an LBS, Casters in RI, because he has no mechanical aptitude and I felt that they would take care of him. They treated him OK, though he ended up with a front suspension mtn bike for the road. In fairness to the shop, I was not there so don't know what he told them regarding the selection, and they've been good about follow-up issues, inlcuding replacing a wheel under warranty.

That's good to know, cuz I got the Deadeye from BD too and I'm fixin' on launchin' it off some wicked jumps!

Now I'm the one being sarcastic. I'll be puttin' my 30 pound Trail Snail down the path with both wheels firmly on the ground.

Just to make this bikes direct thread a little less boring, here are a couple pics of my Deadeye.








Sheldon decal (and tee shirts) available at: https://bikeage.bigcartel.com/products/

AlmostTrick, nice setup. Curious, how did you fix the disc brake tabs?

And here is mine. Gotta represent. Though I have new Alex wheels coming in. Stock ones are trash!

A non off-road 29'er is called a hybrid. lol.

I didn't hang up any of my bikes because I couldn't use them for their intend use, no more would I hang up a mountain bike because I couldn't use it in the mountains.
The only reason my BD bikes are hanging up is that they have design flaws(excessive frame flex, too soft of a suspension), something not easily seen via a picture. There they'll stay until I can decide what to do on how to fix the problem, and/or strip them for parts. Your sarcasm is duly noted.

The front mount was fine, but the rear one was misaligned. I ended up fixing it myself by grinding off a small amount of material from two spots on the tab and making a small shim to place behind the adapter bracket. I re-finished the tab with Chevy engine enamel that I had in my shop.

In their defense, BD did offer to exchange the whole bike or just the frame (my choice) when I contacted them, but I ended up deciding it would be easier and quicker if I just corrected it myself. I did take them up on their offer of two complete BB7 disc brake set-ups with rotors for only $50, shipping included, as compensation for my trouble!

Why do you say the stock wheels are trash? I like mine and expect them to last a long time.

Besides the disc tab issue everything else on the bike is fine. Oh, and this is my second BD bike. No problems at all on the first one.

My experience with Bikes Direct.....

Anyone doing their homework will see that Bikes Direct has the best deals anywhere on bikes. In my quest, I decided on the Motobecane Le Champ SL Titanium road bike. The bike cost me $1,999. I compared it to a virtually identical (same frame material and design and same Ultegra 6700 parts, similar quality wheels etc) bike sold by MOOTS at just over $7,000.

I struggled in trying to decide between the 56cm and the 59cm frame...seemed my measurements put me in between these two for the theoretical "perfect" fit. I ended up choosing the 59cm. I'm 6'0" tall with 34.5" inseam.

Bike arrived 4 days after placing the order in perfect condition. I assembled the bike and put it on my trainer to fine tune the fit.....then realized it was just a bit too big (long in the TT). Now I was a bit nervous as to how BD would handle my request to swap it for the 56cm size....the normal fears of buying something expensive on the internet.

Well, if they could have handled my request any better, I can't imagine how.
- First of all, they saved me about $100.00 in UPS cost by charging me $40 and emailing me the bar-code label (going directly to UPS would have cost $139 for the same ground shipping).
- Second, they gave me absolutely no hassle whatsoever with my request to exchange bike sizes.
- Third, they didn't even wait until receiving the returned bike before shipping out the new one .... this certainly Exceeded my expectations .... they simply waited for the UPS tracking status to show that the returning bike was on its way and then shipped my new bike out to me.
- Fourth, they didn't charge me a shipping fee for the replacement bike (which I would have thought was reasonable since the fitting error was really more my fault than theirs).

Bottom line from my experience...not only are their deals INCREDIBLE on bikes....but their Customer Service is Absolutely Top Notch. LOVE dealing with an outfit like this one......I will definitely be recommending them to all my friends and would buy from them again in a heartbeat.

John
Michigan – 2/26/2010

From what you write, the problems you have with your bikes should have been discovered almost immediately after you got them and tried riding them. Did you request either a refund or an exchange to a different brand of bike? Seems unfair to criticize if you didn't give them a chance to make things right doesn't it?