Originally Posted by
borobike
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Out of curiousity, let's do a part breakdown to compare this bike's price with that of other entry level Sora-equipped bikes:
Original price: $157
Kool-Stop pads: $20
Dura-Ace Crankset: $36
Sora FD: $9
Sora RD: $10
Suntour Friction shifters w/cables: $10
Total: $242
"Optional" Extras (things that are more personal/not necessary for every Denali):
Shimano UN54 BB: $20
Serfas Dual Density Saddle: $40
KMC Z-Chain w/master link: $15
Total: $317
When you consider that many Sora-equipped bikes start at $350-$400 and can go up to $700 or so new, the Denali isn't such a bad deal if you don't mind doing a little wrenching, at a base build price of $242. Granted, many of my parts are based on pretty great deals, but if you shop around a little you can find them too! For example, I saw a Dura-Ace 7402 (vintage 7-speed) RD for sale on ebay in great working condition for $60, if I hadn't already gotten the Sora I'd be all over that. It pays to browse around.
Alternatively, for $40 (another deal I found) I could have used a Tiagra RD and brought the total build price with optional extras up to $337.
If you don't like stem shifters, you can use bar-end index or friction shifters for shifting. From what I've found, these can cost between $30-$100 depending on what you like. This would bring your total cost minus optional extras up to $262-$332. Still a pretty fair price for a full Sora bike.
The only negative I can see is the issue with brifters, if you don't like friction shifters or bar-end. You can easily budget in a set of brifters on top of the $242 price and come out well, but the problem is that the bike is a 7 speed whereas most brifters are going to be adjusted for 9 speed drivetrains (you can use a 9 speed RD on a 7 speed drivetrain btw, the RD doesn't care, the shifters do!). Budgeting in a 9 speed freewheel at about $35 (there aren't many, but there are some out there) and a 9 speed chain ($15) brings the base cost up to $292. Allowing $150 for the Sora brifters (or $129 for the Nashbar variety) brings the total cost for the build up to $420-$440.
I have also found that some Sora shifters are tuned for 8 speed drivetrains, meaning you can keep your original chain and drop your price down to $405-$425 w/brifters, and allowing for the cost of an 8 speed freewheel.
Of course, there's still the issue with weight, but your cost savings has to come from somewhere. Swapping out to a road crank should save you a couple of pounds, and the derailleurs might weigh a little less as well. Likely when all is said and done though, it is probably still a 25lb bike at the bare minimum. Changing the wheelset, tires, seatpost, and fork could get this bike under 20 lbs but then it's no longer a budget build.
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It's not really an apples to apples comparison. The Denali has a heavier frame and wimpier brakes. Also, you can get bikes with 8 speed cassettes from BD for $299. It's still down tube shifting vs brifters but it's a much easier upgrade path starting with a cassette instead of a freewheel if you do eventually want brifters and/or a 9/10 speed drive train.
While there are 9 speed freewheels available it's not a great idea to use one. It's fairly easy to bend or break an axle once you get above a 7 speed freewheel and I'm sure the hubs on the Denali aren't designed for more than 7.
Another alternative is Nashar where you can get a road bike and even a cyclcross bike on sale for under $600. Note that most entry level road bikes from major manufacturers also come with a carbon fork. Not everyone wants one but it's definitely a higher level component than what you get on a Denali. Then there's all the little details like forged dropouts and replaceable derailleur hangers.
All that said, there's a place for a Denali. Where it might make some sense for me is as the basis for a winter bike but I don't know if it has sufficient tire clearance. It would have to have room for 38's with fenders. Assuming it did, I could pick up a used Denali cheap and replace basically all the components. The attraction for me is the cheap aluminum frame. Finding decent caliper brakes to work with the larger tires could be a problem though.