Just picked up a FCU yesterday.. it's lots of fun to ride! Here are my intial impressions
I'm really impressed with the frame material... but it seems they cut costs on construction a tiny bit though (I see a few minor flaws and some of the welds are kinda messy). Paint (power coat?) is real nice, though the decals are UGLY as hell (esp the TT logo).. BikesDirect I'll design you a new FCU logo for free! Or put the decals on top of the clearcoat so they can be removed easily, which seems to be a common desire.
While the overall frame quality is very good, it seems they spec'd all low end component to meet their low, low price point. I'm also not sure how much the PO messed with the bike after it was assembled (bike was barely used at all) but the brake levers are crooked and the brakes are poorly adjusted. Some of these issues are the same ones that xmart bikes have (low end components and poor assembly) but at the price I paid I'm not complaining. Even at $400 it's a good value, if you want a new bike.
I know it's a single speed vs fully geared bike, but just by picking them up I can't tell if my high end Centurion Ironman or the Fantom Uno is lighter.. that's a pretty good sign in my opinion.
And echoing all other reviews... those Cheng-Shin brake levers are THE WORST! Skinny and uncomfortable on the hoods and not enough extension to reach from the drops... luckily i've got some Cane Creeks lying around
Last edited by frantik; 12-29-12 at 05:34 AM.