Originally Posted by
trekker pete
Those prices seem a bit steep for used bikes, but, then again, you are in socal where the bike season is all year long. The felt might be a good deal since it is a brand new bike with lbs support.....if it fits.
I looked at a motobecane 29er on BD. I asked a friend about it who said he knew others that bought them. He said that it was a very nice frame for the money, but, the components, particularly the wheels were suspect. This is a major concern for us Clydes, but for you it might not be as big a deal, especially if you aren't going to be doing aggressive riding anyway.
Yeah, used bike prices are not really that good here, especially where I live because MTBing is very popular here.
For the bikes direct the main complaints I have seen are with the fork and wheels. From what I have read the fork is a bit too light which is not really a problem for me because I am not super heavy. And I don't think my weight will be a problem for the wheels either(I've been using a 1,295g wheelset on my CAAD9 for the last 3000 miles with no problems).
The other components seem fine to me.
Crankset is a pretty cheap standard crankset, but nothing horrible.
Tektro Dracko brakes are not the best, but some guy on some other forum put over 10,000 miles on them with no problems.
Shifters and derailleurs are SRAM X4 which are the lowest SRAM shifters available. My friend used the same ones on his cheap Nishiki bike fore a couple of years with no problems.
Compare this bike to the Cannondale Trail 7 which is ~$200 more, but it is available at my LBS
The cannondale has the same quality drivetrain, but one less speed. Same fork as the BD bike as well. Brakes on the cannondale are worse than the ones on the BD bike.
The Cannondale does have better wheels and a better cockpit. The frame is also better, probably quiet a bit lighter than the BD bike.
The other bike available at my LBS is a 2012 Giant Revel 1. It also costs $200 more than the BD bike.
Drivetrain is the same. Brakes and fork are one model below the ones on the BD bike. Cockpit and wheels are better quality compared to the BD bike. Same with the frame.
I think I'll take the today to decide what to get.