Originally Posted by santiago
That doesn't happen at the Mountain Bike forum. Here we don't get that excited if anyone mentions BikesDirect or Motobecane.
To the OP - that Kikapu is a great bike at a great price. Just make sure it fits you well and that you feel good on it. If it feels good, go for it.
The only real issue I have with BD...or any on-line bicycle retailer...is that it's not a good choice for newbies. And they're the ones who are always asking if buying a bike on-line is a good way to go
Mr. Stanley's post further down is a prime example.
Originally Posted by Mr.Stanley
Oh yeah Um... I'm not sure what size bike I should get too. I'm 5'8 and 125 puonds.
If you aren't sure what size bike you ride or if you are outside the median range in bicycle fit, you probably shouldn't try to save a few pennies by buying on-line. I can look at a chart of geometries and tell what fits me. I can walk into any bike shop in the country, point to a bike and say "that one will fit." and ride off on it but I've been buying bikes for 25 years and I've purchased 26 of them. I know what I can change to get the bike to fit or if it can't be changed to make it fit.
Someone new to the sport doesn't have that depth of experience. They could order the right size bike on the first try but what if it doesn't fit? The buyer ends up paying freight both ways and there goes that savings. Then there are the mechanical issues. Cables stretch, derailers need adjustment, wheels need tweeking, bolts come loose, shocks need adjustment or tuning...there's about a thousand things that can and do go wrong. If you are new to the sport, you don't know how to fix that stuff but if you buy from a local shop, that stuff will get fixed as part of the sale (especially in the first few months). If you buy on-line, you end up having to pay someone to fix it...more money out of your pocket. Or you could try fixing it yourself which can lead to all kinds of ruined equipment before you get the hang of it...trust me, a ruined frame is a great learning tool
And then there's the long term stuff. What happens if you break a frame? (Okay, I don't really see how a 125lb guy is going to break anything but it could happen
) With the on-line merchant, you have to dissassemble the bike, ship it back, have it assessed, get the frame back and reassemble it. At the very least you pay for shipping at most shipping both ways and dissassembly/reassembly. With a brick and mortar store, you take the bike to them, they talk to the manufacture rep and the frame gets fixed (if it's not your fault for dropping it off a cliff
) Same goes for the other parts that might fail under warranty.
And finally, there the other intangibles. The bike shop guys are from your area. They know the trails and the roads. You're new and you don't know where to ride? No problem. They know this great little spot out off 4-bar Road that's a sweet spot for newbies. They might even have a group going out there on Sunday. Can an on-line retailer do that?