i agree with this completely. i tell a lot of people just starting out about bikes direct, i think its a good site and you can get good deals. that being said, i've ridden stock pistas and stock kilos and guess what, the pista is just a nicer bike. maybe not 400 dollars nicer, but still nicer. one of my good friends has a 57 pista, and its lighter than my 56 iro, but significantly larger. maybe not the best option for everybody, but if you have the money why not.