rhammons

So I picked it up with it's mismatched fork afterwork yesterday. Seems to fit well, and it is most notably one of the lightest bikes I've ever picked up; mind you, I'm no pro or veteran, but it feels lighter than several road bikes I've toyed with. The weather was awful when I got it or I'd have mounted lights and took it out for a quick stroll around the block. Today's supposed to clear up, and I have a half day at work, so I might be able to put it to a test this afternoon.

As for BikesDirect.com, after a bit of back-and-forthing they're offering me three options: complete refund after returning the bike, replacement of the entire bike, or a partial refund if I decide to keep it with the mismatched finishes on the frame and fork. Considering the time and money I'm already into it and the lack of faith I have in them sending me a replacement that is actually true and non-defective, I'm opting for the partial refund and keeping it as-is.

rhammons

Oh, and one thing I immediately noticed, if anyone is thinking of using this for cyclocross; be prepared to change the way you shoulder the thing. Those cable mounts on the bottom of the top tube are right where you'd be putting your shoulder and they're totally uncomfortable digging into your shoulder.

Wolfwerx

I have not bought a bike online, but I have been told that some of the LBSs around here do not like to take on that work because there is a big "headache-factor" to the work/customers that bring in discount bikes (BSOs are the term on this board, I believe). Often, a person that buys a $200 or $300 BSO does not want to spend another $200 just to make it rideable, so they abandon it. This is not the case 100% of the time, I'm sure, but I can understand a store's reluctance to take on that particular type of work.
Maybe it depends on how badly the store needs the work?

WestMass

buy something from your LBS?

Rancid

Sorry to hear about all the trouble getting it together but it sure looks nice! I'd be interested to hear how you feel after a shakedown ride!

mikepwagner

Seems like a an upfront estimate with a deposit would solve that issue.

In addition, I think that you would find few of the BD bikes to be BSO's - a silly term that covers the bikes I rode and loved as a kid. Do you consider the bike the OP asked about a BSO?

Wolfwerx

Possibly. I don't know, I'm not a bike shop owner/ mechanic. I just know that some of them around here aren't interested in this particular line of work. Another thought that comes to mind is that they don't want to assume any after-the-fact responsibility for a possibly sub-standard frame. Whether the frame is actually sub-standard or is that LBS hubris, is the question, I suppose.

I am not a bike snob by anybody's definition. My absolute favorite bike has been, until very recently, a 40 year old Schwinn. I like many of the BD bikes, but I was using what I took to be the Bikeforums parlance for "cheap bikes", which I do think is apt for a lot of the BD bikes. I am fine with cheap bikes, as long as you are able to deal with what comes your way.

rhammons

Ok, reporting back after a bit of riding on the Gravity Zilla. Mind you, I'm not a super experienced cyclist, I just got back into riding mid-summer after a decade of nothing more than an occasional summer ride on my big box store mountain bike, so take this review as you will. I grinned and bared it with the MTB over the summer, and wanted to make an upgrade to a more commuter friendly ride, that I could still take out on an occasional trail through our surrounding area, and possibly consider for some light touring. I considered performance hybrids and low-end cyclocross bikes from the likes of Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale, but my budget couldn't afford what I really wanted out of a bike with those brands. Now, back to the bike. The mismatched fork is now an afterthought; this bike is a huge improvement over my MTB for the riding I like to do. I put nearly 70 miles on it over the past week, including two ~30 mile rides, consisting of wet and dry road, packed dirt/gravel trail, grass and plenty of climbs and descents. All that and she's still in one piece, and rides great.

There's a world of difference, as should be expected, going from a steel, dual suspension 26" mountain bike with hybrid tires to an aluminum 29" 'monster' cross bike; things like:

- Rigidity: I feel everything, and potholes have a much more serious meaning now. With this comes better handling, but it is something I'll be getting used to, particularly on the longer rides. It really gave my wrists a number on my long ride yesterday.
-Speed: This thing rides like a road bike, probably a peg or two slower than a decent road bike, but I'm able to sprint on this thing unlike I ever was able to pushing the 30+ lb MTB. I was never able to pedal on flat road up to 20-25/mph, and with this, that's no problem (aside from me keeling over completely winded).
-Weight: I haven't weighed it yet, but it's easily 10-15 lbs. lighter than what I was riding before. This is an enormous plus, but again, it take some getting used to. Before, on climbs, it felt like it was my MTB dragging me backwards; now, I feel like I am the one slowing me down and the bike could easily climb the hills no problem without me. Definitely going to take some conditioning on my part.

Mechanically speaking, the bike does feel somewhat 'cheaper' at times. Shifting is better than anything else I've used, but it's not perfect. I ran into some snags and issues a couple times, though nothing huge. I think I still need to get familiar with the drivetrain, and possibly tune a bit more. Braking; I think the LBS tuned this to be a little spongy, and less likely for me to shoot myself over the handle bars as I have to pull pretty hard in order to brake, but the brakes do have a lot of stopping power, both front and rear. There's no squealing as of yet, though there's some minor hissing as I think should be expected with disc brakes... right? Mechanically and structurally speaking, the only other thing I noticed, was that the seat post was not lower-able at its stock height (400mm, I believe it was hitting the bolts for the bottle cage/pump holders). I spoke with a mechanic, and did some googling, and decided it would be in my favor to lob off a bit of it so that I could lower it for a better fit versus buying a new 350mm or 300mm seat post. That took a bit of work with a hacksaw on Friday morning, but made a huge difference in my last two rides. I will probably be making a few fitment adjustments over the next couple rides, but this thing generally feels great.

GeoKrpan

I got a Zilla frame and fork set from BD on their Cyber Monday sale. I built it up over the past 3 weeks and today was the second day I was able to ride it.
I rode it all day, it is brilliant! It is road bike fast. I know because I have been riding road bikes for 25 years.
I had none of the problems the OP had.

rhammons

After 175+ miles mixed road/dirt, I am loving this thing. Fast, comfortable, and thus far very reliable. My only worry is the paint job, it has pitted from gravel and debris in a handful of places already...

DVC45

Good to hear that you like it. As for the pittings, just think of it as its badge of honor, battle scars, street credentials...

Its all good.

yep202

I've gotten some valuable info from this thread. Thanks op.

cyclokitty 

I saw this bike in BD's site in orange and thought it looked like a fun bike for light trail, errands, and just zipping around on trips. Thanks for the review! There's an extra step getting it to Canada but I'm considering the orange bike as a possible second bike. I've never ridden a bike without flat bars and the price (even with duties and extra shipping cost) is affordable for an experiment. The troubles the OP had worries me because of the Canadian shipping address. Still could be worth the chance.

dan42

I have an orange Gravity Zilla and the paint was peeling/flaking right out of the box......BikesDirect squared me up and I am happy with their customer service, but if I lived in Canada I may be singing a different tune. FWIW!