I've been impressed with the value/quality that BD offers (total of 4 bikes between personal and friends). Others have addressed anything I would add.

If you are looking for something to tool around on in style, this bike would be a great choice, IMO. 3 speed internal hub, stylish and well built. Here is the 8 speed version of the same bike if you would need a wider gear range.

Great experience for me. I bought a Motobecane Lechampion Ti and it's an awesome bike.

I've done tunes on a number of BD bikes purchased consumer direct.

Putting the bike together and tuning it correctly are not the same thing... I see lots of stuff we wouldn't give a second though about correcting done wrong on customer assembled bikes. Wheels not true, cables routed incorrectly, shifters not adjusted correctly (not just cable tension, but limit screws, alignment, etc.), loose headsets, misaligned braikes/brake pads. If something can be wrong as a bike comes out of the box, pre-assembly, I've seen it that way when the customer comes in for a tune.

If you're handy and have experience with bikes, or really want to get your hands dirty and learn, BD bikes are a great deal. If you think it's just a "some assembly required" job, you may be disappointed. I've seen it go both ways...

Isn't Wal*mart the Wal*mart of bikes?

Nothing like being able to do a hands on test of a bike before buying one. Even though BD now does a photo gallery of their bikes, and even if it was available at the times when I purchased two of their bikes, I still would not have been able to detect the amount of frame flex on one of their bikes (and too soft of a suspension on the other) until after I personally paid for,assembled and rode it. I also like being able to converse with person face to face over a product that I purchased rather than by email. An LBS is now my preferred choice in purchasing a bicycle.

I will agree with you on this. It wasn't just slap the wheels and handle bars on and go for me. The wheels were slightly out of true, the brake calipers needed adjusting and the gear shift was slightly off. It took me probably a little longer than it may take others, but for me it was a learning process as well. Has a rack on it now, and some panniers are on the way should be here Saturday.

My friend just got a $370 version of the same bike (not sure of his model, or yours). Took a fair bit of tuning, but nothing that was impossible. The only thing we didn't do is truing the wheels - may need to take it to a shop for that. Bike is nice though, for what he paid.

Same thing with my Kensington 8. It took about a week of tinkering to get it working. Also, the Nexus 8 hub seemed to choke when I moved and had to deal with more potholes and rain. But it's at a bike shop right now getting new shifter cables, they think some water must have gotten into the cable housing and caused problems. Other than that, it's been great.

And this differs from owning any bike how?
AFAICT, the only difference with a BD bike is that you'll have to get it all at the start, rather than waiting until something needs maintenance and then having the bike out of service until you can get the tool.

One thing I do wish they'd do, though, is list all the sizes of less-universal tools for each bike. (i.e. anything an auto parts store isn't going to have in stock) There's no LBS here, so if I need a different size cone wrench, cassette tool, etc. it means a 3-7 day wait for UPS while the bike is a really awkward paperweight/clothes drying rack.

half way there ...

My argument is that BD will do to LBS what Wal*mart did to the local bakery/butcher. Inexpensive stuff always has a non-monetary cost, while expensive stuff usually only has a monetary cost.

I've owned 2 BD bikes in the last several years*,1 bought new from them,one used from a forum friend (elsewhere). Both were decent bikes,and the times I dealt with BD (even if just chit chatting bikes with the owner via email/PM) have been very good. I recommend them,especially when someone's on a budget,I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

*I'm even considering saving /setting back a little to buy a "donor bike" from them...buy it for parts/component group to use on a frame I already have,putting the old/worn out parts I scrounged from the bin back on the new frame and CL/eBay it

In one of my conversations with the owner of the LBS that I frequent, his main concern was not big box or online bikes, but competition from other neighboring LBSs.

There is more bike shops to choose from now than when I was a child, and the last time I was in my LBS, the place was abuzz with activity. There's still hope in my parts of the US, even with several local big boxes, and the internet to choose from.

Youtube has a step by step videos of every facet of assembly and tuning of a bicycle.

The term "assembly" is very loose on a BD bike. It is typically handbars, front brake cable, seat, and pedals. Then you can tune the brakes, Rear DR, and Front DR. Air the tires and hit the street.

I just finished tuning a Mercier Elle for the wife and it is a very decent bike at a reasonable price that I could not have matched at the LBS. She can support them with purchases like gloves, bags, water bottles, etc.

I don't understand why you're taking issue with my statement. Yes, if you do your own maintenance you end up buying the tools eventually. However, the OP seems to be a beginner at bike mechanics, and I think the need for special tools often isn't obvious to beginners. Cost is also significant to the OP, and having to spend on tools may change the equation in this case.

I do agree that listing the special tools would be nice. It is often possible to anticipate what you'll need if you google the components, but again, not easy for a beginner.

The only tools I needed to assemble my Kensington were the multi-tools that came with it, spoke wrenches (for wheel truing) and a 15 mm wrench for the axle nuts. Oh, and a pedal wrench, which could also double as an axle wrench in a pinch.

While your argument is valid, I always like to point outthat history is repeating itself.

You’re saying that Walmart screwed the bakery/butcher…Whatdid Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons do? Please don’t shop at those stores.

The towns' general stores in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s were all screwed by some catalog offering more selection at lower prices…now Sears (Roebuck)is being screwed by Amazon.com doing the same thing a century later…but online. Please don't shop at either of those stores.

Buying music has changed drasticalling in my 31 years on earth (cassettes>Cd's>Mp3's)…thoselocal record shops need the business and offer a great selection of mp3’s don't they?

Bikesdirect is no different than any other onlineretailer using the internet as an avenue to please the average online shopper. Their site offers decent bikes at fair prices with no hassle of sales people hounding you.

And, honestly, I think the LBS’s are partly to blame. There are 3 between my house and work. 2 of them I won’t step foot in because theyare not “Average Joe Friendly”. They don’tsee that they would easily gain clientele if they weren’t judgmental on whatyou ride. Think if every auto mechaniccatered to Corvettes and Mustangs and turned their nose up at any commutercar…who would fix the Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas? As a customer, I must work with what I have…anaverage bike for recreational riding. If the shop employees didn’t constantly insist that Ineed the latest carbon fiber, hydraulic shifted, flux capacitor infused bike, Iwould be much more apt to taking my 18 year old Giant and cheap Motobecane infor servicing. If anything, the LBS have annoyed/pushed me to learn it on my own through Youtube and research.

As far as Bikesdirect bikes… The components are as good or bad as anything on a Trek, Cannondale, orSpecialized. The frames may be no nameframes but they perform just fine. Mycurrent road bike is a Motobecane Mirage Sport that I bought used on Craigslist sanswheels, tires, and a cassette. Replacing those parts and tuning/adjusting the entire bike, it’s a verysolid bike that can easily allow me to get out and ride.

the amount of assembly and tools required for a BD bike build vary greatly.

for my BD bike, all i really needed was a hex wrench multi-tool to:

- attach front brake to fork
- attach bars to stem
- adjust stem
- attach pedals
- adjust saddle height

everything else was perfect on the bike, brake and shift cables were perfectly adjusted and the ultegra drive-train was perfectly dialed in. no adjustments needed at all. my bike came with Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels (a ~$500 wheelset) that rolled dead straight right out of the box and have not required a single bit of tightening or truing in the 3 years i've owned the bike.

Assembly on the road bike I just bought was about as hard as the basic once-over that I give my bike about once a month anyway. IMO if you are the sort that has to take your bike to the shop to do basic stuff like adjust the brakes, align the derailleur, etc then you'll need them to assemble a BD bike as well.

I understand sometimes the wheels are not true as they come. That takes a tiny bit more skill to fix but it's still not much. My rear was dead true, my front is maybe most of a millimeter out, not enough to really make any difference when riding but I'll probably fix it just because it'll bug me.

BD has had pretty much zero impact on the shops in DC. If anything,the strong second hand market takes alot of their sales.

I had a Windsor cyclo bikesdirect bike for my commute. I didn't think the value was that great. The frame was flexy as well. I didn't know a stem could flex until I replaced it. Though it lasted me several years, I had to upgrade and was very uncomfortable with the quality of the frame.

So I just replaced it with a FELT from a LBS at a very good price. The quality/$ the overall value was much better.

I get it, but like clarke mentioned above (or eluded to, anyway) a lot of this has to do with perspective. The guy with the old plow is always going to hate the guy with the new plow who comes along and puts him out of business because he can do it for cheaper, or more efficiently, or whatever. Innovation, by it's very definition, puts old ways down. Those that are used to the old ways tend to hang on to them and place a value on them that is purely subjective. It's how things go, always have, and always will.

I'm not saying I don't value my LBS or the service they provide, but bikesdirect provides a service too and there's value in that. If they bring bikes to the marketplace for cheaper than an LBS can do then there's value to that. I have purchased bikes and other items at my LBS and I spent much of my youth hanging around what was then my LBS. There was no internet then and so I was denied the chance to talk about bikes with people on these forums. I value the local merchant and shop there when I can, but I value value too. Whatver utility you get from your purchase is yours. It's your money and for me there are times when bikesdirect (and yes, even Wak*mart) gets some of it.

I purchased a Windsor Tourist 3 years ago and its been a great bike. I got it for I think it was $599.00 and I think they are still the same price. If I was going to tour on it I would probably change the cassette for a more hill friendly item. I changed some items like the crappy pedals which I had some nice platforms here at the house and put on a Brooks B-17 donated from another bike plus the brake pads. I have neck and back issues and I had an adjustable stem here and put that on. I rode the Kenda tires till I had my first flat and changed them to Specialized Armadillos. The rear wheel was not perfectly true so I had the guys at my LBS true it up after I had ridden about 20 miles or so to let the bike settle in. I think I did pretty well considering I got a steel frame touring bike for a great price. Is it a Long Haul Trucker? No but I don't care it works for me and if you ever read Crazy Guy on a Bike journals you can find several folks that have toured across the US on them with no more trouble than some more expensive bikes.

Went to my LBS today to buy a Park Tool bottom bracket tool and some anti-seize compound.They had the wrench but not the socket that you can use with a torque wrench. They had no anti-seize compound but they told me I could just use lube but interestingly they did have anti-seize in bulk in the back for their own use and repairs. Go figure.They said they could order them for me. So I just ordered it myself on-line instead and have it delivered to my work for less money and sooner. How can they compete? They simply can't. I tried to give them my business but quite honestly it's a frustrating experience to walk in and walk out empty handed. Same thing happened when I went to buy some mineral oil for my hydraulic brake. They had a big jar in the back but they were not selling it. What keeps them in business is people like my co-worker who took his bike in just because he got a flat and now he's buying a new tube and a new outer from them and have them install it. He got the flat on Tuesday and he is picking up his bike tomorrow. Uhm... no thank you!

You can get anti-seize at any auto parts store for about $2 for a small tube. I have a 4 oz bottle because I use it on car brakes and such.

I know. The problem was with the fact that the LBS had none and they didn't carry the tool either.