What's the deal with bikesdirect? Many here seem to like the deals they have.. But I was looking at their website and noticed they are selling 2014 models (like this Kestrel):
Buy ONE 2014 Kestrel RT1000 Ultegra Bike Get FREE Shipping 48

But on the performancebike website the 2015 model (same Kestrel model) is less:
Product: Kestrel RT1000 Road Bike - 2015 Shimano Ultegra

So either buy the 2014 model for 2399.00 at bikes direct,
Or the 2015 model for 2299.00.

It's like this with the Kestrel Legend too... Bikesdirect is selling a 2013 model for 2124.95 vs Performancebike's 2015 offering for 2199.99. Theres a couple differences in the cranks and wheels/tires but both are Ultegra platforms.

Am I missing something?

Performance is prolly bigger,so they can buy more,and get more of a bulk discount.

Maybe... I was just wondering why BD sells much older bikes, and the costs don't seem lowered enough to warrant buying them over newer models from the other place


I've been doing a lot of research into buying my second road bike. I'm getting back into biking after a long time away from riding.

I know what I want, and can figure out the proper frame sizes, assemble myself, oh, and out here in Lafayette La, the sales taxes suck, so whatever the LBS will sell me (at a price likely a lot higher than online), I've got to add another 9.5% in tax. So I'll likely buy online (probably a Kestrel) and gladly pay a shop nearby for the required tuneups when I can't figure it out.

I'm new to BikesDirect's offerings and have read so much good stuff about them.

Also, I'm leaning towards a Nashbar Carbon bike decked out with Ultegra. Today it is down to 1275.00, but I'm just not ready to buy.

I've got a bike loaned out to me while I shop and it is an older Trek 1.2. Not too bad of a bike to get in shape on while figuring out what to buy.

I'm not ruling out used bikes, around here they pop up a lot. I've missed out on a few nice ones, either too big or too small or sold before I could check them out.

I've decided used bikes are like used cars....a year or two old in really good shape, and in what you actually want, can be really good deals. I tend to buy new, in both cars and bikes. But when I was looking around at my LBS for a new road bike the sales guy looks at what I'm looking at/for and comes up with "well if you don't mind used" and offered/sold me an excellent condition year and a half old Cannondale Synapse coming out of their rental/loaner fleet for about half their going price of new. Happy as one of them there clams I was/am.

I have looked at their web-site several times. Bikes Direct is a clearer name to make you think you are getting some kind of super duper deal. Honestly there name is like the sign a fellow use to put in the window of his furnature store about every six months or so to stimulate business. It read, "going out for business sale". People thought it read going out of business sale, and now was the time to buy new furnature.

Maybe so, but is that the only place to buy Motobeccane bikes?

Motobeccane has been around for years before anyone ever heard of Specialized, Trek, Giant, or many of today industry giants. I would think Motobeccane is still quality to staand that test of time.

My that you might have missed is do not be deceived by name, or advertising gimics. Put the deal you think is a deal, and use a fine tooth comb to see if it is a true deal.

I know that.. But is Bikes Direct the only place they are sold through? New ones.

Back to my original topic.. Does bike direct only sell "new old shelf" bikes? Do they buy unsold models at the end of the year and try to sell them at reduced prices?

I do t understand how they sell 2013 and 2014 Kestrels at prices that are higher than brand new 2015 Kestrels?

I'm guessing the MotoBeccane bikes are current production, but they don't put the model year on the ads I viewed

No sales tax in most states on BikesDirect bikes but Performance has 100+ retail outlets in 20 states, which means that a $2400 bike would cost me almost $240 more from Performance than BikesDirect (assuming apples to apples). That's worth taking note of.

Search the forum for bikesdirect. There are plenty of threads. Some good deals, but some people take issue with their marketing techniques. To be specific:

BD bought the rights to the mercier, motebecane, windsor names. Most frames are manufactured by only a couple of factories in asia. BD's website tends to infer things like - "by special arrangement with this bike company, we bring you...", meanwhile, they ARE the bike company, they instruct the factory to slap the motobecane decals on the bike. Again, some of the deals are pretty good - have a LBS check out the wheels and general adjustments - sometimes the parts are not greased well, etc. And yes, I do own a BD bike.

Great advice.

This is not necessarily true. It is possible that those same names are licensed for sales in other parts of the world to other parties. In that context, "by special arrangement..," is in fact accurate.

Can't answer your original question, but can say without a doubt I saved about $200 for a slightly better spec bike over a Cannondale that even had the same frame save for some cable routing. Like everything in business anymore, never get too trusting.

QT

I disagree, show me where else you have seen those names licensed. Between this and your earlier post, you sound like a shill. Here is another example - "Why are these on Sale?
Windsor Bicycles allowed us to sell a small quantity of these bikes at a deep discount since a small fraction of them have very minor paint blems. We looked at a few dozen and found one blem that would show in a photo"

Right, so, Windsor bikes allowed them to sell??? They ARE Windsor bikes!! It is that sort of deception that people frequently comment on and dislike. The quote is from here - Save Up To 60% Off Town Bikes | Classic, Stylish Three Speed City Bikes | Urban Bikes | Commuter Road Bikes | Windsor Oxford from bikesdirect.com

Anyway, take it for what you will, as I said, I own one and it is a decent bike for the price - after it was worked on. If you are not a good wrench, be sure to take it to a LBS. But by all means don't be misled by marketing......or shills.

Kinesis for the higher end offerings. Maker of frames for Jamis, Felt, Trek, Kona, GT and others. Quality is generally excellent.

OP, you need to research Bikesdirect's business model. All of the answers to your questions can be found there...

There is no secret or conspiracy, just companies using somewhat different business and marketing strategies. Brand names are just that, names. The owner can put it on anything and a licensee can put it on whatever the license grants. The owner of a name usually tries to protect its value by putting it on or only allowing it to be put on products of suitable type and quality, and perhaps controlling distribution channels. What constitutes suitable type and quality depends on a lot of different things, often how dire the owner's financial circumstances are.

I have no obligation to prove anything to you your baseless accusation notwithstanding. Is it realistic that I would have registered in October 2004, only to go under cover and emerge 15 years later as a "shill"?

This is the sort of logic you're using to defend your mudslingin?

bottom line.... if you know what you are doing, and they have a bike you want, at a price you want to pay.... buy it.

A lot (ifr not all) of their house-brand frames [i.e. Motobecane; Mercier; etc.] are simply leftovers or additonal runs of older name-brand frames. Like: The BD bike I used to have, had an older model Fuji frame, simply rebranded, and with different components.

Generally you get a good deal for the price with BD- especially with the lower-end bikes...but there sleazy marketing (i.e. the perpetual "sales"; and making believe that their house brands are actual bicycle companies) really turn me off, and make me hesitant to recommend them to people.

For those who live in areas where there are few or no LBSes, or where there is a scarcity of decent used road bikes, BD can be a decent option...but like anything else, the value of their deals can vary from deal to deal- with some being not so good; and if you compare their prices to what you can often get a good name-brand bike for on winter clearance or the previous years model...their deals start looking less attractive.

Please. Just don't. That business model would not be sustainable. Silly. BD contracts in advance for the models and production runs. Decisions aren't made "after the fact", where frames are re-branded. That would be chaotic.

In what business do you work?

Probably a little of both, actually. You have to admit, that with at least some of their bikes, it seems as though they just had various leftover parts; or parts that they got a good deal on- so they used them to throw a bike together. It seems unlikely that they would contract to have a particular frame made today, which the brand-name hasn't manufactured in, say, 3 years.

What would be the sense in having a factory set up a new production line, for something which they had stopped manufacturing a few years ago? If they were going to do that, they could just make something to their own specs- as the cost would be the same.

When I was younger, I actually worked for a business which imported stuff from Taiwan to supply a particular trade. They imported branded; generic; and their own brand of parts- and they way they operated in many cases, was as I described. "Hey, XYZ factory has a bunch of ABC washers I can get cheap; and ACME has a bunch of leftover bodies from their Washking run that I can get for practically nothing. We'll get them, and put our own faucets together, and call it the Blahblahblah". Or "Sigma has a bunch of defective valves; I got them for ten-cents on the dollar! All we have to do is replace Johnson rod in each one, and we can sell them for 30% less than the competition while we make 100% more!". I actually heard such deals go down. I can think of no reason why such wouldn't be the case with discount off-brand bicycles.

I was once, a few years ago, actually considering going into selling Chinese ATVs and scooters. One of the reasons I didn't, was because I learned that you could never be sure of what you were actually getting from the manufacturer. i.e. you order the same model vehicle, and even in the same shipment, some have the spec'd greaseable tie rod ends...some have non-greaseable; Some one brand electronic ignition; some have another; some might even have a different engine- because the factories who make the third-tier brands just mix and match parts; use what they have on hand; what they can get cheap- as long as it works. And the retailer doesn't even know what he has, until he inspects it very closely, or until a customer complains that he bought one expecting XYZ as spec'd, but his has QRS.

The above is exactly why, in many BD ads describing a bike, it will say "May come with XYZ cassette or ABC cassette; no choice"- or, even "New ones are coming with black forks" or "May be slightly different than picture".

This is how many non name-brand Asian manufacturers work. It's a fact. I see no reason why BD would be different; and I do see evidence they in-fact do operate like that. Not that it's a bad thing- as long as the customer knows what to expect- and at least BD does seem to be honest that way. (Just personally, I can't do business that way- I want to know what I am getting, so that I can portray it accurately to my customers and price it appropriately, and not have to tell them "It's a crap-shoot", or lie to them, as many importers do.)

I have no desire to argue, but I will point out that all the "major brands" put a similar disclaimer on their spec sheets. Some even try to use shifting specs as an excuse not to give you real weights of their bikes, a while trying to claim you need to spend lots more for a "lighter" bike they won't even tell you what it weights.

As for BD, many many of "their" bikes (excluding the Kestrel's, Fuji's etc) are actually the same starting frame. From there, "models" get different components, colors, etc. IMHO, they cut allot of costs by simply using 1-3 frames over and over again. Probable an OEM frame(s) from Kenesis. They do over sale allot, but if you are wanting a Ti bike, or Di2 bike, fat bike, and some of the lower end bikes, then you aren't likely to beat them on $$$. The quality of my mountain bike from BD has been as good as any in the general price range.

QT

Totally realistic. You're a BF sleeper cell.

I bought a Motobecane Mirage from them years ago because I wanted a retro downtube shifter bike to ride in the hillyhundred. It was ok. I got alot of comments about it at the ride but mainly they had never heard of Motobecane all tho an old name. But all in all Id rather buy from a bike shop.

Only the names are familiar , that's why they bought the name then got Asian contract companies to make them .

Lots of Brand names got sold . to use the prior companies reputation (PR.)