SamHouston

Despite the fact that you didn't receive the components you ordered on your first....er I mean your second BikesDirect purchase?

Is there some new mechanism you'll use to insure you actually receive the parts advertised with your next purchase, or are you going to choose based entirely on price?

My guess is you'll accept what they send you without complaining, and if it's incorrect you'll adjust your inseam to fit the bike or order a fourth bike, go for broke!

Good of you to notate that your fit still isn't right, maybe you can get it right with your purchase of your Third bicycle from BikesDirect.

When are you going to tell us about the customer service at BikesDirect. How they reacted when you told them they'd sent you the wrong colour & size. How they reacted when you were sent the wrong components? I'm sure after all this time they've had an opportunity to rectify the situation?

Or did you even ask?

BikesDirect - For the everyman who can't stand up for himself. If you want to accept poor service, last years parts and the wrong bike with a smile, Bend over, cause BikesDirect is Right Up Your Alley.

halfspeed

"Frame size" is darn near meaningless for comparison purposes between models or manufacturers. Three different bike shops can fit you at three different sizes on three different bikes and ALL be CORRECT.

A "fitting" that consists of an email and based solely on height is bogus on the face of it.

There are no standards for measuring or building frames to sizes and it isn't even consistent among models from the same manufacturer. If you don't understand a geometry chart, you can't fit yourself. You might get in the right range and by happy accident actually get a workable size, but no measurement makes you a '58'.

Zinn-X

hahah all you dweebs are jealous because you paid 3x as much for the same thing.

I LOLed when some guy made a "fake Rolex" comparison. Nice try, but you fail!

-=(8)=-

You might want to look into dbl'ing up on your lithium, OK ?

Greyfox2

We've all had different experiences with our LBS. Some are good, some not so good. Yes, some of them have an attitude about internet bikes. And some of them are just glad to have the service work and do it just as they would if they had sold the bike (except that they don't give you a break on price.)

I got back into cycling about 7 years ago and rode for a while on a department store bike on bike trails until a friend got me into road riding. I realized that a road bike would be better but wasn't prepared to invest $1K plus in one until I knew how I'd like it. For those of you who remember, your first few times on a road bike after riding something heavier is about like riding a wire coat hanger.

So I went online looking at cheap road bikes. I found one I liked on eBay, a Mercier Galaxy, NOT from BD, for about $350. I had a friend who knew what he was looking at review the geometry and tell me I probably wouldn't die on it so I bought it.

My experience was similar with the BD experiences. I assembled it, not really knowing what I was doing, but got it done. But it just wasn't "right." So I ended up taking it to a LBS and telling him to adjust "everything" until the thing ran right. And I paid him whatever it was that he told me it cost. I was very aware of the fact that I hadn't purchased the bike from him, and he was decent enough not to rub it in.

That being said, the bike lasted several years and probably gave me 4000 miles of pure pleasure. I became thoroughly hooked on the sport. I also realized what I was riding. Meanwhile I asked around and found a LBS that I learned to trust completely. As things started to go wrong with the Mercier he was willing to tell me what could be repaired and what really I shouldn't bother with given the quality level of the components.

So finally I decided to make a substantial (for me) investment in a decent road bike. Where did I go? No question, the LBS. He spend 1/2 hour agonizing over whether a 56 or 58 cm bike was right for me and finally ordered the one that he didn't have in stock because it was the right thing to do. Then when the bike came in he spent another hour with me adjusting the fit until he was satisfied. He even replaced the stem to get another 10 mm. I felt like I was adopting one of his children. When I rode the new bike I finally understood what a properly fit bike was. It is a whole different world. And when it needed minor adjustment, no charge.

Do I regret buying the cheap bike online? Of course not. I wouldn't be in the sport if I hadn't done it. But for quality, service, advice, and knowledge you can't beat the LBS. If you find a good one.

rower

My Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro arrived a day early, the box was in excellent shape. When opening the box the bike is all wrapped together with zip ties and protective cardboard and plastic foam and lifts out of the box all in one piece very nicely. The bike was a good fit for me, not exactly perfect though, it is a
64cm and was supposed to be for riders 6'4" and taller. Well I've shrunk down to 6'3.5" from 6'5" and the
bike is just about perfect for me. Can't ride my 1980 Fuji Sport anylonger, it is of the old school measurements when 67cm was a very, very large bike, and I can no longer reach the pedals very well..

The bike was made in Taiwan which is probably a little better than Red China. All parts were as advertised all Shimano Ultegra. A very nice looking bike although I wish the Brushed Aluminum had more of the deep brushed look.

I put the front wheel on and it was very true. Put some used pedals on that I had in my garage. Installed the handlebars and the quilless stem (read the stem instructions closely and watch the video on BD site, it's not as easy as it looks). The front reflector didn't fit very well on the handlebars, and I'm looking into another way to install any type of front reflector (any ideas out there)?

Took the bike to my LBS owner/mechanic and he put the cantilever brakes on for me, and the rear only performed well if he had the cable very tight, which makes it nearly or totally impossible to remove the side cable from its connection. If the cable is loosened so that the side cable can be removed for a back tire change then the brake becomes very weak. I emailed BD about this manufacture problem and insisted on a new rear brake and cable . . . we will see what happens? Is Bike Direct a reputable Company
or do they ignore customers problems?

I've noticed that all the bikes on the BD website are for riders 6'4 or less, I guess my son is a hair short of 6'10" will have to have a frame special ordered.

Will post some pictures in a few days of the BD box, bike in the box, out of the box, on the SUV rack etc.

rower

Bikesdirect Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro.

st0ut

i dare say if i ever et a bike from BD. It willl never goto a bike shop I'll consider it a learing experinces in building a bike from kit.but then again if i where to go there route i just might get a frame then this and that untill i have the bike.

Rogue Leader

It can hardly be called a kit, you mount the handlebars, front wheel, and seat. Hook up the front brakes, adjust, and go!

EDIT: Looking back at this post (which was made very late at night), I make it sound a lot easier than it is. Its not easy, trust me I screwed mine up a couple times. But its not a kit you build from scratch either, they are shipped the same way all new bikes are.

rower

A sweet honey from Bikesdirect sent an email within 2 hours of mine and said BD would get me a new Rear Cantilever brake system along with the cable if I need it ! I can't believe how fast BD is and how much they know the Customer is what keeps them in business.

I have two sets of mostly complete Bike tools, but in retirement I mostly enjoy getting out and riding through the woods on rails to trails and BD has helped me fullfill my dreams.

Good on ya BD.

dynodonn 

Like any business, the quality of service usually depends on the purchase price of the product. My BD bike's front wheel came with a broken spoke, and with a portion of a broken spoke nut trapped inside the hollow rim.
After several unsuccessful attempts to remove it by shaking the broken spoke nut out, I emailed BD requesting a new front rim, only to get an email some time later that I should ship the wheel back to BD, at my expense, and have one of their techicians remove the broken spoke nut, fix the wheel and return it to me.
Since I wanted to ride the bike and not wait an undetermined amount of time for BD to fix my wheel, I went ahead and removed another spoke, and I was able to remove the broken spoke nut with some wire. I still had to retension and true the wheel, something the novice bicyclist may not have the ability to do.
BD bikes and service may not cater to everyone's liking, so when making purchases from BD, just make sure that you're the type that can put up with the pitfalls of making online purchases.

rower

Just received an email early Monday morn from the hun at BD saying all the parts I asked for would be
put in the mail ASAP. I usually don't have a good record in getting along with business people, but
Bikes Direct has been very upfront and honest. Now if they would just carry Rowbikes.

bartturner

Time for an update. Just by chance it turns out to be almost exactly a year later. My opinions sure have changed in a year. This is going to be a little long but let me explain.

First, the BD bike. I have had it now for a year and I have really liked the bike. When weather was appropriate I bike about 150 miles a week. I have not had any problems with the bike. I have not even had a flat tire.

My birthday is coming up and so I decided I was going to buy a new bike this year. I had decided on a tri bike. I planned on purchasing the tri bike from BD. I wanted an all carbon bike and Dura Ace bike. The bike they had that fit the bill was the 2007 Kestrel Talon. But I had a few issues. One, I though the bike was really ugly. It was not all Dura Ace, etc. So could not find anything on BD that fit. So then I started looking at the Kestrel AirFoil and was just going to buy online from another place. But then I read more and fell in love with the Cervelo P2C.

So off to the LBS. We have four local Cervelo stores. I visted all four stores and to see what kind of deal they would cut on the bike. For three of the stores it was a typical LBS visit for me and was very turned off by sales people at the store. But then I visit the fourth store which was a significant drive for me.

Wow! I finally found the perfect LBS. The guy that ran the store was incredible. I visited the store three times. He put together a 54, 56 and a 58 for me to drive around the parking lot. Only the 56 was a Dura Ace P2C. The other two were P2SL but same geometry. For whatever reason I though I was a 54. I though he would really push the 56 because that is the one on the floor. This has been the experience I have had with other LBS. Not this guy. I drove all three around the parking lot for a while and it was obvious that a 54 was way, way too small for me. I am really a 56 or 58. He measured my inseam with this spring loaded thing and my inseam is actually a 35". When I have measured it was 34".

The sales guy spent a lot of time with me and we talked a lot. WIth the bike comes a complete fitting, 3- 5 hours. But he agreed to let me just get the bike, do a basic fitting, let me ride it for four weeks and then come back for a complete fitting. We agreed on a price. We then discussed customization. But he really did not push for me to change anything. So I have kept it stock.

He treated me how I expect to be treated. I am really a basic cyclist who is purchasing a bike beyond my abilities because I just want to and can and he did not treat me like I am an idiot. Which I know I mostly am about this.

So my opinions have really changed. If I purchased online I might have purchased the 54". Which would have been a joke. The P2C is an incredible bike and an incredible value. I got a great deal.

I still think what you get from BikesDirect for the price is incredible. There is definitely a place for them in my opinion. I am glad I purchased my bike from them last year. But I am really glad I purchased the P2C from this LBS. Matter of fact I planned on buying a Dura Ace all carbon road bike later this year or maybe for Christmas. There is a very good chance I will now buy from this particular LBS. But I would not rule out purchasing from BD.

When I was at the LBS a guy came in an purchased something. I was in a different part of the store and did not see what he was purchasing but could hear the conversation. I over heard the customer say that I thought it was 30 something dollars. Could not hear the exact amount. The LBS owner told him that he gets a deal on them so only charged the guy $28.

Hope some readers find some value in this update. In summary the Motobecane Le Champion has been an incredible bike. Very durable and it is truly incredibly light. Mine is under 16 pounds. It really is. At the same time I am also really glad I purchased the P2C from a quality LBS. I will write another post after riding the P2C for a couple of weeks.

I am now looking for a new aero helmet and I need some pedals.

One additional note. I am now averaging 20 - 20.2 mph for my 30 mile route I do at night. I noticed from my original post that I was doing 17.9 with my old hybrid bike and was looking for a 1mph improvement. I did not realize I use to be that slow. My goal with the P2C and a new aero helmet is to average 21mph for the same route. Will be interesting to see if I accomplish the improvement. When getting the basic fit for the P2C the LBS did make me realize I really don't have the saddle high enough on my road bike. I raised it the other night and seem to see a slight improvement in speed.

mazpr

I did not purchased my bike from BD, it was from Nashbar. Mine was, well it is, a Tirreno Razza 900.

I have clocked 4,560 miles in 10 months, only thing I have changed is the tires, handle bar and just because I found a fork sale, also changed to a Reynolds carbon fork.

Anyway, I like your bike, looks very clean and very well made. Just to inform you some im ages cannot be seen, I am not sure if it is my browser or your pics are just dead links.

bartturner

Update:

I could have my P2C sooner built out to my spec but I really wanted to wait until my birthday. So today was the day to pick it up and then I would ride it on Sunday. I called the LBS and it turns out that the 56 frame that they had was not 56. LBS ordered a 56 and it was labeled 56 but it turns out it was a 58. He did not notice until completely building the bike.

Honest mistake by Cervelo or the LBS or combination. End result is that it will take a week or more to build by 56 to spec.

I did tell the LBS to wait until I ride the 58. I originally rode a 54 and a 56 for sizing. I purchased the 56. But on the way home I was thinking I should have tried a 58 for the heck of it. Tomorrow I will ride a 56 and a 58 and compare. The 56 will actually be a P2SL.

After reading around the Internet what others ride that are 6' and 35" inseam it does seem 56 is more common. Plus I am reasonably flexible.

I still really like the LBS and he seemed to be willing to do a lot of things to make it right. One thing he offered to do was change a P2C Ultegra to a Dura Ace and my spec. But I don't like the Ultegra paint job. So that does not work for me.

Ok, he did not offer to give me a 56 P3C for same money

bartturner

I ended up taking the 58. Wow I absoutely love the bike. First run on the new bike I averaged 22.1mph. Record on old bike was 20.6.

Now I warmed up well, ate a little food, which I usually don't in morning, and was really excited about getting on new bike. So some things on plus side. Negative side it was really, really hot, really windy, helmet was slipping a lot. I would expect to increase this to 23mph and maybe higher. Plus road alone with no one pushing me.

I am excited to spend the 3+ hours working with the LBS on fitting to increase wattage.

I am going to go back to LBS today and see if I can get the R10s switched with R20s.

sjhoag

I'd say it's just common courtesy and good business practice to be as helpful as one can to any customer that comes into that store. Being difficult, even if the customer doesn't plan to buy from there, initially, is horrible business practice no matter what type of business you are working in. The OP stated that he had already been to LBSs before for his kids. Being difficult is just a sure way of keeping him and possibly all the people he knows away from that certain shop.

fredk

Wow. This thread is awesome. Almost reads like spam--maybe just needs several misspelled words in the shill postings. Actually, it's kind of a fun game trying to figure out who is and who's not. Thanks for the great read!

dekindy

Based upon my height being the same as yours and a slightly shorter inseam and riding a 58 I would have thought you were a 58.

InTheTrenches

BikesDirect Windsor in today. Frotn wheel 10mm out of dish(Pathetic) Once the wheel was dished, the carbon fork that came with the bike was about 5mm out of alignment. The front der was also about 10 degrees off from the chainrings, the brakes were rubbing the rims and the tires had about 20 psi.

Rogue Leader

All things that happen with any and all bikes but are corrected by the LBS before you even touch it.

Do you really expect them to check and inflate very pair of tires that ship out when the whole point of buying from them is you save by doing that stuff yourself? I thought so.

I hate sounding like a fanboy or shill but stuff like this is ridiculous.

bartturner

After having my P2C for two+ weeks I love the bike.

I will say that my Le Champion is a great value. When comparing the two bikes one was $1200 and the other $3,000. The wheels are better on the BD bike. Some components are the same such as the cranks.

InTheTrenches

My point was on all the things that the average cyclist would not be able to fix themselves. 99% of BFers cannot properly dish a wheel. ZERO PERCENT CAN FIX AN OUT OF SPEC CARBON FORK. Hell, I can't fix an out of spec carbon fork other thatn to send it back to the man. for another. That is what happens when you buy the LBS bike, you get the UN Fd up fork because we already sent back the Fd fork for one that was UNFd. If you want to go thru that hassle yourself to save a few bucks, knock your self out. My BD customers know they bought some ****e. The people they ride with tell them that. I am just there to pick up the pieces without hurting their feelings and make sure they don't get hurt because the bike they beleived to be "ready to go" according to the BD propaganda machine and their willing shills here at the BF has no brakes and the front wheel scrubbing a hole in the fork leg.

Rogue Leader

There is nothing on their site that says its ready to go, in fact it says to bring it to your LBS to assemble if you in any way feel uncomfortable doing it yourself. A couple parts of mine were scratched in shipping, the immediately sent replacements no questions.

Sorry but if you decide to not heed the warning, put it together yourself, and its messed up, its your own fault not theirs.

dynodonn 

Still truckin' with my Dawes MTB, I liked it so much that it replaced my Moto as a summertime rider. I'll have to make sure that I pull down the Moto from the rafters, dust it off, and take it for a spin at least once before winter sets in.