Anyone heard of or bought from Realcyclists.com
 

Has anyone bought or heard of realcyclists.com? I saw an ad of theirs on a fantasy football site and a quick mention of them on a different bike forum. They have a bike I want for $524, which is 52% less than retail. Granted its a 2011 model but it seems too good to be true. The bikes are even shipped fully built. Tempted to pull the trigger because I have been looking for this bike for a long time but its never stocked locally. any help?

I like buying from the previous model year. The changes in parts aren't that drastic from year to year. It is always a shot in the dark to buy without a test ride, so you have to weigh that value into the mix. Get a list of the components and stop by a Bike shop and ask what they have with similar components, see how things match up. If you can, post a picture of the bike you are drooling over.

I bought my Yeti cyclocross bike from them this spring. I heard about them when I saw one of there riders had won Redlands in March. The bike arrived fully assembled and ready to ride after pedal install and ajustment of the saddle. They guy from the shipping company will stay until the bike is removed from the box to make sure it is not damaged. To date it's my only mail order bike and I would use them again.

Part 2
I just went to the site and it looks like your getting the Kona Dr. Fine? They do have a note that the bike will need to assembled since it ships from the manufacturer.

I ordered some shoes from them a few weeks ago. Shipped quick, but when I got them, I decided I had ordered a size too large. Returned them and ordered the right size. The entire transaction went smoothly. :D

Yes, i am looking to buy the Dr. Fine. The guy on the chat session said that bike is assembled but i better double check. My concern was if this was a legit company worthy to be trusted and so far it sounds like it is. If its not assembled, how much would a local shop charge? we have two kona dealers, but neither carry this bike unless special order.

I ordered a Christmas gift from them and it qualifed for free shipping but it was economy. I needed it faster due my friend leaving before Christmas and they shipped everything 2 day air for free. They were super easy to deal with and I would highly recommend them!

Well i went back to the chat and inquired about assembly for this bike and after he researched it, he found at that this particular bike arrives un-assembled. I asked why, since the moto of the website is bikes built by pros that care and shipped the same way with an inspector once it arrives. I asked what changed? He said frankly because the bike is cheap. I said this is Kona's top end bike in the asphault/commuter line and usually costs $1200. The bike has an Alfine drive train and needs/deservers a pro assembly. He said he would contact the bike department and get back to me. So, we will see what happens.

they own bonk town and huck and roll also

I bought a road bike from them about a month ago. Great price on a very nice bike. Most of my experience was very good. There was one logistical screwup that one of their customer support people made that caused a bit of a problem (I received an email saying that my order had been cancelled, which I hadn't done), but I was positively impressed with how well they responded to the situation. Given that this all happened during the extended Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, and given that their response included a real, concerned person who knew what he was talking about and followed up as promised, I still give them my recommendation. I would buy another bike from them. I've bought a couple of other new bikes online in the past, and RealCyclist has by far the best packaging approach that I've seen. Further, the bike was set up well, though I did make a small adjustment to the FD setting to eliminate rubbing when under load in the highest gear. Now if only this cold weather would go away for a while! :).

I've ordered several things from Realcyclists.com and do it again in a heartbeat. They are a great company to do business with.

Yeah, they're all part of backcountry.com, which has been around a long time and used to sell bike stuff on that site, but then they decided to open up specialty sites. Never had any problem when ordering stuff from them.