False

These are better than catfights!!!!

Hey, Greg LeMond won a Tour on one of those.

Glad to see that they are still around...:D

whoah whoah whoooooooahhhh..... not so fast with the assumption here, there were 343's!!!!








:p

Amazing... a sarcastic post about BD posts can't avoid turning into the same old argument by page 2.

WAIT...This is exactly why people hate on BD but NOT on Scattante and Pedal Force and Iron Horse etc.

To clarify, Greg LeMond won the TdF on one of those made by a very different company than currently makes and sells Bottechia/Mercier/Motobecane etc. Mike from BD has purchased the names of these dead companies and put them on his bikes.

I don't care what you ride, if you have a BD and like it, that's great, if you have another bike brand and like it, super. Makes no difference to me.

But I think what has been irritating people is the questionable and misleading marketing by BD-namely, making people think that these are the same bikes that come from old and famous companies in Italy and France (people also are not a fan of shill posts about them).

1. At a given price point, Bikesdirect and other Internet retailers offer the very best values in new bike equipment that can be easily accessed by anybody. Value = performance/cost. The best values often come from off-brands.

2. Internet retailers do not offer personal service but bike shops do. Shops cannot always compete with Internet retailers on price. Shops lose business when people buy from Internet retailers, creating fear.

3. Ego-gratification, the need for acceptance, and fear are strong motivators of human behavior. Brand allegiance and spending beyond one's need are motivated by ego-gratification and the need for acceptance.

4. Name calling and derision of Internet retailers and their customers are motivated by ego-gratification, the need for acceptance, and fear.

* Seeking value, I purchased 3 bikes from 2 Internet retailers (BD and RSCycles) this year for family members at a total cost of more than $3,000. My biking friends have been impressed, so serendipitously I have also garnered ego-gratification and acceptance:-) We ride for fun, fitness, and adventure, so I have also spent well beyond need:-)...GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS

"Price point" is a stupid phrase. Just say "price".

Uh oh, now I'm scared no one will love me for how clever I am.

Helpful post. Are you Danish?

Perfectly said. Who cares what we ride... But seriously people post waaaay too much about BD...

No. Just doing my best to bring the level of discussion up a bit...maybe to the third grade level or so.

In case you actually care, I'm an American expat, but I know enough Danish that if you want to cuss at me, I can probably figure it out.

How is the biking in Denmark? Can you bike most of the year? I live in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina (SC "Ed like the horse") and biking around here is great. George Hincappie moved here a few years ago to train. Now he's into real estate development.

Biking in Denmark is terrific, if you don't mind the wind and rain, and you're not looking for mountains. Quiet country roads and much more understanding drivers (though here you can see an irritating, yet mildly humorous encounter with a not-so-pleasant Danish driver). When the weather is nice, it is fantastic. For some pictures, see:


http://www.mip.sdu.dk/~glewin/cykling.html

In the winter, it rains a lot (just like the spring, summer, and fall), but the temperatures rarely fall below freezing.

Like George Castanza, I thought of a much better response your calling me out, which is:

No, I'm not Danish. Are you a mid-level manager?

Too bad I blew it.

Value is impossible to determine objectively because there are more factors than performance and cost and certain aspects, such as performance, cannot be measured. Other factors of value include convenience, customer service and warranty, which are important parts of a bicycle's value but vary in value depending on the person. How much is it worth to have someone to help you fit a bicycle if you are new to cycling?

I'm not saying that internet retailer bikes aren't good values, just that they aren't the same value to everyone.

It was late January, and I had just exited the train station in downtown København on my way to the hotel. Even though it was a dark and snowy evening, there were literally thousands of bicycles parked in the bike racks and what I considered to be a few brave souls riding through the wet streets.

I have photos from my trip to Denmark! Double decker bike racks!

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5...ation-2000.jpg

Red X ?? Click HERE

Where and when was this taken? I haven't seen any racks like that near the train station. Not the main one, anyway.

That was Copenhagen train station, the main one near Tivoli Gardens. It was December of 2000 and they were doing some construction so maybe they were temporary. Seemed like they had the same ones in every parking area around the building though. You can print out my picture and match the buildings in the background if you want next time you go!

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5...ation-2000.jpg

BTW, I also went to Elsinore and Roskijlde (?) - very enjoyable business trip. There's a chance I might get to go again next year.

Ah. I think they must have been temporary, unless they were on the south side. But that used to be the red light district, so now I have more questions for you...

Roskilde is fantastic. The Viking museum is top-notch, and the cathedral looks enticing (we couldn't go it -- a wedding was going on). I took the ferry back from Sweden into Elsinore once. Didn't spend any time there, but the view of Kronborg Slot from the ferry is fantastic. You can really see how it commands over the straight.

Good luck getting back!

YOU MEAN IT'S GONE ??? :(

I did see some sexy women in windows and some interesting novelty shops, but it didn't seem like an Amsterdam type of red light district - there were lots of legit restaurants and shops mixed in. There were also herds of Asian businessmen lined up outside a few of the establishments; probably some kind of convention was going on. ;)

Just not my type. But I find his hatred of BD VERY amusing. :D

Here's a funny essay about massage parlors. Not in Europe, but really darn funny.

There's the Rub.

Thanks for the tour of Denmark and the pics of the beautiful babes. I have only sons (19, 22, 24) and their heavy bearded kisses rub all of the skin off my face (actually, no kisses for decades).

One of my favorite comebacks is from Groucho Marx in The Coconuts..."Why would I join a (snooty country) club that would have somebody like me for a member?" Fits the BF pretty well. I paraphrase it for my wife often..."Gee honey, you're so wonderful and everything...so why did you marry me?"

Are you saying that different people have different wants, needs, and resources and this is ok? Why so much disrespect?

Espousing ideas like this is just malicious, pernicious silliness. Stop it. Everyone knows colnago (cervelo/serotta/IF/scott/motobecane, etc, enter your bike's name here) is the best for EVERYONE.