i looked at the site and most bikes i've never heard before. plus i'm a little weary of buying something that cant ride first. is this site for suckers or is it off brand?

would like any info on this.

if you do a search there's tons of information (and opinion) on the company

BikesDirect?? We've never heard of them.

In case you are not a troublemaker, the short version is they may offer a better bang for the buck for an experienced cyclist, but if you are are a neophyte you should probably go to your local bike shop. Too many risks with sizing and wrenching issues.

For more details, please use the search function as above.

I recuse myself from this thread.

The season's getting off to a late start.

do they sell hercules or is it mainly C.Itoh?

They are legit and the do sell good bikes. Whether or not they are the right place for you to buy from is up to you.

Actually, one helpful tidbit of info re: BD that people never mention is that a lot of their bikes are actually out of stock but still listed on the website. You don't realize it until you hit the drop-down box and every single size of the bike you want is out of stock.

Unfortunately, they also tend to be the bikes that most people want. The lowest end bikes are generally available, but the bikes with good groupsets, good frames, etc., go quickly in all but the weirdest sizes. I've looked there for a Ti roadbike, a CF racing bike with Ultegra, and an ultralight mtn bike, and they always seem to be sold out of what I want.

This. It's a decent place for the budget shopper who knows the right size and how to assemble and tune the bike.

I woke up this morning thinking "Wouldn't it be nice to have another BD thread on Bikeforums?"

What is Bikes Direct?

What is this Bike Forums you speak of?

Who is pcad?

Seriously, I have a BD bike and am very pleased with the purchase. If you are new to the sport, this could be risky if you are in between sizes, or if you even know how to fit yourself to a bike in the most basic sense. If you know what size you need, go for it. If pcad did it, its ok. The proverbial canary in a coal mine.

If you read older BD threads, be sure to wear your asbestos gloves, although BD backlash is less harsh these days.

Do a search on the forum, there is no shortage of information, pro and con. I bought a BD bike and have been nothing but pleased with it and it was my first road bike. I used a number of different resources available online in order to find a good fit and it worked out fine. I took the bike to a LBS and had them assemble it for me and give it a once over. The owner of the shop who has been selling and repairing bikes for over 30 years gave it high marks.

That being said, there are good reasons to buy something from your LBS as well. You may pay more, and you may get less, but you can at least have someone to go to if you run into problems and most shops will give you a fitting as part of the purchase.

FYI you can't search bikesdirect on the forums.

Bikesdirect search

still this should be interesting

Funny, I just did an advanced search for bikes direct in title only and this thread was the first thing that popped up.

I just got a bike from BD and am very happy with the experience. They didn't have the color I wanted in another model and they gave me $100 off on ANY bike over $1k of I chose another color or bike. I did and got a Ti framed bike.

However, I've been riding for a while and wrench regularly. I knew exactly what I wanted and know my size. I did take my new bike to a Local Bike Shop for a tune up, fit, and upgraded parts.

I don't recommend buying from BD if you are clueless about bikes.

I did a comparison on size, frame and components. I took my time in researching online and I would go to local bike shop and compare bikes to BD. I would sit on the bikes, talk about the difference in shifters, gears and composite on frames the sales guys.

I did realize that BD had fair pricing or below in price compared to LBS bikes. Although I would love to buy the best of the best my budget won't allow it.

I got a bonus at work and decided to buy a decent road bike and cross bike to train in cycling to build up to do cyclocross races this fall.

I have 400 miles on the road bike and had it for 4 weeks and just last week bought new cyclcross bike from BD.

I now commute on my cyclcross and do group rides and weekend rides on my road bike.

These bike are good as I'm beginner and improving every week. I changed saddles and personalized with new bar tape and wrap.

My Vent Noir- Vuelta Wheels with Tiagra/105 components
My Fantom CX Cyclocross- Alexrims R500 wheels with Sora/Tiagra

Nice King Snake motif you got going there

Very good luck with BD. Bought a bike and recommended to several friends who have bought bikes from them. No complaints. You should know exactly what you want though.

Have about 2500 miles on mine and love it.

The fanbois have toned down the histrionics.

Got a bike a couple weeks ago. I have mixed feelings about the purchase. Knew exactly what I wanted, so that wasn't an issue. Had a LBS give it a run-over after I did the initial assembly. The greatest advantage of purchasing from BD is that you get more bike for your money than locally. The biggest disadvantage is that you can not go to the manufacturer if you have a problem, as I did.

First bike shop "blew" the adjustment/assembly checkout. Second bike shop who did the pro fit for me insisted that it was assembled wrong, (dry, poor shifting, tight brakes), and I left it for a "pro assembly". That re-adjustment and the installation of a longer stem will hopefully mitigate the front wheel high-speed wobble I experience on one ride. Just picked up the bike last night and have not had an opportunity to ride it yet to see if it is a lot more stable at speed.

I'd recommend them, if you know exactly what you want and have a LBS that you can trust, or if you do your own wrenching. Otherwise, it probably isn't the best way to procure a bike.

+1

I have had good luck with BD.

I recently bought a bike from BD for my wife. Here are my thoughts.

Frame = no name, generic frame. Seems decent just looking at it (too small for me to really test ride). When I buy a bike, I am thinking that I mainly buying the frame. If it lasts me a long time (ie. > 20,000 miles +, as a new bike should), I will lilely replace most everything else. Personally, I wouldn't buy a generic frame I know nothing about for my own use but my wife couldn't care less and won't use it much.

Components = good price for "Ultegra 6700" components but in the end all you get is Ultegra shifters, 2 derraileurs, a casette and the chain. Everything else is rock bottom (cranks, wheels, brakes, seatpost, stem, saddle, etc.). The BD concept is that they kind of lead you into thinking you are getting all Ultegra for a steal price but in the end you get a few Ultegra components and the rest is el-cheapo to the max. For many this will be fine. Again, I consider a new bike to be primarily the frame and not the replaceable components that will eventually wear out and be replaced so I would concentrate more on the frame than the components.

Set-up = my bike was adjusted fairly well and I can do all my own wrenching. I would have felt like a fool bringing in my cheap internet bike to a local pro to have it adjusted. I bet those guys bite their lip when they see these coming in knowing that they lost another local bike sale and are now just getting the crumbs. If I were them, I would increase my service charge considerably for one of these. I wouldn't have bought this bike if I couldn't repair and maintain it myself.

Fitting = I am very good at bike fitting and did this myself for my wife. Even then it was a little bit of a crap-shoot to pick the correct size. Luckily I got it right from some simple measurements of her body.

Shipping = fast service, well packed. I haven't used customer service.

It worked out well for my wife's bike which she won't use much (and doesn't care what she rides). I might someday buy a Mtn bike from them to use on a rare occassion. There is no chance I would buy my regular road bike from them though. Good luck.

According to BF, they sell really awesome, perfectly decent bikes that are complete garbage.