bianchi10

no, dont. your not listening. GO TO YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP!!!! you have options here, dont buy that piece of crap when you can get better.

RT

I like how you all, in your infinite yet shortsighted wisdom, max him out with Ultegra while not even considering accessories and apparel he may need. Go Sora and get some decent bibs, even if you wear cargo shorts over them. Better to ride Sora in comfort than ride Ultegra naked.

...and Shimano is not the end-all be-all of components. It is the Kleenex of components.

Chickenstrip

I own a Dawes lightning dlx. Essentially the same bike you're looking at. My advice would be to spend a few more dollars and step up to 105. The only problem I have with sora (I have microshift brifters) is that it's 8 speed and the spacing of the gears makes it difficult to dial in your cadence. This is not something a beginner would think of as important but in the 5 months I've been riding it has become a thorn in my side! Otherwise the Dawes is as good of a bike as I could ask for. Not a lightweight by any means (21 lbs) but right in line with most entry level machines. I currently have a little over 2000 miles on my dlx with no reliability problems. That said, if I had known then what I know now I still would have purchased from BD but would have gone for a 105 level bike. Just make sure you get the right size and can either tune the bike yourself or pay a shop to do it.

sced

There are a whole bunch of bikes a my house for family members and myself. Some of them are pretty high end, and I've bought and maintained them all. Three of them are from BikesDirect - a Moto 29er, a Windsor Fens, and a Bottecchia. They are great bikes for the money - as well made and reliable as any new bike you will find for the price at any shop. That Dawes for $500 will be just fine. You may have to fiddle with it a bit to get it running perfectly, but bike mechanics is not rocket science and doing it yourself is part of the joy that comes with biking. That said, BikesDirect has a few other models for a similar price that you might research a bit. Good luck to you and have fun riding whatever you end up with.

halfspeed

Just make sure the headset is greased.

RT

Chickenstrip, you want to unload those Microshift levers (if you upgraded)? I have one bike with those levers and love them. You are right that the sweet spot is choppy, but the levers are still good.

hhnngg1

That's a perfectly good bike. If you're ok with the mild assembly required of BD and the fact that you may have to take it to an LBS for a initial inspection ($50-100), you're good to go.

Sora's fine. I use it for riding hard - it's not perfect, but it's the last thing that's slowing me down. When well adjusted, it will perform excellently unless you're intentionally shifting it under really high loads.

You can win TTs and races with that bike - no joke. Despite what all the haters say, if that bike fits you correctly and is assembled properly, it will be 97+% as fast as the $5k Dura-Ace Cervelo in your LBS. I ride a nearly identically spec'd bike (from LBS, but is Sora and entry level) and I do a bike shop ride where most of the bikes in the group are north of $3k, and can confirm that the bike is definitely NOT holding me back.

Alex460

Bianchi, I am in fact listening to what people are saying, but I also have a mind of my own on what to do. I will go to my local shop, but I'm sure that the Dawes isn't bad. I know that it might not have Ultegra, but I can't afford that alone. I was just asking an opinion.

bianchi10

gotcha, go get it then. Hope it performs well for ya.

Biscayne05

I was in the same position about 2 months ago. I got the Vent Noir and didn't regret it one bit.

Decent components and it's a sexy bike for $700. Just get ready to upgrade the saddle though and the pedals (well, depending on what shoe you're going to use). Keep the $300 to get some gear (bottle cages, bottles, lights, locks, helmet, etc).

The assembly for BD bikes ain't bad. If you're handy:

1. YouTube
2. HELPFUL people here @ BF

if not

3. Local Bike Shop (got mine assembled for $30)

If you're going on option 3 make sure they TUNE the bike, not only assemble it.

joe_5700

I am sure that the Dawes will work for your immediate needs. Also consider that the Dawes is going to have a very low resale value compared to a Trek or Specialized bike. Like someone else said there are going to be deals on 2011 bikes which will wipe out a lot of the savings BD bikes offer.

Alex460

Thank you biscayne. I feel that it is the best for the money at the moment, and to be honest, I am really not all too worried about re sale value right now...not sure if that's good!

K&K_Dad

If you got 1000 to spend on a BD bike why are you even looking past the SRAM options?

Nachoman

Everytime someone buys a bike from bikesDirect a puppy dies.

Stratman351

While I'm not routinely a big fan of Performance Bikes, they're selling their house-brand Scattante R-670 right now for $1,199. If you have a PB near you, you might be able to negotiate them down a bit from there. You can also join their Team Performance club and get 5% of the $1,199 in "Team Performance" points good for use toward other merchandise (pedals?). A guy I ride with bought one of these recently, and it's a pretty nice bike for the money: Ultegra group set and shifters, carbon seatpost and fork, decent wheels on an aluminum frame.

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...cattante+R-670

FrenchFit 

LBS closing out last year's model sold me a Fuji crosscomp for $425. List was $1250. At least give your LBS a chance, they may be able to cut you a deal. Supporting Performance Bike is somewhat like supporting Wal-mart, I don't want to spend my money at a N.C. based company importing 99% of their inventory from Asia.

RT

ffa

Also, OP, if you are set on the Dawes, you should consider the Gravity Liberty 1. I rolled the dice on this one and am very pleased with the bike. $399 for relaxed geometry, carbon fork and Microshift levers (my preference). Any upgrades that would apply on the Dawes also apply to the Liberty, but it is a great ride, and without those sweeping seat stays.

Dan333SP

My brother got the motobecane vent noir with a 105 mix last year for a little under $700 and he couldn't be happier. It's not the lightest or most aero bike but it is solid and looks great. Also rides well and the vuelta wheels it came with are not half bad. He had a friend in a local bike shop assemble it for $50 and hasnt had an issue since.

Stratman351

LOL, yeah, I should have known that since I'm a long-time member and use the points all the time. Also, in stating I'm not generally a fan of Performance I should clarify that I mean that in the context of the place to buy a bike or for repair/service work. I buy parts and accessories from them all the time.

Biscayne05

Seriously, at that price point (frame+components), don't bother thinking about the resale value. I'm ready to take a "hit" if I'm planning to sell it in the future. Thing about me is that I baby the things I own so I always have buyers telling me "man, you babied this ____" (I sell a lot of stuff in person/online).

I can tell you're going to ride for leisure and won't do any races, so this bike would do the job. Sure, I could've spent more on a better bike, but in the long run, would it make any sense for a person who rides 3hours> per week? Absolutely not.

and forget these BD haters. You're a grown man like you said and can make his own decision/s.

Just get settled on an entry level bike and enjoy riding.

jbman100

I bought a BD bike as a starter bike because it fit. I couldn't find anything in my at the time price range that did. I paid $400 for it and just sold it for $300 after finding a Bianchi that fit almost perfectly before tweaking it. I rode the BD bike for 2500 miles last year with not one problem other than wearin out the tires and a couple of flats. Some people have had some bad experiences with BD bikes. I had a great experience with mine.

cleon

Rofl!!

cleon

Curious where you think your Fuji was built?

FrenchFit 

I'm more than aware of where it was made, it was the only sour part of the deal. I least I gave my cash to a local business person who's made some investment in the community. And. I'm soon to dump and crush that frame and replace it with something designed & welded in this country. So, I guess I'm saying all you Bicycle Magazine reading CF Disposable Taiwanese Bic Pen bike riders can kiss my @ss.

Nothing personal.

Rowan

You only think people can kiss your butt because you talk through it.