battery guy

Im gonna reserve commenting on this until I get my bike on Friday. But so far, the customer service from Mike (bikesdirect) has been absolutely outstanding. He has been very prompt at returning my emails and resolving any concerns/problems. I had a little problem with my order, and he resolved it easily and quickly.

TickDoc

I really feel like I got a good deal. I didn't know if I was going to really get back into this sport after taking nearly 20 yrs off, and my Le Champion was a great way to get back in.

I looked at the LBS's to see what it would cost, and the closest I could come was a last year's model of Giant TCR base model with 105 components. Nice bike, but they really scrimped on components all around.

I like the fact that the money I saved helped me to buy all the other crap you need for this sport.

Do I still want a Cervelo? You bet! I just don't want to plunk down the dough for one right now(but when I do, you can bet I will buy it from an online retailer ;~)

I don't race, haven't attempted a century yet, and don't shave my legs.

I ride because it is fun and helps me keep my innertubularis muscle at bay.

My bike arrived in about 3 days, same as the others, packed only decently. I took the front wheel to be trued and fiddled with the seat for a few rides, and it has been near flawless since.

Find me a better deal out there and I'll buy you a beer.

urbanknight

But not as big an issue as Paris Hilton's jail sentence?

mblk6062

Good for you! You did what is right for you and not something that will "appease" the wonkish, elitist snobs out there that give our sport such a bad rap. (Big egos + big bank accounts = Small participation).

Shaving your legs - please - unless you're pulling down a big money deal from a sponsor, the only reason you would shave your legs is because you secretly have a fetish about it!

Racing? Nope, don't do it and don't care to - but that's just me - I give huge Kudos to those of you out there who do. Does this make me any less of a serious cyclist? I think not - such a statement is akin to saying the hacker who plays golf 3 times a week is not a serious golfer. He or she may not ever be a great golfer, but that doesn't diminish their passion for the sport.

Centuries? I've done a bunch of them - big deal! Don't let the wonks intimidate you - it's just not that difficult if you prepare correctly. I believe that 90% of regular bike riders are capable of finishing a century IF they train properly for it.

I love this sport, and I will not be intimidated or persuaded into pursuing it by any means other than the way I want to do it!

BTW- Kickass Bike Mate!

DrPete 

I race, and my Pinarello F4:13 with a PowerTap and all the goodies has 4600 miles on it since January. Am I a wonkish elitist snob too? I mean, I told you what bike I ride, so you must have me all figured out...

DrPete 

Oh wait, I said something good about bikesdirect too... Does that mean I need to sell my bike? I'm so confused.

mblk6062

Damn! I can't believe I forgot about that one!

mblk6062

Perfect example of what I'm talking about...First of all, as I stated, I applaud those of you who race - Hell, I'm in AWE of you - YET, here we go again:

Clue #1 - Pinarello F4:13 (VERY high end bike). Glad you can afford it Bro! Are you more committed to cycling than me because of the bike you can afford to buy? HELL NO!

Clue #2 - Power Tap (and all the goodies??). Glad you know your wattage output Bro! (PLEASE ALSO REFER TO CLUE #1)

I'm not making fun of you or the obviously serious commitment you've made to cycling - please just don't have the attitude that you have to do these things to be CONSIDERED a "serious" cyclist.

There's room for everybody in our sport is all I'm trying to say...........

Ostuni

can second that based on personal experience on both ends...

got my first new road bike - a trek 1200 - two years ago... the guy at a local lbs had me stand over one and declared me to be a 56cm... that was my fitting.... (and it was wrong)

and when i picked it up i got the 5-minute drill on adjusting, tweaking, etc.

at the time i did not know enough to expect better service and attention, and i reckon that is the treatment most newbies get when buying an entry level bike at the lbs...

have since bought several bikes from bd and while their msrps are silly and their ad copy is crude, their sale prices are significantly less than anything i have seen in any lbs for comparably equipped bikes... and assembling the bike yourself is valuable experience worth acquiring imo...

oilman_15106

Something about no press is worse than bad press? Is this why BD is still in business and Flyte is out?

DrPete 

So why resort to name calling to make the point? You sound just like the people you claim are harming the sport.

DrPete 

If I were to guess, I'd think that Flyte's custom build options were too hard to keep parts in stock for. They had a ton of options and shipped very quickly, which led me to believe that they needed to keep a pretty big inventory.

MillCreek

My 2007 Grand Sprint, with full Ultegra for $ 999, has served me very well. It arrived in fine shape with the wheels true, and only needed 30 minutes of assembly. I have five bikes altogether, ranging from a $ 800 hardtail to a $ 7000 Indy Fab titanium Crown Jewel, and the Motobecane holds its own in my stable.

mblk6062

If the shoe fits, wear it, Doc.

There was no "name-calling", only reference to the profoundly different schools of thought on the subject of what constitutes a "serious" cyclist.

Hugo Drax

I would probably buy a Motobecane or a Mercier if i didn't already have 3 road bikes. The only thing that bothers me about those bikes is that sticking on old French names on what are basically Giants is more than a bit disingenuous.

jmarkley710

Where's alanbikehouston? He could tell you all about them.

I ride one and love it.

mezza

dddave

urbanknight
Grammar Police



i had to.

timmhaan

no doubt about it. they are clearly profiting from an old and established name. and that does bother me, but then i think about how giant produces so many frames that get relabled and sold as new "brands" so the BD model isn't that much different IMO. i would prefer that they just call brand them as their own name, but they seem to be successful doing this.

DrPete 

"Wonkish elitist snob" doesn't constitute name calling?

What constitutes a "serious" cyclist is basically irrelevant to me. I mean, when I do group rides I don't hear anyone saying "OK, serious riders over here and non-serious riders over here." Either you can hang on that particular ride or you can't. Other rides I do are more newbie friendly.

My point is that the insecurity some people have when buying a budget bike like a Motobecane, etc. tends to magnify their feelings that everyone is looking down on them. So this "elitism" is often fabricated where it never existed in the first place.

It's really funny--when I rode a cheap Flyte, nobody ever took issue with me. When I upgraded to a carbon fiber Pinarello, suddenly I was called an elitist snob who hates poor people (yes, those were the actual words). I would contend that, at least in my experience, that there's FAR more animosity against people who ride/race expensive bikes than there is against people who ride/race Motobecanes, at least on this forum.

DrPete 

Yeah, that was one of the big things that turned me off too. There's nothing wrong with the bike as it is, so why represent it as something it's not?

Munk69

BD is about component bling put on a very average frame. Most other companies are about a quality frame with ok components. I mean we see ULTEGRA EVERYTHING on a 1k bike and we all start getting moist in our no no areas.

I have a 2006 Immortal Force and it is extremely flexy comapred to my Cannondale. The AC wheels are very flexy too.

indygreg

Those AC wheels kept me from buying from BD for a while, now they main use the Ritchey WCS stuff that I think is very nice.

As far as your frames . . . is your cannondale carbon as well? If you dale is Alum, this is not realy a fair comparison. Few carbon frames are as stif as cannondale alum.

I disagree about the frames. The alum BD frames are as good as most alum frames on the big brand bikes . . . save for Cannondale. Most are made overseas in the same type places.

woodboy

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm worried -- send out the dogs.

ollo_ollo

I have one of the old ones...a 70s Grand Jubile...aside from having threading that differs from all other English, Italian & Japanese bikes, different sized stem, bars & seatpost...The fact the company has been out of business more than 20 years etc...a great bicycle. It is still possible to get NOS & good used parts on e-Bay, so why all the fuss?
Don