RaleighSport

Other then bad musicians being a canuck is a problem how?

Mr.IDontKnow

BD only ship their items within US. So if I have to make couple of trips to the US to get my "lucky package" bike will be nonsense......

RaleighSport

ahh now I see. Got a friend on the border who can tell if a bike is screwed or not?

Mr.IDontKnow

Oh never mind, I read the shipping information wrong.
BUT still...."YELLOW - customer pays the shipping, Duty & Tax is customers responsibility." Canada is shaded in yellow....so if it takes a couple of trips to get my lucky package, it might murder my savings account! haha

RaleighSport

most common issue I hear about is bent derailer hangers, and honestly that's not a return to factory problem in my book especially not since they seem to send you fresh ones.

angrytheo

I sprang for a Motobecane lightening cross from BD about a year ago, because it was a good deal on paper with the components on it. It turned out to be an almost unrideably awful bike. First of all, it had this absurd "aero" top tube which was essentially diamond shape, meaning that if you actually used it for cyclocross, the bottom of the diamond would destroy your shoulder. The ride quality was even worse. I'm not on to go on and on about frame materials, but this has to have been the junkiest aluminum frame ever; over built, extraordinarily harsh, hideous welds... It was a terrible purchase, even considering that the parts are more or less worth as much as the bike. It now sits in my garage, wheelless and unused.

RaleighSport

That's nothing like the bike discussed in this thread, thank goodness! So what'd you get to supplement that if anything?

Mr.IDontKnow

WOOOOOOW.....that's some insane package you got there angrytheo! How come you didn't email them back for a new package? Or is the bike not "screwed up enough" to be sent back?

RaleighSport

It sounds like his problems had a lot more to do with the design of the bike itself, not BD.

jet-flashman

I bought a Dawes Lighting cross a couple years ago and I'm very happy with it. I swapped out the bars and stem for my upright riding style but other then a new bottom bracket, brake pads,chain, and saddle the rest of the bike is stock. I'm a Clyde who spent 25 years on mountain bikes so this bike was a cheap way for me to try "road" riding. I have over 4500 miles logged on a mix of road, gravel, and singletrack so far and I'm impressed with the bike. I build my own bikes so the assembly part wasn't an issue. I think BD is a good deal for someone with bike building skills who wants a affordable ride....my .02 anyway.

Andy_K 

Tragically Canadian sensibilities

RaleighSport

I've been looking at the Alum Dawes SST myself, seems like a sweet bike and the frame is almost exactly the look I want.

meanwhile

If you knock 20% off the "official" store price for a Trek you're still nowhere near BD prices for a comparable spec bike, surely? And if it is less trouble for you to take a bike to the store every two months to get the chain lubed than to do it yourself then you either live next door to the bike store or have a deadly allergy to chain lube.

And the idea of taking the bike to the store to get a flat fixed is even more bizarre. You're supposed to, what, phone a taxi, ask for a bike-friendly driver who will perform the complex procedure of removing the front wheel, and then drive to the store? Or just carry it there on your back?

nashcommguy

+1 Glad I read through the thread as I would've posted this almost verbatim.

3+ years ago I bought a BD Motobecane Fantom CX 2x9 for 500.00US delivered. Over 17,000 commuter/utility miles later it's still going strong. Original comps except for the tires and inner chainring. I swapped the 36t for a 40t as it would only be using it on asphalt. Same for the tires...cx tires were too soft. Don't know how it would handle the rigors of off-road use, but for my purposes it's a real gem.

When ordering I did it online on a Wednesday and it was delivered the following Saturday 90% assembled. It was packed like when one ships a bike overseas for touring purposes. And yeah, one should dis-assemble and lube certain places like the bb threads as they're not done a/t factory. Also, my NDS crank was matte blue instead of black, but I decided making an issue of it wasn't worth it.

We differ in that my BD bike isn't my fav my fg is, but that's only because I love riding fg. Otherwise, it's the most versitile, consistantly low-maintenance horse in the herd.

Mr.IDontKnow

The only thing that I mind on that bike is that it's not a triple, I went threw pictures of cyclocross bikes and saw no triple crank. I want a triple crank so I can climb hills when I ride to school. The hills are super steep, I hardly made it up some of the hills on my no name mountain bike.

Mithrandir

I priced out the individual parts of my new LHT out of curiosity, using the lowest prices I could find online. It came to around $1935. The LBS charged me $2000, and assembled it perfectly.

I don't understand how they make money. But they do kick-ass work, so I'll be back.

Andy_K 

The Kona Jake comes with a triple. OTOH, I've swapped mine out for a 46-34 double with a 12-30 cassette, and I can climb some pretty mean hills with that setup.

RaleighSport

Retail single components is never going to be cheaper from a store than buying a whole bike from a decent store sadly.

Mr.IDontKnow

I get really confused when you guys mention " the #-# double or #-# cassette." I know what the cassette is, but what does the numbers mean?

RaleighSport

it's the gearing range IE his double is his front chain rings, the large outboard being 46 tooth and the small inboard being 34 tooth. So the cassette is same principle 12 tooth small up to a 30 tooth largest.

10 Wheels

11-34 cassette

Mr.IDontKnow

The moto I want on BD has 36/46T Chainrings and 11-28T cassette on it. How does that compare to Andy_K's? It just have a gap of couple teeths. Can a couple teeth make THAT much of a difference?

Andy_K 

Playing with a gear calculator can help you get a sense for things. Here's a link to a common one: https://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

You'll hear people talk about gear inches. That probably won't mean much to you, but it's useful as a relative measurement. The 36x28 low gear on that BD bike is about 13% higher than the 34x30 low gear on my commuter and 20% higher than the 30x28 low gear on a stock 2012 Kona Jake with a 50-39-30 triple and 12-28 cassette.

jet-flashman

My Dawes came with a 50/36 front and 11-25 rear set up. I swapped it out for a 46/34 front and 12-34 mountain cassette for awhile when I ran fenders, racks and panniers. Then slowly came back round to a 50/34 F and 11-25 rear which seems to be a good spread for a cross bike, maybe a 28t added to the rear for those really steep hills.

nfmisso

Frames are cheap - especially in lots of 50 or more units of the same size. A titanium frame and fork can be had for $50- if you purchase 50 identical units.