Just loosen the pads until they move freely, and then hold them in the position you want them to stay in while retightening the lock.

i tried that, it's tenacious.

Yes it is. I heated it up pretty good and used a very long line of flossing. Like approximately a foot and a half. Then I just slowly "sawed" it off. It took approximately 15 minutes. I think its worth getting it off, the decal is so ugly.

i just think they put on too many, just the head badge is enough really...

but what about the clear coat layer you've lost?

damet! everyone is getting a blue messenger!!

After removing the badge in the front of the bike, the clear coat seems fine. It leaves a gooey residue. I sued Goo Gone and wiped it off. As for the other decals, I'm going to leave those on. I might electrical tape it to make my bike a bit uglier so it will be less attractive to thieves. I hate them.

In addition:

I would like to thank the people that gave me advice on how to adjust the brakes. The brakes are now functioning the way it should. The only thing I have left is truing the wheels. I wanna know is it worth paying someone 20-30 dollars to true it or should i true it myself with the wheels on the bike?

One more thing, where can I find a bike chain and an innertube so I can chain down my saddle?

Can you not remove the rear brake without screwing up the tape job?

You can remove the brake, cable, and if you are cool with cutting it, the visible potion of the cable housing.

I'm just wondering if you have to remove/alter the handlebar tape to remove the brake.

if you want to remove the lever, yes.

well, the decals are under the clear coat on top of that, well, i guess ask an LBS for that other stuff.

When you say "remove the brake", you mean the brake lever? The brake is bolted to the crossmember of the seat stays and is nowhere near the handlebar tape. If you mean remove the brake LEVER then you'll have to destroy $4 worth of black cork tape to get the lever off.

Why remove the second brake lever though? You can still ride the brake hood even if the lever doesn't do anything.

anybody have troubles with their front brake? it seems like mine won't even fit on..the bolt that screws into the back of the caliper won't go through the hole in the frame. anyone else had this problem?

i got my bike this past friday and threw it together in ~30 mins. very simple.
my wheels are pretty much true (as far as my eye can see) and have zero adverse effects when riding.
i didn't even bother using the stock handlebars--i ordered the nitto rb021 pursuits and they were waiting in my garage along with a black tektro brake lever that i picked up at my LBS.
the ONLY gripe i have about the bike is about the pedals and baskets. they're trash. i'm ordering different pedals and baskets asap.
other than that, i'm 100% pleased with the messenger and the moment my brother saw/rode it he decided to order one because for the price (and a few immediate minor upgrades), i don't think it can be beat.

my bike is the 58cm bike and the cranks are 170mm and on the site it says i'm supposed to get the 165mm ones. so the crank will touch the front wheel when it's turned.
also the front tire runs really close to the frame..i'll post a pic later maybe but the front tire is probably 10mm from the bottom bar.

Haha, i think you made a newbie mistake. try turning the fork 180 degrees and try it on again. You have the fork backwards, that is why the screw won't go in the "back." The "back" is actually the front.

As he said the- fork should sweep forward like this:

thanks, i felt so dumb after posting this and looking at the bike one last time before i went to class. i looked at my raleigh and then the messenger and wondered what looked off. but thanks for the responses haha..i feel ********.
not sure if i should talk to them about the 170mm crank arms it came with..58cm are supposed to get 165's. but i dunno if i'll go through with it since i'll probably replace them soon.

Well, don't feel stupid, the reason i know its a noob mistake is because... I did the same. As for the crank arms, if you're gonna replace then don't bother. But at the same time, I've heard from this board that Bikesdirect.com is really quick at fixing their mistake. So you can hit them up with an e-mail and see what their response it. They might just send u a new crank and let u keep the old one... who knows? Good luck.

My bike is a 58cm and i didn't measure them but the cranks seem to be the right length, I've got no complaints.

(I'm too lazy to go check, are they marked with the length or do you have to measure them? if they are marked I'll check mine and report back.)

i ordered an orange 64cm messenger and they sent me a blue 64cm :/

they are marked with the length on them..just look on the inside of the arm. i appreciate you looking since you have the same size frame. i just want to see since i got a different impression from the bd site.

I guess mine are 170mm then. (only # i could find on the inside of the crank arms)

I run basic SPD pedals and my feet don't hit the front wheel while turning nor have I experienced any pedal strike issues (yet).

i think i'm 165 with a 52 cm.

quick question, i never greased the pedals when i installed them. But they are on the crank fine. Do i need to take them off and grease it and put it back on or just leave it the way it is now?