Hello everyone, this is my first post. I will be buying my first real bike soon (my last one was when I was roughly 10 and it sucked) and need some advice.


After doing some very heavy crash-course research over the past several days, I think I've decided to get a SS bike from bikesdirect. Since I'm on quite a small budget it seems like a no-brainer. I thought about getting the Cafe' Express 3, but since I'm likely to be commuting on flat ground for 95%+ of the time, it doesn't seem practical enough and only one gear seems like it would require less maintenance. Further info: I don't plan to be using the bike more than just a few miles a day for work. This could change if I become addicted to it as a hobby



Currently I think I'm between the SST and the Clockwork (though that could change if new information is uncovered).


https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst_steel.htm

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...kwork_plus.htm


They seem to be very similar except that the Dawes has either Alex R500 or Weinmann ZAC1800 rims (Clockwork has "Custom Color" rims- which I assume are worse) and the Clockwork has "Precision Bearings" (SST has "Rubber Contact Sealed"). Are the bearings in the hub really enough to be work $80 more (and over the price of the rim difference- if there is any)? If the hub is that bad in the SST, would getting a better one separately be a better idea than going for the Clockwork (and if so, by how much pricewise)? Are both the rims bad enough to need replacing soon, even for a low-mileage novice?


Bonus question- Is the SST AL [https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...al_carb_x.htm] really worth $180 (which is 72% if my math is correct) more than the SST1? I mean, I know that the parts are probably better, but as far as "bang for your buck" how much better is it actually? Or is it mainly just incremental in performance/weight? Speaking of weight, I can't seem to find that info on the site. Do any of you guys know what the weight of these bikes are roughly?



That's a lot of questions, lol. Sorry about that.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

That hike in the price is for those precision bearing wheels. Just because the SST has branded wheels doesn't necessarily mean they're better; they're all essentially entry level wheelsets that you should be fine with for a while. In general, deeper rims tend to take abuse better and are more likely to stay true under heavy load, so consider them if you're on the heavy side and/or going over rough roads. Otherwise, get the Clockwork if you like the look of "customized" deep rims or save your money and go for the SST. As for the SST AL, it does have better components and it also costs more because aluminum frames of comparable quality are generally more expensive than steel frames. Performance wise, the SST is going to be a stiffer, rougher ride and more preferable on a track setting. The weight savings may be minimal though, but I'm unsure in this case. With bikesdirect track bikes it's simple; buy whatever bike you like the looks of and buy the most expensive that you can get in your budget. Personally, I think the SST is ugly and most people here would recommend the Kilo TT. For about $100 more, you get a much nicer bike than the Motobecane Track, Clockwork, The Hour, SST, Messenger, etc, component-wise and aesthetically (nicer finish on the components and frame in my experience). Just spend another $10-20 for a freewheel if you want it to be single speed.

IMO many of the newer BikesDirect offerings (including the SST and Clockwork) look like garbage. For something low-budget, I'd go with one of the Motobecanes if I had to shop with BD.