I thought I would add to the database for folks considering doing business with Bikes Direct.

I am new to road biking. I did lots of research, but kept coming back to one fact: I wasn't ready to drop a bunch of money if I wasn't going to ride a lot, and with my history of laziness when it comes to exercise, I knew it was unwise to jump in completely. $650 for a Giant OCR 3 seemed like too much for me right now. Therefore, I was looking for alternatives and found bikesdirect.com.

I've never been afraid to tear something apart and sometimes I can even get it back together, so wrenching on a bike didn't scare me (I have several bikes and have always worked on them myself). I decided the low end Mercier Galaxy for $350 was how much I wanted to spend and it wasn't that far off the OCR 3, component-wise. When I was ready to pull the trigger, I nearly blew my whole plan when I decided I was in love with a $795 Windsor on the same site (Ultegra, I'll bet that's sweet!). Eventually, I came to my senses and went back to the $350 plan. I ordered on a Monday afternoon and the bike showed up that Friday. Here's what I saw when I got home (apparently UPS doesn't really need a signature on a 'signature required' delivery):

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/fatheadx/box.jpg



I decided to start immedately, although the side of the box looked like this:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/fatheadx/peekaboo.jpg



Looking around, it didn't seem to be damaged, even though the quick release was sticking out the side, so I tore into it. Here's the view when you open the box:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/fatheadx/inbox.jpg



I pulled everything out, including the instructions, which I promptly ignored:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/fatheadx/bikeout.jpg



I stopped taking pictures at this point because I was so excited to get it together. As they mentioned in an e-mail, it took about 25 minutes, even for someone who hasn't done it before. You have to mount the back wheel, front wheel, front brake, pedals, seatpost, stem, and handlebars. The routing of the four cables coming out of the handlebars is confusing at first, so I did this part wrong, so I got to do it again. Anyway, here is the finished product:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l19/fatheadx/finished.jpg



I fiddled with the seat height and handlebar angle, adjusted the brakes, spent a few minutes trying to figure out the Presta valve adapter on my crappy pump. I rode it around the cul-de-sac and was surprised the shifting was actually pretty good, so far I've not adjusted it at all.

The bike is not as pretty as I was hoping, but it's not bad looking (numerous generic components plus an unexceptional paint color does not equal gorgeous). There are a couple of minor flaws in the paint and small scratches, but nothing that was troubling. My biggest concern so far is that both wheels need to be trued. I've never actually done this, but I will give it shot shortly.

After the last picture, I mounted a computer, a pump, and bag, and a bottle cage (and lost the reflectors). I'm ready to ride...

My first ride was great; I love how fast a road bike goes without much effort compared to my mountain bike. I could really see how you can fall in love with this sport. I'm still getting used to the seating position on a road bike, but it seems comfortable enough. The Sora shifters are great so far, this being my first experience with STI on a road bike. Now I will really appreciate Ultegra when I get there! The only problem was the non-true wheels making a slight rubbing noise against the brake pad on every revolution. This will drive you insane if you let it.

Summary? I bought a cheap bike and I like it so far. If I can true the wheels, everything else seems like it will work out just fine. The bike is heavy (~24 lbs), but it appears it will stand up to some abuse if I ride a bunch, or it will not take up much space if I don't. I still need to figure out my pedal situation (clip-ons??) and get some riding clothes, and uh, oh yeah, get my fat ass in shape.


http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/reviews/princessbridesixfingersmall.jpg
And remember, this is for posterity so be honest.

Thanks for the candid review. Be careful riding those wheels before they are properly tensioned... you could taco one entirely.

Let us know how your experiment in truing goes, but you might want to leave that to your LBS, especially for a new ride. I assume you don't own a truing stand.

Good luck with the new bike.
I agree with jtolleson--and would suggest that having the bike shop true the wheels and give the bike a quick once over would be worth the time/effort/money.

Good report. Thanks for posting

Good post, but I'll put another vote in on the LBS truing the wheels if you don't have a stand or experience in it.