this is a post that i created at the end of a long discussion in the general forum, but i didn't get much feedback, i'm going to post it here to see if the results change.



"i've been reading the pro's and con's regarding bd.com......road bikes cost a lot of money. i'm thinking about getting into cycling, but i want to get the most bang for my buck. i'm sure that one can understand why the bikes at bd.com are so appealing to a newbie. they seem to have high end components for a great deal less than the one's i've seen in the lbs. i've read a lot of great reviews on their bikes and a lot of happy customers giving their personal testimonies......sure they could be shills, and a lot of them probably are. my question is, are their any dissatisfied customers out there that have posted to this forum? actual people who bought one of these bikes and had a bad experience. i don't mean trouble trueing the wheels are adjusting the derailers(these are skills that some riders are comfortable doing on there own and other aren't). i'm more interested in defects or poor quality. thanks for your help."

... i'm more interested in defects or poor quality. thanks for your help.
I suspect you would be hard pressed to find reports of defects or poor quality. At least no more than any other brand.

The biggest compliant with most (non customers) is the outrageous claims by them and some of the folks who have purchased from them and than posted reviews.

There is no question that the frames are decent, the components (drive train) are good quality and the prices are very good. However, there are many other internet companies that offer just as good prices and even more that offer competitive prices with better services.

Some examples
Nashbar Iron Horse (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=65&subcategory=1001&brand=&sku=19208&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Road%20Bikes) Full ultegra with Ritchey wheels for $999. They almost always have a 10% coupon code so with that it's $900 + $30 shipping. I don't see where BD offers anything substantially better for the same or less money.

Performance often offers similar bikes and you can add the 10% store credit (team performance) along with any coupon code.


Leader (http://www.leaderbikestore.com/pd_ld_736r3.cfm) offers some nice looking bikes and while for the same money you will only get 105 instead of Ultegra you can hand select every single item on the bike. One way BD keeps prices down is by not offering any substitutes. For a more experienced buyer having the option to customize the selection could easily save you allot of money by preventing a bunch of replacements on parts that are the right size (stems), parts that are low quality (saddles) and parts that just on appropriate for that rider (light weight wheels).

Randall Scott is another company that is fairly competitive and their $60.00 Pro Build Plan (http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.I/id.2/.f) would truly eliminate the need for an LBS for almost all buyers.

Than of course there are the LBS. It appears that many BD purchasers were quoted full MRSP when shopping locally. Maybe I'm just lucky but that is never the case around here. I can almost always find deals on Felts, Iron Horses, Raleighs and even some of the larger brands locally that are very close to the internet deals.

I won't even talk about used bikes. OMG there have been some amazing deals on ebay recently.

Bottom line:

You would probably be very happy with a BD purchase but do you homework and shop around. There are good deals to be had from many sources.

Good luck and if you post your specific needs/desires you may find that your homework will be dome for you.

I am a leading shill (I mean, I even branded my bd.com bike with bikesdirect.com stickers), so take this all with as much salt as you want.

Life's post is very fair and reasonable IMHO. Good info and good advice.

I am new and the reasons the OP listed drove me to BD.com.
I looked at 6 LBS in the Indy area and they just never came close. I understand overhead, brand names, R&D, etc and was willing to pay more for all that . . . but we never got in the same ball park.
My experience:
I started off with a budget of $1300 for a road bike. This was based on some research on what a decent first bike is, etc. It was also based on a bonus check I had coming. :)
My timing was good - Oct. I looked for 2006 models still on the floor of LBS'.
What I found was bike that were around $1500 list, maybe a bit higher. These were almost all 105 bikes, including some 9 speed setups. Some had Ultegra RDs. All had junk wheels - to the point where the salespeople (being honest) were saying that I would be replacing the wheels in less than a year. Most had moderate at best seatpost, stem, bars, and tires. I looked at Biachi, Trek, and Giant for the most part.
I posted here about these bikes and BD.com - which opened Mike of BD.com to PM me. We talked a bunch and I finally decided to go that route.
I spent $1500 on a full DA bike with Ritchey parts. It was $200 more than my budget, but one reason I did that was the fact that I really felt (and still do) that the bike just did not need any upgrades now or in a year. Maybe years.
Before I pulled the trigger I looked at LBS again with $1500 budget. Essentially the same thing, but maybe some low end carbon frames.
A DA bike with Ritchey level stuff (what I mean is parts that are as good as this stuff, as Ritchey is not on that many bikes) was more than $1000 more. Often much more.

I put the bike together by myself. It took about 4 hours, but I went very very slow and triple checked things. Outisde of having to shorten the cables (which requires some kind of cutting tool and possibly a new inner wire if you get one that starts to unravel) the rest takes no special tools or skill. My bike is still dead on 6 week later. I did have to get the front wheel trued, but it was true when I got it - I messed it up on my new rollers when I let go of the bars when trying to get on it. :(

As life said, there are other internet options out there - look at them all. Leader's stuff looks great, but to be honest as I priced it out I would have saved money getting my full bike from BD and then buying the frame from Leader . . . and just keeping my BD.com frame as a spare. Leader disagreed, but on their site (which they admitted needed some work as far as the options) when i priced a DA bike with decent gear it came out to more than my bike plus their frame.

I highly recommend considering the internet. I have nothing against my LBS. I still give them money and always will. I think bike pricing has to change to deal with direct bike sales, and I think it will in the next 10 years.

I am a leading shill (I mean, I even branded my bd.com bike with bikesdirect.com stickers), so take this all with as much salt as you want.

Life's post is very fair and reasonable IMHO. Good info and good advice.

I am new and the reasons the OP listed drove me to BD.com.
I looked at 6 LBS in the Indy area and they just never came close. I understand overhead, brand names, R&D, etc and was willing to pay more for all that . . . but we never got in the same ball park.
My experience:
I started off with a budget of $1300 for a road bike. This was based on some research on what a decent first bike is, etc. It was also based on a bonus check I had coming. :)
My timing was good - Oct. I looked for 2006 models still on the floor of LBS'.
What I found was bike that were around $1500 list, maybe a bit higher. These were almost all 105 bikes, including some 9 speed setups. Some had Ultegra RDs. All had junk wheels - to the point where the salespeople (being honest) were saying that I would be replacing the wheels in less than a year. Most had moderate at best seatpost, stem, bars, and tires. I looked at Biachi, Trek, and Giant for the most part.
I posted here about these bikes and BD.com - which opened Mike of BD.com to PM me. We talked a bunch and I finally decided to go that route.
I spent $1500 on a full DA bike with Ritchey parts. It was $200 more than my budget, but one reason I did that was the fact that I really felt (and still do) that the bike just did not need any upgrades now or in a year. Maybe years.
Before I pulled the trigger I looked at LBS again with $1500 budget. Essentially the same thing, but maybe some low end carbon frames.
A DA bike with Ritchey level stuff (what I mean is parts that are as good as this stuff, as Ritchey is not on that many bikes) was more than $1000 more. Often much more.

I put the bike together by myself. It took about 4 hours, but I went very very slow and triple checked things. Outisde of having to shorten the cables (which requires some kind of cutting tool and possibly a new inner wire if you get one that starts to unravel) the rest takes no special tools or skill. My bike is still dead on 6 week later. I did have to get the front wheel trued, but it was true when I got it - I messed it up on my new rollers when I let go of the bars when trying to get on it. :(

As life said, there are other internet options out there - look at them all. Leader's stuff looks great, but to be honest as I priced it out I would have saved money getting my full bike from BD and then buying the frame from Leader . . . and just keeping my BD.com frame as a spare. Leader disagreed, but on their site (which they admitted needed some work as far as the options) when i priced a DA bike with decent gear it came out to more than my bike plus their frame.

I highly recommend considering the internet. I have nothing against my LBS. I still give them money and always will. I think bike pricing has to change to deal with direct bike sales, and I think it will in the next 10 years.

I think we have been going around in circles on this. It's pretty clear that BikesDirect makes a real effort to be responsive to customers, is working hard to expand it's business, and offers a decent bike at a reasonable price. Are there other options? Of course. Someone mentioned EBAY and certainly with patience and knowledge you can get a good deal, but caveat emptor. The bottom line, for a newbie, especially one without unusual fit requirements, BD seems a reasonable option. Is that fair?

b21

very fair

I totally agree with BD.com.

But, In my case the LBS which happens to be Cycle Spectrum was actually cheaper than the website.
I bought a 07 Full Carbon Windsor Fallkirk for $999.00
The BD.com website had them for $1395.00.

So if you live where there is a Cycle Spectrum bike shop go check there too.

I have had no problems with my Windsor. I have about 300 miles on her.

Another point I forgot to make about the LBS (Cycle Spectrum)
Not only cheaper than online, but I get life time service for free.



Min8251

i have bought from both LBS, used and BD.Com.
I have been fortunate to have good experiences at all.

Depending upon how much of a "newbie" someone might be is critical to where and how you purchase. My suggestion is that you shop around alot. if you can find a decent bike shop that is really service oriented, be up frotn with them as to yoru needs, price range etc. my first LBS purchase was a cannondale that someone at traded in. my bd.com purchase came after giving specs to my LBS and seeing if they could come close on price--they couldnt but were more than happy when i paid fro them to assemble, tweak it, etc.

long story short--unless you are very cetain what you want/need--and here i mean fit more than components--i would lean away from the online purchase be it bd.com, nashbar, etc and start with the bike shop.

I totally agree with BD.com.

But, In my case the LBS which happens to be Cycle Spectrum was actually cheaper than the website.
I bought a 07 Full Carbon Windsor Fallkirk for $999.00
The BD.com website had them for $1395.00.

So if you live where there is a Cycle Spectrum bike shop go check there too.

I have had no problems with my Windsor. I have about 300 miles on her.

Another point I forgot to make about the LBS (Cycle Spectrum)
Not only cheaper than online, but I get life time service for free.



Min8251

interesting considering Cycle Spectrum IS Bikesdirect.

interesting considering Cycle Spectrum IS Bikesdirect.


I am a little unsure if I am posting the link correctly; but here goes

I think this addresses the question on stores vs ebay vs BD vs special offers

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=880042#poststop

thanks
and Happy New Year

mike

I highly recommend considering the internet. I have nothing against my LBS. I still give them money and always will. I think bike pricing has to change to deal with direct bike sales, and I think it will in the next 10 years.

I don't think many people realize that there isn't much room left pricewise for the LBS to compete with online sales. When one considers that the margins on bicycles are among the lowest in retail (sometimes 30 points or less) and that the internet purveyor doesn't incur the costs of building the bicycle, a "pre-flight" before it goes out the door, a service plan (we provide two free $48 value tuneups in the first year) including warranty work (for which we recover about 60% of our cost from the manufacturer), a free "basic" fitting on all road bike sales...well, there just isn't any room left.

I understand getting the best deal. I just got NIB 8 speed Campy Ergo hoods off eBay cheaper than any of our vendors. Likewise on a pair of Centaur brake calipers.

We cannot and will never be able to "compete" on price alone. But an LBS can stock product that (outside of used or black market) that is not available on the internet or mail order - like Trek, Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, Felt, etc.

As I kindly inform customers who are demanding a ridiculous discount on a new bike that we are not a non-profit enterprise.:rolleyes:

Covenant,

I know that Cycle Spectrum is BD.com.

My point of the post was to show that I got a better deal at a shop and got lifetime service for free.

MIn8251

Covenant,

I know that Cycle Spectrum is BD.com.



sorry, I couldn't tell that by your post.

I don't think many people realize that there isn't much room left pricewise for the LBS to compete with online sales. When one considers that the margins on bicycles are among the lowest in retail (sometimes 30 points or less) and that the internet purveyor doesn't incur the costs of building the bicycle, a "pre-flight" before it goes out the door, a service plan (we provide two free $48 value tuneups in the first year) including warranty work (for which we recover about 60% of our cost from the manufacturer), a free "basic" fitting on all road bike sales...well, there just isn't any room left.

I understand getting the best deal. I just got NIB 8 speed Campy Ergo hoods off eBay cheaper than any of our vendors. Likewise on a pair of Centaur brake calipers.

We cannot and will never be able to "compete" on price alone. But an LBS can stock product that (outside of used or black market) that is not available on the internet or mail order - like Trek, Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, Felt, etc.

As I kindly inform customers who are demanding a ridiculous discount on a new bike that we are not a non-profit enterprise.:rolleyes:

I would add that close-outs at an LBS can sometime yield excellent deals. I scored my present Cannondale roadie (58cm CAAD5/9spd 105-equipped) new 18mo ago for under $800 (over 1/3rd off list). With some lucky sick deals (on-line & LBS closeouts) & doing my own wrenching I've upgraded to Ultegra driveline (inc shifters) & still have less than $1000 (net) into the bike.
OTOH- Despite some intense shopping I had to pay nearly list for an odd-sized Giant OCR for my short wife. She really liked the Giant XS geometry & you just do not find many of those extreme sizes (<27" standover) available either on-line or at LBS's.