# Any brands to avoid on bikesdirect website?



## Theo911 (Mar 30, 2010)

Newbie here looking at road bikes and was directed to bikesdirect website but don't have a clue. Are these deals as good as they appear? Any brands to avoid? Looking to spend around a G. Thanks.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

I own a bike that is on the BikesDirect website, the Motobecane Immortal Pro and I have no complaints with the bike after about 500 miles since I bought it in January. I have 2 friends who own the Motobecane Le Champion and both have more than 5K miles on those bikes and have no complaints either.

My wife has the Dawes Lightning 1200 and it is very well finished and comparable with the steel bikes I owned back in the 1980's. A friend of mine is using that same bike in her triathlon program and she has told everyone that she loves the bike compared to her old mountain bike that she rode in her first few triathlons.

I cannot speak to the Windsors, but I have seen Merciers and Kestrels around town being riden by students, serious road warriors and triathletes.

In summary, I rather like the Motobecanes and intend to buy another bike from that company, the Nemesis Pro for my tri program in the fall of this year. In my opinion the deals are as good as they seem. My bike weighs about 17lbs, is equiped with Ultegra components and cost less than $1,300, while other bikes at that weight and component category were more than $2,000.


----------



## Theo911 (Mar 30, 2010)

Solid advice Wayne thank you. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the choices right now and this advice from experience helps a lot.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Theo911 said:


> Solid advice Wayne thank you. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the choices right now and this advice from experience helps a lot.


FYI-they ship dealer-ready. That means that either you need to assemble yourself, or you need to pay a shop to set you up. Salient detail.


----------



## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

I know Motobecane is their flagship brand, but I'm also curious as to their other brands...Windsor, Dawes, Mercier, even Kestrel. Are all their frames made in the same place, with the same quality materials? If so, why is the Windsor Falkirk cheaper than the Motobecane Century Carbon? Both are Tiagra/105 27 speed full-carbon bikes.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

Marc is correct, and that information is posted on the BikesDirect website. I was able to get my bike delivered from BikesDirect directly to my LBS, who put it together for a labor charge, which with their quantity discount ended up being $5 less than the BD price, plus I gained lifetime support with the deal.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

old_fuji said:


> I know Motobecane is their flagship brand, but I'm also curious as to their other brands...Windsor, Dawes, Mercier, even Kestrel. Are all their frames made in the same place, with the same quality materials? If so, why is the Windsor Falkirk cheaper than the Motobecane Century Carbon? Both are Tiagra/105 27 speed full-carbon bikes.


It's rather sad how Kestrel went the way it did. They used to be the top of the CF field.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

old_fuji,

My Motobecane Immortal was made in Taiwan while my wife's Dawes was made in Canada. I believe each is a separate company, so they probably all have a different marketing approach. Overall, Motobecane is a more widely known name, which may account for the price premium for that brand.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> old_fuji,
> 
> My Motobecane Immortal was made in Taiwan while my wife's Dawes was made in Canada. I believe each is a separate company, so they probably all have a different marketing approach. Overall, Motobecane is a more widely known name, which may account for the price premium for that brand.


Remember "Made In..." almost always refers to where the MOST value was added to the product. For example an Orbea frame molded/cured in the Orient, is "Made In Spain" due to 60% of the value of the complete bike being added in Spain.

Only guy who could honestly say who actually makes a bike and where (that is sold on BD.com), is Mike the head-honcho of BD, who happens to post on RBR a bit.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

Marc,

Kestrel may be on a resurgence along with Motobecane based on their new Tri bike shown on their website:

http://www.kestrelbicycles.com/


----------



## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> old_fuji,
> 
> My Motobecane Immortal was made in Taiwan while my wife's Dawes was made in Canada. I believe each is a separate company, so they probably all have a different marketing approach. Overall, Motobecane is a more widely known name, which may account for the price premium for that brand.


That's actually very interesting. Thanks for that tidbit!


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

Marc,

Perhaps, but when I worked for Customs, we frequently inspected bikes being imported and the "made in" stickers and tags HAD to correspond to where they were actually imported from. 

The Motobecanes sold in the US are actually from the US division of that company, and the Dawes company is based in Canada. I know the Immortal Pro is made in Taiwan, as that is where it was imported from. I doubt it was made in China, as there are plenty of good frame manufacturers in Taiwan. 

I cannot say where the Dawes Lightning 1200 was made, but it was likely in the Far East based on where most bikes are made.


----------



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> Marc,
> 
> Perhaps, but when I worked for Customs, we frequently inspected bikes being imported and the "made in" stickers and tags HAD to correspond to where they were actually imported from.
> 
> ...



I'm almost positive the Dawes frames are made in China.. I remember an email from Mike saying that Dawes was going to be a low cost alternative to his other brands and in order to lower the price, he need to have the frames made in China


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> Marc,
> 
> Perhaps, but when I worked for Customs, we frequently inspected bikes being imported and the "made in" stickers and tags HAD to correspond to where they were actually imported from.
> 
> ...


The question boils down to when something is built in 4 different countries, where is it actually "Made In"? The component group is manufactured in Japan, the CF frame is molded in China, the frame is then shipped to and painted in Canada, the "Bike" is then assembled from all the bits and pieces in the US. Where was this complete bike "Made In"? This is purely an academic exercise to demonstrate how hard it is to identify 1 place as the source of one complete product assembled from lots of different places around the globe.

Most bike labels use a 60% rule. Meaning, "Where was 60% or more of the value of a product made or added?" Orbeas for example are "Made in Spain" because that is where they are painted and assembled into retail complete bikes (where 60% of the value was added)....but the frames come from the orient

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter for a consumer where a product originates, so long as you like how it rides. I don't have a fish in this one way or another-I was simply pointing out the problematic nature of "Made In" labels, and how they can be very misleading.


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> I *own a bike that is on the BikesDirect website, the Motobecane Immortal Pro and I have no complaints with the bike* after about 500 miles since I bought it in January. I have 2 friends who own the Motobecane Le Champion and both have more than 5K miles on those bikes and have no complaints either.
> 
> My wife has the Dawes Lightning 1200 and it is very well finished and comparable with the steel bikes I owned back in the 1980's. A friend of mine is using that same bike in her triathlon program and she has told everyone that she loves the bike compared to her old mountain bike that she rode in her first few triathlons.
> 
> ...


I got an I'pro in May 2009 and have about 4k mi on it. Love it. Have had no problems, save a stupid mistake I made in August. You can search my name and find posts about my assembly experience, and my stupid mistake in August. I will buy another BD bike some day ( I hope) I want to get a CX bike.

Anyone who has a modicum of mechanical experience can assemble the bike. If you are not familiar with more advanced adjustments (truing, brakes, shifting, etc) take it to a good LBS.


----------



## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

I really like the bikes in the $1000-$2000 range on the BikesDirect website, because they offer a nice balance of components. Some skew heavier towards the groupset, while skimping a bit on the smaller parts (stems, handlebars, wheelsets...), some focus on the frame and substitute lesser cranks or brakes, and some are a balance. Some are triples, some are compacts, some are doubles, in a decent range of frame geometries and options.

There aren't any brands that are "bad" in that range. Instead of focusing on the name (which is little more than a sticker), focus on the components and how they would match your intended use. Some parts are cheaper to upgrade than others, so factor that in the total price. Expect to replace the saddle, as they rarely fit well (you'd likely do that with any bike). What do you want the bike to do/excel at?

I would also look at the Neuvation AL bikes, while you're looking. A full Rival bike would be in your ballpark, with a better wheelset and the ability to tune your fit (they'll swap parts). I have a few sets of their wheels and have been pretty impressed with the quality and service they provide. It's another option, and one I think is worth exploring if you're looking to buy online.

For the record, I bought a Mercier Serpens a few years ago. After a couple years of _very _faithful service, I moved to a "sportier" BMC frameset, and swapped over the brakeset/frameset from the Mercier. Not exactly the cheapest way to move up, but I felt like building a bike. The Mercier frameset/wheelset is still running around town in a different configuration, and will likely do so for a long time. It was built well, and I miss the softer steel ride characteristics from time to time. All in all, I had a pretty darn positive experience, and would have no issues about buying a Mercier, Motobecane, or whatever caught my eye on the website. There's a lot of value to be had.

Do your homework, know what you want to do, know your sizing information (Competitive Cyclist has a good fit calculator that will get you in the ballpark), and take your time to put it together right. Simple as that.


----------



## Solearas (Nov 6, 2009)

What he said ^


----------



## Poppadaddio (Apr 15, 2007)

*BD Brands*

I have two Motobecanes and two Windsors. All four are fine. Everything attached is Shimano.
Frame brand attributes are only decal-deep.


----------



## zion rasta (Aug 15, 2004)

Bikes Direct business model is just that - direct from factory so they save on supply chain, then pass the savings to you and they keep the same margins as a bike shop.

The Kestrels are made in the same factory as Orbea, Kuota, and Fuji among others. The company is called Martec. Kestrel engineering and design is top notch. So much that Orbea just about copied their mold design. Kestrel does not spend a lot of money in advertising so you may think they are crap. I have a kestrel RT-900 SL and trust me compare to other bikes like willier cento uno, s-works sl2, felts and cervelos, it is just a comparable ride if not better. Thank god kestrel has not gone BB30 stupid yet.


----------



## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

I can recommend their Serpens, Mercier steel, and their Ti frame. Especially the Ti frame. It is one beautiful piece of work. It has that finely polished look you see on Campy components. 

Unfortunately they went with an integrated headset but with Titanium I have to assume that I will not live to see the bearings wear out the frame.

Made in Taiwan BTW.


----------



## mugger1 (Apr 3, 2010)

*Windsor clockwork*

I just bought a Windsor clock work from BD. I got it in 4 days via UPS . The box was not damaged in any way .It took me about 40 min. to put it together .I took a bunch of pics while I put her together . So I could post a store on the bike and the fun of putting one together , I am not a rocket sci. or I'm not dumb as a door nob ether . But don't forget the clock work is a fixed gear Bike.So there wasn't a bunch of stuff to put on it.
I haven't had time to take a good ride yet ,but I will this week 
Oh yea I'm new to this sport of Road biking .
I do have a hybred from Giant that I ride on a part black top and part gravel trail near my home in Marysville Oh.

mugger1 .


----------

