$999 BikesDirect
I have decided to get back into biking, and ran across this bike on Bikesdirect. It will not be ready until 6 weeks, which is fine.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/produc...spirit.htm
Carbon usually does not come at the $1k mark and sacrifices in componentry must be made. However, this bike comes with mostly the newest Shimano 105. The brakes are junk, but I can upgrade to Ultegra easily for 100 bucks or so.
To be honest, I would be OK with a steel frame, I like how they feel. I don't like aluminum.
But for this price I might as well grab the carbon fame, a proven design made by Kinesis.
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Brakes.
Not to thread-crap (too much), but want to point out some negative points:
1. Price is nice, but not SD relative to general bikesdirect.com pricing in the past for a carbon/105 road bike, especially considering point 2,3,4.
2. Shitty brakes. not 105 crank. (so barely half Shimano 105 group components)
3. not full carbon fork. Based on the description of this fork vs others on the website, the crown and steerer shaft is "alloy". probably aluminum.
4. Not getting this bike until June?!
I suggest the following:
http://www.bikesdirect
1. $200 more!
2. Same Shimano 105 "level" , but last generation (not sure of the difference, if any)
3. Fork is full carbon.
4. Look at it. This bike looks aero. Even the seat post is aero. In comparison, the Motobecane is plain.
5. Kestrel has some brand recognition, which translates into resale value.
If I were to buy a new road bike now, and have only $1000 to spend on the best road bike, and that would be it, then I would buy yours, but for the future, I would pick the one with a better frame and possibly upgrade later on.
What I actually did several years ago (not recommended...because it was painful) was that I impulse brought a slickdeal posted full 5800 Ultegra group set with Ultegra wheels, waited until Nashbar's Christmas sale and brought a full carbon frame+fork, then over the next many months brought the other stuff (seat, pedals, stem, bar, tape, etc.) from Ebay. The entire bike took a year to put together (I was lazy... had other work and hobbies...I was lazy :-) but ended up with a barely over-16Lbs bike (with tires, pedal, bar tape, 2 bottle holders) for under $1500.
2. for $200 more, but the fork is full carbon
My first bike was from bikesdirect.com, its hard to beat their prices because no service/labor provided. The bike I received was really easy to put together, my 2nd bike was a Giant one from a local bike shop which was already assembled so hard to compare.
Sorry for the lazy comment and please disregard. I couldn't resist.
The latest Shimano 105 components are very nice (I've got them on one of my bikes). I'm not sure how much confidence I have in the ride quality or durability of Motobecane's carbon frames, but the specs of the bike are quite good for $999 including shipping.
This frame has been built and sold for a while, but I could be wrong. If anyone knows about this particular frame I am all ears. I competed a little and rode bikes for a living 30 years ago. I am new to the modern stuff but have a good idea of what I am looking for.
I want a comfortable road bike that is strong and durable. I want excellent shifting and braking. The plan was to find a steel bike because I far prefer the feel of steel. Way more comfortable and a bit of extra weight is OK as I will be fitness riding, not competing. I weigh 220 lbs and want a touch ticker rim and a 28 or even 32 cm tire. Flat or drop bars both work for me.
I want either Shimano 105 level road derailleurs or I could also live with the SRAM Apex 1-11 or higher. Like I said performance and durability are priorities, but I will also tell you something else: Once you start really getting into biking, weight becomes important. I thought "for a thousand bucks, might as well grab the carbon frame." As long as I can get 28 cm tires on this bike, and swap out the garbage brakes for good brakes, why not get the better bike?
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Not to thread-crap (too much), but want to point out some negative points:
1. Price is nice, but not SD relative to general bikesdirect.com pricing in the past for a carbon/105 road bike, especially considering point 2,3,4.
2. Shitty brakes. not 105 crank. (so barely half Shimano 105 group components)
3. not full carbon fork. Based on the description of this fork vs others on the website, the crown and steerer shaft is "alloy". probably aluminum.
4. Not getting this bike until June?!
I suggest the following:
http://www.bikesdirect
1. $200 more!
2. Same Shimano 105 "level" , but last generation (not sure of the difference, if any)
3. Fork is full carbon.
4. Look at it. This bike looks aero. Even the seat post is aero. In comparison, the Motobecane is plain.
5. Kestrel has some brand recognition, which translates into resale value.
If I were to buy a new road bike now, and have only $1000 to spend on the best road bike, and that would be it, then I would buy yours, but for the future, I would pick the one with a better frame and possibly upgrade later on.
What I actually did several years ago (not recommended...because it was painful) was that I impulse brought a slickdeal posted full 5800 Ultegra group set with Ultegra wheels, waited until Nashbar's Christmas sale and brought a full carbon frame+fork, then over the next many months brought the other stuff (seat, pedals, stem, bar, tape, etc.) from Ebay. The entire bike took a year to put together (I was lazy... had other work and hobbies...I was lazy :-) but ended up with a barely over-16Lbs bike (with tires, pedal, bar tape, 2 bottle holders) for under $1500.
2. for $200 more, but the fork is full carbon
I think the deal is pretty specific to my situation, which I just explained in the above 6 post. Also, I only have half the money right now. Amazon/B of A ripped me off on another bike and I need to get my money from them first (long story...BBB is sorting it out).
But thank you for posting the other bike, I will look at it.
If you are a beginner I would recommend a Local Bike Shop (LBS). Most importantly, it must fit. Next, are you good at wrenching on bikes?
You will pay more but probably save in the end.
Bike snobs are......bike snobs. But the reality is, below a certain price point stuff is garbage and just breaks. If you know what you are doing (starting with Internet fitment) and spend a good chunk of time researching you could put together a bike for $400 that could go off road and last. Probably years. However that same bike will run $550 at your LBS.
My wife ran down to Walmart and bought my son a bike for under $300. After 3 months it started breaking and by 6 had completely fallen apart. It is junk not worth repairing. An entry level decent bike like I just talked about can be fixed, and is usually worth fixing.
Back to bike snobs...I walked into an LBS and asked "do you have anything decent for $500?" He turned his nose up and said "no."
You will pay more but probably save in the end.
I started studying....spending lots and lots of time researching. Of course I rode everything for 30 years. I was even a bike messenger for 5 years in San Francisco. This means that I know what I want. However, I am 100% new to the world of modern biking, so I have been spending tons of time researching.
Not to thread-crap (too much), but want to point out some negative points:
1. Price is nice, but not SD relative to general bikesdirect.com pricing in the past for a carbon/105 road bike, especially considering point 2,3,4.
2. Shitty brakes. not 105 crank. (so barely half Shimano 105 group components)
3. not full carbon fork. Based on the description of this fork vs others on the website, the crown and steerer shaft is "alloy". probably aluminum.
4. Not getting this bike until June?!
I suggest the following:
http://www.bikesdirect
1. $200 more!
2. Same Shimano 105 "level" , but last generation (not sure of the difference, if any)
3. Fork is full carbon.
4. Look at it. This bike looks aero. Even the seat post is aero. In comparison, the Motobecane is plain.
5. Kestrel has some brand recognition, which translates into resale value.
If I were to buy a new road bike now, and have only $1000 to spend on the best road bike, and that would be it, then I would buy yours, but for the future, I would pick the one with a better frame and possibly upgrade later on.
What I actually did several years ago (not recommended...because it was painful) was that I impulse brought a slickdeal posted full 5800 Ultegra group set with Ultegra wheels, waited until Nashbar's Christmas sale and brought a full carbon frame+fork, then over the next many months brought the other stuff (seat, pedals, stem, bar, tape, etc.) from Ebay. The entire bike took a year to put together (I was lazy... had other work and hobbies...I was lazy :-) but ended up with a barely over-16Lbs bike (with tires, pedal, bar tape, 2 bottle holders) for under $1500.
2. for $200 more, but the fork is full carbon
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