Tag Archives: road bike

The “$695 MSRP for only $225!” bikesdirect.com myth

On the internet, you can find virtually anything you want, but not all is as it appears. That on-line dating profile… says he or she is 39, but actually 43. Stretching the truth a bit.  But what if they’re 56?. Today’s lesson- The “Grab yours NOW at our special price of $299 from $695 MSRP” road bike (Mercier Galaxy SC1), courtesy of bikesdirect.com. This is the 56 year old claiming to be 39.

Advertised as a $695 MSRP bike selling for $225, this is the internet, so anything goes! It never ever sold for anything close to $695, and would be worth, assembled, maybe, $350. It’s not spec’d anything like the bikes it claims to compare to.
This bike came to my attention when I received an email from someone, asking for assistance in setting it up for him, saying that the manufacturer says it should only take “25 minutes.”

If you pull it out of the box, throw on the pedals, tighten the handlebars and inflate the tires, yes, it might be just 25 minutes, and you’ll end up with a K-Mart quality bike with a few nicer parts.

But if you build it the way we (and most other competent bike shops) do, it will involve removing the tires & tubes to make sure the rimstrips in the right place and the tire & tube were correctly installed, lubricating all threaded surfaces (they come “dry” from the factory ), truing the wheels laterally and inspecting them for deformities caused in shipping (happens more often than you think), making sure all bearings are properly adjusted, replace “factory” chain lube (which is often the consistency of light tar) with something that will allow it to shift better, ensure there are no kinks in brake or gear cables & housing and replace as required, and finally, the simple stuff like installing seat, pedals & handlebars. And then it needs to be test-ridden to settle things in, and checked again. And double-checked by another mechanic. That 25 minutes bikesdirect.com quotes just became two hours.

And the bike still isn’t fit properly to the rider.

Besides frame size (the easiest thing to figure out, but not as important to proper fit as what follows here), you’ve got stem length, handlebar height, handlebar width and handlebar reach. Because people come in all manner of shapes and sizes, and it makes a huge, not subtle difference, getting things right. Bar width should approximate shoulder width. Stem length should be set so the rider is in a relaxed position when using the brakes. Forward reach should be very short for those with smaller hands. Drop from seat to bars is determined partly by rider flexibility. All this stuff comes into play when a decent shop sells a road bike.

But the bikesdirect.com model has 40cm wide bars on the smallest frame (too wide for just about anyone who’d ever use a bike that size), and a 90mm stem (too long in nearly every case). Minor stuff compared to what comes next.

It “features” a standard, not compact, crank design with a 39/52 chainring combo. Exactly what a real racing bike has… which is great. If you’re racing. But if you aren’t strong enough to ride the Tour de France, and you’ve got hills in your area, that gearing’s going to kill you. Every legit bike company is currently spec’ing a “compact” crank with 34/50 gearing, far easier to get up hills with, on their entry and mid-level bikes. If it’s flat where you live, the bikesdirect.com model might be fine. Otherwise, it’s a very expensive change to get suitable gearing. How could you be expected to know all this stuff? You can’t. That’s how they get away with it.

And then there’s the pricing comparison. Aside from spec’ing the bike with parts that are often inappropriate and expensive to change, they also use a stem shifter. Yes, the same type of stem shifter you’d find on a K-Mart bike. Saving about $250 over the integrated brake/shift levers found on a quality bike in a local bike shop. Wheels? Cheap old-style freewheel, not cassette, leading to a very shortened lifespan.

They could reasonably claim their bike, fully set up, would rival a bike of approximately $400 in a bike shop, but nothing close to $695 “MSRP.” Nor did the bike ever sell, anywhere, for anything close to that (in fact, the most this bike ever sold for was $299). But you still wouldn’t have a bike that’s been fit properly, nor a bike that has a local shop that maintains a sense of ownership of the bike if something goes wrong. No warranty except by phone and sending the bike back.

Can you save $$$ by buying a bike in a box on the ‘net? If you know what you’re doing, how to get properly fit, have the parts needed to make changes so it’s appropriate for the riding in your area, then yes, you can save a few dollars. But nothing like bikesdirect.com claims, which puts them into the category of misrepresentation, fraud or even scam.

There are reasons that companies like Trek and Specialized and Giant sell bikes only through local dealers. It ensures that you get a bike appropriate for the cycling opportunities in your area, properly assembled and fit, and a place to bring it back to in case something isn’t quite perfect (because yes, in the real world, there can be defective parts, and what seems to be a great fit at first might evolve a bit as you go on longer rides). A bikesdirect.com bike offers none of that. Which is fine, people deserve a choice. But what’s not fine is when they tell you it’s the same as buying a much-more-expensive bike, or that just 25 minutes work and it will be in great shape.

The bike of the future might not require as much expertise to assemble, might be more adjustable in fit, and more versatile in capabilities. But that bike isn’t here yet, and until it is, your local bike shop is offering you a whole lot more than what you find offered on-line. Better fit, better service, better components, longer life.  –Mike–

PS: Bikesdirect.com even claims their sizing runs the same as a Trek, essentially encouraging people to find out from a local shop what size they take, so they can order their cheaper bike. But they do not size the same, nor do they offer any degree of customization that is standard with a local bike shop. Nor are the Mercier and Motobecane brands they sell in any way the once-great companies making them back in the day. Bikesdirect.com simply picked up expired trademarks and slapped them onto their bikes. Windsor too, but strategically that was a mistake; anyone familiar with Windsor back in the day would not likely have positive feelings about the name.

How to evaluate a road bike on a test ride

Road bikes have never offered so much versatility as they do today. The Trek Checkpoint AL3 shown here is an amazing all-weather machine capable of touring, gravel, centuries & commuting. $1149 never bought a bike this nice before.

Test-riding Road Bikes

So you’ve decided you want a new road bike, and plan to test-ride a couple.  Here’s a few things that will help you get a fair comparison and make the right choice! Note that this article is entirely brand & material neutral, but altruism aside, we’d still like you to buy your next bike from Chain Reaction in Redwood City California. 🙂

What the shop will require

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There are entirely different styles of road bikes; Trek, for example, offers the pure-performance Emonda series, the new ultra-comfortable Domane bikes, the ultra-aero Madone and now the Checkpoint do-anything utility bike. Your shop will help you decide which bests fits your needs, but a test ride is essential.

First, a couple things to keep in mind.  You’re going to be taking a spin on something that’s reasonably expensive, so assume the shop’s going to require you to leave something valuable that ensures your return.  In our case, it’s a valid current California driver’s license and a credit card.  This works because it verifies who you are and it’s something we can be reasonably sure you’ll return to get (even though some of us have some rather dreadful photos that we’d rather not see again!). We will also create a record in our computer of the bike being ridden. We used to be a bit more liberal and skip the credit card part, but we’ve had to tighten up a bit due to a string of test-ride bike thefts in the area.

Also, please note that most shops (including Chain Reaction) will not allow test rides if the pavement is damp or it’s even getting close to dark (assume you need to arrive at least one hour prior to closing or one hour prior to sundown, whichever is earlier). Your safety is more important to us than selling a bike.

What you should bring

Many shops, including ours, require helmets on test rides.  We just think it’s a good idea to try and keep you alive, at least until we sell you the bike!  And no, it has nothing to do with insurance.  If you’ve already got a helmet, bring it with you…it’s probably already set up correctly for your head and will save some time.

If you’ve already got clipless pedals from another bike, bring your shoes with you!  It’s much better to test ride a bike the way you’re used to riding.  If the pedal system is something other than standard SPD (the typical mountain-style recessed-cleat pedal/shoe system), then bring along your pedals as well, and have them installed on whichever bike you ride.  And if you’ve got cycling shorts (which you should, since they make cycling much more comfortable), bring those too.  You want to be testing out the bike and not be distracted by uncomfortable clothing etc.

How the bikes should be set up

OK, you’ve figured out a couple bikes you’d like to ride. Remember, you want to test each bike under optimal conditions, so here are some things to make sure of-

Checking to make sure seat is level#1:  For the first bike, make sure the seat is adjusted properly…both for height and tilt.  The nose of the seat should be level with the back, and even small variations here can make tremendous differences in comfort.  Once you have the seat height figured out, have it measured (from center of crank to the top of the saddle) and set up each subsequent bike to exactly the same height.  This is very important, as even small changes in seat height can have a dramatic effect on how a bike feels…and you’re testing a bike, not a saddle position! (For more info about saddles and bike fit, we have an article on line)

#1b:  It may be possible for a skilled salesperson to take a quick look at your position on the bike, with your hands on the lever hoods (where you’ll be spending most of your time with STI levers) and notice that you’ll definitely need a shorter, or longer, stem (the part that holds the handlebars to the fork).  In some cases, this change can be made very quickly, due to new stem designs that allow you to change the stem without having to remove & reinstall the brake levers and handlebar tape.  It’s definitely in the best interest of the shop to make your ride as comfortable as possible, so don’t be surprised if this is done before you take your test ride.

Tires should be checked for proper inflation before each ride

#2: Have each bike’s tires inflated to appropriate  pressure, right in front of you.  This is as important, if not more so, than the saddle height.  If you ride the ultimate carbon-framed bike with its tires carrying only 70psi, vs a much-less-expensive machine with its tires running at “normal” pressure (100psi), can you guess which is going to have a faster ride???  I recognize that this is going to annoy a whole lot of salespeople, who will pinch a tire with their fingers and say it’s fine, but this is a really important point.  A tire even 10psi low is not giving you the ride you need.  Always test tire pressure before you ride, with a gauge.

#3:  Ask if the salesperson could run you through the gears on a stand, just to make sure you know how they’re supposed to work (which you probably do) and to ensure that they’re properly adjusted.  There are a lot of reasons why a new bike might not have perfectly-adjusted gears (including kids playing with the levers when the bikes are in the rack), but we don’t care about the “why” for now.  We just want to make sure things will work the way they’re supposed to on the test ride!

The actual test ride

Now you’re ready for your test ride.  Question is, where?  We have basically three types of test rides…the classic “parking lot” ride, the “around the block” ride, and the longer 4-mile “road” ride.  The parking lot cruise is useful for having the salesperson check out your position on the bike and, in some cases, is as much of a ride as a customer feels comfortable with (because they don’t want to deal with traffic etc.).  Usually, after graduating successfully from the parking-lot ride, you’ll want to take it on a bit longer spin around the block, getting up some speed on the straightaways, or maybe just feeling better because you don’t have a salesperson looking at you while you’re riding.  [By the way, for the parking lot ride, it might be OK to use normal street shoes on clipless pedals, but for anything more, make sure the pedals are compatible with your shoes!  We keep quite a few standard toe-clip pedals around for just this purpose.]

We have a four-mile test-ride loop that includes good pavement, bad pavement, hills, descents and maybe even a combination of head & tailwinds.  What more could you ask?  We even give you a map showing the course, and ask that you stay on it.  Why?  Because if something were to happen to you, we need to know where to go looking!  Remember, you’re on someone else’s expensive machine, and we have an interest in keeping both the bike, and you, safe.

At this point you may have fallen in love and confirmed your suspicions that this is the bike for you!  But if that’s not the case and you want to test ride another bike, make sure that the seat height is set up exactly the same as it was on that first bike, and have the tires aired up, and run through the gears again.  By the way, I should explain that tires in high-quality bikes have a normal tendency to lose a fair amount of air over a couple week’s time, so it should not be a surprise when they need air…it should be expected.

How to compare different bikes…what to look for

Afraid you won’t be able to tell much difference between two bikes?  Even if you’re inexperienced at cycling, my guess is that the differences will be more obvious than you think!

And what should you look for?  Check out for how each bikes accelerates while sitting and standing, comfort over big bumps, how it handles road buzz (vibration from “grainy” road surfaces) and any sort of emotional appeal it might have (how’s that for a vague quality?).  For longer rides, we strongly recommend that you find a small hill you can charge up.  Why?  Because there’s nothing that separates a great bike from an also-ran like a hill.  A really great bike just feels like it wants to go, even climb, even when you’re not in the right gear.  An also-ran will have you constantly searching for that right gear, that sweet spot where everything comes together (hopefully).  The really great bike just doesn’t care…it simply performs.  If you’re in Kansas or Florida and the closest hill is 100 miles away, maybe an overpass will work…

For more info on the differences between one bike and the next, you can check out our articles on such things as whether a bicycle has a soul, how durable is carbon fiber,  should you buy the cheapest bike with the best parts and many others in the menu section at the bottom of each page of this website.

You’ve found the right bike…now what?

You’ve found your bike…it’s got the right features, feels great while riding, etc.  Now you need to get measured for proper fit.  The frame size on what you rode might be correct… then again, it might not.  At Chain Reaction, we use the New England Cycling Academy’s FitKit system, which takes a series of measurements of the rider, to make sure we have not only the correct frame size, but top-tube plus stem distance (critically important and frequently ignored!), seat-to-handlebar drop, seat height, handlebar width and more.  It’s not a matter of how much clearance you have standing over the frame!  That might help get you in the ballpark, but since the front-to-back distance of a frame changes with size, your arm & torso measurements might dictate a frame size different than standover height might indicate.

Please note that, in the majority of cases, the stem length on the bike will need to be changed.  This isn’t a big deal if the shop sells a lot of road bikes…they’ll have the various stems in stock and ready to go.  I would suggest that any shop not willing to swap the stem for proper fit on a road bike may not be a good place to buy one!  In many cases there will be no charge for a stem swap, but there will be times where you have to go to a stem that might cost a bit more, or perhaps because it’s a lot higher they might need to replace several cables & housings, which definitely takes a lot of time. Or it might be a closeout bike that came with a ridiculously-long & low stem that has no value to the shop. In those cases, you could expect to pay a small amount of money to cover the difference and/or the labor involved.

Fortunately, at Chain Reaction we have such a tremendous number of road bikes in stock that there’s rarely an issue getting someone set up with exactly the right size bike, right then and there.  But Chain Reaction, with over 300 road bikes in stock at any one time, is not exactly typical, so don’t be surprised if getting the proper fit involves waiting for one to come in.  It will be worth the wait, especially if the alternative is a bike that doesn’t feel quite right because the fit’s wrong.  If your local shop doesn’t have a zillion road bikes in stock, that’s not necessarily an indication that they’re not serious about road bikes…could be they just don’t have such a highly-developed road bike market like we do in the SF Bay Area, and can’t afford to have a huge number of bikes sitting around, waiting for you.  Not a problem for us…the number of road bikes we sell would make most shops heads spin.

After you find your new dream machine, you might check out our Taking Care of your Road Bike article.

Interested in our sale-priced bikes? Check here! And don’t forget to join our email-list so you’re up-to-date on our latest specials.

–Mike–