If your worried your getting scammed the sight is legit. I'm currently riding the Windsor Fens(has 105s) that I bought off of BikesDirect. Great starting out bike. They're out of Arizona, where I understand they have a few stores.

But I've been riding mine since last August and have been more than pleased. The only thing that I worry about is warranty issues. I haven't had any(knock on wood), but I would have liked to have had a LBS and a reputable manufacturer behind my bike.
Like christri said though, you get what you pay for. As for me, $795 was all I could afford at the time and I have no regrets with my purchase. Might even do it again if I decide to upgrade, but that will be a few years down the road.

As for the Motobecane, I ran into some people at my first tri riding the same bike, from BikesDirect, and they said they loved theirs too.

Look at it this way...
If that is what you have to spend, your getting great components for the bike, if the frame is not all that great, or you want to upgrade to an aero frame...then maybe a year down the road you can get a kickin frameset (800-1500) or more.. and then all of the sudden you have a bike worth 2,500 (maybe) with great components, then maybe two years from now, your present to yourself is a new set of HED 3 or Zipp wheels.. damn, youd be a blur then huh....

some of the framesets I have had my eye on - rideblue.com (the carbon/aluminum TT frameset rocks)
or maybe cervelo.com (the P3 frameset is like $1100)

the great thing about bicycles is you can always upgrade at your own pace...
example: if you get a great frame now, you will get lower end components - (not BAD, just lower end - i assume you would still be looking in the $1000 range) then later you will look to upgrade the compos instead of the frame, it works either way....

rr

yup , triguy has it right . the frame is the core. upgrade parts at your own pace.

Trithis makes a great point but so does triguy. If money is an issue now then make sure you buy a bike with a great solid frame then you can always upgrade. Whatever you do make sure you make a wise decision and take your time youll waste more money if you buy a bike that you wont like in the future.

Who's finishing the assembly of the bike, and doing the fitting?

If its your local bike shop, and they're giving you a good price on the aerobars (P.D. Jammer GT?), why not go with them?

By the way, I saw the Motobecanes at bikesdirect.com last year. No one seemed to know anything about the company now using that name,and there were concerns about quality control and service. If you're willing to take a chance on ordering a bike sight unseen, though the internet, I agree that bike seems to be a great deal --- I just happened to run into a better deal locally.

thehitman

this is probably better off in another new post but - what do you guys think?

Tri suit or separates?

TYR any good or is Zoot better?

which one drys quicker and holds less water?

thanks for the info

:)

jmdesignz if you are trying to nickel and dime your way into triathlon good luck there fred. you get what you pay for like i stated above. you dont need top dollar comps to win. they are nice but your on your way into a VERY expensive sport. i expect to pay, pay and pay ... oh and pay. I love to ride, i love to train. i love to race and above all i love spending the money :) With all the intricacies of training and racing i dont have the time to shop around for 8 hours trying to save 5$. just spend all you can. Its good for the economy.

If i can get something online for $10 cheaper online than at my bike shop, I go to the shop. If I can get something online on clearance that will save me 50%, I'll buy online.

The problem with buying a bike online is mainly warranty issues and quality control. It sounds like our new friend JM is dazzled by the parts spec on the bike. Granted Ultrega 10 speed is nice, but I pass a lot of em with my 105 9 speed. Theyre not THAT much better.

Motobecane, the last I was in a shop that carried them, sold sub par bikes. If youd never had a bike before and didnt know what you were looking at, they certainly did look nice on the floor. And I am sure tey have some upper end models that have been ripped off/ rebadged from other manufacturers.

The point is that there are a great many wonderful bike shops in this country, and they all run on a tight profit margin. Support your shop by buying from them. You will get better service and probably a longer lifetime out of your bike by buying from them. The bike will be properly assembled to begin with, you get the free 30 day check up, and in my case, lifetime adjustments. Not really a beatable deal. AND when I walk in the door, they know me, know my bike, know its history, know what I plan to do with it. Feed a mechanic, shop local.

For what its worth, I just got a bike last month from Bikes Direct and love it. I got the Mercier Serpens 20 with full Ultegra 20spd for $1,095. I have been out of racing for 15 years and decided this spring to get back into it and was going to get a bike from the local bike shop until a friend steered me to Bikes Direct. I was quite leary at first but then decided that the components were worth at least as much as I was paying for the whole bike so I gave it a shot. I'm pretty mechanically inclined so I had no trouble putting it together and have put about 500 miles in the last 3 weeks on it with no problems.

I am now starting to give Triathalons a shot and if I like it I have my eye on the Motobecane Nemesis. Overall I am happy with Bikes Direct.