This place is a joke. Don't fall for their "compare to" gimmick. The bikes aren't worth what they charge. I don't know about the "high end" bikes they claim to sell, but I can tell you that the mid-tier ones are garbage. They assemble these bikes with the cheapest parts imaginable. Don't be fooled by names like Shimano or Suntour. If they put actual Shimano and Suntour parts on the bike, they are of the lowest quality. I believe that most parts are secondary or Chinese knock-offs. The assembly is horrible. Nothing is greased. You better have a decent set of bike tools handy if you want them set up correctly. Of course I had to buy a crank arm puller and a BB tool because they put some cheap square taper bottom bracket on the bike. The one I received had a bad crank arm with poorly machined threads, and couldn't install the pedals. The left brake had a big dent in the hydraulic reservoir. The seal around the endplug looked compromised and I didn't trust it to work reliably. The front derailleur was junk and could not be set up. It may have been the shifter itself, but it would not align with the big chainring no mater what I did. The front suspension was of very low-quality, it squeaked horribly while riding, it bottomed out, the pre-load was useless, the headset had a flat spot that made steering clunky, and the front hub had a click that I couldn't identify. No idea why they decided the bike needed a 100mm stem. They advertised the bike as coming with WBT tires, well they were WBT but the lettering was all faded and the tires had cracks from dry rot. I couldn't even find the model number online so who knows what trashcan they pulled them out of. Says it had Shimano hydraulic brakes, a $200 upgrade… lol. Once again the model they claim doesn't exist online. The closet thing to them is the MT200 series and you can get those, front and back, for under $50. These were not even as nice as the MT200's. And whoever laced the front wheel was a real piece of work. I was convinced the rim was bent. I spent over an hour truing the wheel and had to loosen everything to start over.
They called my issues "extremely minor" and offered me a $10 refund. After arguing with them and filing claims through the BBB and PayPal over the course of 2 weeks, they finally sent me a return label. Bottom line, don't believe anything they advertise. I assume the reviews are made up because there is no way to leave a review on their site. And their rating with the BBB is not A+ as they claim. The assembly place in Taiwan must be taking overstock, discontinued, and rejected frames then loading them up with low-quality parts to sell at a discounted price. For the bike I received to be even close to what they claim it's worth, it would have at minimum a Shimano Deore Groupset. The parts they put on there are not even models you can buy, even on Amazon. So forget the idea of saving money and getting a bike comparable to a $2000 bike for $700, the bike you get isn't even worth 1/2 the $700. Do yourself a favor and look at the real bike brands, Giant, Trek, Specialized, hell even Mongoose. You may not get all the features you want, but at least you are getting a quality bike. All the bells and whistles mean nothing if they are crap. No $60 fork should have lockout and preload. If it does you know its junk

I ordered a Gravity 27.5 Mountain bike. It arrived in roughly a week. When I unpackaged it as can be seen in the picture below, the manner in which it was packed, specifically using the tie wraps around the wheels, caused the front wheel to be bent so badly that it would barely spin inside the fork.

The rear wheel wasn't as bad, however once again, due to the packaging, one of the pedals had bent one of the spokes.

After contacting bikes direct, they said take it to your local bike shop as truing the wheels and making minor adjustments have to be done on any bike.

I trued up the front wheel to the point where I could actually drive it. At that point both the front and rear derailleurs needed significant adjustment.

I took the bike to the bike shop because if the wheels and everything else were this bad I wanted to make sure the axles and everything else was okay. Fortunately, everything did end up getting tuned up and straightened out.

The technician at the bike shop said he wouldn't bother replacing the bent spoke because you would have to take the whole wheel apart to do it and told me if you break any spokes down the road just bring it in and we'll change it out with them.

As others have noted, there is no provision for a kickstand on this bike. When I asked bikes direct if they had a recommendation for a kickstand, their reply was, this bike has no provision for a kickstand. Maybe you could call your bike shop and see what they would recommend.
As far as bikes direct is concerned, just consider them a drop shipper.

Also, go to your local bike shop first and get fitted for a bike. Then you will be able to order the right size frame. Do not go by their chart.

The medium frame that I ended up getting is probably too small for me but we were able to compensate for that by adding a 5 inch rise set of handlebars. The pedals on this bike which is also a common complaint from all of these so-called entry level bikes, were poor so they got changed. So did the grips because the stock ones never were tight. I also swapped the seat from my Schwinn bike as the stock seat could be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat on in my life!

$450 for the bike, another $130 in parts and labor, and the initial impressions are this bike is a very good entry level bike.

It has everything you would want, dual suspension, disc brakes that work great, and a bike that I think looks very good.

Would I order from bike direct again? As long as you're aware that the first thing you're going to have to do is send the bike to the bike shop to get properly set up, and I mean every single component of the bike, then yes.

Mercier Kilo WT review. I purchased the Mercier Kilo WT in 2012. I was looking for a solid commuting rig and weekend sport rambler that would look good and take hard riding with no complaints. In short, the Kilo has filled this role nicely. I'm 6'4" 210 lbs (193 cm 95 kg). I ride hard and aggressive with curb jumping in both directions. My commute is 6 miles (10 km) each way of rolling hills with the usual urban mix of rain, RR tracks, broken glass, and variable road conditions. The heaviest routine load is grocery shopping with about 25 lb. on the rack, 15 on my back, and another 15 dangling from the handlebars. I have also hauled lumber, yard sale scores, and sometimes a girlfriend on the top tube; but not all at once. The Kilo WT holds up very well in these conditions. Side note: The GF on the cross bar is a good litmus test for compatibility. If she finds it a cozy and enjoyable ride, we have a future together.

The 62 cm frame is truly a tall person's bike. It fits me well without jacking the seat post into the stratosphere, and yes, it actually measures 62 cm from center of bottom bracket to center of top tube. NO SKIMPING! I added lights, fenders, a rear rack, a Brooks leather saddle, and switched out the drop bars for bull horns. I ride about 1500 miles per year. I prefer the direct drive for hard summer riding and flip it to the freewheel for more conservative winter conditions. I like the WT model as I can run beefy 35mm tires without any problems, even with fenders (Hint: WT= Wide TIre). My Kilo WT had a rough life and I have been very impressed with how it held up. Sadly, after six years and about 9,000 miles, it developed a crack in the frame at the seat tube/ top tube joint. I had a buddy TIG weld it and got another year before it cracked again at the same point. Given my size, extreme conditions, and hard riding, I consider 9000 miles to be a long and respectable life for a bike well under $1000. I have cut up the frame for scrap and saved the components for a future custom build on a new frame. R. I. P. Good memories and no regrets.

I have purchased three bikes from Bikesdirect and am a satisfied customer. On my Mtn bikes, they use outdated components like Shrader valves or ugly spokes but the Kilo WT is a class act; as tough as it is good looking. All have arrived within a week, were easy to assemble, and have served me well in extreme conditions, delivering great value and a good price.

All the best,
Buck

These guys use some VERY cheap and low quality bike components, and have zero means of performing maintenance once those parts start breaking QUICKLY. They can't even provide a place to purchase new parts. THE BIKE I PURCHASED WAS BROKEN UPON ARRIVAL. I received a broken rear rack, completely unusable. Dead weight on my bike. Within one month of owning my bike, my pedal assist stopped working and took several months to repair, both of my tires had popped, and the front brakes were completely out. This all took place after riding less than 120 miles on the Gravity X-Rod rear rack. I tried fixing things piece by piece, but after investing another few hundred dollars and more time than I can remember, my hub motor completely stopped delivering power to my rear wheel. Whenever I pressed my throttle, the connection pins between my hub motor and the rest of the bike were automatically torn apart, rending the bike completely powerless. They couldn't do anything to assist me, besides recommending I move a washer. The Bike works now, but I had to replace most of the components that it came with, which was just way way way too much money overall. I was able to fix the issue by asking another more experienced professional to take a look at the orientation of the washers on my bike, which hadn't changed since I received it. They were able to place the screws in the correct order, and restore function to my bike for a good price. HOWEVER, For the premium asking price of this bike to BEGIN WITH that is comparable to brands like rad power, sondors, and van moof, the QUALITY is not comparable at all. Do yourself a favor, and buy a Sondors. Their bikes are meticulously assembled with exclusive components and care that ensures a consistently functional and safe ride. The Gravity X Rod is definitely not for people without prior bike industry knowledge, and who can't do regular maintenance. Children, and many families fall into this category. Sondors will accomodate this type of consumer more than BikeDirect. If you still insist, you will need to learn maintenance skills, as well as connect with people who will regularly service this bike for a fair price. There are going to come issues that your own experience is insufficient to repair just as mine was. Regardless of this whole hassle, you or someone you know with the professional experience can build a better version of this bike for around half of the price. Don't buy from BikesDirect. Very sour overall. Their tires seem especially poor quality across the board on the multiple bikes I own from this website, electric and standard. A handful of my buddies own these other brands, and none have faced a single of these issues in nearly a year of ownership. I guess if you plan on buying a fixer upper, but don't want to pay the bargain price of a used bike which you'd perform maintenance upon, you can just buy a brand new fixer upper from BikesDirect instead! You'll be fixing your new broken bike right out of the box!

This is my review of the Mercier Galaxy ST Express, in Black with Drop Bars. I ordered it and it came fast
First Off I am a 6 foot 2 inch Supper Clydesdale@ 300LBS+ I haven't ridden a road bike in 20 +years. I have a custom built Breezer Thunder Comp hardtail, and a Fuji reveal also bought from Bikes direct it beefed up with 40 spoke handbuilt rims. I ride off road and hard. I recently found Zwift and did not like the stress I was putting on my aluminum frame hard tail. I went in search of a cheap steel frame that I could build up. My trainer is a wahoo snap.
First off out of the box this bike looks cool. The paint, welds and frame are pretty nice and well make. The steel is 240 Hi-ten steel nothing special but not aluminum. The Rear Wheel is a bolt on 130mm w a 7 speed freewheel. It is not QR! Or a cassette. The front is a QR the rims were not perfect but I did not care about the front as it's never going to spin. The Hubs are no name china. I was going to convert the rear to QR it but my Local Bike shop had a QR Rim with (machine breaking surface and a better hub) spot on true for 59.00 and they swapped the cassette and mounted it for free. The shifters and derailleurs are all ok shift smooth and no ghost shifting they won't need an upgrade till I wear them out. They did need to be adjusted. However The square BB and the Crank on the bike is absolutely no good for anyone weighing more than 80lbs. The cogs are riveted and stamped and they flex I can see the defection in the cogs as I spin. (98 watts and it feels like I'm going to bend the cogs). The Bottom bracket is a standard 68mm English tread. I had a spare Hollow tech 2 BB installed it and took the saint crank off my hard tail. I plan to install a Claris r2000 HT2 road crank (8 speed double) and time ac2 clip pedals but with the saint installed I now see 0 issues with cranking out on this bike and the frame works nicely in my trainer no flex or twisting like I had with my aluminum frame bikes. I have over 100 miles on this now no creaks or noises.
The following should be noted. The stem is a 22.5 its weak it has some flex but works. It is going to be replaced with a suntor adjustable. The Bars are nice but are nothing special and wrapped nicely
I don't use the breaks or levers the bike is used for my trainer. They look adequate but I would upgrade them before ever using them on the road.
The seat went the first day. It was rock hard. Comfort seat installed.
If I ever ride this on the road I will also replace the front wheel matching the rear one from my LBS.
Over all I spent 229(248 w tax) for the bike 59 for a rear rim 80 for a good crank and 48 got clip pedals. I Total 436.00 I'm happy and I'm not worried about trashing an aluminum frame that cost a small fortune
I hope this helps someone looking for a cheap but descent road bike.

I have been enjoying my 07' giant raineer hardtail as my only bike since new and its still in great shape. But as i approach 50 years in age, i jeed more smootheness in my moves. Bike suspension that is. I fell in love with a fuji reveal for a special price of 900 bucks and in no time it was on my doorstep. Very quick shipping! I was dissapointed about the lack of i nstructions to help with assembly, as the bracket for the front disc brake was very complicated and not easy to figure out. Im no pro biker, but not a du. My either, doing nearly all of my home repairs and auto as well, so i am a handy guy with knowledge of my tools. This just stumped me and when i went online for web help it was a complicated mess to try to find any guideance. This is my biggest complaint. I gave 5 star feedback, cause its worth it. Defin ately. I tried to call but no luck and emailed twice with no luck, not until a third time. Kinda weird but im doing it now, a few months later. The bike needs a deraileur adjust from the factory and also the rear brakes lever is mushy and soft so a bike shop needs to do some work. I just wish it was ride ready and didnt need this done. A local bime shop quoted near 100 bucks, possib le around 70.00 for this to be done. Just a bummer to pay more thats all. I live on the edge of the owhhee mountains and desert, so terrain is rough, first insallin g new puncture proof tubes with heavy liners and slime. Its the only way here. I have a good practice track to work out on and cant wait to get it to the big moun twins 3 hours away. I recommend this site for your bike purchase, and they helped eventually. Shipping was fast, promptly and it required a signiture so i knew the bike would kot be left on the porch unattended. The prices are great, so this has earned them a 5 str feedback, as i definately feel that is what i recieved! Chad from idaho

This is the first time I have ever posted a rating on anything I have purchased, period.

I picked up a 22 inch Lurch FS from BikesDirect.com, and I love it.

The brand was Motobecane, from what I can tell, it's a brand that they purchased and are selling consumer direct.

I can't say enough good things...

A bit about myself. I am a bike industry veteran. In the late 90s, I spent 4 years running engineering for a big bike company in WI that starts with a T, since then I have always hated paying retail.

I am 54 YO, a 250 pound Clydesdale, and starting to slow down a bit.

I broke a helmet going over the bars on my XC full suspension bike last year, live in the PNW with great trail access, but getting too old to crash.

I love this fat bike! It allows me to ride both flat and technical trails and get a great workout. I can't run much anymore, hurts my feet, but this bike gets me on the trail with the dogs and get a great work out.

When I ride flat trails, I run 20 psi and roll about 2x running speed.

When I roll my old MTB trails, I run a bit less pressure, floats uphill nice, and downhill technical stuff get sucked up by those big 4.9 inch tires.

Honestly, I tried local bike shops, and bikes with 1/2 the spec were 2x the cost. At just over $1000, it was a risk I was willing to take.

It literally took me less than 5 minutes to go from box to trail, both front and rear derailleurs were tuned, tires even had pressure in them.

I have about 150 miles on the bike and absolutely love it.

The frame was welded and bike assembled in Taiwan, which was unexpected for the price; I expected China.

The fit and finish are great; very happy camper.

The 22 inch frame fits me great, initially I wanted the Minnesota 3.0, but they were sold out. I considered this a 2nd choice, but have absolutely no regrets.

I went chrome moly rather than aluminum because my first two MTBs in the mid80s were steel and I miss them... so much fun.

Nothing but good things to say. I would love to support my LBS, but not when it costs me 2x what this did.

Bikes Direct is not a bad outfit to deal with.
Be aware of their stretched claims of comparative value. Don't fall for the "compare with bikes costing $3,500!". Compare all you want. You're not getting a $3500 bike for $600 or $700. That's not a totally bad thing either - just go in with your eyes open to the features and parts they offer on the bikes at their price point, and compare to other bikes at similar price points, and forget the hype. Honestly, this ought to be shopping 101...

Bike (Boris X7) arrived ok, no damage by UPS and only a little scratch on one rim. No big deal. Assembly took about 10 minutes with a helper. That got it able to be ridden and out the door of my employer's back room... and home.

Once home, the tweaking setup was needed on the brakes and derailleurs and seat, and bars and such. Expect that, and take note: You're doing the work a bike shop would do when they get a bike in a crate and have to assemble it in their shop. If you cannot do this, don't trash Bikes Direct or the bike, because every bike out there needs adjustment in one way or another.

Quality bike, decent, but not great, components. One problem early on was the bottom bracket was not assembled correctly as it was received. Had extra and weird spacers inside that upset the spacing of things, which was not immediately noticed.

Here's where Bikes Direct gets poor marks - on the up side, they were responsive. On the down side, they told me to go buy the parts (about $85 worth) and they'd issue a credit. I bought exactly what they told me to buy. I got my credit. The parts they said to buy were not the right parts... they ought to have known this. In my case, they suggested Surly bottom bracket (which is for the Shimano style crank). The bike has a SRAM style crank, so the Surly part wont work. Their bad, and they lose a star off their rating.

And, I tried three local bike shops that all snubbed any sort of fat tire bike... and basically refused to help, with Bike America being the worst of the bunch. They wanted $150 to look over, change the bad part (5 minute job), and adjust - plus parts! Hence my reliance on my own sleuthing. Hey I got an education in bike assembly, tweaks and repair! FWIW, once I had the right bottom bracket (about $40), learning to change it, and doing the actual work did take all of five minutes, plus another five to get the sticky grease off my hands!

I would have given Bikes Direct a five star, but they get four for sending me on a goose chase. I got the right parts at my own expense and frankly, I did an upgrade when getting the right part, so I don't feel too terribly bad about it all.

And, yes, I'd buy from Bikes Direct again. I'd steer a friend toward them. I'd steer family to them. They're an ok oufit, just... you're gonna have to either DIY, or lean on local help (that you pay for). Bikes from Bikes Direct are sort of like a sweat equity house...

Me - I'm a better than most mechanic, just unschooled about bicycles. I work on all my own vehicles, have rebuilt Harley engines with no problems. I'm also a cheap so-and-so, and love to save a buck, but not at the expense of quality.

Bought a 2nd bike from bikes direct, Transaction ID: 88Y*******G*******. The wheels were significantly out of true. Was told in email basicaly that is just the way it is. I was helped by telling me to fix the wheels my self or pay someone else to do the job. Even a crappy Huffy bike from Kmart has truer wheels. Not satisfied.

In response to Mike, I'm not so dumb, the wheels left the factory in a very bad state of trueness and shipping had nothing at all to do with what I got. So after I spend a couple of hours putting together and fixing another flaw (a mis-aligned crank arm, brake pads not even close to alignment) I'm supposed to spend more time and effort to ship the bike back? Or are you trying to tell me that it is standard practice for bike wheels to leave the factory a mess? Granted the bike was a low end model but I just can't believe it is standard practice for wheels to come off the factory floor way out of true even for bottom of the line bikes? I don't buy it. Thanks for nothing.

In response to your responce, I sent you guys an email and you basically told me to pound sand. Why did I need to respond to that? In the email I was given a load about how shipping likely caused my problem, not that dumb. I clearly got a bad set of wheels, guess that happens on the factory floor from time to time. If you would like to help then please offer to send me a replacement set of wheels anything short of that will not satisfy me. Good day.

Update, video of wheel rotating can be seen in the following link,

http://bikesdirect.pissedconsumer.com/my-bikesdirect-bike-wheels-way-out-of-true**************.html?hash=16f4c9fb07ceea7231e70c*******a14af&nocache=1

Liked the white Motobecane Café Turino's so much we bought three of them. The BikesDirect $500 per bike price, including shipping and taxes, was very attractive as these bikes have carbon fiber forks, disk brakes, and flat bar handlebars. I shopped REI and the local bike shops here in California and none of them were anywhere as near competitive on the pricing, nor did they have the high profile look I was seeking.

I will buy future bikes from BikesDirect without hesitation. The only minor caveat is the List price they include for the bikes is not particularly realistic. For example, these Motobecanes are listed at $1200, however they have an almost identical derailleur system as our $250 Schwinns, in fact I think the Schwinn's are a shade better. The reason is that the front derailleur had to be modified as it wouldn't shift properly -- so if you buy a Motobecane be alert to that possibility.

I thought Motobecane did a masterful job with the basic design, coloring, and graphics of the bikes. Coming from a background of building custom cars these bikes were ideal for customizing a tad by modifying items including the handlebars, grips, stems, seat, whitewall tires, pedals, chain, kickstand, skewers, even the rims on one bike, to make truly exceptional looking bicycles --- they get rave compliments.

The frosting on the BikesDirect cake for continuing to do business with them was the excellent service they provide. One of the three bikes arrived with a mushed front brake cable and a scratched rim. I emailed Larry in their service department and almost faster than I wrote he sent out a new brake cable. What's more, since I intended to change the rims I said they could skip replacing the defective rim. To Larry's credit, as an appreciation of passing on the rim, he sent a Cateye speedometer to us -- a timely and super nice touch on his part.

Based on all that, how can you not want to do business with these folks. In summary, they are appreciatively highly recommended. Jim