First mail-order bike, and first used bike from aless-thank-knowledgeable rider.

This bike is $400 from bikes direct, although I paid substantially
less. What do you guys carry in that price range?

Closest bike would have probably been a Trek Soho-S at $499.99. They've
gone up to $550 when new ones come in (which won't be for another month;
very unfortunate as it's been a hugely-popular bike).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


wrote in message
...
On Oct 7, 6:38 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
Overall, I feel I got a good deal on a decent bike. I think it would
have been problems galore for someone who wasn’t handy with the
tools,
considering it’s “great condition and ready to ride” advertised
state. All in all, about what I’d expect from a mail order discount
bike. I’m happy. Wish me and the bike luck – the testing starts
today.
What did ya pay--less than half of what a similar bike shop bike
would
cost?

Are you basing that ("less than half") on what bikesdirect.com claims
the retail value for their bikes is, or have you actually made
comparisons to bikes at a shop? I have yet to see a bikesdirect.com
claim for retail value that isn't greatly exaggerated.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

When I say I paid well less than half, I'm basing it on what I have
seen in bike shops, and what I paid. As stated, I bought this bike
used, for a smidge over 1/2 what it would have cost to get it from
bikesdirect, completely disregarding the suggested MSRP.

What's the cheapest 29er you guys sell? I'd be surprised if you had
any bikes at all for what I paid for this, and I'd be surprised to
learn you had any mountain bikes at all (excluding childrens bikes)
for less than double what I paid.

This bike is $400 from bikes direct, although I paid substantially
less. What do you guys carry in that price range?

snip

Sure, you could use a shorter headset and a stem with a shorter clamp
and cut away all the excess, but then you are constrained to equal or
shorter replacement parts. You're out of luck if you want to swap
the fork to a frame with a longer head tube. If you get injured or
for some other reason you want to raise your bars temporarily, you
have to get different bars or a taller stem instead of just
rearranging a couple of spacers. These seem like some relatively
useful things to give up for the questionable benefit of not having
extra spacers.

Who said anything about cutting away _all_ the excess? Like I said, I
use spacers on all my bikes – just not an ungodly amount of them. I
suppose it’s a matter of personal preference – I can live with having
bikes and styles you don’t approve of.

Me! Cut all the excess off, bugger the spacers, they look crap imo

All my bikes have no spacers, never will, only time they have is when I've
fitted them up to me and then taken them out to fit the correct size stem.

I hate those spacers with a passion, I much prefer the clean spacer free
look.

Cheers Dre

On Oct 8, 5:09*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
This bike is $400 from bikes direct, although I paid substantially
less. *What do you guys carry in that price range?

Closest bike would have probably been a Trek Soho-S at $499.99. They've
gone up to $550 when new ones come in (which won't be for another month;
very unfortunate as it's been a hugely-popular bike).

Trek lists the retail as $600 on their website--though it's very nice
looking for that price! I'm sure it comes stock with a f/w, but the
potential of running fixed on a bike that comes with a bitchin'
chainguard and midfork lowrider mounts is both commendable and
hilarious!

Dre wrote:
snip
Sure, you could use a shorter headset and a stem with a shorter clamp
and cut away all the excess, but then you are constrained to equal or
shorter replacement parts. You're out of luck if you want to swap
the fork to a frame with a longer head tube. If you get injured or
for some other reason you want to raise your bars temporarily, you
have to get different bars or a taller stem instead of just
rearranging a couple of spacers. These seem like some relatively
useful things to give up for the questionable benefit of not having
extra spacers.
Who said anything about cutting away _all_ the excess? Like I said, I
use spacers on all my bikes – just not an ungodly amount of them. I
suppose it’s a matter of personal preference – I can live with having
bikes and styles you don’t approve of.

Me! Cut all the excess off, bugger the spacers, they look crap imo

All my bikes have no spacers, never will, only time they have is when I've
fitted them up to me and then taken them out to fit the correct size stem.

They do look like crap, but how else do you get the stem high enough?
You can add a stem extender which also looks like crap. There actually
are at least three adjustable height threadless headsets but they aren't
standard equipment, and they aren't cheap.

Bikesdirect rules. No bike shop can compete with their quality/
price. I bought a motobecane 700ht for $450. The closest Treks were
near $700. Sure the hubs are nonames but the mix is Deore with XT
rear. No bike shop MTB will have those components for less than 700.
Putting a bike together from carton is not rocket science. Upgrade a
few parts and you het a great baike for a great price. All the frames
are made in china anyway on low to modrange bikes


On Oct 7, 6:38*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote:
?

Are you basing that ("less than half") on what bikesdirect.com claims
the retail value for their bikes is, or have you actually made
comparisons to bikes at a shop? I have yet to see a bikesdirect.com
claim for retail value that isn't greatly exaggerated.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

In article ,
SMS wrote:

Dre wrote:
snip
Sure, you could use a shorter headset and a stem with a shorter clamp
and cut away all the excess, but then you are constrained to equal or
shorter replacement parts. You're out of luck if you want to swap
the fork to a frame with a longer head tube. If you get injured or
for some other reason you want to raise your bars temporarily, you
have to get different bars or a taller stem instead of just
rearranging a couple of spacers. These seem like some relatively
useful things to give up for the questionable benefit of not having
extra spacers.
Who said anything about cutting away _all_ the excess? Like I said, I
use spacers on all my bikes * just not an ungodly amount of them. I
suppose it¹s a matter of personal preference * I can live with having
bikes and styles you don¹t approve of.

Me! Cut all the excess off, bugger the spacers, they look crap imo

All my bikes have no spacers, never will, only time they have is when I've
fitted them up to me and then taken them out to fit the correct size stem.

They do look like crap, but how else do you get the stem high enough?
You can add a stem extender which also looks like crap. There actually
are at least three adjustable height threadless headsets but they aren't
standard equipment, and they aren't cheap.

Correction: they are standard equipment on some bikes:

http://www.norco.com/bikes/city_and_path/hybrid_700c/roma.php

(that's a "hybrid": 700c wheels, flat bar, suspension fork and seatpost)

They're also pretty cheap:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...egory=60001186
&brand=&sku=10679&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Sh op%20by%20Subcat%3A%20A
TB%20Stems

Even $35 isn't expensive, and that stem is selling for $20 right now.

I should say that I have nothing against headset spacers, or even
against expensive adjustable stems (Look Ergostem). Note that spacers
can be used in conjunction with high-angle or adjustable stems to solve
extreme fit needs.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

"SMS" wrote in message
...
Dre wrote:
snip
Sure, you could use a shorter headset and a stem with a shorter clamp
and cut away all the excess, but then you are constrained to equal or
shorter replacement parts. You're out of luck if you want to swap
the fork to a frame with a longer head tube. If you get injured or
for some other reason you want to raise your bars temporarily, you
have to get different bars or a taller stem instead of just
rearranging a couple of spacers. These seem like some relatively
useful things to give up for the questionable benefit of not having
extra spacers.
Who said anything about cutting away _all_ the excess? Like I said, I
use spacers on all my bikes – just not an ungodly amount of them. I
suppose it’s a matter of personal preference – I can live with having
bikes and styles you don’t approve of.

Me! Cut all the excess off, bugger the spacers, they look crap imo

All my bikes have no spacers, never will, only time they have is when
I've fitted them up to me and then taken them out to fit the correct size
stem.

They do look like crap, but how else do you get the stem high enough? You
can add a stem extender which also looks like crap. There actually are at
least three adjustable height threadless headsets but they aren't standard
equipment, and they aren't cheap.

Well I'm not hugely tall and I ride mountain bikes with long travel
suspension forks and 1" riserbars so I generally run 0deg 40-60mm long
stems. Bars are plenty high enough.

My trials bike is the exception, it has a 10deg, 105mm long stem and the
front of that bike is low as hell, but then its designed to be used while
balanced on the back wheel so in that case its perfect.

Cheers Dre

snip
Sure, you could use a shorter headset and a stem with a shorter clamp
and cut away all the excess, but then you are constrained to equal or
shorter replacement parts. You're out of luck if you want to swap
the fork to a frame with a longer head tube. If you get injured or
for some other reason you want to raise your bars temporarily, you
have to get different bars or a taller stem instead of just
rearranging a couple of spacers. These seem like some relatively
useful things to give up for the questionable benefit of not having
extra spacers.
Who said anything about cutting away _all_ the excess? Like I said, I
use spacers on all my bikes – just not an ungodly amount of them. I
suppose it’s a matter of personal preference – I can live with having
bikes and styles you don’t approve of.

Dre wrote:
Me! Cut all the excess off, bugger the spacers, they look crap imo
All my bikes have no spacers, never will, only time they have is when
I've fitted them up to me and then taken them out to fit the correct
size stem.

SMS wrote:
They do look like crap, but how else do you get the stem high enough?
You can add a stem extender which also looks like crap. There actually
are at least three adjustable height threadless headsets but they aren't
standard equipment, and they aren't cheap.

You've said that before, if you meant 'adjustable AH stems".

As I noted before, twice, those are common on new bikes, ubiquitous and
$29.95. Silver or black no less.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Correction: they are standard equipment on some bikes:

http://www.norco.com/bikes/city_and_path/hybrid_700c/roma.php

(that's a "hybrid": 700c wheels, flat bar, suspension fork and seatpost)

No, that's an adjustable _reach_ stem, where the height changes as the
reach changes. That was okay on threaded headset where you could then
adjust the height, but not so okay on threadless headsets.

I was referring to products like the SpeedLifter, see
"http://www.speedlifter.com/de/sehen/index.html". I've seen two other
similar products, though never in the U.S..

SMS wrote:

Correction: they are standard equipment on some bikes:

http://www.norco.com/bikes/city_and_path/hybrid_700c/roma.php

(that's a "hybrid": 700c wheels, flat bar, suspension fork and seatpost)

No, that's an adjustable _reach_ stem, where the height changes as the
reach changes. That was okay on threaded headset where you could then
adjust the height, but not so okay on threadless headsets.

I was referring to products like the SpeedLifter, see
"http://www.speedlifter.com/de/sehen/index.html". I've seen two other
similar products, though never in the U.S..

Mark hickey seems to think the two dimensions are interrelated:
http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html

Sekine[1] shipped road bikes with the sort of thing you referenced until
the 1974 CPSC regulations.

[1] "World's Finest Precision Bicycle Mechanism". Says so, right on the
down tube.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **