I was pretty set on buying a specialized Hardrock until someone commented in another post about bikesdirect.com .So I checked it out and there were good prices for brands like motobecane and Dawes which come with better parts than the hardrock for less. So my question is how good are these brands?
When I looked into these brands, everything I read pointed towards inconsistency. Quality control is not what it should be at compared to Specialized and an LBS. You may have a bullet proof bike that never has a problem or you may have something you need to tweak a bunch of times before getting it right. As always, you have to ask yourself if it is too good to be true. Some of the bikes listed on the bikesdirect site are less expensive than buying the components on the bike from an online site.
You also obviously lose the ability to be fit to the bike like an LBS would do (same is true for private sales and used bikes).
I was kind of thinking the same thing for the frame. Just wondered out of the idea of saving some cash. So I think ill stick to the idea of a hardrock. Thanks
EDIT: Wait what about some of the Airborne Hardtails like the Skyhawk ?
I haven't owned any of the above. I have only heard good things about the Airborne bikes. Bikes direct can go both ways, as you have learned. This is based on my internet research and not personal experience.
Either way, these bikes are only a good deal if you are handy and plan to do all of the mechanics yourself. If you have to bring it in for initial assembly and routine tune ups and adjustments, the savings will be negated quickly (since assembly is always included from LBS and tune ups are usually included).
I do all of my own maintenance and repairs so I always buy used. My current bike cost me $2,400 for a one year old bike that was over $4,000 new. I gave it a full tuneup and it is like a new bike.
If you are already looking at online bikes, I assume that you don't want or need the LBS service. If that is the case, let me give you one more option to consider. Maybe you can find a lightly used bike in your price range with better specs than all of the bikes you are looking at now.
I wasn't too sure about the Hardrock my self but wanted a 29er for commuting. So I found a good deal on a slightly used 2013 Hardrock sport. I absolutely love commuting on this bike! The bike just flows. I haven't tried it out on trails though, I love my Yeti SB95 too much to try anything else off roading. I will say I experienced a lot o chain drops on my Hardrock jumping on an off curbs. I'm thinking about going 1X8 and a better rear derailer.
I mean I had a 2010 hardrock I liked it and wish I still had it. But just trying to get the best bang for the dollar. Plus I have seen people talk about the airborne bikes before.
I think i'm gonna hold off on the used bikes since even ebay has a slim choice of availibility. So I actually think I want to give the Airborne Skyhawk a try I'm pretty sure that the size I need is 21 but it could be 19. I'm 6'1" 190lbs and still growing.
I just looked on Airborne's website since I'm not familiar with their product. That Skyhawk is a great deal! Did you see that they are offering free shipping on this model or is that an extra bonus I just told you about?
I will say that the fork is pretty crappy. The brakes are marginal but I have never seen a bike with hydraulic brakes for $350. The x4 components work well and feel crisp in my opinion. I like low end SRAM much better than low end Shimano. I like the positive click of the shifters and the derailleurs are precise and responsive. The bike is low level spec overall, but it is a great deal for the money. If I was on a sub $500 budget, I would go for it. It's nice to see that you can actually get a trailworthy bike for $350. Let us know what you think if you end up buying it.
Call Airborne and ask them about the sizing. People have posted on this forum that the guys are very helpful with sizing and advice.
I was aware about the shipping that part made it most worth it, and yeah the fork isn't great but i'll use it for a little while. I think it will be an overall great purchase.
+1 for the craigslist route. I just finished building my emd niner over the past few months. I began the build because I couldn't find much on craigslist but 8-10 really nice bikes were posted in my area during my build. I intended on only spending around 500-1000 max but I've spent 2300 at this point. Most of the bikes posted were priced from 400.00 -1300. I built a hardtail 29er but I'm actually watching craigslist for a FS 29er.
I will caution you when buying used that you could buy a money pit if you do not know much about bikes. If buying used and you have little to no knowledge, find someone who does. Better yet, get hooked up with a local club.
When buying at an LBS, you are paying a premium for knowledge and help that you won't get with factory direct.
The Hardrock is a pretty solid bike. I've had mine for over a year and put A LOT of miles on it. The only issue i ran into was a worn out the headset (dimpled) 1.4 years later.
Just got my gravity 29'er from bikes direct couple of weeks ago for 450 with free shipping. It's my first mountain bike after 8 years. Brand name bikes were more expensive with lower class components and if you don't know what you really want even in LBS you will buy a bike that other guy likes or needs to sell, or he/she might genuinely think its the best bike for you, but at this point you don't (at least I didn't) have the knowledge to actually know what you want. So I decided bike direct bike was cheap enough to introduce myself to mountain biking, has much better components than mongoose bike I had 8 years ago, will motivate me to learn how to do the work on the bike myself (have to assemble it, need to ajust everything, don't have free tuneup for life) and I can upgrade stuff when I actually understand what I need. So far after several rides I really enjoy my bike and it feels alot better to me than any sub 600 dollar bikes I tested in LBS.
Everyone I have seen and talked to that have Motobecanes have been really happy with their choice. Of course these people have been on the nicer models.
I have also heard good things about Airborne but never talked to anyone personally that had one.
There are definite advantages to buying online and also to buying locally.
Many online retailers are cheaper to begin with. Not to mention you often avoid paying taxes which saves you more money and many offer free shipping.
By buying locally, you get a service that no matter how hard the online retailer tries, they just can not provide. I also like the idea of supporting local businesses.
That being said, I spend my money both locally and online.
One of my bikes was bought locally and the other was bought online.
If I buy online, I look at how much money I will save and then figure out if it is worth the savings or not.
What is your price range? What bikes are you comparing and how much are the bikes be offered to you for?
(which Specialized Hardrock and which Motobecane)
Well I ended up purchasing the Airborne Skyhawk last night. All I heard was good things about airborne so I thought that was a good indicator of a bike to ride. While I would have liked to buy locally, I could not have gotten what I did in my price range. I had a max budget of 500 but, I did not want to spend it all if I didn't have to. At the time I was looking at the base 26" hardrock and motobecane ht550. The motobecane was a good contender but the hardrock would have provided much less for me than what I purchased. Of course the fact that the hardrock was the only thing I could buy from the LBS. But I have purchased multiple things from there, including the 2010 hardrock that was stolen from me. The LBS also is very pricey and will barely take any lower then MSRP of anything.
Anyway thanks for everyone's help here. The forums played a big roll in my decision.
Friend of mine is a MBT coach at local HS and says Motobecane are really good bikes and one of the better deal for the money although there are better brands.
I had a circa 1978 Motobecane road bike in college years ago, and it was smokin! (don't ask me what that means... it was just a great bike). But that was before the Pacific Cycle fiasco.
Sadly, I wiped out biking home from a party; my BAC must have been .2% at least. I woke up the next day on my couch, covered in blood and fresh scabs. The bike was nowhere to be found. I never did see that old friend again. :cryin:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
15.4M posts
515.2K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!