Finally got my bullseye monster, and I wanted to post my thoughts about it, but there dont seem to be any threads about the specific models that bikes direct offers.
The bike went together pretty smoothly and was lighter than I expected it to be. I will publish the weight when I get around to putting it on a scale, but it was abouth the same weight as (maybe even a little less than) last year's pug. I will ballpark it around 35lbs.
The stem and possibly the handle bars will be replaced soon. Its way too long right now and wider bars are always a plus.
The bike had a minor scratch on the down tube from where the front rim was attached for shipping. It doesn't really bother me, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Here's the bike next to last year's pug (14" frame). The head angle looks much steeper on the Gravity. Not sure what the actual number is for the Bullseye, but for reference I know the pug is a 70.0 degree HTA.
The mission on a 50mm rim next to a nate on a 65mm Marge lite. Both supposedly 4.0, although the nate seems significantly wider in addition to being much more aggressive.
First impression is that its a good start. It doesn't ride nearly as well as the pug does, but in addition to costing less than a third what the pug did, I haven't spent much time dialing it in yet. There are a lot of things im going to do to it, first I need to cut the seat post down, because even inserted as far as it will go, its still at least a full inch higher than I want it. Next will be trying to get some power out of the brakes. Even after bedding them in, they are unbearably weak. I have ridden other bikes with the novelas and know that they can be much more powerful. When set up correctly they can feel as good as a bb7. I will try hitting the rotors with brake cleaner, if that doesn't work I will sand the pads down a bit. Also the rear rim is out of true and the front one has a pretty noticeable hop. it's nothing i cant fix but kinda annoying that i have to work on the wheels of a brand new bike.
I was torn between this and the Boris x9, but didn't have the means to get the more expensive bike. I will report back after putting some more miles on the bike, but so far I am a little underwhelmed. I just remind myself that it was only $500 and remember that I have nothing to complain about. I think it is the best way that money could be spent, because it gets you a good, ridable platform to begin with and will allow me to upgrade parts as I need to.
The bike went together pretty smoothly and was lighter than I expected it to be. I will publish the weight when I get around to putting it on a scale, but it was abouth the same weight as (maybe even a little less than) last year's pug. I will ballpark it around 35lbs.
The stem and possibly the handle bars will be replaced soon. Its way too long right now and wider bars are always a plus.
The bike had a minor scratch on the down tube from where the front rim was attached for shipping. It doesn't really bother me, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Here's the bike next to last year's pug (14" frame). The head angle looks much steeper on the Gravity. Not sure what the actual number is for the Bullseye, but for reference I know the pug is a 70.0 degree HTA.
The mission on a 50mm rim next to a nate on a 65mm Marge lite. Both supposedly 4.0, although the nate seems significantly wider in addition to being much more aggressive.
First impression is that its a good start. It doesn't ride nearly as well as the pug does, but in addition to costing less than a third what the pug did, I haven't spent much time dialing it in yet. There are a lot of things im going to do to it, first I need to cut the seat post down, because even inserted as far as it will go, its still at least a full inch higher than I want it. Next will be trying to get some power out of the brakes. Even after bedding them in, they are unbearably weak. I have ridden other bikes with the novelas and know that they can be much more powerful. When set up correctly they can feel as good as a bb7. I will try hitting the rotors with brake cleaner, if that doesn't work I will sand the pads down a bit. Also the rear rim is out of true and the front one has a pretty noticeable hop. it's nothing i cant fix but kinda annoying that i have to work on the wheels of a brand new bike.
I was torn between this and the Boris x9, but didn't have the means to get the more expensive bike. I will report back after putting some more miles on the bike, but so far I am a little underwhelmed. I just remind myself that it was only $500 and remember that I have nothing to complain about. I think it is the best way that money could be spent, because it gets you a good, ridable platform to begin with and will allow me to upgrade parts as I need to.