Good Deal? Good Bike?

Are you 5'2" to 5'4"? That's the rider height this size is recommended for.

Oh, heck. This is a very crude bike and I doubt that you'd get much enjoyment from riding it. Save your money for something that looks and rides like a real road bike, say a Raleigh Capri, Trek Lexa, or Specialized Dolce. And get the advice and support of a dealer and the manufacturer's warranty.

Stay away... stay very far away. It has downtube shifters on it! Not to mention it being the wrong size for everyone. The adjustable stem is ridiculous. That's no better than a big box (DSG, REI) store road bike.

I'd have to agree with both replies so far. You're better off saving a couple hundred more dollars at the least and purchasing a real bike, or at least one that comes at a better deal. The one you're listing has a lot of downsides and little upside. Chances are high that you wouldn't enjoy riding this bike, and it could even start to break down and not function properly within a month or two based on what it's quality appears to be.

Yup, it's what we refer to as a BSO---a Bicycle Shaped Object, and it's deceptively marketed. I see nothing Shimano on the list of components. While there's nothing wrong with downtube shifters, which I've ridden all of my life (and still have on my beater bike), modern STI shifters are much, much easier to use. But the rest of the bike is trash--the stem is an abberation.

ABNPFDR said:

Stay away... stay very far away. It has downtube shifters on it! Not to mention it being the wrong size for everyone. The adjustable stem is ridiculous. That's no better than a big box (DSG, REI) store road bike.

Actually, REI has a pretty good bike department these days. I've seen Scott, Cannondale, and Raleigh, and Novarra, their store brand, is no slouch. And their selection of accessories, especially for commuters, families, and touring cyclists, is darned good. Service might be variable, depending on location, though.

I dont think REI sells Cannondale by me... but if you are a newbie... I would never suggest buying a bike sight unseen and without riding it. Your ass will thank you.

You may do better of Craigslist local- so you can actually see it and ride it. This is a great time of year for garage sales too when people do Spring Cleaning. If you do buy used, your first stop should be the local bike shop to make sure everything is tightened and well operating and safe.

This bike lacks a lot of the modern features that have been recommended to me, and isn't a good enough deal to make up for lacking them. In the very least better shifters would be nice.

oldbobcat said:

Actually, REI has a pretty good bike department these days. I've seen Scott, Cannondale, and Raleigh, and Novarra, their store brand, is no slouch. And their selection of accessories, especially for commuters, families, and touring cyclists, is darned good. Service might be variable, depending on location, though.

Yeah, should probably not used REI - they do carry a somewhat better selection. They're on par with EMS. EMS sells Jamis and Felt??? I generally only hit EMS once a year up in North Conway NH. Their bike shop in the store is actually quite decent.

It's a 2012 model equipped with Chicom manufactured Microshift and Sunrace components. Not exactly trash...pretty close to decent stuff when price is considered. Technologically, the bike is pretty dated.

BikesDirect.com is selling them for $300/closeout. They might be usable as a weekend cruiser on the bike paths. As everyone else has stated, you would be better served to spend more money at your local bike store.

I would stay away from it as well, but the E-bay seller is selling it for more money than this place which includes shipping: bikesdirect.comavenue b.htmOpen ↗

At that price brand new from the factory big giant reg flags start going up. Googled around didn't get much good news about the manufacturer, did anyone else also get that?
Good components are typically branded in some way even when OEM. This ride doesn't seem to have a single decent component, which leads me to believe the are pumped from the same factory your "Big-Blue-Box" special is.
I suggest either going higher-quality same price-point but second hand, or same quality same price-point from a reputable store that will give you a warranty (and will cost less than this ebay seller since they have the purchasing power orders of magnitude better than "bikeislandsite"😉