Replacement Road Bike

[RCasanova]

I very recently got into road biking. I bought a Gravity Liberty 1 from bikesdirect. That was my first mistake. Today while riding, I had a pedal strip from the crank. I'm lucky I was already slowing down. The bike is barely a month old. I learned that it's not wise to try to save a few pennies on a bike. You get what you pay for. That being said, I've decided to buy something name brand and I'm upping my budget. I'd like to spend no more than $1,000. I'd mostly use it for 30 miles and below rides. I don't think I'll do any racing. I'm mostly riding to stay in shape for my future career. Any suggestions on what I should get? I know $1,000 won't get anything fancy, but it's a start. I was considering a Trek 1.2. Any thoughts on that model? Thank you all in advance for your replies!

 

[oldbobcat]

To be fair, the chances are that the dropped pedal was caused by assembly error more than quality of the bike. But Bikes Direct bikes are packed with little cost-saving gotchas that will slip right past the inexperienced.

A Trek 1.2 purchased from a good dealer with a reliable service department is a fine choice.

 

[ambal]

Quote: Originally Posted by oldbobcat .
To be fair, the chances are that the dropped pedal was caused by assembly error more than quality of the bike. But Bikes Direct bikes are packed with little cost-saving gotchas that will slip right past the inexperienced.

A Trek 1.2 purchased from a good dealer with a reliable service department is a fine choice.


That is true, but if you can deal with the gotchas or have a friend who can help, why not save a bucket load of money and shop with them.

 

[Mr645]

I would worry about the support from your local bike shop and the way the bikes fits you more then the brand and model

 

[alfeng]

Quote: Originally Posted by oldbobcat .
To be fair, the chances are that the dropped pedal was caused by assembly error more than quality of the bike. But Bikes Direct bikes are packed with little cost-saving gotchas that will slip right past the inexperienced.

A Trek 1.2 purchased from a good dealer with a reliable service department is a fine choice.


I can't-and-won't disagree that a Trek 1.2 would-or-wouldn't be a good choice for the OP at some time in the future ...

But, isn't it overkill to buy a replacement bike when the OP may simply need a new set of pedals?

Of course, the OP may possibly need a new crankarm/crankset, too, if he happened to manage to cross-thread or strip the threads on the crankarm when he installed the pedal.

 

[oldbobcat]

Quote: Originally Posted by alfeng .
But, isn't it overkill to buy a replacement bike when the OP may simply need a new set of pedals?

Of course, the OP may possibly need a new crankarm/crankset, too, if he happened to manage to cross-thread or strip the threads on the crankarm when he installed the pedal.


Yeah, most likely the threads on the crank arm were cross-threaded.

I just looked up the Gravity bikes in BikesDirect. Not too shabby, but not a Trek. Figure on $100 for a crankset and some extra for the shop to install it and go over the bike to make sure it was done right. And if it's a 9-speed, a bottom bracket, because 9-speed square-taper cranks are getting mighty rare now.

 

[alienator]

Yeah, most likely the threads on the crank arm were cross-threaded. I just looked up the Gravity bikes in BikesDirect. Not too shabby, but not a Trek. Figure on $100 for a crankset and some extra for the shop to install it and go over the bike to make sure it was done right. And if it's a 9-speed, a bottom bracket, because 9-speed square-taper cranks are getting mighty rare now.

While BD's bike frames might not be current in terms of tech and features, they're certainly good frames and offer, usually, incredible bang for the buck. The catch with BD, however, is what you mentioned: assembly. I think anyone buying a BD bike should assume that every detail needs to be examined: that bolts have proper torque, that bolts aren't cross threaded; that bolts are lubed; that cables are the proper length run correctly, and so on. That assumption needs to be made before the box is opened and before the bike is ridden so that the owner can identify problems and redress any problems through BD (if needed), their LBS, or with their own tools and elbow grease.

 

[RCasanova]

Quote: Originally Posted by alfeng .

I can't-and-won't disagree that a Trek 1.2 would-or-wouldn't be a good choice for the OP at some time in the future ...

But, isn't it overkill to buy a replacement bike when the OP may simply need a new set of pedals?

Of course, the OP may possibly need a new crankarm/crankset, too, if he happened to manage to cross-thread or strip the threads on the crankarm when he installed the pedal.



This is not the first and only issue I've had with the bike. The fork was slightly bent during shipping, which was fixed with a little filing. BD credited me money for fixing it myself. The front derailleur takes some work to get it to shift, even then, it rubs on the chain. The other pedal has been clicking since about the 3rd or 4th ride. I tried oiling it and tightening it down, but it didn't fix the issue.

When I brought it to my LBS for setup, they said it wouldn't last very long. They told me all the parts were basically the lowest of the low and they didn't think I got a good deal. It's not even that the bike is low end that makes me want to get rid of it, it's the fact that it's barely a month old and stuff is already breaking on it. The pedals were labeled right and left, and I had read that they should screw in opposite ways. They screwed in pretty easily and I hand tightened them and had the LBS tighten them with a wrench because I didn't have the proper one. I don't think the pedal stripped due to any error of mine. I can't see spending $100+ to fix a $400 bike that's a month old. I'd rather take the refund and spend a little more money on a bike I know is built properly and will hold up.

The picture with the pedal still attached was taken after I bent it back almost straight when I was trying to remove it. It was originally bent about 35 degrees. It took a lot of work to get it out, and when I did, I saw that a lot of the threading on the inside had been pulled out. The threading on the pedal was perfectly fine.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ciiss4rdmkgltb2/20130928_100138.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3004pdkl2vyktmo/20130928_202004.jpg

 

[maydog]

I cannot see the pictures of the damage at work due to dropbox being blocked. If it is a left crankarm, that can be a pretty cheap fix. The right crankarm is just a little more complicated because chainrings need to be swapped.

Some shops may be able to repair the stripped threads with an insert for a fair price.

Otherwise, you can find a decent new crankset with bottom bracket for around $50 on Ebay.

 

[ambal]

The way I see it, you have two choices. Just buy a cheap set of cranks off ebay. Or take it back to where you brought it and if you ask nice they might replace it for you.

 

[maxson123]

i have to say like that and agreed with you I would worry about the support from your local bike shop and the way the bikes fits you more then the brand and model

 

[Viking55803]

About $1,000 to $1,200 US is kind of a sweet spot for bike makers, and there are a lot of really great choices out there. My theory is that any reputable manufacturer offers good frames at that price point, so I am looking for the best components, especially the derailleurs, shifters, brakes, and crankset. Almost everyone upgrades their saddle to suit them, and the wheelset is often sturdy but heavy. My Novara Strada came from REI - a recreational co-op in the U.S. They stand behind their products, and this bike had Shimano 105 components and an FSA crankset. I got a $200 discount on an $1,100 bike, so it cost me $900. It weighs in at just over 23 pounds, which isn't superlight, but it is extremely comfortable and after 1,000 miles or so I can say durable, quiet, smooth riding.

There is a word in Swedish, lagom, which means something like "just right" - translated into a bike it would mean not too cheap, not too flashy, durable but not clunky, functional and enjoyable but probably won't be a WOW! That's what I've named my road bike - Lagom - and it fits the bill. You know, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to lose 6 pounds than buy a 17 pound bike!