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 good May 07, 2010
I like the bike. I let the bike store do the assembling. So I was sure that everything is fine. It has slightly problems when I shift the gears, but the store can fix that. It is a cheap bike and good for some little bike tours.
Great Bike for Great Price Apr 28, 2010
I just got this bike last week and so far it's been really great. This is the first bike i've ever bought and put together on my own. I was a bit nervous about that but it was really easy. All i needed was a few sized allen keys (which you can get an any bike shop or even dicks or sports authority for about 5 bucks) a screw driver and a wrench for adjusting. It took me about 30 - 40 minutes and I was really taking my time making sure i did it right.
Once you put it together you definitely want to adjust the breaks and make sure they are set to what you would want. Mine came with the back breaks rubbing the wheel and the front brakes wouldn't even hit the tire when you pressed them. It took about 10 minutes to figure out how to adjust them and do it. The book walks you through how to do it so if you can read, then you can adjust them. After that I took it for my first ride.
Gear shifting was OK. It clicked in a little rough and the first ride i couldn't get the front gears into 3rd gear, Only 2nd and 1st would work. After i got back i adjusted the gears which are also really simple and I was able to get all the gears to work while riding. They still are a little rough going in and out but are working now.
Make sure you put the bike together correctly and if you have any problems at all feel free to call the manufacturer. They are really helpful about making sure you are happy with it. I talked with a guy named Nelson or Eric and he was great, call 1-866-462-4535. I read a review about the tires hitting the pedal and it was only because the bike was put together wrong and the tire must have been put on backwards. I didn't have any serious problem with it once it was put together correcly, so just take your time with it. It will make for a much more enjoyable riding experience.
As for the size of the bike, I'm 5'6" with a short inseam (about 28") and it fits me pretty perfect. I can just fit over the top tube with my feet flat on the ground and while riding i'm able to get into a really comfortable riding position. I think any smaller would be too crunched together and any bigger i wouldn't be able to stand. If you're not sure about hte size there are tons of websites that you can check you size on but also talk to the manufacturer before hand they can help you with that too.
I actually bought the bike because I have my first triathlon coming this June, and I didn't want to spend 600-700 on a really nice (still used) road bike from my local bike shop, but i wanted to try out the sport. It's really a great bike that works for beginners and you can't beat the price. Nobody wants to spend up to a $1000 on a bike and find out 6 months later they hate the sport. I'm not really sure how it will hold up for an actual race, but once i finish I'll post again to let you guys know.
All in all it's a great bike for a great price for beginners and I would recommend it to anyone, but be patient out of the box because it may need some adjusting.
Almost perfect Apr 16, 2010
Assembly took a bit longer than expected. Both brake calipers had been installed backwards. Several short rides were needed to get everything adjusted properly. After all that, I LOVE THIS BIKE! It shifts smoothly, up and down hills. It's comfortable. It feels much sturdier than the late 70's racing bike it replaced. I think the trick to this bike is either you need to be mechanically inclined, or have it assembled professionally.
Oh yeah, and replace the tubes immediately. Both blew within the first week.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Pretty Good Starter Bike Feb 01, 2010
It was easy to put together and only needed minimal adjustment. I think it took about 30 - 40 minutes tops. I switched from a mountain bike so I was familiar with riding. I like the lightness and the gearing. The brakes are mounted a little awkwardly. I am thinking about changing that so i can brake from a seated upright position. Otherwise, a great bike for the price.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 50cm is unrideable unless you rebuild the whole thing Dec 16, 2009
Main issue on 50cm frame: can't turn front tire or it hits the pedals. Not the toe of your shoe, as in many road bikes, the actual pedal. This isn't a problem when riding at full speed or coasting through turns, but it's a huge problem when you're at an intersection and need to pedal around a turn. 2 things will happen: 1) either the tire won't turn as much as you thought it would because it'll hit the inside of the pedal outside the turn; or 2) your pedal will cycle around and hit the tire yourself, suddenly braking you, mess up your steering, and causing you to almost fall.
To fix this you'd need to get smaller tires. Small road bike tires are 26", these are around 28" edge to edge. It'd be barely enough to clear the pedal, but all the overhang of your foot would still hit the tire while turning. Incredibly poor design and totally unacceptable (and dangerous). Unless you buy smaller tires and change out the pedal stems for much shorter ones (which means you won't go very fast and will have to pedal harder since you get less leverage on the pedals), it's un-rideable.
Second problem: on 50cm bike the front brake won't reach the rim. The calipers only hit the rubber. Their solution was to mount the brake on the inside of the fork, but the problem with the side pull brake is when you'd turn the wheel to the left, it'd stop because the brake side pull would hit the frame (if not the pedal). When mounted correctly on the front of the fork, like the picture shows, it won't reach the rim. Neither brake would reach the rim on smaller tires. So, you'll have to splurge and buy different brakes either way on this bike.
Third problem, the handlebar mounts onto the fork using an expansion bolt. You're only supposed to tighten to 20lbs of torque, but doing that little means the handles can still move independently of the tire (they aren't actually bolted together, a little nut expands inside the fork tube, but doesn't expand enough so you get "play" in the handlebar and tire). To take care of this, you have to tighten w/more torque. Problem is, they use a small allen key nut, and you won't be able to untighten it since it'll just strip. Make sure you get the right height before tightening, it'll be on there permanently unless you drill it out.
I'd agree that the shifting needs to be adjusted, and you'll need to adjust brake alignment also (mine were rubbing and way out of alignment).
Summary:
From what I could tell, the frame seems nice and the bike looks attractive. The other defects, however, just couldn't save this bike from being sent back. I think this is pretty much almost the same bike as the GMC Denali Amazon sells, with differences in some of the shifters and handlebars, so take a look at those reviews too. A reviewer there also complained on the defect of the tire hitting the pedals, and sent his back too.
For those wanting to venture the 50cm size, it's a stand-over height of about 30.25". I'm a 5'6" male and I could just stand over it on the balls of my feet, so I'd not recommend anybody under 5'8" get the 50cm size unless you're very long legged.
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