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 Great bike for starters! Jul 29, 2010
So far so good, had it for about 1month and it has delivered good riding quality!
 For beginners or people living on very flat terrain. Jul 10, 2010
Ok here's the deal; I'm a newbie to biking, i merely do it for the triathlons. I got this bike 2 weeks ago because i couldnt borrow a bike from anyone and i didnt feel like spending a ton of money at the local bike shop (also because the people that work at LBS's were extremely rude and arrogant). So i got the bike, it took me about 2 hours to put it together, it wasnt too difficult. Only one problem, i couldnt get the front brake off of the the tire, i ended up tying a piece of yarn from the steering wheel to the brake in order to keep the tire frictionless with the brake, but hey, it works.
My biggest problem with the bike is that the gears are terrible, i actually can't even get the gear to stay on the handlebar (if i push the bike into high gear from low the entire gear know shifts downwards, making me unable to push the bike into high gear--its a pain). Eventually i put duct tape underneath the shifter and used some gorilla glue on the joint, keeping it in place. But that's not all, when i try to go into high hear it's extremely sensitive, if i shift too fast it goes over and the chain comes off, forcing me to stop. I have to shift ever so slowly... Wait there's more, when in low gear, after i've shifted, the gears jolt violently against me randomly. It sucks big time when going up hills.
When on flat terrain, the bike is pretty enjoyable i must admit. I'm 6'0 and it fits perfectly. It's sleek, faily light weight (i'd say around 26 pounds), and hopefully it will get the job done for my triathlon. IT'S NOT THE FASTEST BIKE. But overall, I'm satisfied with the bike, it should be able to last me at least 4 years, at which point i'll go for a bike between $500 and around a $1000. It's a good beginners bike, definitely, but i highly recommend that if you purchase it have a LBS put it together, i think that's why my gears are as messed up as they are. Call around to find a good bike shop, and ask people around you for help too, many people are eager to help newbie bikers like us.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Overall not a bad bike, but... Jun 18, 2010
I bought this bike from Amazon in June 2010. My intention was to ride on weekends for recreation and exercise up to about 50 miles a day. While this expectation remains unchanged, the bike does not. It arrived in a typical large bike box and took about 30 minutes to assemble. The manual is worthless and commonsense will once again win the day.
Having read many reviews here on Amazon as well as on other sites, I replaced the bike seat before I even rode it. No complaint there. I also purchased a helmet, gloves, waterbottle holder, rack, paniers, and pump. Total: $111. The rack I purchased requires that the bike have holes in the frame to accept it. This is a common attribute on bikes as I understand, but not on this bike. Had to send the rack back and buy a seat post rack. OK, no big deal. The other accessories were just fine.
The first ride was wonderful. About a 15 mile loop to my sister's house and back. Nice trip overall. The bikes shifts well, rides quite smooth and the brakes work as they should (and yes the bike seat was nice).
The second trip just around town on the usual paved roads punctured both tires. Oddly, I found to foreign body puncturing the inner tubes and nothing protruding from the tires themselves. I attempted to inflate the tires to no avail. Both tubes were shot. This is a common finding with this purchase as you might have read in other reviews. So was the case here. Now it's off to the LBS. Two touring tires with innertubes and tire tape= $90. Hmmm. This is adding up. OK, Im waiting for the Prelude to come back from the LBS (he did not have the touring tires on hand) and I look forward to riding once more.
If you're looking for a bike to ride for exercise in a more than casual but less than Lance level, consider this bike. It needs a few mods to make it the reliable product it should be at the point of purchase but for the price and relative to its competition, I would recommend this bike provided the consumer is fully aware of its shortfalls and advantages. Hope this helped.
Pros: cost, ride, looks, overall value.
Cons: tires, seat, does not accept 'standard' racks.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Good enough Apr 28, 2010
I purchased the bike as a means to shed my winter coat and nothing more. I'm a bit shy of 5'10, 220lbs(hence the bike), and have a 30" inseam. I have about a 1" space between the top tube and my stuff. Overall the bike fits me quite well, couldn't imagine any better. I took the advice of others and replaced the rim tape with Zefal (cloth) before I went riding. After the first 10 mi ride I replaced the seat as my sit bones were a bit tender. Really the only gripe I have (since I knew what I was buying) is the front tire has a flat spot, apprently from resting nearly deflated on the ground/bottom of the box for too long. I've put about 50 miles on the bike(bumpy, rut filled, backroads), and have yet to encounter the first problem. For my intended use, I am well pleased with the bike.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Prelude Apr 18, 2010
I did not shop around too long after reading reviews of this bike, and I think I made a good decision. The bike shipped in 3 days with super saver shipping, which I thought was pretty amazing. Putting it together was somewhat tricky for me because I am mechanically challenged, but it only took about 45 minutes to figure everything out and put it together. I am 5'8" or 5'9" and I think the it fits me well when the seat was down to its lowest setting. First time riding it, I noticed a huge difference in weight between this and my old bike (1970's road bike), but I wouldn't say it is light for a road bike. I ran over a rock the first time riding and got a slight hole in the tube. The tubes that come with the bike are cheap, but they're only $5 to replace so no big deal. The gears seem to shift smoothly, but the brakes seem somewhat inadequate. I actually like the clipless pedals because it makes pedalling a lot easier and you don't have to buy special shoes and take the shoes on and off. Overall, a nice bike for beginners in the price range. I couldn't imagine finding a better new bike for $225.
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