Bike Setup: Skye cockpit, shimano tiagra shifters, shimano tiagra ft derailer, shimano 105 rear derailer.
Summary: I bought this bike after extensive research. It was recommended to me over two other very similar bikes-aquila al and dawes 2300. It came quivckly and in resonable condition( the seatpost clamp was over tightendI had to open up the seat post and the paint below it was chipped. It went together quickly, the wheels were true, the gears were well adjusted. The bike is light, fast, and well built. Highly recommended. Note, I replaced the seat with a E3 gel and I am replacing the pedals with dbr 8.
Strengths: Quality components, good price.
Weaknesses: Could have had better quality control,IE chipped paint below seat clamp.
Similar Products Used: Mercier racing bike in 1975.
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Bike Setup: 25 inch frame; originally - Shimano 600 brakes, crankset and and derailleurs; after rear derailleur was damaged when i laid it down, i upgraded to a Suntour Cyclone rear derailleur, which i had not heard of, but which turned out to be superior to the Shimano 600 rear derailleur. otherwise, i keep it simple, carrying only a Blackburn framefit pump and water bottle while on the road.
Summary: i purchased the Grand Record in 1981. it's the best bike i've ever had. beats my Schwinn Varsity 8 speed, 1961; beats my Schwinn Continental 10 speed, 1964. it also beat my 1960 Schwinn beach cruiser for performance (which i used for various paper routes); but nothing's ever beat the beach cruiser for comfort and cool.
Strengths: a very dependable, fast and quite riding bike. (if you keep it maintained and clean, the moving parts make minimal noise.) the large frame can be very forgiving for long rides, easier on the low back and derrier, so to speak, than 23 inch frame bikes. but then i'm 60 years old, so that's important.
Weaknesses: very hard to find upgrade equipment. bike shop staff just laugh at me for having such an old bike.
Summary: I bought two grand records, a 52cm for my wife and a 54cm for myself. The assembly was easy if you take your time. These were 2008 models with carbon forks and wellgo knockoff spd pedals. The only thing that we replaced were the SKYE seats which have a very square edge and are uncomfortable. The build quality for a bike this price is excellent. The Tiagra shifter/105 deraileur combo is perfect for recreational riding and definately a step up from the other LBS sora equipped bikes that we test rode before buying. The rear wheel on the 54 cm needed a very slight truing out of the box. We have only put about 100 miles on the bikes so far, but are very pleased.
Strengths: Price, drivetrain components
Weaknesses: no name stem, bar, post, seat
Similar Products Used: Test rode OCR and Specialized sora bikes at LBS, otherwise MTB with slicks.
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Summary: Have the bike for about 1 year now, put about 1000 miles on it. bike came as all bikes from direct.com about 90% assembled, cables were not cut, otherwise everything was fine. Haven't had a road bike for 10 years or so, so the shifting is quite an improvement from the old times were you had to fiddle around in the cellar. The 105 does a strong job although a small adjustment was needed after my first 100 miles. The front 105 shifter is not well adjusted and occasionally puts the cain too far out. Bummer! but a minor issue. Brakes, as mentioned by other guy's look cheap and so a mediocre job but after a good tune they work ok. Kept the stock pedals as i still ride with my SPD MTB shoes for comfort. The Saddle was crappy and a little investment into a Selle Italia saved my ass for good. The bike is very comfy on the 40+ mile rides, the frame might be not stiff enough for riders who like to sprint, tripple FSA crank set does a good job, even steep hills like in SF are well handled by the bike. Most likely you will not win a race with that bike but it is great for a relaxed weekend ride and won't let you down. I have noticed that the stock Kenda tires loose grip in colder temperatures (below 50's) so be careful in your early morning autumn rides but so far i haven't had a flat and they seem to last a long time. Compared with other bikes with same parts the grand sprint comes in a bit heavier but of course much cheaper. All in all a good bike for beginner to intermediate road biker.
Strengths: 105 Shifter, Wheels (XRP Vuelta), frame with carbon stays, comfy, good bang for the buck,
Weaknesses: cheap ass brakes, bad stock saddle, not stiff enough for sprints, will not win any race, too heavy compared to similar bikes
Similar Products Used: Peugeot, Spezialized, Trek 1000
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Summary: Excellent value for the money. It's not a top of the line bike but great for a limited budget. The bike required minimal assembly and I adjusted everything myself with no problem. I was riding in a couple of hours. The additions or changes I did to the bike include Armadillo tires for their puncture resistance, Speed Play pedals, two Specialized carbon water bottle cages, and a Garmin 301 computer. All came from my crashed TREK 2100C. Riding the bike is great. Though I haven't raced it yet, my training rides are faster and more compfortable than the TREK was. The handlebar tape is fantastic. I am curious about how long it will last. I had never heard of "Extreme Racing Products" and I'm sure that they are some Chinese knockoff but the brake calipers, bottom bracket, and wheels come from them. I was a little concerned when Bikes Direct advertise American Classic wheels and I ended up with the ERP Pros. I am happy with it at this point. The 105 drive drain functions better than the old Ultegra on the TREK but it may just be age (4 years and thousands of miles). I'm a little leery about the cable routing at the handlebars. I'm not that experienced with road bikesI'll add additional info on the bike once the racing season gets under way. The paint is beautiful especially out on the road in the sun. Good looking bike and commendable performance. The bike is new and at this point, working great. We'll see after a few thousand training miles and races.
Strengths: 105 chain, shifters and deraillers, the cost compared to the performance and components. The EXP aero wheels function well.
Weaknesses: The budget saddle, though better, apparently, than past styles. I'm not impressed with the brake calipers. The ERP components must be cost saving requirements. They function but time will tell.
Similar Products Used: TREK 2100C
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