I tried to be honest and fair with my assement here.
09 Dawes SST SS/Fixed gear Bike.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst.htm
![Image]()
I decided after a while that I wanted a fixed gear/ss bike. After pondering decisions on geometry, colors, headsets style pricing and what not I decided to get a Dawes SST from Bikes Direct.
I had a not so great experience with another on-line track bike so I was leery. BD gets praise and not so good reviews form both sides so I wanted to decide myself.
I went with the Dawes because of a few reasons: Colors, Sizing, Road Geometry and 1 HS/stem sizing. Also the price was the best I could do not my current budget by a few dollars.
Ordering:
I placed my order a few weeks ago on their site and paid. Within the hour I received conformation on my order with a tracking number to follow.
BD e-mail was complete with all the info I would need:
Thanks for your order. You saved a ton on your new factory direct bike from bikesdirect.com !
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL FOR THE MOST ENJOYMENT OF YOUR NEW BIKE AND TO RETAIN YOUR WARRANTY
Your tracking number is at the bottom of this email.
Here's a few useful tips and some information about your bike/order. Please take a moment to read this entire email, it can save you even more time and money. Tracking information is at the bottom of this email
Please email me when the item arrives. If there is any damage to the box please do not refuse the package. The bike inside is pretty well protected and is normally ok. If there is something wrong that we can't fix easily, we can arrange to pick that bike up and get you another. If you have other questions about your order
please at the following email address: bd4servicecenter@aol.com (for any technical questions)
PLEASE NOTE -- pedals are left and right threads -- the right pedals goes in the right side; left in the left side -- pedals should be greased, properly tightened and NEVER forced in. A stripped crank or pedal is always a setup error due to improper pedal installation and not enough tightening. Just take it slow and it should be no problem. Warning, stripped threads are not covered by any warranty.
Be sure to tighten all parts and check adjustments prior to riding.
Even parts that arrive pre-installed should be tightened and adjusted.
Most bikes are shipped knocked down with pedals (if included), handlebars, seat, and front wheel off.
The brakes and derailleurs will need some minor adjustment, sometimes wheels need minor truing.
It takes most about 25 minutes to setup a factory direct bike.
It is very easy to do; but most customers like to take their time and spend about an hour on setup.
If you would like to know more about bike assembly and adjustment, please see the following links:
LOOK AT THIS
https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=83
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7WCSSy6ag8
and this on Threadless stems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAiElcaVjs
or
https://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
or
https://www.bicyclinglife.com/
or
https://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/wrench.html
or check the manual at https://www.motobecane.com/ All bikes come with generic manuals. If you are looking for more detailed information on how to assemble/work on your bike please see the links above.
If you feel it is beyond your expertise or you prefer to not fool with the set up of your new bike, a fair price at a Bike Shop to assemble is about $25 to $50 in most areas of the country.
We are happy to answer questions and address concerns.
If you need parts, clothing, or accessories; we think you should try out
https://www.bikeisland.com/
Unlike most sites, they do not charge shipping! On items like Helmets, Computers, Shoes, and components can save you a lot.
Many of our customers buy the starter tool kit and bike repair video at https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/parts/assembly_kit.htm
This could easily be the best $29 you ever spent.
Thanks again and
Remember we are always here to help you out
Your item will be shipped via UPS ground.
If your item has a month indicated in the item description your bike will not ship and show movement until sometime during that listed month.
Once your bike has actually shipped it will take about 5 to 7 days (not including weekends or holidays).
The tracking number is as follows:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
You can track it at https://www.ups.com/. (sometimes it takes 24 to 48 hours to show in their system)
WHEN YOUR BIKE ARRIVES, PLEASE WRITE DOWN THE SERIAL NUMBER. WE DO NOT KEEP THESE ON FILE, AS THE BIKES DROP SHIP DIRECTLY FROM THE FACTORY TO YOU. YOU CAN FIND THIS NUMBER IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PLACES : UNDERNEITH THE BOTTOM BRACKET OR ON THE REAR DROP OUTS.
Thanks for your order. You saved a ton on your new factory direct bike from bikesdirect.com !
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL FOR THE MOST ENJOYMENT OF YOUR NEW BIKE AND TO RETAIN YOUR WARRANTY
This information was very informative. Especially for someone with no experience in getting a complete bike shipped to them.
The Bike arrives:
UPS showed up 5 days later with my bike. Like the usual UPS handling, the bike was a bit beat up. After taking the bike out and examine it, there was NO damage form UPS.
The bike could have been packed a little better by BD, but everything was good.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Putting it together:
After getting the bike out, looking it over and cutting the zip ties I started to assemble the bike.These are basically very easy to get them together and require very little tools.
While installing everything, I noticed the front wheel was damaged on the brake track from the factory. Karla @ Bikes Direct apologized after I forwarded a picture and was having new wheel shipped ASAP. I was told to keep the damaged wheel and not to worry about it. The wheel is actually ok and fine to ride and now appears to be more cosmetic. But getting me a new wheel is the right thing.
![Image]()
EDIT: As of writing this, the new wheel as wheel arrived damaged:
![Image]()
I am waiting for an answer on this one.
Now when getting things together I noticed a few odd things. First off my 52cm bike came with 170mm cranks. This size bike should come with 165mm cranks. But the FSA Vero cranks are very nice and no complaints.
EDIT: Like someone one metioned, 52cm Road Bikes usally come with 170mm cranks and they are correct. This is a road bike geomerty SS/Fixed. Which would be correct. But fixed riders will want small er cranks like me.
Since this is marketed as a SS/Fixed and the BB height is lower, IMO smaller cranks on 52cm and smaller bikes would be nice. BD other TRACK frame do have this option.
The bike with a 54cm TT also came with a 60mm stem. Huh? Why so short? Luckily I had a stem lying around.
![Image]()
The pedals and seat were no use to me and I had ones I wanted lying around.
Now BD website mentions 28c tires, but this bike was spec’ed with 25c. No biggie, but annoying.
The overall quality of the bars, stem and seatpost were ok. Not bad but not great. The HS is the pits, but will do.
Wheels were out of true but fixable in a few minutes. The Formula hubs look very nice and spin smooth!
Brakes and lever are decent Tektro. Kenda tires are a bit cheap. The frame looks nice. Decent welds and better than I expected.
I was eager to change out my cranks to a shorter pair I ordered. When I went to remove them. The drive-side crank bolt was stripped pretty well.
I seemed like someone used a Impact Wrench to tighten them. I had no luck getting it loose and ended up round the bolt out. After drilling it out and causing NO damage t the cranks I was fine. The BB was loose enough to remove by hand and was now trashed. I had a BB lying around to replace it. No big lose as it was a very cheap serviceable BB. Now why was the BB so loose? BD does say to tighten things up, but this was a bit too loose.
But if I did not have a BB lying around or was a inexperienced rider, I would have raised hell. With BD. I informed them of this but received nothing back on this one.
![Image]()
The overall paint on the Dawes looks REALLY nice in color. My deep green is beautiful. Now the quality of the paint is less than desirable. It chips and scratches VERY easily. I dropped an Allen wrench on it and it got nicked up. Even little stones for the road mark it up. But it’s a $329 bike so what do I really want? The paint is smooth and looks good.
The ride:
The 4130 Butted Chromoly frame really gives the bike a smooth ride. The bike handles very nicely and moves when you tell it too. I could not be happier here. The bike is going to make a wonderful commuter!
The bike look nice and I received a few inquires about it while riding.
Here it is built with my custom parts:
![Image]()
Overall Opinion of the bike and Bikes Direct:
Overall for $329 the Dawes SST is a great ENRTY LEVEL SS/Fixed bike for the money that is worthy of small upgrades. Use you own saddle preference on this one. The stock one is OK.
You are not getting a Top of the Line bike here, but a nice value and in the mid to lower range for entry level SS/Fixed bikes. The SE Larger is the EXCAT same bike and runs for $500-600 in most shops. So the Dawes is the better value here and offers more color choice. The SE larger only comes in Brown.
Overall the Customer Service from BD was good and better than expected. E-mails were prompt and their information was informative. I have heard customers with horrible experiences with them, but mine was positive.
Would I buy from them again? Maybe if I was looking for a budget bike that I did not want to build form the ground up. Do do get a decnet value on most of their bikes. The higher ones do offer the same parts other guys do and frames that are about the same in quality overall.
A Newbie or people with VERY little mechanical experience will need to have the bike checked by there LBS to make sure things are all tight and good to go. They are NOT ready to ride right out of the box.
My only true beef with the bike was the crank thing and the overall quality of paint. But again for $329 it’s great value and a hell of a lot of fun to ride.
BD DOES need to make sure the bikes arrive with the specs listed on their site and with stem that match the bikes sizes a little better though.
I hope this helps other looking into a bike from Bike Direct. There are other fine choices as well in the budget Fixed/SS arena as well so look around.
If IRO had my size/color ready to go, I might have gone with them. If I was no so impainent, I mght have gone the from scratch route.
But I am happy!
09 Dawes SST SS/Fixed gear Bike.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst.htm
I decided after a while that I wanted a fixed gear/ss bike. After pondering decisions on geometry, colors, headsets style pricing and what not I decided to get a Dawes SST from Bikes Direct.
I had a not so great experience with another on-line track bike so I was leery. BD gets praise and not so good reviews form both sides so I wanted to decide myself.
I went with the Dawes because of a few reasons: Colors, Sizing, Road Geometry and 1 HS/stem sizing. Also the price was the best I could do not my current budget by a few dollars.
Ordering:
I placed my order a few weeks ago on their site and paid. Within the hour I received conformation on my order with a tracking number to follow.
BD e-mail was complete with all the info I would need:
Thanks for your order. You saved a ton on your new factory direct bike from bikesdirect.com !
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL FOR THE MOST ENJOYMENT OF YOUR NEW BIKE AND TO RETAIN YOUR WARRANTY
Your tracking number is at the bottom of this email.
Here's a few useful tips and some information about your bike/order. Please take a moment to read this entire email, it can save you even more time and money. Tracking information is at the bottom of this email
Please email me when the item arrives. If there is any damage to the box please do not refuse the package. The bike inside is pretty well protected and is normally ok. If there is something wrong that we can't fix easily, we can arrange to pick that bike up and get you another. If you have other questions about your order
please at the following email address: bd4servicecenter@aol.com (for any technical questions)
PLEASE NOTE -- pedals are left and right threads -- the right pedals goes in the right side; left in the left side -- pedals should be greased, properly tightened and NEVER forced in. A stripped crank or pedal is always a setup error due to improper pedal installation and not enough tightening. Just take it slow and it should be no problem. Warning, stripped threads are not covered by any warranty.
Be sure to tighten all parts and check adjustments prior to riding.
Even parts that arrive pre-installed should be tightened and adjusted.
Most bikes are shipped knocked down with pedals (if included), handlebars, seat, and front wheel off.
The brakes and derailleurs will need some minor adjustment, sometimes wheels need minor truing.
It takes most about 25 minutes to setup a factory direct bike.
It is very easy to do; but most customers like to take their time and spend about an hour on setup.
If you would like to know more about bike assembly and adjustment, please see the following links:
LOOK AT THIS
https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=83
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7WCSSy6ag8
and this on Threadless stems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAiElcaVjs
or
https://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
or
https://www.bicyclinglife.com/
or
https://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/wrench.html
or check the manual at https://www.motobecane.com/ All bikes come with generic manuals. If you are looking for more detailed information on how to assemble/work on your bike please see the links above.
If you feel it is beyond your expertise or you prefer to not fool with the set up of your new bike, a fair price at a Bike Shop to assemble is about $25 to $50 in most areas of the country.
We are happy to answer questions and address concerns.
If you need parts, clothing, or accessories; we think you should try out
https://www.bikeisland.com/
Unlike most sites, they do not charge shipping! On items like Helmets, Computers, Shoes, and components can save you a lot.
Many of our customers buy the starter tool kit and bike repair video at https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/parts/assembly_kit.htm
This could easily be the best $29 you ever spent.
Thanks again and
Remember we are always here to help you out
Your item will be shipped via UPS ground.
If your item has a month indicated in the item description your bike will not ship and show movement until sometime during that listed month.
Once your bike has actually shipped it will take about 5 to 7 days (not including weekends or holidays).
The tracking number is as follows:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
You can track it at https://www.ups.com/. (sometimes it takes 24 to 48 hours to show in their system)
WHEN YOUR BIKE ARRIVES, PLEASE WRITE DOWN THE SERIAL NUMBER. WE DO NOT KEEP THESE ON FILE, AS THE BIKES DROP SHIP DIRECTLY FROM THE FACTORY TO YOU. YOU CAN FIND THIS NUMBER IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PLACES : UNDERNEITH THE BOTTOM BRACKET OR ON THE REAR DROP OUTS.
Thanks for your order. You saved a ton on your new factory direct bike from bikesdirect.com !
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL FOR THE MOST ENJOYMENT OF YOUR NEW BIKE AND TO RETAIN YOUR WARRANTY
This information was very informative. Especially for someone with no experience in getting a complete bike shipped to them.
The Bike arrives:
UPS showed up 5 days later with my bike. Like the usual UPS handling, the bike was a bit beat up. After taking the bike out and examine it, there was NO damage form UPS.
The bike could have been packed a little better by BD, but everything was good.
Putting it together:
After getting the bike out, looking it over and cutting the zip ties I started to assemble the bike.These are basically very easy to get them together and require very little tools.
While installing everything, I noticed the front wheel was damaged on the brake track from the factory. Karla @ Bikes Direct apologized after I forwarded a picture and was having new wheel shipped ASAP. I was told to keep the damaged wheel and not to worry about it. The wheel is actually ok and fine to ride and now appears to be more cosmetic. But getting me a new wheel is the right thing.
EDIT: As of writing this, the new wheel as wheel arrived damaged:
I am waiting for an answer on this one.
Now when getting things together I noticed a few odd things. First off my 52cm bike came with 170mm cranks. This size bike should come with 165mm cranks. But the FSA Vero cranks are very nice and no complaints.
EDIT: Like someone one metioned, 52cm Road Bikes usally come with 170mm cranks and they are correct. This is a road bike geomerty SS/Fixed. Which would be correct. But fixed riders will want small er cranks like me.
Since this is marketed as a SS/Fixed and the BB height is lower, IMO smaller cranks on 52cm and smaller bikes would be nice. BD other TRACK frame do have this option.
The bike with a 54cm TT also came with a 60mm stem. Huh? Why so short? Luckily I had a stem lying around.
The pedals and seat were no use to me and I had ones I wanted lying around.
Now BD website mentions 28c tires, but this bike was spec’ed with 25c. No biggie, but annoying.
The overall quality of the bars, stem and seatpost were ok. Not bad but not great. The HS is the pits, but will do.
Wheels were out of true but fixable in a few minutes. The Formula hubs look very nice and spin smooth!
Brakes and lever are decent Tektro. Kenda tires are a bit cheap. The frame looks nice. Decent welds and better than I expected.
I was eager to change out my cranks to a shorter pair I ordered. When I went to remove them. The drive-side crank bolt was stripped pretty well.
I seemed like someone used a Impact Wrench to tighten them. I had no luck getting it loose and ended up round the bolt out. After drilling it out and causing NO damage t the cranks I was fine. The BB was loose enough to remove by hand and was now trashed. I had a BB lying around to replace it. No big lose as it was a very cheap serviceable BB. Now why was the BB so loose? BD does say to tighten things up, but this was a bit too loose.
But if I did not have a BB lying around or was a inexperienced rider, I would have raised hell. With BD. I informed them of this but received nothing back on this one.
The overall paint on the Dawes looks REALLY nice in color. My deep green is beautiful. Now the quality of the paint is less than desirable. It chips and scratches VERY easily. I dropped an Allen wrench on it and it got nicked up. Even little stones for the road mark it up. But it’s a $329 bike so what do I really want? The paint is smooth and looks good.
The ride:
The 4130 Butted Chromoly frame really gives the bike a smooth ride. The bike handles very nicely and moves when you tell it too. I could not be happier here. The bike is going to make a wonderful commuter!
The bike look nice and I received a few inquires about it while riding.
Here it is built with my custom parts:
Overall Opinion of the bike and Bikes Direct:
Overall for $329 the Dawes SST is a great ENRTY LEVEL SS/Fixed bike for the money that is worthy of small upgrades. Use you own saddle preference on this one. The stock one is OK.
You are not getting a Top of the Line bike here, but a nice value and in the mid to lower range for entry level SS/Fixed bikes. The SE Larger is the EXCAT same bike and runs for $500-600 in most shops. So the Dawes is the better value here and offers more color choice. The SE larger only comes in Brown.
Overall the Customer Service from BD was good and better than expected. E-mails were prompt and their information was informative. I have heard customers with horrible experiences with them, but mine was positive.
Would I buy from them again? Maybe if I was looking for a budget bike that I did not want to build form the ground up. Do do get a decnet value on most of their bikes. The higher ones do offer the same parts other guys do and frames that are about the same in quality overall.
A Newbie or people with VERY little mechanical experience will need to have the bike checked by there LBS to make sure things are all tight and good to go. They are NOT ready to ride right out of the box.
My only true beef with the bike was the crank thing and the overall quality of paint. But again for $329 it’s great value and a hell of a lot of fun to ride.
BD DOES need to make sure the bikes arrive with the specs listed on their site and with stem that match the bikes sizes a little better though.
I hope this helps other looking into a bike from Bike Direct. There are other fine choices as well in the budget Fixed/SS arena as well so look around.
If IRO had my size/color ready to go, I might have gone with them. If I was no so impainent, I mght have gone the from scratch route.
But I am happy!
