Raleigh even in their original hay day were never quality bikes, sure some were expensive, but true to the British way their quality control was often spotty. Having said that the modern Raleigh/Diamondback bikes on the upper end have gotten high reviews. Look up the reviews on the internet for Raleigh Clubman Carbon, the bike got 4 1/2 to 5 stars. Diamondback bikes on the lower price points like the Hannjo series have consistently came out as best buys and quality for the price, even their top of the line Andean 3 Pre Built got rave reviews by both users and windtunnel testing. SOOOOO, I think those two brands are better then most of what Bikes Direct sells except maybe BD's titanium bikes, and I think those two companies offer more bang for the buck then what bike shops sells. You don't have to take my word for it, you can google the best road (even replace the road with mountain) bikes to buy under a $1,000 and Raleigh and/or Diamondback will come up consistently.