Originally Posted by
RH Clark
Other than the defective stems on the Poseidon's you checked what makes the Poseidon less desirable than a brand name bike at a couple hundred more? I am in the market and honestly want to know.
Every part on the bike is just about the absolute cheapest. The parts may technically function, but they are really cheap. If you search the forum you will find several stories of Poseidon owners that could not ride their bike for months because they could not get even a replacement derailleur hanger from Poseidon. And if you look at all of the work and upgrades people do themselves to improve the tires, brakes, cables (galvanized steel, not stainless), housing shifters, seat, tubeless setup, thru axles, lighter wheels etc. you will find they spend as much or more than if they bought a low-end Salsa Journeyer (starting at $1029) or an aluminum Giant Revolt ($1350). And if you bought it from a dealer, they take care of spongy brakes, warped rotors, getting you the right size, handling any warranty issues personally for you, assembly, proper adjustment and safety check, etc. What little you save on a Poseidon up front is easily spent on upgrades, and with a Poseidon you do the work yourself. I suggest you at least shop around first and go to a dealer that stocks Salsa or Giant and take a look at least at what they have to offer before you buy anything. Their entry level gravel bikes are basic but solid and well made and just a little more expensive...
As FYI, I own a bike shop and sell Salsa and Giant as well as other brands. There are other entry level name brand options out there too but I am most familiar with Giant and Salsa as they have price-competitive options for you to consider. I am not selling you a bike so I have no skin in the game, but I am providing an answer to your question based on a lot of experience working on several thousand bikes at our shop every year. We work on all bikes including Poseidon and have assembled and tuned new Poseidon bikes for online purchasers ($80 fee).
Common problems we have seen on a new Poseidon include wheel hub bearings way too tight, headset bearings improperly adjusted, warped brake rotors, misaligned brake calipers, defective stems (mentioned above), spongy brakes, improper brake cable adjustment, derailleurs out of adjustment and stops not set, front derailleur too high/low and/or twisted, etc.
Granted we occasionally see these problems when we assemble a new brand name bike, but we always have a professional mechanic find and fix them as part of the assemble and tune process dealers perform free for any new bike purchase. With a Poseidon you are on your own to find and fix these problems unless you take it to a bike shop and pay them to assemble and tune the bike for you.