http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...atbar-road.htm
Strada express 24: Aluminum frame, steel fork, threaded BB, 8-speed Shimano with a freehub and cassette, not a freewheel. Shimano hydro disc brakes. Kalloy cockpit parts.
Rack mounts for three water bottles, front and rear racks.
To me this looks like a solid, inexpensive, do-everything slowly bike. I bet it weighs 30 pounds …. But so what? That only matters when trying to carry the bike up stairs.
I did thousands of miles of commuting and touring on a Bridgestone MB4 which weighed 30 pounds. The weight was never an issue because the gearing compensated, and I could haul tons of gear and distance, or bash over roots (painfully) on forest trails.
This bike is less refined, but for someone who just want to ride a bike …. This is a bike. Everything one needs, and all of it decent quality---and only $400.
For me, this is exactly the sort of customer who can benefit from BD, and exactly the sort of bike at which BD excels. I wouldn’t necessarily buy a BD bike if I wanted to race …. But as far as riding, absolutely.
I am sure some of you people recall the late and much lamented Inpd, who rode a BD Dawes Lightning all up and down Northern California, putting thousands of miles on that bike ----about a $600-$700 bike. I wnet cross country with 24 BD Dawes , the $500 version, and never had any problems---and since I was one of two mechanics, I would have known if anything wasn’t working.
Just an opinion, but to me the bike in question, the Strada 24, is perfect for low-stress riding over all terrain. It has 42mm ties, so it can handle some sand, any kind of gravel or any other trail material, and can handle any kind of pavement with comfort. The tires can be swapped between slicks and knobbies depending for added efficiency or traction. The bike has mounts for every kind of rack, so commuting or utility riding would be easy. It has enough gears (48-38-28x11-34) to handle all kinds of terrain and still get down the road quickly (how many people are honestly going to spin out a 48x11?)
This is sort of the new version of the bike I would suggest to most beginners---a mid-‘80s to mid-‘90s rigid MTB. Taker it anywhere, do anything with it, bash it and beat it, and just ride it. After a few seasons on a bike like this, a rider should have a really clear idea about buying a next bike----or staying with this one.