Just started cycling about two months ago and decided to start with this bike mainly for the features and cost. The brake-shifters work flawlessly as well as everything else on the bike. Assembly was straightforward, instructions were clear. However, if you have no experience with adjusting the derailleur (even with the instructions), it could take some trial and error. I still don't have mine perfectly set up and so I've decided to just bring it in at a local bike store and let the pros handle it. I have about 130 miles on it so far and it's still running (tires aren't showing any signs of wear so far). The only thing I've upgraded are the pedals (replaced with shimano clipless SPD-SL).