Ok...in case you will see me in the next couple of days and wonder why the hell I have large and unsightly bruises and cuts on my right cheek, chin, left arm, and right shin, it's because I was battered. Yes, battered.
By my brother's cheapo Walmart bicycle. @_@"
I borrowed it to return DVDs to the neighborhood video store/smoker's & tweaker's paradise because my lovely bike got stolen, and I'm still waiting for the replacement to be delivered. The bloody thing is definitely unsafe. On the way, I almost crashed into a guy digging in the trash for recyclables because the handlebars got terribly misaligned with the front wheel as I turned sharply to avoid him. WTF?!?!?! I didn't get injured then--I just fell--but I had to readjust the wheel with the handy dandy wrench I had in the bag containing the DVDs before going on. (Why did I have a wrench with the DVDs? Don't ask.) Then, when taking it down a steep hill near an intersection, the frigging brakes failed!!!! I had to jump off the out of control bike before I ran into traffic, which made me hit a pylon HARD with the right side of my face, and then I rolled on the concrete, garnering a bunch of terrible-looking cuts, scratches, and bruises.
I'm just glad I was wearing my helmet, and that nothing broke in that fall. I would've hated it if I broke my jaw and was unable to eat, talk, or sing for a couple of weeks. As it is, I just look like a battered girlfriend, and will have a LOT of explaining to do at the party I'm supposed to go to later today.
When I got home, I checked the bike, and lo and behold, the brake cables were loose and so was the stem, and the deraileur was a nightmare. I made some adjustments myself, but I'll be taking it to the LBS to get it fully checked out. I screamed at my mom for letting my brother ride such an unsafe bike.
I also want to scream at all the people who buy those cheapo bikes without getting them checked out:
Anytime you buy a bike that is not from a specialized bike shop (e.g. walmart bikes) please, PLEASE get thy asses to a local bike shop and have it tuned and adjusted properly. Have them check the all the cables, the deraileurs, the brake pads, EVERYTHING. Sure, you'll spend an extra $30-50 (and getting savings is probably why you bought a walmart bike in the first place), but what's $50 compared to having a trouble-free, injury-free bike ride and not looking like a battered wife after every ride?
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.
Anyone who is available at WAL*MART assembles bikes.
An 18 year old kid anxious to get drunk with his friends
after the shift is not going to do a stellar job of assembly.
Other places hire companies to come in a build the bikes
along with any furniture etc, that needs to be built once or
twice a week. In any event, aNY bike should be gone over
before you ride it, initially.
Best wishes on quick healing.
unkchunk
Why did I have a wrench with the DVDs? Don't ask.
Sorry, but I have to. Why did you have a wrench with the DVDs?
nekohime
Sorry, but I have to. Why did you have a wrench with the DVDs?
Why, to bang on the doors of cagers who try to hit me, of course!!
Just kidding. I really don't know how it got there. My dad probably forgot to take it out when he handed the DVDs to me in that bag, but I was glad it was there.
I-Like-To-Bike
Yes, battered.
By my brother's cheapo Walmart bicycle. @_@"but what's $50 compared to having a trouble-free, injury-free bike ride and not looking like a battered wife after every ride?
You always hop on a borrowed bike without paying any attention at all to its mechanical condition? What makes you think a bike bought from an LBS frequented by the Lords of Cycling but neglected by your brother would be in better shape? Your anger is directed in the wrong direction.
probable556
You always hop on a borrowed bike without paying any attention at all to its mechanical condition?
That is a good question. I never ride my bikes before giving them a quick check: air, brakes, and quick releases. Especially if I intend to go down a steep hill into an intersection. I guess I am just OCD.
syn0n
Nah, it's not OCD. I do the same thing whenever I borrow any vehicle that's not mine, bike, car, whatever. Some people neglect their rides, and it's good to know about it before you're in heavy traffic or going down that hill. I've had a brake cable fail on a borrowed bike, and it nearly caused me to plow through some pedestrians. I don't want that to happen again.
tomg
hindsight-20/20...learning curve...
my dad was a piolet. he went through a sequenced safety chech-list that was quite intence prior to each flight. the airplanes he flew never failed.
reflecting from above, i safety check the bike i'm "flying" with, each time prior to take off!
sorry to hear of your loss.
piper_chuck
When I got home, I checked the bike, and lo and behold, the brake cables were loose and so was the stem, and the deraileur was a nightmare. I made some adjustments myself, but I'll be taking it to the LBS to get it fully checked out. I screamed at my mom for letting my brother ride such an unsafe bike.
It's unfortunate that you did anything to the bike. A better choice would have been to take the bike to the LBS and ask them to put in writing all of the safety problems they could find. Armed with this report, the next stop could be the store manager at the local Walmart. We can rant against Walmart all we want, but the fact is that people do and will continue to buy bikes there. If they don't get feedback on the poor job they're doing, with perhaps some lawsuits to reinforce the message, nothing will change. While some may view this as helping the store, in reality, it's helping all the unsuspecting consumers who buy bikes there.
BarracksSi
It's unfortunate that you did anything to the bike. A better choice would have been to take the bike to the LBS and ask them to put in writing all of the safety problems they could find. Armed with this report, the next stop could be the store manager at the local Walmart. We can rant against Walmart all we want, but the fact is that people do and will continue to buy bikes there. If they don't get feedback on the poor job they're doing, with perhaps some lawsuits to reinforce the message, nothing will change. While some may view this as helping the store, in reality, it's helping all the unsuspecting consumers who buy bikes there.
Hmm -- good point. Those buyers will probably just blame the bike as being "cheap", not thinking that its assembly quality was more important.
I-Like-To-Bike
It's unfortunate that you did anything to the bike. A better choice would have been to take the bike to the LBS and ask them to put in writing all of the safety problems they could find. Armed with this report, the next stop could be the store manager at the local Walmart.
A better idea would have been to first ask his brother what, if anything he had done with the bike since the day it left the showroom floor. Maybe I've been misinformed; ya mean LBS bikes stay in perfect adjustment forever and never, ever, need to be maintained. Therefore, any later problem with misadjustment or wear can be blamed on LBS misconduct without a thought given to owner neglect/abuse? Or is that high standard applied by BF Cycling snobs only to bikes w/o LBS provenance?
-=Łem in Pa=-
It's unfortunate that you did anything to the bike. A better choice would have been to take the bike to the LBS and ask them to put in writing all of the safety problems they could find. Armed with this report, the next stop could be the store manager at the local Walmart. We can rant against Walmart all we want, but the fact is that people do and will continue to buy bikes there. If they don't get feedback on the poor job they're doing, with perhaps some lawsuits to reinforce the message, nothing will change. While some may view this as helping the store, in reality, it's helping all the unsuspecting consumers who buy bikes there.
:roflmao:
Got reality ?
genec
A better idea would have been to first ask his brother what, if anything he had done with the bike since the day it left the showroom floor. Maybe I've been misinformed; ya mean LBS bikes stay in perfect adjustment forever and never, ever, need to be maintained. Therefore, any later problem with misadjustment or wear can be blamed on LBS misconduct without a thought given to owner neglect/abuse? Or is that high standard applied by BF Cycling snobs only to bikes w/o LBS provenance?
Not to play the game per se... but have you ever looked at the quality of most of the Xmart bikes verses the quality of a typical LBS bike?
A company I used to work for bought two X mart bikes for visiting Chinese engineers to use between the company apartment and the office (blocks away). I volunteered to tune and adjust the bikes. The quality (or lack thereof) of things like the brake arms made it nearly impossible to rely on the brakes... the thin metal arms would simply flex out of the way during heavy braking. (going downhill)
This had little to do with LBS adjustments nor Xmart adjustments, it was simply the poor quality of the metal. This lack of quality existed all throughout the bike. The irony is the Chinese engineers thought the bikes were crap too.
A low end Trek would have lasted far longer, been far safer and would probably still be in use.
I-Like-To-Bike
A low end Trek would have lasted far longer, been far safer and would probably still be in use.
Then the answer is the OP should have borrowed a better bike that never, ever needs maintenance and can be neglected or abused by brother forever.
-=Łem in Pa=-
I just bought a bike off of craigslist from the manager
of one of our bigger LBS's. A large part of the sales pitch
was that it was owned by LBS manager and in perfect
working order. He gave me his number and I picked it
up at his house, so I really dont think he was trying to
get over, but the bike was an absolute mess !!! A wreck !!!
It has a unique feature that you cant really find anywhere
so I did take it and I did fix it, but poorly prepped bikes arent
just a specialty of anti-US, unethical, child labor supporting box stores.
waldowales
I'm sure you've learned something about looking before you leap!
I-Like-To-Bike
...but poorly prepped bikes arent
just a specialty of anti-US, unethical, child labor supporting box stores.
What I don't get is the apparent assumption by the OP and others that a "good prep" of a "good bike" by a "good bike seller lasts forever"; no matter what the present and past owners have done/not done with it; no matter how much time has passed since the bike received the "good prep." And only a "cheapo Walmart bike" gets out of adjustment causing a neglectful/lazy borrower to get "battered."
-=Łem in Pa=-
^^^ Because supporting stuff blindly is a tenet of some advocacy zealots and 'real' cyclists and the LBS
is a beneficiary of this syndrome. I wonder how many people who blindly support LBS's also support socialism ?
nekohime
Update: took the bike to the LBS, and my favorite technician basically told me "give it to your neighbor and buy a better one." Uh...ok. So it wasn't just that it was assembled bad--the quality was REALLY bad. I won't foist it on my neighbor for fear of getting sued. I guess I'll just wait for my new bike to be delivered then.
Ok, about looking before leaping...that part was my fault, I'll admit. I just checked to see if the brakes were working (and they were, before the cables failed during the ride), adjusted the seat to my height then went to the store. Also, my bro bought the bike new around three weeks ago, didn't do anything except adjust seat & put air in tires, and didn't have any troubles with the bike during that time, so I assumed it was ok. In hindsight, I shouldn't have assumed, which is why I have the ouchies now.
Also, I'm not saying that "OMG if I buy a good bike from a good LBS with good prepping" it'll last forever regardless of what I do to the bike. I'm just saying that it's *safer* to have any sort of bike checked out properly by a technician (which a LOT of people don't do to their bikes especially if they buy it from X-marts).
Mobiker50
Update: took the bike to the LBS, and my favorite technician basically told me "give it to your neighbor and buy a better one." Uh...ok. So it wasn't just that it was assembled bad--the quality was REALLY bad. I won't foist it on my neighbor for fear of getting sued. I guess I'll just wait for my new bike to be delivered then.
Friends don't let friends (or relatives) ride X-mart bikes. Buy your brother a real bicycle!
nekohime
Friends don't let friends (or relatives) ride X-mart bikes. Buy your brother a real bicycle!
Haha, I wish I could, but can't afford one. The stolen one nearly broke the bank, then having to buy a replacement for the stolen one totally roasted the piggy.
I-Like-To-Bike
I'm just saying that it's *safer* to have any sort of bike checked out properly by a technician (which a LOT of people don't do to their bikes especially if they buy it from X-marts).
Now, you are saying that; your OP did not. I won't argue with your clarified statement that a new (to the rider) bike should be checked for proper assembly/operation by a qualified person.
piper_chuck
Not to play the game per se... but have you ever looked at the quality of most of the Xmart bikes verses the quality of a typical LBS bike?
A company I used to work for bought two X mart bikes for visiting Chinese engineers to use between the company apartment and the office (blocks away). I volunteered to tune and adjust the bikes. The quality (or lack thereof) of things like the brake arms made it nearly impossible to rely on the brakes... the thin metal arms would simply flex out of the way during heavy braking. (going downhill)
This had little to do with LBS adjustments nor Xmart adjustments, it was simply the poor quality of the metal. This lack of quality existed all throughout the bike. The irony is the Chinese engineers thought the bikes were crap too.
A low end Trek would have lasted far longer, been far safer and would probably still be in use.
If the bikes are lower quality, that's the buyer's problem. Lots of stuff at the Xmarts is lower quality, but many American consumers appear to value low cost over better quality. Nothing in this thread will change that.
If the bikes are unsafe, either by design or assembly, then people need to start doing something so they get pulled off the market, if it's due to design, or to force the Xmarts to assemble the bikes better. If we just make do, nothing will ever change. Take this thread for example. A person crashed and got hurt, on a THREE WEEK OLD BIKE, due to poor assembly of the bike. Does Xmart have any idea this happened? Nope, because the bike was taken to a LBS, instead of straight back to Xmart for a refund. See the problem here? Not only do we chase the lowest prices, we settle for crap, even when it's defective.
I-Like-To-Bike
See the problem here? Not only do we chase the lowest prices, we settle for crap, even when it's defective.
I see the problem of an agenda driven poster ranting about problems (and lawsuits) that his crystal ball told him were caused by defective assembly.
genec
Then the answer is the OP should have borrowed a better bike that never, ever needs maintenance and can be neglected or abused by brother forever.
But is the problem one of maintenance and neglect or just one of cheap materials that are not proper for the task for which they were used...
Would you build a bumper for a car out of say "pot metal?"
genec
If the bikes are lower quality, that's the buyer's problem. Lots of stuff at the Xmarts is lower quality, but many American consumers appear to value low cost over better quality. Nothing in this thread will change that.
If the bikes are unsafe, either by design or assembly, then people need to start doing something so they get pulled off the market, if it's due to design, or to force the Xmarts to assemble the bikes better. If we just make do, nothing will ever change. Take this thread for example. A person crashed and got hurt, on a THREE WEEK OLD BIKE, due to poor assembly of the bike. Does Xmart have any idea this happened? Nope, because the bike was taken to a LBS, instead of straight back to Xmart for a refund. See the problem here? Not only do we chase the lowest prices, we settle for crap, even when it's defective.
I tend to agree with your general idea... but bear in mind that it takes some knowledge of bikes to be able to judge bikes...
So one may jump on a poorly built/designed bike and assume that they are all like that... especially if one has not shopped around.
I-Like-To-Bike
But is the problem one of maintenance and neglect or just one of cheap materials that are not proper for the task for which they were used...
Would you build a bumper for a car out of say "pot metal?"
From the OP's scenario, no way to know; but that didn't stop a few know-it-alls to immediately find the cause as well as suggest a lawsuit against the "guilty" party.
BTW, Have you seen many car bumpers lately? Don't plan on bumping much without getting a $1000 repair job bill. Does that mean BMW's and Lexus' are crap?
BarracksSi
I tend to agree with your general idea... but bear in mind that it takes some knowledge of bikes to be able to judge bikes...
That's for sure. Most people never set foot in a "real bike shop", so the relative top end that they experience are the 21-speed dual suspension heavy-duty (emphasis on "heavy") mountain bikes for $250 with shiny parts, big knobby tires, plenty of feature-touting logos, V-brakes, springy saddles, and all sorts of other perceived goodies that make 'em look like the bikes on X-Games and in magazine ads.
I-Like-To-Bike
That's for sure. Most people never set foot in a "real bike shop", so the relative top end that they experience are ...
OOhh, OOhh, tell me what is it like, to set foot in a "real bike shop"? Do you get all sweaty, aroused, or what? A cyclist uninformed about "real bike shops" wants to know what it is like to Be Experienced:rolleyes:.
BarracksSi
Ah, dammit, I wish the ignore button worked on those instant-notification emails...
I-Like-To-Bike
Ah, dammit, I wish the ignore button worked on those instant-notification emails...
Does that mean you won't tell the secret of the "real bike shop"? Dang!:mad:
genec
From the OP's scenario, no way to know; but that didn't stop a few know-it-alls to immediately find the cause as well as suggest a lawsuit against the "guilty" party.
BTW, Have you seen many car bumpers lately? Don't plan on bumping much without getting a $1000 repair job bill. Does that mean BMW's and Lexus' are crap?
No it probably means that Lexus and BMWs are highly overpriced cars that depend highly on name brand recognition. Is that bumper really worth $1000 or is really a $500 bumper with a $500 name attached?
Sorry I have an old Toyota truck... real steel bumper.
But the bottom line is that even a Schwinn (think basic Chevy, vice Lexus) is designed and built better than almost anything available at X-Mart... really... go take a real serious look at the quality and construction.
Note I did say almost... what the heck, perhaps something decent has slipped into the bunch... but the last time I looked, those thinly stamped (not forged) components on the x-mart bikes just don't hold up.
genec
Does that mean you won't tell the secret of the "real bike shop"? Dang!:mad:
Hey have you ever done a real comparison?
Have you ever looked at the brake arms and the pads of a cheap bike? How about the cranks and chainrings.
I-Like-To-Bike
Hey have you ever done a real comparison?
Have you ever looked at the brake arms and the pads of a cheap bike? How about the cranks and chainrings.
I ride my bikes and adjust/maintain as necessary; I don't study them. My seven year old department store bike that cost me 268 DM new (approx. $130) operates just fine daily with almost no maintenance after over 25,000 miles of all weather cycling over the past 5 years. Perhaps it would be unsuitable if I wanted to ride in the French Alps or wanted to compare notes/keep pace with the "real bike store" cognoscenti; but I don't.
BarracksSi
No it probably means that Lexus and BMWs are highly overpriced cars that depend highly on name brand recognition. Is that bumper really worth $1000 or is really a $500 bumper with a $500 name attached?
I can't discount paying for the name --
Quality OEM parts, though, from quality automakers cost more for two main reasons: to make extra money (whether for profit, for manufacturing & shipping & handling & storage, or whatever), and to make up for the parts that they had to throw away because they didn't come out the mold right.
This is pretty evident among custom car parts. The cheap stuff really is cheap. It may, or may not, fit -- and if it's close enough, it'll still need a bunch of work to actually look GOOD. They're also made of the cheapest materials possible, often simply fiberglass, which is a really, really bad material for bumpers. Here's the point, though -- those companies have lower manufacturing standards on purpose. Tolerances that are "close enough" won't send a misshapen part to the trash bin, which results in less manufacturing waste. They sometimes even skimp on R&D, resulting in clips & tabs in the wrong places and other garbage like that.
Quality OEM parts just don't have those problems. Everything fits exactly as it should, and durability is just as good as before. The molding factory may have thrown away two or three times as many bumpers as the cheap guys do, but the ones that get shipped are at least two or three times better.
genec
I ride my bikes and adjust/maintain as necessary; I don't study them. My seven year old department store bike that cost me 268 DM new (approx. $130) operates just fine daily with almost no maintenance after over 25,000 miles of all weather cycling over the past 5 years. Perhaps it would be unsuitable if I wanted to ride in the French Alps or wanted to compare notes/keep pace with the "real bike store" cognoscenti; but I don't.
What is the brand of your department store bike... is it possibly Sears... who have had decent bikes from time to time. Oh, DM... Deutsche Marks? Is it possible that you have a decent bike much like the "daily riders" I saw in Finland? Nice well built bikes. Top end was 459 Euros... and it was a "Cadillac." Well built, good brakes and good gearing (Shimano actually) and it came with quality Halogen lighting and a frontwheel hub generator, fenders and baskets. Less costly bikes were available, and still well built But these were certainly not the tin can thin stamped parts (chainrings and brake arms) on most Xmart bikes.
Is there any brand name on any component of your bike that you can identify? Or is it all light stamped metal with no markings what so ever?
BTW my bikes are all over 20 years old and have rarely seen the inside of an LBS. And no, I would not want to compare notes to a bike store... bla bla bla. :rolleyes:
You know there is a happy medium between obsessed cyclist and someone just trying to buy cheap.
Oh and your "I don't study them" comment... perhaps you don't, but would you recognize quality if you saw it?
piper_chuck
I see the problem of an agenda driven poster ranting about problems (and lawsuits) that his crystal ball told him were caused by defective assembly.
Hmmm, let's see. Handlebars and brake cables were loose on a 3 week old bike. No crystal ball needed, this is what the OP reported. Sounds like defects to me. As far as the lawsuit thing, if a company is regularly selling bikes with dangerous assembly errors then yes, they might be in order.
piper_chuck
From the OP's scenario, no way to know; but that didn't stop a few know-it-alls to immediately find the cause as well as suggest a lawsuit against the "guilty" party.
Too bad you can't read. A lawsuit was NOT the suggestion. The suggestion was to have a bike shop write up the problems and then take them to the Walmart store manager. As far as the cause, it seems you also missed the description of obvious assembly problems. Too bad that chip on your shoulder caused you to miss these points before you started with your holier than though attitude. Maybe you should try READING and UNDERSTANDING what people are saying before you try attacking them.
I-Like-To-Bike
What is the brand of your department store bike...
Oh and your "I don't study them" comment... perhaps you don't, but would you recognize quality if you saw it?
Raggazzi a store brand for Real, a K-mart type chain in Germany. Yes, Real is its name.
I recognize quality when I ride it; not look at it or read about it.
I-Like-To-Bike
Too bad you can't read. A lawsuit was NOT the suggestion. The suggestion was to have a bike shop write up the problems and then take them to the Walmart store manager. As far as the cause, it seems you also missed the description of obvious assembly problems. Too bad that chip on your shoulder caused you to miss these points before you started with your holier than though attitude.
Assembly problems? How did you determine that given the facts presented in the OP? And as far as getting an LBS to list the problems found on bikes sold by its chief competitor for the purposes of impressing or coercing something from Walmart - Get Real!
I-Like-To-Bike
Is there any brand name on any component of your bike that you can identify? Or is it all light stamped metal with no markings what so ever?
You seem to have gotten off track. The OP beefed and moaned about a used bike that he borrowed and was not up to the mechanical condition he expected. The OP and several other posters jumped to the conclusion that it came misadjusted from the store or went out of adjustment because of its alleged inferior quality. All conclusions of course without any info provided to substantiate them other than an obvious prejudice against "cheapo" products without LBS provenance. Hence my response; hence your tangential remarks about inferior material quality.
piper_chuck
Assembly problems? How did you determine that given the facts presented in the OP? And as far as getting an LBS to list the problems found on bikes sold by its chief competitor for the purposes of impressing or coercing something from Walmart - Get Real!
The way I determined the crash was due to assembly problems was by doing something YOU OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DO, I READ. Go back to the original post and try again, maybe you'll get it this time. Since you're not doing well on the reading aptitude test so far, here's a clue. On a properly assembled bike, especially one that's only 3 weeks old, the handlebar to wheel alignment won't be thrown off by a sharp turn, and the brake cables won't be loose.
Moving to the LBS, there are plenty of ways for a person who is capable of working with people, instead of against them, to get them to help with something like this. From the antagonistic tone of your posts, it's not clear that you would understand such things, so I'm not going to waste my time trying to educate you.
piper_chuck
You seem to have gotten off track. The OP beefed and moaned about a used bike that he borrowed and was not up to the mechanical condition he expected. The OP and several other posters jumped to the conclusion that it came misadjusted from the store or went out of adjustment because of its alleged inferior quality. All conclusions of course without any info provided to substantiate them other than an obvious prejudice against "cheapo" products without LBS provenance. Hence my response; hence your tangential remarks about inferior material quality.
Doh, you just don't get it do you? The "used bike" you refer to was THREE WEEKS OLD, "Also, my bro bought the bike new around three weeks ago...". I don't care whether we're discussing Xmart or a LBS, a properly assembled 3 week old bike should NOT have a loose stem or loose brakes. Throughout the thread you've tried to shift the blame to the OP for not checking out the bike. These are not the kind of problems a person borrowing a 3 week old bike should have to check for.
And finally, if you go read my first post, you'll discover that it was about providing feedback to the Xmarts so they can do a better job. An overwhelming majority of Xmart customers will not understand what things should be checked on their bike when they buy it. When it comes from Xmart they expect that it's safe to ride. If Xmart isn't assembling bikes in a safe manner, they need to know it. Funny how you missed that point and instead fixated on a comment about lawsuits, which is a legitimate action if they are negligent, such as selling bikes that have safety issues due to poor design/assembly.
nekohime
I don't have a prejudice against cheap products per se...my previous bike (the one that got stolen) was a Kent Ultralite folding bike, and they sell it for $148 at Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5238216). I bought it from a bike shop for about the same price if you factor in the cost of the assembly + tuning they did. It was a good bike, and it would've lasted me years had it not been stolen. :( I would think the same thing of the bike regardless of whether I bought it at an Xmart or at the LBS, as long as it was assembled properly.
At first, I thought the problem w/ my bro's bike was just really bad assembly, which is why I screamed at my mum for letting the people at walmart assemble it instead of taking it to an LBS that would do a proper assembly. The real problem, as told by my bike tech, was both really bad assembly and really crummy parts, so a good tune-up would do only a little good.
Mind you, a lot of X-mart bikes are ok or even good, but they need extra TLC from you or your LBS because the people at the store don't really care (or do, but don't know how).
genec
The "really crummy parts" issue is the one I have seen from Xmart bikes. Metal too thin to properly do the job at such areas as brake levers, brake arms and chain ring.
On the other hand the frames are tank quality.
The other hardware is simply low quality with poorly formed threads.
And as I said one has to have a bit of mechanical knowledge to judge such things, so it would be easy to see that such items can be overlooked by most consumers... which puts them at risk of buying something they don't know anything about, probably cannot fix, and ride at risk.
Someone that is mechanically inclined, given one of these bikes would try to do their best, but would find the lack of quality to be a hindrance to proper adjustment.