If you want to ruin a perfect fall day and a family ride, don't forget to take at least one Department store bike for added frustration. My son just turned 6 and has finally gotten good enough on his bike to ride with us on our "famly rides.
The wife pulled the trailer with my 3 yr old daughter and i rode alongside of my son to keep him out of harm's way. His judgement is still questionable in my opionion even though he has the riding thing down. (I never thought that would happen :D )
My wife and I have trek's and my son has a Scwinn from Toys R US. I bought it two Summer's ago before I knew anything about bikes. (mistake) Well we headed off on our ride. About .75 miles into it he stops and says, "dad it won't go." Yep he is right, the rear brakes have locked up and there is no cable left to loosen them. Solution? I released the brake arms and let him ride that way. Well 1 block later i could see that his feet were hitting them on the back stroke. Solution? Pulled out multi-tool and removed brake arms.
OK, by now you are all saying, "oh that is dumb and very dangerous, he could get hurt." Well maybe it was dumb but he is not all that used to riding and has a front brake still as well as the brake that locks up the rear wheel by pedaling backwards. I just kept telling him that when you have to stop, you can't use that brake, see squeeze it...it won't stop you. He would comply and kept saying, " i will use my other brakes dad."
Ok, problem solved... right? Wrong, about 1 mile later, we roll over some railroad tracks and the chain falls off. I put it back on after some struggle and away we go. Well we make it about another .5 miles and it falls off again. This time it is stuck andx since i have no tools to remove rear wheel i send the wife for the car. Finally i get the chain free and back on the sprocket. We make it home before mom leaves in the car.
I immediately get the wrench out and loosen one side of the rear wheel nut, the wheel suddenly jumps back into it's original position. I never knew it was out of position but somehow it was. I suspect it has never been quite in the right position because there has been some tire rub on the fender, and the rear tire is about worn out.
Wow. What a deal. I already promised my son that he will have a better bike next year. Granted the trouble with this bike was likely due to poor assembly but man, what a great oppurtunity to ride with the family that was ruined. It was a perfect evening all except for the trusty Toys R Us Schwinn.
Oh well at least i had a good ride at sunrise this morning. I rode 23 miles solo with some country and some city as always and saw everyting from a beautiful sunrise, to a severely TP'd house to a Fox that was in town in the park. Now that is unusual. He sort of stared at me like i was the one out of place. . :D
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.
Wow. May I show this story to all the people who come into the LBS where I work and say, "Your kids' bikes are awfully expensive! I can get a Schwinn at Toys 'R Us for a lot less." ?
I'm guessing that your son's bike was built by some stockboy who has no idea how to put a bike together. It's too bad really...your son couldn't enjoy the ride and now has a negative perception of biking. Please, please buy him a good bike for next season! With bikes, as with so many other things, you truly get what you pay for. In the case of the new "Schwinns" what you get is garbage. Think Huffy with a Schwinn name on it. We see these kinds of problems with department store bikes all the time.
On the bright side, your son rides with you...:)
twahl
My similar experience only took one problem to end the day for my daughter. There we were, all ready to ride (with Koffee) and when we unload, my daughter's freewheel is toast. All pedal, no action. We found a 24" Diamondback mountain bike that fit her pretty well, I just put some city tread tires on it and she did 21 miles yesterday with no problem, average speed just under 10 mph on the W&OD trail. Not too bad I thought.
slvoid
My LBS murray hardtail with all original parts got me through several months of winter riding in the snow, including ramming into a lot of hidden potholes and getting into a lot of slippery accidents and it kept going strong being locked up outside through the winter 24/7 until it was stolen.
I think the way its put together has a lot more to do with the durability than the components themselves. I've seen bikes at stores where the brakes didn't work, the cables were routed the wrong way, the handle bars were loose, the seat was BACKWARDS, etc.
PaulH
I've looked at several department store bikes. In terms of design and construction, they generally seem heavy, but serviceable. The problem is that they are usually very badly assembled. I'm surprised there have not been liability issues.
Paul
DieselDan
"assembled" isn't the work I would use. "Put together" is more like it. Assembled means it's ready for use.
But the dept. store bike is good for something: learning how to repair and maintian a bike.
Portis
One brake cable and some fine tuning later, and we finally got the ride in tonight. It was a do over of sorts. My son was bound and determined to go see the ducks at the park so we went out for a quickie tonight.
The bike made the entire trip with no break downs.
Travelinguyrt
There are those who recognize that quality indeed costs less
and there are those who think that quality costs more, and trying to bring the two together never seems to work, I.E. the rise of junk shops like Wal-Mart and its clones
The myths perpetrated by mass advertising and its clone, TV, demonstrate this admirably
My day is made when I can go into a small biz and be readily met by someone knowedgeable about what is being sold, answers my questions with an intelligent response instead of a" UHHHHHHH I'm not sure let me get the manager"
I've been in W-M three times and each time I got cheated, chiseled or otherwise misled by what I bought. But I also returned 3 times and got my money returned
But I guess the low income folks who HAVE to shop there never equate their own personal costs per hour with what they are told they are saving.
And also considering that W-M DEMANDS of its suppliers that each year they must reduce the cost to W-M of a minimum 5% over the previous years costs, leads one to imagine what the slump in quality really means
simarc
I too went the Walmart road. In fact I had 3 bikes that were not properly "put together" & eventually broke down. The good thing was that I was able to return them without any questions.
My problems ranged from:
1. Uneven tire/rim.
2. Rubbing breaks.
3. Heavy weight bike.
4. Gears not locking.
5. Gears popping due to road bumps.
I learned my lesson and went to the LBS and bought a Giant bike & couldn't be happier. Knowing that I get free tuneups and customer service is very important.
With that said, I think the department store bike has its niche. It's great for little kids who will outgrow the darn thing in 2 or 3 years. It's tough spending a lot of $$$ on them when they outgrow it or leave it laying around where it can easily be stolen. My almost 11 year old is getting to the point where she is going to get more serious about riding. When that happens she'll get a good bike.
mw
Indolent58
The $180 20" Specialized Hardrock I bought for my older son is now on it's forth kid with no signs of stopping after being passed along to friends as it was outgrown. $180/4 = $45/per kid. Pretty cheap for such an expensive kid's bike :D
TechJD
come on guys geee the bike went for 2 years with out any trouble or didnt any of you read it
and any bike should be checked every year for adjustments, sounds like more of a case of poor matainance to me than assembling
Raiyn
come on guys geee the bike went for 2 years with out any trouble or didnt any of you read it
and any bike should be checked every year for adjustments, sounds like more of a case of poor matainance to me than assemblingHave you ever worked on one? I've worked on over a hundred so far. They're straight up CRAP.
nilanjan
I see this as a matter of basic economics. Take the low price of the department store bike and factor in the profits in each step of the procurement, manufacturing, assembly, distribution and retail processes. How much can be left over for the assembly? Skilled mechanics don't work for minimum wage.
I am with Indolent58 about the long term value proposition of better kids' bikes. They are not all that expensive, give much more enjoyment and seem to last forever. Our first kid had a 20" GT Dyno which has been passed on to our second. The third has a 16" Specialized Hotrock which I will give away to a needy child when he outgrows it and graduates to the Dyno.
TechJD
are you sayin that bikes dont need mataince every year ?
and not eveyone can afford the out the door price of a LBS bike
I cant but that dont mean that my bike dont need checked over every year at the least
and they might not be the same quality that you might sell but that dont mean they are total junk either
it's lasted 3 years
but you have to look at everything today we live in a "Throw Away Society"
if the TV breaks get a new one, radio breaks get a new one
most thing are are disigned that way on perpous cause companys cant make big $$$ if their product last forever like the older items, like 60 and 70 bikes
they want the sales, and sales dont come if the old ones dont wear out or break
and Raiyn you will be one of the first one to tell people to come get their bike checked out atleast once a year
tacomee
I'd never buy a kid's bike new-- plenty of them for less than 20 bucks at the local Goodwill. Of course all these used bikes are broken and you'll have to fix them, but you'd be fixing the new Wallyworld clunker you paid 50 or 100 bucks more for in a week anyway.
Kids trash bikes, so buy used and get used to fixing them.
alanbikehouston
I'd never buy a kid's bike new-- plenty of them for less than 20 bucks at the local Goodwill. Of course all these used bikes are broken and you'll have to fix them, but you'd be fixing the new Wallyworld clunker you paid 50 or 100 bucks more for in a week anyway.
Kids trash bikes, so buy used and get used to fixing them.
Re-sale shops sometimes have some really good bikes. However, a brand new kid's bike can also be a good value. I gave my eight year old god-son a Giant BMX bike. It listed for around $300, and was on sale for $200. Built with 4130 steel. Wheels with massive aluminum rims and 48 spokes. Built like a tank, it weighs about 30 pounds, due its "beefed up" bearings, wheels, tires, and cranks.
My god-son's favorite activity on his BMX bike seems to be "demolition derby". He rides it fast up a ramp at a local school that sends him flying off a two foot high drop. He enjoys finding sidewalks with lots of breaks, bumps, and canyons and riding at high speeds over them.
And, after every distructive thing he has done, the bike is in perfect condition. The wheels are still perfectly true. After he gets two or three years of brutal use out of this bike, it will get passed on to another boy for another two or three years of hard use.
I have assembled some "Wal-Mart" type kids bikes. I bought several for kids in my neighborhood whose families could not afford bikes. They held up okay for a summer of cruising around the block...then their problems made repairing them more trouble than they were worth. My god-son's "Eviel Knievel" approach to bike riding would have destroyed a Wal-Mart bikes in two days.
A $200 children's bike is safer than a $40 children's bike from day one. And, because it will last six or eight years (or more), instead of just one, it is cheaper in the long run. And, much cheaper than the trip to the ER that may occur with brake failure or wheel failure.
markproject
argh..newbie here, well middle aged guy back to being Newly addicted to bikes. I just bought a Mongoose
full suspention aluminum mountain bike ( DXR) from Walmart. Bad move?? I thought Mongoose was a
"ok" bike for low money, orrrrrrrrr...is it just another "Huffy" ??? ...
forum*rider
If it's all you have/can afford then atleast take it to a bike store and get it tuned up to make sure there aren't too many mechanical probelms with it.
Or if you CAN afford a better bike I would say return it, go to the lbs and get a better(higher quality) bike. For the amount of money spend on the mongoose you can probably get an entry to mid level hardtail that will be lighter, better component spec and most importantly, be assembled correctly.
slvoid
are you sayin that bikes dont need mataince every year ?
and not eveyone can afford the out the door price of a LBS bike
I cant but that dont mean that my bike dont need checked over every year at the least
and they might not be the same quality that you might sell but that dont mean they are total junk either
it's lasted 3 years
but you have to look at everything today we live in a "Throw Away Society"
if the TV breaks get a new one, radio breaks get a new one
most thing are are disigned that way on perpous cause companys cant make big $$$ if their product last forever like the older items, like 60 and 70 bikes
they want the sales, and sales dont come if the old ones dont wear out or break
and Raiyn you will be one of the first one to tell people to come get their bike checked out atleast once a year
It's also cheaper to buy a new one.
I can get a new DVD player for $50. You can bet the cost to fix one is right around there too.
Rick G
I still feel that the wm bike if set up would be fine for a beginner.someone who doesn't know if they would like to do this for sure or not.I would have sure hated to spend $400. on a bike to not like to ride and just let it set.mine sets enouph now that I don't like it.but I will glad to graduate up to a better bike.looking at a giant boulder myself.I will get around and ride one soon.I am dying to tryit.
Dark Arrow
argh..newbie here, well middle aged guy back to being Newly addicted to bikes. I just bought a Mongoose
full suspention aluminum mountain bike ( DXR) from Walmart. Bad move?? I thought Mongoose was a
"ok" bike for low money, orrrrrrrrr...is it just another "Huffy" ??? ...
LOL Mongoose PRO is decent enough but the Mongoose from the Marts is iffy at best. Take good care of it and learn to adjust EVERYTHING because whoever slapped it together is not a mechanic. It'll work for you but I'd suggest getting something better if your really ADDICTED. You can spend just a few buxs more at a LBS and get a used ride that is 10 times what you have. I do a lot of "moonlight" repair on all the kids in the neighborhood's bikes. I have yet to see one of the wheels on the Mart bikes last for more than several months of use without being seriously out of true.
Good Luck
Mr. Smashy
Reading stuff like this, only strengthens my feelings of the department stores getting sued for stuff like this. I would love to see them get sued.
Inoplanetyanin
If you want to ruin a perfect fall day
Ranger, with all my respect for you and your family, I can't stop myself from saying straight what I think.
The story you have presented here, seems to me, tells us more about your mechanics skills, than of a "quality" of a bicycle.
People in other countries ride (and REPAIR) bikes FAR WORSE that the one you are describing, and MANAGE to ride it for years...
I have just recently seen this in the Netherlands.
Also, remembering my dad... he would sometimes have to tune the rear axle of my bike (the similar one you are describing, where pedals have to be turned backwards) and let me ride it to see if it worked, or how well adjusted it was, but it all WORKED and worked fine for years, and I am talking about ancient cheap russian bicycles.
The point is, CHECK THE CONDITION OF YOUR SON'S bicycle before leaving for a ride. Check the chain tension, check the brake adjustment etc etc. Are you saying these bikes are so bad that they can't go several miles without causing problems your son's bike did???
Seems to me it is rather the problem of adjustment, which has nothing to do with the "quality" of the bike itself.
Respectfully,
Mikhail.
____
P.S. Again, everything stated above is strictly my opinion and I did not mean to offend the author or anyone else. Just being straight-forward.
zonatandem
Lots of minimum wage jobs out there . . . sure it's cheaper!!! Cheaper and better are not the same.
Go to your local bike shop instead!
markproject
QUESTON: I have a "comfort bike" with 26" x 1.95 Hutchinson Acrobat tires.. Not knobby., rec.pressure 29 lbs, max 79 I think. Now I have been riding it alot, I'd like to have it be more for cruising but also on more diverse surfaces than just street. Suggestions? I'm thinking putting some mountain tires on it, since they would displace water better for riding on wet pavement, *using max pressure*, and full fenders, might make for more days of riding and option of taking off the fenders, lowering the handlebars flat, and I have a 'mountain bike "sort of" for my use anyway.......Any comments or help?
BTW its a great bike, Iron Horse Shade Deluxe. ..if you want to see it .. http://www.ironhorsebikes.com/products/comfort/
FreakinNewDude
I took my son to Wal-mart to looked at bikes followed by Toys R Us. Neither one had anything worth looking at but he chose between two. A big brick of a mongoose, and a "chopper bike" which is a bigger brick of a bike. I'm like, "No way on the chopper bike. It's a big clunker and you are gonna feel like an ass riding up on it within a year. You'll never go fast. Etc..." Couple that, with the trouble he was having getting it started even he was second guessin the cool factor verses actual use. So he was ready to get the lesser of the two bricks.
Then I took him to the LBS. The clouds parted, the sun peaked through, and you could hear Aaawwwweee (in an angelic chorus). It was a done deal, no more looking. Although I spent two or three times more on a bike for a 9 year old, it was well worth it. The quality difference was obvious, and I knew it was put together properly. Not to mention the level of service, SSshhheeaaat.
You see, I never intended to drop a dime at the marts. It was time to get something that could go farther than across the street and back. What I wanted him to see was the difference of quality, feel, yata yata yata. I wanted this bike to be more special, and to hopefully foster the interest in biking. It was something that was done to me when I was a kid, and I hope he takes the lesson and passes it to his kid/s when he becomes a father. Now we have at least one more thing in common and he'll be able to smoke his friends :D
TechJD
well the point is not where the bike came from but how it was maintained
if you bought an LBS bike and didnt do anything to it for 3 years and then something happned to it does that make it a bad bike ??
FreakinNewDude
I think the point is, where it came from. With the zit faced stock boy "assembling" the Wal-mart (or whatever), bike which is already of lesser quality and construction, it is surprising they even work. The LBS is doing free tune ups, on my kids bike, for the life of the bike. You are correct about maintaining the bike. But, if you start with quality rather than crap, one could say, it is more likely to be maintained (especially if lbs has free maintenance) than the cheap DS bikes. As you stated earlier, we live in a throw away society, and I have one throw away (walmart) bike taking space in my garage because it is more cost effective to junk it than fix it. Realistically, the price difference was not that much between the DP's brick and the LBS bike, ($60 more as it was on 04 closeout sale) and well worth the quality. But I would have paid the extra $120 (not on sale) more just for the service.
clancy98
one other thing that hasn't been mentioned and something that I can specifically remember is that on my first WW MTB, it shifted like absolute CRAP from the get-go. So, I ended up just not shifting. This SUCKS because this can give a kid a bad impression of the sport too. I didn't learn to shift right until I was 20... and shifting right makes riding alot more fun...
Of course now I am 25 and trying to build a bike with just one speed... figures.
FreakinNewDude
Awe nothing says quality like diving over the handlebars onto concrete because the chain seezed. The joy!!!
I was done with biking for several years because I was so P O'ed at having to make the transition from BMX to MTB. You know, the old I'm too big to be riding BMX... I guess I'm going to have to grow up thing. I hated the bike to begin with as it wasn't my old Diamond Back. Then it tried to kill me. I traded it for a knife. and didn't ride again for ten years.
vincenzosi
I don't know... Before I got my Trek, I had a Schwinn Sidewinder from Wal-Mart. I brought it home, and triple checked everything before I ever put my ass in the saddle. I had to adjust the breaks, tighten the headset, tighten the cables hooked to the front and real derailleur, inflate the tires, and re-set the quick release so it was closed properly.
But I knew that going in.
So far, I've put almost 120 miles on that bike (I barely ride it anymore). I lube the chain regularly. I check the air pressure regularly, and I adjust every single screw / hex on that thing regularly. And you know what? In 4 months, the most of a problem I've had is a flat tire.
Not every bike that comes out of a store is a piece of crap, as long as you take the initiative to make sure everything is up to snuff before you put it on the road / trail. Sure the construction isn't up to snuff with the better stuff, but it is what you make of it. You can't expect $500 quality from a $135 bike.
Portis
In 4 months and only 120 miles I would hope that is the only trouble you have had. Right now you have spent about $1 per mile to ride that bike. I would say that has been a good bike purchase for you. I certainly don't think you should buy a better bike if your mileage stays the same.
Department store bikes are ok if you don't ride them much. THey certainly have a place.
igno-mtb
hi. i guess you´re being to rough with wallmart´s bikes... my first mountain bike was a mongoose dxr and i can tell that exept for the rims and the break system, is one of the strongest bikes ever, if you´re a beginner you can have one of those, its heavy so it will make you strong enough, je. well i know those are no good bikes but i like them in a certain way... it was my first bike and that means a lot, by the way... a friend of my buy a shwinn aluminium comp, how about that?
vincenzosi
Actually, that 120 was really put on in the first two months. All of my mileage since then has been on my Trek 1200.
Iron Chef
Toys R Us will sell you the bike for less unassembled. If you distrust their assembly work you can do it yourself. Their is an assembly fee on their bikes
Rick G
Sorry guys,I guess I just won't fit in.I really like my poor little $53. mountain bike.Now granted I don't really ride it like a mtb but it works fine for what I want.I have done some minor upgrades and I have a couple of more that I would like to do.yes now I do want a new giant boulder but that is not in the cards right now.the problem with my bike is this.the front derailer won't shift onto the small front gear and the rear one won't stay on the big gear,I have to hold it to keep it in that gear.it is all in the adjustment.I have just never tried to adjust it.for now I am perfectly happy with the way it is.(since I was not able to fork out the expence of my giant right then nor did I realize how much I was going to like to ride)Now I know that if I went over to the local trail head and tried it I would be without a ride VERY shortly it works for me right now.it all comes down to this.I enjoy my rides when I get to go.
isn't that the bottom line when it comes down to it?
davefarb
Oh the horror...the shame. I too own a "$53" bike. Good God, man...it was bought at (GASP!) Walmart! I use it to ride around town. I own nicer bikes, but am not a bike snob. Whatever floats your bike boat. Lots of people here don't seem to realize that a $200 to $300 "entry level" bike is out of the financial reach of a lot of people. Hey, if you can afford a $10,000 bike...go for it. We all seem to know you get what you pay for. If you can only get a cheap bike, as long as it works for you...that's what it's all about.
vincenzosi
I happen to agree. I've seen some beaters in the city that make my other bike (my Wal-Mart Schwinn) look like a pro bike.
The important thing isn't where it comes from, it's that you ride it. A $5,000 Trek Madone sitting in the garage does a whole lot less for its owner than a $53 bike that's ridden very often.
Rick G
I will agree with you all on that one,as long as it is ridden that is what counts.I do know this,a good bike is easyer to ride than my little cheapy,but NO one gets any more pleasure from riding than I do.
I also know this,when I do get my good bike I am going to be in great shape to be able to use it.
madhouse
I realize that Wal-Mart bikes are disposable bikes. I used to work at a bike shop and swore up and down that my kids would never ride a Wal-Mart bike. But with as hard as my kids are on things, my blood pressure doesn’t shoot up when I see what they have been up to with their bikes. It also allowed geared bikes to be affordable even when they already had their 20” bikes that fit them well. (The downfall is I had to give up 150 square feet of my garage just for bikes!)
I maintain the bikes well, the kids treat them like (^@*. When my children get a better understanding of proper care and their rate of growth slows they will get a bike that will last them as long as they want. In the mean time, other than simple adjustments, one broken pedal and a flat tire. My kids have many care free miles on their bikes.
Iron Chef
Wow. May I show this story to all the people who come into the LBS where I work and say, "Your kids' bikes are awfully expensive! I can get a Schwinn at Toys 'R Us for a lot less." ?
......
And for $10 less Toys 'R Us will sell you the bike unassembled. They charge you an assembly fee. Take the bike in the box.
gpsblake
My daughter has had her bike 4 years. Huffy. Other than one cracked pedal, never a mechanical problem with it. I rode a $58 Roadmaster bicycle from Columbia SC to Raleigh NC before. Other than one brake adjustment, no problems with that bicycle, and I donated it to Goodwill when I got to Raleigh. Like I've said before, the LBS'es offer nothing that she wants to ride. It only takes a minute to two to check a bike out at Xmart to make sure it is safe and assembled properly. Nearly all the bikes I see being used in the small towns I live near (Saluda, Batesburg SC) are cheap department store bikes. But I see them being used everyday. It is all those people can probably afford. My belief is I rather see them riding a cheap bike than no bike at all. I ride a Dick's Sporting Goods Mongross Hybrid (700x35c).
I highly recommend Dick's if you are going to buy a department store bike. The one I go to has a full time bicycle machanic on hand and yes, they will put the bike on a stand right in front of you and test everything from the brakes to the gears to make it is operating properly before you go out the door and will for one year make any adjustements you need on the bike for no charge.
Cheers & Happy Miles,
Blake
vincenzosi
The only thing this thread proves is the one thing we already knew: For some people department store bikes are more than adequate. For others, they're woefully inadequate.
Personally, I think a $100 Schwinn that gets ridden everyday is much better off than the "hot rods" I see being pushed about on the bike trails in my neighborhood.
In other words: It ain't worth crap if your butt ain't in the saddle.
BigHit-Maniac
I personally find department store bikes to be a lotta fun. Yes, I own a very expensive mountain bike... but am I gunna ride a Demo 9 to the grocery and leave it outside? HELL NO. Am I going to ride my POS huffy to the grocery store? Hell YES. Do I care about the Huffy? No.
Department store bikes have a purpose.... to ride them to places where we'd never want to take a high-zoot bike.
-Matt
webist
I'm not certain I understand the point of view that it matters what other people ride. Were there no demand for low-end bikes, I am sure the chain stores would put that floor space to other uses. Were there no demand for high-end bikes, I suppose we'd have no LBS to speak of. I am pleased when I see people riding. I am pleased when I ride.
A Lexus or a Mercedes would be nice. They are even something I want. I drive a Dodge and am satisfied with the compromise between my want for luxury and my need for transportation. I am neither envious of those riding a $7000 bike nor disdainful toward those riding, and enjoying, thier department store models.
kurremkarm
I just picked up a Schwinn cruiser SS with a coaster brake off Ebay for 110.00 delivered-- shipping was 10 bucks to my house since it was close.
This is a very comfortable and fun bike to ride. I took the ridiculous handlebars off and replaced them with a flat bar, took the crappy seat off and replaced it with my b-17 and the thing is really super comfortable and a nice ride.
My point is that if u can get a 200 dollar bike, like this, for 100 bucks on Ebay, then the 53 dollar Walmart bike is really looking sad by comparison. 50 bucks in the paper, 50 bucks in the thrift store, 50 bucks in a garage sale. Department store bikes can't touch it.
Besides, i hate walmart they are killing America.
Here's the bike i got:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7112760573&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT
james Haury
I used to ride a schwinn Camelback frame single speed on the forest preserve trails here in the Chicago Burbs as a kid in the seventies. No gears but it was still fun and it held up fine.
LilNole
When I was a kid, I had a 20" huffy. i came from a poor military family and thats all my dad could afford. i rode that bike everyday for 7 years. my dad bought it at AAFES for only $50. it wasnt the best bike i ever had, but it was a good ride. i did break a chain a few times and had to replace the tires and wheels. the rims got bent and i broke a few spokes. it was a good bike though, for a huffy. when i was 16 i tossed it into a dumpster. the frame was rusting and it was getting beyond repair.
when i got to college i bought a Vega for $80 at the on-campus bike shop. it was a huge difference from the huffy. much better ride. and i rode that bike for 4 years with no problems. i rode it all over campus and to work everyday. i couldnt afford a $200 bike. so i bought the cheapest bike they had in the shop. and it was a really good bike. i'm glad i didnt get the $200 bike. and then it got wrecked. i got hit by a car while i was riding to school from work early one morning.
just recently i bought a new bike....a $45 bike that was on sale from target, a 24" Magna Glacierpoint. yep a dept store bike. i couldnt even find another $80 bike in my local bike shop...now they are all $150 and up. and i cant afford that on my state employee salary...plus, i havent ridden in a couple years. i'm not confident in my riding yet...when i get "addicted" and gain my confidence back i'll go and get a better quality bike. i'll save up some money and get one. but for right now, i'm happy with the magna.
i've already pretty much taken apart the target bike and reassembled it. there were some flaws with the assembly like the rear brake pads rubbed the rim. but for the most part....the bike i got isnt too bad for a beater. it's pretty much so a "disposable" bike for me. i'll ride the crap out of it. crash it a few times while learning how to jump over curbs and hit a few potholes...and i wont cry if it gets too damaged.
so yeah, dept store bikes arent horrible...but they are a "disposable" bike. i got some good rides out of the huffy. but the Vega was a far better bike and for only $30 more.
vincenzosi
As I've said... Dep't store bikes have a place in the world, and are worth far more than a $2,000 bike hanging like a hunted animal in someone's garage.
trbloomer
This is one of those fascinating threads. You have your basic anti capitalist screed wally world as a derogatory phrase. Some common sense and lots O' denial. If I can't afford to go to an LBS there is something wrong with me?
The knock against big chains is the part that really gets me. If you don't like them thats fine, I don't shop at Walmart myself because of their labor practices but hey thats me. After reading the thread on bicycle mechanics' wages (definitely not a living wage) I'm not so sure I'm happy buying something at an LBS either. I'm a small business man have been for twenty years I understand the economics of it, but should I really run a businesss where I can't pay a living wage to a full time employee and make a decent profit. Isn't that well the word that comes to mind exploitive?