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Review on the GMC Denali bicycle

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Review on the GMC Denali bicycle

Old 10-16-06, 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Rowan
How the hell do you think they got them on there? Just like the old days when drop bars were threaded through stem clamps, and when shifters are put on riser bars on MTBs, and shifters are put on traditional swept-back bars in Europe. Sometimes I wonder if there are schools for serial idiots.
Please post pictures of yourself trying to get a twist shifter onto a drop bar this way. I would love to see it work, but I think you are mistaken. I wanted to mount a twist shift for a Nexus hub on drops and it was a not really possible except by using a special adapter to mount it on the end of the drop (called a HubBub bar, BTW). Please do not call people idiots, especially when it seems doubtful you know what you are talking about.
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Old 10-16-06, 10:56 AM
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O-Town, There Stanless Steel. LOL

Womble, I want to do and unbiased review. Becasue I feel that a good frame and cheap components bicycle can be a good starter or budget bike for any one.

Ducati, Most the the weight on the Denali is in the threaded head set, one piece gooseneck, two piece handle bars, Steel hubs, Stamped steel cassette and chainrings. One could easly cut the weight down by 10 lbs or more on the Denali. I'll let you know what it weighs after the upgrades.

Slowandsteady, I have not seen this done before. I am curious to see if the bars can hold up to the stress that a one piece can. I for see the bar bending in the center after a while of hard riding. We Will see.
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Old 10-16-06, 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by CigTech

I will be replacing them with Shimano Sora St-3300-7 7 Speed STI shifters, to regain the much need handle bar space.
$140 shifters on a $140 dollar bike? Reminds me of the Mexican kids I see putting 20" rims on 1987 Astro vans. You could've taken $280 and gotten a decent new commuter, or an even more decent used bike.

It's called "seeing the bigger picture." Look into it.
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Old 10-16-06, 11:22 AM
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Nice review!

Keep us posted on the upgrades.
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Old 10-16-06, 11:31 AM
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Yesterday I took the bike out for a 48 mile fun ride. It took 159.5 minutes. That gave me a ride time speed of 18.1 mph. If I did it in the city it would have taken longer due to the traffice and stop lights.

The bike handles a lot like the Peugeot I have. The two frame sizes are the same. Even the geometries are the same. But the Peugeot with the steel frame is a lot stiffer then the Aluminum Frame is. The Denali is very responsive while not being twitchy. I thought the gearing would make me work harder, but I did not notice any real difference except for the speed. Like I said the gearing is a little lower then a high-end bikes. But for a Budget or starter road bike most people would not notice the speed difference. I did have to adjust the rear cable after the ride. Due to cable straching, which is normal for new cables. So the ride showed the bike is very capleable of longer rides and fast too. I will be keeping this bike for a while. But will be replacing the components with in a year just to bring the bike up high-end level. What makes a bike a high-end bike? It's the components!

80% of all the high-end frames, that are on the market today, come from the same factories (from China) that this frame comes from. After I change out all the components, I have a $1,400 bike. But will have spent less then $800.00 for it. The only thing that this frame will not have is the carbon fiber seat stay that the $1,400 frames have. And yes, I'll be putting carbon fiber forks on it as well.

Last edited by CigTech; 10-16-06 at 11:40 AM.
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Old 10-16-06, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by CigTech
What makes a bike a high-end bike? It's the components!
Yeah, that's the ticket. I'm thinking Campy Record would make that frame really shine.
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Old 10-16-06, 11:42 AM
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Does the OP have a history of overt trolling? In retrospect, I'm thinking I fell for a fairly obvious one...
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Old 10-16-06, 12:45 PM
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No KrisPistofferson, I do not work for any bicycle company or GMC nor am I a spammer. If I was I would not have taken the time to respond to the questions and comments. This is a review of the bike for what it is. If you do not believe what I have said then please feel free to do your own research.

If you have any legitimate questions or comments I will be happy to respond. Otherwise, please stop taking up space for the people who do.

Thank you.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by CigTech

80% of all the high-end frames, that are on the market today, come from the same factories (from China) that this frame comes from. After I change out all the components, I have a $1,400 bike. But will have spent less then $800.00 for it. The only thing that this frame will not have is the carbon fiber seat stay that the $1,400 frames have. And yes, I'll be putting carbon fiber forks on it as well.
You were doing ok untill you got to this point.

You dont have a $1400 frame.
Very few High end frames are made in china.
When you put $800 worth of upgrades on your Denali it will be worth about $500.00..
This is not a stab at your bike, it is just the way the marke works.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:15 PM
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I've actually looked at that bike on several occasions. I could not get past the bolt on rear wheel though. As a commuter, I think a QR is pretty much a necessity for changing tubes quickly and efficiently. I also can't stand the twist shifter (shafter). So, if I bought that bike, I'd have to add $35-50 for a new rear wheel and $100+ for new brifters. So, I'd really be looking at $300+ for a dept. store bike. I find that difficult to swallow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against the WW bikes. I ride a Schwinn alumninum comp from WW. I paid $150 for the bike, replaced the rear wheel with a $35 job from LBS, and used some thumb shifters I already had. I've got about 1200 miles on it so far, and no problems with it yet. I expect your experience will basically be similar.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:19 PM
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Yes - seriously, your bike does NOT have the same frame as a $1400 bike. Am I right about the bars being cut and welded then? Don't take it as gospel because I said it - it's only what I heard.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by CigTech

If you have any legitimate questions or comments
Here's a comment: That bike is a piece of crap. Hanging Dura Ace on it is just going to make it a piece of crap with Dura Ace on it.

Here's another comment: Claiming that this boat anchor from the People's Republic is in any way similar to a high-end frame from Taiwan is idiotic. Not all products made by Asian people are of comparable quality, nor are the governments they comprise. You should know this.

Here's a question you never answered: Why didn't you take the money you shelled out for the Denali, add it to the money you apparently plan on spending on upgrades to polish this turd and spend it on a quality new or used bike?

Another question: Are you going to saw the handlebars in two to get the mountain shifter off, then weld it back together before you put on brifters that are worth more than the bike itself? Seems like a great lot of trouble to go to.

Declaration: This is a very entertaining thread, let's keep it going.

[moderator note: no Kris, just because you purchased a red star does not entitle you to say what you want where you want to.]

Last edited by cuda2k; 04-19-07 at 05:08 PM.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:31 PM
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Damn Kris, after that rant, I want a Denali just cuz you hate it so much. Cigtech's doing serious miles on the Denali and while it's not an LBS bike, he's at least got the skills to make it work for him. Doing 18 mph on average ain't bad no matter what you ride and that thing's mostly stock.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:37 PM
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Originally Posted by jyossarian
Damn Kris, after that rant, I want a Denali just cuz you hate it so much. Cigtech's doing serious miles on the Denali and while it's not an LBS bike, he's at least got the skills to make it work for him. Doing 18 mph on average ain't bad no matter what you ride and that thing's mostly stock.
It's not the bike I hate, just the heinous logic. Kudos to the OP on his mileage, though. A $20-$100 Scwinn Le Tour from the eighties would be lighter, cheaper, more reliable, and shift better, as would a Giant Sedona (after you factor in the cost of Sora shifters, that is, ). Might even make the OP want to increase said mileage.
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Old 10-16-06, 01:47 PM
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Yes Sammyboy, the bar are cut in the middle. They welded a piece of tube in the laft side and then sliped the right side on the tube and bolted it back together. I will be replacing the Handle bars with a one piece bar that I all ready have. I can see the two piece handle bars bending in the middle with normal ware the tear.

Here are a couple of photo of the Denalis handle bars in the headset.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Denali Haedset.JPG (89.6 KB, 904 views)
File Type: jpg
Denali Haedset 2.JPG (86.4 KB, 865 views)
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Old 10-16-06, 01:48 PM
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Ah, the beauty of the internet. Things get real interesting real fast.

First, Cig rides a lot. He's had some rough luck lately, and now is back on his feet, but all the same I don't think he had a ton of money lying around. I'm guessing this is the genesis of the Denali, but I'll let him fill that in.

Second, I believe he is wondering, really wondering, how much value you can get out of a $150 bike. I always send folks to a nice LBS when looking at bikes, but I gotta admit: could some be served OK by a WalMart bike? Dunno. There are a LOT of bikes in China that looks a lot worse than this one, and they go for years. Personally, as I stated before, if I had $150 I'd be buying off Craigslist. But I admit I'm intrigued to see what kind of mileage he can pull out of this thing.

Third, although I believe he went a little overboard with "same frame" comment, it's not a stretch to think that this one might just be made by a decent bicycle company. Ok, so it's not the same frame as a $1400 bike, but it could be made in the same factory. Now, this doesn't make it the same frame. As I stated above, my Giant Bowery was probably (frame-wise) closer in comparison to the Denali than my wife's Giant FCR. Sure, Giant made both (and makes a lot of bikes for other companies) but the frames really are quite different. Here I'm siding more with Mr. Pissed Off, really, with a small wave Cig's way for what was a little overstated but not totally off this planet.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by KrisPistofferson
It's not the bike I hate, just the heinous logic. Kudos to the OP on his mileage, though. A $20-$100 Scwinn Le Tour from the eighties would be lighter, cheaper, more reliable, and shift better, as would a Giant Sedona (after you factor in the cost of Sora shifters, that is, ). Might even make the OP want to increase said mileage.
Depends on where you live. The local NYC CL usually doesn't have Schwinn Le Tours or any old, decent steel frame for that amount cuz of the market demand for lugged steel frames that can be converted to fixies. And when you're in need and short on time, sometimes CL and ebay don't have the goods.

I was just down in Fla., and most of the used bikes I saw were x-mart bikes. Even the bike shops didn't do used bikes and mostly stocked bmx and comfort bikes, at least where I was.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:13 PM
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It's a piece of crap. The handlebars are welded together in the middle. Ok? How much more evidence do you need than that? I believe $140 currently equates to £75 or so. I can put forward 3 bikes I have, all of which are better than this, which cost me IN TOTAL about £43. There is no earthly reason to buy this thing other than you just HAD to have something new. I think that to see Cigtech destruction test this thing will be, at the rate he's going, an interesting 3 weeks, but I truly truly hope that he has enough money to do this on a whim, and isn't realy relying on this thing.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:16 PM
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Originally Posted by jyossarian
I was just down in Fla., and most of the used bikes I saw were x-mart bikes. Even the bike shops didn't do used bikes and mostly stocked bmx and comfort bikes, at least where I was.

Your exactly right. The choice of bikes around hear is slim pickings. CL is terrable around hear compared to NYC or my old neck of the woods SF.

I would be interested to see how this thing holds up. I say 4 months max if Cig rides this thing 5 days a week to work. That said I would not put anything better than tiagra on that bike.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:24 PM
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Ok first off, I never intended this review to start a war over a bike. I never said that it was the same frame as the $1,400 frames. What I said is that 80% of the frames that are on the Market today are form the same factories. And that was being nice. Most sats so 90% to 95% as coming out of China or Taiwan. this is what I meant to say "If these factories can make a quility $1,400 bike frame then why can't they make a quility $150.00 frame?"

From the above posters link:

Bikes are produced in other countries, but Asian factories probably produce 95% of the units sold in the United States. Incidentally, the "big three" (Giant, Trek, and Specialized) account for almost 80% of all bikes sold in U.S. bike shops.

If you think this bike is a total waste of time, then why are you wasting your time with replying? I think you protest to much. Just because you have a high-end bike, does not mean that anything less is not a bike.

We can't all just drop $1,000 on a bike- this review is for those who cannot. As for the shifters and the drive train parts I already had them to answer your question. I use the bike to get to work- I HAD to have something now. Not wait and save- NOW. I certainly hope that clarifies for you.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:25 PM
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https://tampa.craigslist.org/bik/
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Old 10-16-06, 02:30 PM
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I'm going to leave the bike in stock parts (except for the break pads) until something breaks. Just to show you guys that I know what I'm talking about. I do not take it easy on any bike when I ride. If I cannot go fast and hard I stay home. So this well be a nice test for the Denali.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:33 PM
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I'm interested to see how the frame holds up to daily abuse. I'm guessing the parts and components are low-end stuff and will wear/break quickly, but I'd be more interested in whether the frame can stand up to hard usage.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:36 PM
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This is pretty interesting, an actual review of a really cheap bike. I would never think to buy the bike in question, but I'll be curious to hear about how it holds up. What's completely and utterly not interesting is the few spittle-flecked rants that boil down to 'this guy or that person isn't me and so deserves an inordinate amount of rage because I'm self-obsessed'.
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Old 10-16-06, 02:37 PM
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The 24 inch Motobecane listed on Tampa CL would have been a better bike same price range, worthy of the upgrades and looks like it would have been a better fit. I understand the need for NOW, but I think if in the same spot I would buy the WW bike at the pawn/thrift and continue looking. You need to be able to get to work if you are going to buy a bike in the first place! A new purchase on a bike of that quality means it is instantly worth 0 $ or close as soon as you leave the store. To buy a low quality at the thrift/pawn and hopefully pay say 1/3 of retail, ride it as long as you need too and then replace makes a bit more sense. But who am I to judge? I just spent $$ converting an old road frame to accept a nexus 8 hub for winter commuting. A lot of folks would flame me for my choices too.
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