what happens to all the $99 big box store bikes?
09-29-15, 06:40 PM
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09-29-15, 11:21 PM
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What happens to $99 Walmart bikes that are neglected and left out in the rain? They end up on Craigslist for $150.
09-30-15, 04:47 AM
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I bought a $129 Schwinn from K-Mart a few years back for my wife. She rode it a couple times and the novelty wore off so it sat in the shed for a year or two. Then we moved to a place without a shed so it sat in the yard. It sat outdoors rain or shine and through our tough WI winters. It would disappear under snow for a few months then reappear in the spring looking relatively unperturbed.
One spring, as the bike was nearing its 6th anniversary of ritual abuse, I put air in the tires and gave it a squirt of WD40 and took off riding the local bike trails. It rode just fine. Even the gears shifted fine, though I admit to having to kick the front derailleur to free it.
I rode the bike for weeks. I was around 260+ lbs at the time, 6' 4"...so I must've looked a pretty site barreling down the park trails on a small step-through.
It got me back into cycling. I went out and spent a small fortune on a shiny new GT bike - $450. I didn't realize bikes could be so expensive, but I expected a significant improvement over the lowly Schwinn. To say I was disappointed in my new bike is a gross understatement. The thing never worked properly from day one and slowly fell to pieces over a short Summer of fairly heavy use. Other bikes came and went. A new Karakoram Sport, a Charge Maxi Fat Bike, a Salsa Warbird....yes, I was hooked.
All the while the little Schwinn sat in the yard casting a sideways glance in my direction as I unloaded the next new bike.
It's still there now, as we get ready for yet another harsh winter. I doubt it cares any. I'll put air in the tires again come spring and perhaps my wife will be more amenable to put it to its intended use.
Don't be so quick to write-off box store bikes. And don't just assume that spending another couple hundred bucks will buy you something significantly better. Many of those box bikes are heavy - they're built from solid components that can hold up to some abuse. Many of the more expensive lightweight bikes are fragile - like Smokey in The Big Lebowski.
One spring, as the bike was nearing its 6th anniversary of ritual abuse, I put air in the tires and gave it a squirt of WD40 and took off riding the local bike trails. It rode just fine. Even the gears shifted fine, though I admit to having to kick the front derailleur to free it.
I rode the bike for weeks. I was around 260+ lbs at the time, 6' 4"...so I must've looked a pretty site barreling down the park trails on a small step-through.
It got me back into cycling. I went out and spent a small fortune on a shiny new GT bike - $450. I didn't realize bikes could be so expensive, but I expected a significant improvement over the lowly Schwinn. To say I was disappointed in my new bike is a gross understatement. The thing never worked properly from day one and slowly fell to pieces over a short Summer of fairly heavy use. Other bikes came and went. A new Karakoram Sport, a Charge Maxi Fat Bike, a Salsa Warbird....yes, I was hooked.
All the while the little Schwinn sat in the yard casting a sideways glance in my direction as I unloaded the next new bike.
It's still there now, as we get ready for yet another harsh winter. I doubt it cares any. I'll put air in the tires again come spring and perhaps my wife will be more amenable to put it to its intended use.
Don't be so quick to write-off box store bikes. And don't just assume that spending another couple hundred bucks will buy you something significantly better. Many of those box bikes are heavy - they're built from solid components that can hold up to some abuse. Many of the more expensive lightweight bikes are fragile - like Smokey in The Big Lebowski.
I cannot agree fully with your conclusion, though. Well designed and well executed bikes ride extremely nicely. The vast majority of others, not so much. Unlike men, bikes are not created equal.
09-30-15, 07:47 AM
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09-30-15, 11:41 AM
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Department Store bikes can last just as long as Bike Store bikes with proper maintenance & care. Unfortunately, most Americans are so damn lazy and stupid the bikes fall into disrepair and get tossed out with the trash. Many old Department Store bikes wind up on the curb waiting for the garbage truck. If you take a closer look you'll notice most of them just need minor repairs like brake & shifter cables or new tires. Whatever. That's life in the USA.
When I was looking for a bicycle for my daughter (2 at the time): we picked up a damaged bike with plans to refurb it for her. The issue was that the LBS & big-box wanted more for a bicycle chain & tires than I could purchase her a new version of the same bike (it needed some other parts as well above and beyond). So we got her a new bike.
My neighbor, in his kindness, gave my daughter (now 3) a larger bike as his daughter had outgrown it. It needed two new tires. The cost of two new tires was almost 3/4 the price of the same bike new. We got the tires in this case but it wasn't as cost effective as it should have been.
The current industry has made it cost prohibitive to refurbish old bikes with new components.
09-30-15, 01:40 PM
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What happens to all the $99 big box store bikes?
10-01-15, 06:58 AM
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Thanks for writing this. It's a nice tale, and I can see that lonely bike out in the spring thaw, hoping to be ridden again.
I cannot agree fully with your conclusion, though. Well designed and well executed bikes ride extremely nicely. The vast majority of others, not so much. Unlike men, bikes are not created equal.
I cannot agree fully with your conclusion, though. Well designed and well executed bikes ride extremely nicely. The vast majority of others, not so much. Unlike men, bikes are not created equal.
I wasn't concluding that an old beater like the Schwinn rides well. My Salsa Warbird rode well as does my carbon fat bike, but the old Schwinn...she just happens to work (without maintenance) where other more expensive and pampered bikes have failed - I leave people to draw their own conclusions from that. My view is that box store bikes can serve you well and needn't end up on the scrap heap (or wherever they end up). I think people often forget that these bikes have been put together in-store by people less than ideally qualified for the task. That isn't the bike's fault, really.
10-01-15, 08:48 AM
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No thanks, I do not find offering inexpensive functional bikes to be negative, especially for children that will soon outgrow them. But then I am not an LBS owner trying to belitle the competion, or the owner of a high priced bike smirking at the alleged great unwashed who don't buy LBS products.
10-01-15, 11:32 AM
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The type of bike matters too. Many of the bikes I see in dept. stores are single-speed cruisers. These models would probably escape the landfill more easily than their fancier brethren, since there's so little that can go mechanically wrong with them. They're heavy and bulky (which might make them a little more awkward to keep in a garage), but that's to be expected from this category of bike, generally speaking. If I absolutely HAD to buy a big box bike, I'd select their best cruiser.
10-01-15, 06:14 PM
#37
Walmart bike rider
Got 13,000 miles on my current Schwinn Sidewinder including some touring miles fully loaded. Haven't had to replace the chains, wheels, or anything gear related. It's ready for a new seat now. What I have had to repair/replace.
Pedals - put on a steel set for $12 from Western Auto to replace the plastic ones
Tires - on my 4th set now, Continential Touring Tires
Brakes - $15 set from Amazon including the new brake pads
Bar ends - preference but did wear out the rubber handlebar grips prior
And obvious maintenance, lube, flats, cable adjustments etc.
Pedals - put on a steel set for $12 from Western Auto to replace the plastic ones
Tires - on my 4th set now, Continential Touring Tires
Brakes - $15 set from Amazon including the new brake pads
Bar ends - preference but did wear out the rubber handlebar grips prior
And obvious maintenance, lube, flats, cable adjustments etc.
10-02-15, 07:49 AM
#38
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And, yes, a 1973 Vega new was hardly worth more a new set of tires.
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10-02-15, 08:44 AM
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Name an industry that doesn't make it cost prohibitive to refurbish old models with new components. It's unlikely that you would strip a 1973 Vega or Pinto down to the chassis and rebuild it with new parts. It might be worth the cost if the car were something special but for the department store equivalent of cars, it's cheaper to just buy a new one.
And, yes, a 1973 Vega new was hardly worth more a new set of tires.
And, yes, a 1973 Vega new was hardly worth more a new set of tires.
My comment was more a refute that the people are 'lazy and stupid' with the argument that the industry has forced our hand to take the action they want over what may be in our own best interest.
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