I-Like-To-Bike

I suspect that more than a few of the negative knee-jerk reaction respondents have either a financial or emotional tie (through purchase or bike club affinity) with LBSs; or are emotional wrapped up in their own type, brand and/or use of their own bicycle to recognize the value of lower priced bicycles for the other users who don't match their own profile..

I-Like-To-Bike

To be expected since the vast majority of bikes sold and owned in the U.S. have been big box/department store bikes for decades.

Stucky

That, and plus ya don't think Reggie The Racer is going to bring his $13K S-Works into a co-op.... I mean, it'd be like bring ones Lamborghini to a high-school shop class for repair!

downtube42

Not only that, people who buy high-end bikes don't bring them to the co-op. The bikes we see are very skewed to older and/or cheaper than average; that's where the vast majority of my bike wrenching experience lies.

Some co-ops around the country actually charge a fee to take these bikes, because they don't sell and the cost of tire disposal can exceed the scrap value of the bike. We don't have to pay for tire disposal, so when one ends up going to scrap, it burns up some volunteer labor but doesn't cost money.

bikemig 

Over 50 pages on this BF forum gmc denali review even if the last post was 2007: https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...i-bicycle.html

I'm thinking this thread has the potential to eat up a lot more space than just 2 measly pages.

By the way, I bought my 1988 specialized stumpjumper comp with a full double butted chrome moly frame and shimano deore xt parts for the price of a gmc denali. I've never felt the need to justify the price I paid for it, .

auldgeunquers

I usually spend $10 - GREAT local charity shop!!! - then decide if it's a parts bike or a fixer. One of my favourite bikes was a curb find - but I did sink about $125 into that one straight away - including the $10 for a parts bike from the charity shop with straight wheels and non-delrin deraileurs, plus tires, tubes, pedals, clips, chain, saddle, bars, brake levers, racks, fenders, pedals again ... so even at $125 ish that free bike is still a bargain - but, of course, I'm not done with it yet ...

auldgeunquers

Now THAT sounds like fun - if'n anybody buys me a lottery ticket and I win ...

marimorimo

Until a couple of months ago, the idea of a bike costing over $200 was blasphemy to me so I understand where you're coming from. Some of the most fun I had riding were on my first bike at 13 that I bought new for $20 (converted from Philippine pesos), single-speed and heavy. It also had the most comfortable seat out of the other 3 bikes I have owned over the years at different price points. That bike was enough for my needs-learn how to ride a bicycle and ride around the block for fun. I was too nervous to put out too much speed so the lack of gears was not a problem at all.

So late last year when I thought to buy another bike, I was looking to re-create that experience and was looking at the $150 bikes but my hubby steered me to buy a brand-name hybrid. I felt it was too much money but hubby was adamant about NOT buying a sub-$200 bike so I relented. It didn't help that the $600+ bicycles DID look outwardly better than the department-store bikes (something about the paint and finish, hidden cables, etc). Frankly, even after buying a $700 bike I wasn't sure if I would regret spending that much money (do I really need that much bike? I didn't even understand what gears were for-do I need 9??)

Buying a nice bike did have an unexpected problem, though: I could not bring myself to use it for buying groceries or going to any store for the fear of it being stolen. So I ended up buying a sub-$200 dutch bike complete with 6 gears, basket, kickstand, rear rack, and dynamo light! These kinds of bikes are ubiquitous where I live. And I wouldn't be as devastated if it did get stolen.

Yes, my $700 hybrid did feel and look like it was higher quality than my $200 bike. The cheaper bike was heavier and looked like it had a lot of rough edges in the finish. However, both bikes took me from Point A to Point B. The cheaper bike is arguably more utilitarian-my hybrid is relegated to weekend riding only. I do love my more expensive hybrid, but I am under no illusion that any real gains in performance would be from upgrading the engine (me) rather than from more expensive bike parts. I know someone who cycled 24 km every day on an el cheapo very ill-fitting bike and he could certainly blast past me any time.

On the other end of the spectrum, it's also about needing to "fit in." I wouldn't feel comfortable cycling on the dutch bike at the bicycle path full of roadies, even though I don't care that I get blasted past on 98% of the time on my hybrid. I have fallen in love with my gears though, and I welcome having more of them! (But gears cost money!)

Leebo

If you like it and it works, great. Ever weigh it?

wphamilton

Do you mean me, as in "OP"? Sure, my main ride is better, even though I built it up from an inexpensive frame but I appreciate the differences. But the old Denali also works for me, and I still like it

It's not like I only ride casually. About 5000-7000 miles per year, every day commute, maybe 20,000 of them on the Denali but the last couple of years 90% of the time on my other bike. I took the Denali today in fact, for our Georgia "snow event" which has the entire area practically shut down just in anticipation. (they don't want to repeat last year's embarrassment). But the Denali is a better choice for it.

My commutes average 18 mph on elapsed time door to door, often faster, 10.5 miles each way when the Denali was my default, so I don't agree with your consideration of intended use.

wphamilton

About 30 pounds bare, quite a bit more with all the extra stuff I have on it. We don't get "light" along with cheap and durable.

To be honest, it probably doesn't weigh that much now if I strip it down to just bike. I have made some modifications over the years. I'd guess, 27 or 28 pounds.

Stucky

I like my "nice bikes" for the aesthetics- the look and feel; and because once they're set-up, you don't have to touch them- i.e. you don't need to keep fiddling with derailer adjustments, etc.

As far as the actual ride though? I see little difference between the BSO I fished out of the garbage years ago; my former $300 Bikesdirect bike, and my current "nice bikes".

It's like this: When I was a kid, my cousin came over one day with a GOOD guitar. It felt nice, and was easier to finger than my cheapo used guitar....but when I played it, I couldn't play any better than I could play my guitar [I can't play worth a darn!]. Then, I saw a guy one time, who had a guitar which was little more than a toy- not even as good as my cheap used guitar- but he was making that thing sound good! -because he could really play. Yeah, you could hear the imperfections; and the tone wasn't sweet- but the thing is, he could make that thing sound better than I could ever make the best guitar sound.

Same with bikes. You can take off the rough edges- usually at great cost- but it's more about how you ride 'em. The extra aesthetics we get with our "nice bikes" are indeed nice....but it really is hard to justify their cost, when we could have a similar experience on pretty much any bike.

If I had the opportunity to return to having the energy and enthusiasm I had when I was 10, I'd gladly go back to riding the $59 20"-tire banana-seat Ross I rode then!

howeeee

I got quite a few bikes from the garbage, the last one here I pulled from a dumpster(-:

Robert C

It is just a matter of perspective. The bikes that get used for transportation, in China, make the cheap Department store bikes we see here look "high-end."

OldsCOOL

I wouldnt have any bikes at all.

elmore leonard

Let see some pics.

Dahon.Steve

What I want to see is someone who buys a $139.00 dollar bike, makes no upgrades at all for the first year. I want to see this person ride that bike with same tires, brake pads, saddle and all. Then we'll have a more realistic perspective on true value of a department store bike.

Stucky

I've looked at bikes in Walmart. It seems most of 'em are not even fully functional before they've even been ridden the first time.

But, man! That'd be a great idea for a "reality" TV-show! Give a group of people [and NOT the mental patients and homeless, who seem to prefer these bikes] Walmart bikes, with the stipulation that they can not make any modifications to them, and must keep all the original parts on 'em....and the person who is still riding his after a year, wins!

simplybao

I say ride what you like and don't justify anything with anyone. If you like it, that's all that matters. I'm in the camp that says more is better, but that's just me. More everything, just because.....well, just because . You see, there's beauty in that because you don't need a reason. No need to justify it. If you're happy covering thousands of miles on your $139 bike, more power to you! I'm not sure I'd enjoy it, but if you do then FANTASTIC! Just enjoy the ride. And since we're all supposed to be bike lovers on this forum, people should view it as great that you're riding a bike. There are health benefits to riding and you're getting those.

I have friends that I ride with all the time. Some ride nice expensive ones and some ride cheap ones. We all ride together and no one cares. Some of the guys that ride the cheap ones ride faster than me, so? I don't care. They can leave me behind. I'll catch up eventually and then we'll chat, have coffee and a beer together and laugh and joke. But we all get there. It's about the ride not the destination for me. That I ride something that I like is just gravy.....so you go and rock your $139 bike

wphamilton

I don't think I changed anything the first year. Maybe replaced a worn freewheel, chain, that's it.

mobilemail

Once in a while I see a bike in a big box store that appears like it might be worth riding. They usually aren't options for me anyway, since they are always sized for "average" folk and I am on the small side. Unfortunately the big box stores don't sell fit. But what usually gets me is when friends bring a bike over for a tune-up (you know how it goes), and you see the lesser quality parts show up from pretty minimal use...wheels with poor tension and out of true, gears that can be barely coaxed into reliable shifting, brakes that wouldn't stop in a city block (partly due to those steel rims painted to look like alloy).

For my dollar I would rather find one of those bikes that somebody paid $300 or so for back in the '80s, then parked in the garage. They may not have as many gears as a modern bike, and the shifters may be in some "weird place", but a good overhaul literally makes the bike like new, and they maintain that quality. That is where a co-op shop in a town really shines. Price? I've pretty much never paid more than $150 for one, usually a bit less.

gpsblake

I ride nothing but department store bikes, usually over 3,000 miles a year. What you are asking is for someone to do zero maintenance on the bike, which is unrealistic for any bike, including a $10,000 LBS bike. All bicycles require maintenance. Tires do wear out, brake pads do wear out, etc etc... I will tell you what I do on my Walmart bikes.

The one thing I immediately do is replace the plastic pedals with $10 Western Auto steel pedals which are indestructible and add a rack. Sometimes initial adjustments to the gears and brakes are needed and then after a couple 100 miles of riding, will require readjusting again. This is the case for any bike in the world, from a Walmart bike to a $10,000 bike.

I usually get a year out of my tires before I replace them. Maybe two years out of a pair of brake pads. My current Sidewinder which has over 10,000 miles now, I did end up replacing the braking system with a $30 set from amazon. Still using the same chain and the same seat. Same gear cables, same wheels.

So basically my expense in the first year is $150 for the bike, $10 for new pedals, and a little bit of time of adjustments.

A heck of a deal.