I find and work on a LOT of bikes through our Bicycles for Humanity effort. Our group gets everything from vintage Italian Masi bicycles to fairly new Canadian Tire and Walmart offerings. Trust me when I say that there is absolutely no comparison when quality is the issue.

New bikes are junk when compared to their ancestors. And I do mean junk. Additionally, those nice shiny pieces of soon to fail mechanically two wheelers will be worth less the minute you drag one out of the department store. That old bike that got your interest going will be worth more. And you can still ride either one.

Just an opinion, but it does saddens me to know that stores today will offer that incredible junk to their customers.