Originally Posted by
fredgarvin7
About 3 years ago I was in Target and saw a TriAx road bike clearanced to $70. ...
So I took it up to my LBS, and found a had to pay the sum of $23 to get it back right! After a year of riding the Specialized, I find the TriAx to be comfortable, fast, fun to ride and it's still pretty. I plan to put several thousand more miles on it. Boy did I get taken!
You have the ability to put the repair price in a different perspective than most TriAx owners:
You: "It
only cost $23 to fix it and now I can ride my bike again"
Them: "$23 just to fix the rear wheel? That's a third of what I paid for the whole bike brand new!"
Which is why big-box-bikes are typically seen as disposable items as opposed to more expensive LBS bikes, where the same $23 repair would be a lower percentage of the initial purchase price. 5000 miles is a good lifespan before needing a repair, so I'd say you got your money's worth from it.