This thread brings to mind an old post of mine that I had to go drag out of the USENET archives.
Code:
From: k...@NEEBU.Net (Jake Khuon)
Newsgroups: alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.misc
Subject: Re: What's wrong w/ K-mart bikes if componentry is the same?
Date: 14 Jan 2001 03:43:07 GMT
Organization: Global Crossing Ltd., Net-Eng/NSM-Arch
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### On Sun, 07 Jan 2001 07:07:10 GMT, r...@ecst.csuchico.edu (Rex Dean Kerr
### III) [RDKI] casually decided to expound upon rec.bicycles.misc the
### following thoughts about Re: What's wrong w/ K-mart bikes if componentry
### is the same?:
RDKI> In article <t5enkg5du50...@corp.supernews.com>,
RDKI> Eliyahu <lro...@hotmail.com> wrote:
RDKI> >Actually, a surprising number of department store bikes are now coming with
RDKI> >such amenities as alloy rims, real brakes, grip shift, alloy frames, and
RDKI> >similar things that we expect on bike shop bikes. I haven't done any road
RDKI> >testing of them, but I will say that as a former LBS owner, I'm impressed by
RDKI> >the improvements over department store bikes of previous years. There are
RDKI> >still a lot of them sold with steel brakes and rims, one-piece cranks and
RDKI> >such, but we are seeing that Huffy, Royce Union, et al, can produce
RDKI> >something better if they want to. Even allowing for the use of low-end
RDKI> >components, I'm not sure how they manage to produce a bike with full
RDKI> >suspension, aluminum frame, alloy rims, stem, bars, cranks and seat post,
RDKI> >Grip Shift, Q/R F hub and seat clamp, and sell it for $129.
RDKI> >Take a minute to look at them the next time you're at KMart or WalMart. It's
RDKI> >an interesting change...
RDKI>
RDKI> I've noticed that the higher end department store bikes are getting
RDKI> closer to the lower end bike store bikes... also, the price per quality
RDKI> point seems to be dropping. Last night I noticed that a Roadmaster similarly
RDKI> speced to a Roadmaster I'd bought years ago on my McDonald's wage (at the time)
RDKI> for $140 was selling for $50... it was a scary death trap that I wouldn't
RDKI> wish on anybody (plastic brake levers pulling cheap side pull brakes on
RDKI> steel rims!), and poorly assembled, but regardless... I was shocked...
RDKI>
RDKI> HOW do they ever make something that looks like a bike, ship it, assemble
RDKI> it, and sell it for $50 and still make profit for each person in the chain?
RDKI> amazing!
My childhood was littered with department store bikes. The BMXes were
simple and took punishment well but I grew out of those rather quickly. My
ten-speed Roadmaster lasted a single year because I started taking it
offroad. My first mountain bike was a Huffy (ca 1986). It had a six-speed
rear and double-ring cranks. Don't ask me what the teething combinations
were. The frame was suprisingly well built and of course VERY heavy. It
didn't have crimped dropouts... I think it had stamped dropouts that were
welded on though. It probably weighed close to 35lbs. It had one of those
bull-moose handlebars and everything was made of hi-ten steel. Components
sucked... one peice cranks sucked but at least they were all metal... even
brake levers were metal. Well.. the friction thumbshifters were plastic.
That bike always required constant adjustment and maintenance because things
would just go out of adjustment. The brakes were scary caliper sidepulls
and weren't very powerful. This taught me to plan my line and my speeds
very carefully. The rims were steel and the drivetrain.. well... let's just
say that shifting was less than precise and oftentimes developed a mind of
its own. However, I did take it on some serious trails and as a result did
learn a lot about what I wanted in a good bicycle. I also ended up doing a
lot of repair work on the thing (rebuilt the drivetrain twice) and learned a
lot about repairing things on the trails.
Despite all I've said about the benefits of my experiences, I don't wish it
upon anyone else. I'm stubborn so I stuck with the sport. I don't honestly
think everyone should suffer for what they love. It wasn't until I could
scrounge up enough money to buy a good bike (okay, it was a 1988 Specialized
HardRock... still quite a step up from the Huffy) at the age of 16 after
getting a job that I began to appreciate (maybe a wrong term here) the more
expensive side of cycling. |8^) My current bike is way more capable than I
am. This only compells me more to better myself and take advantage of what
it has to offer. Maybe I don't deserve such a nice bike because I'm an
average rider but I guess that's really up to me to judge. The point is
that I'm happy with my cycling experience and that's what counts.
I believe you can buy some dept. store brand bikes that can be ridden
without safety compromises. Performance may pale when compared to a quality
bike but if one is unsure of whether or not they'll like the sport, it can
be a safe bet economically speaking. That said, those who truly have their
heart on getting into the sport should probably head to their LBS and pick
up something that won't detract them from their riding experience. A lot of
it depends on the personality and how they approach cycling. I personally
would have loved to have skipped over the dept. store bike phase as a child
and if I were to try and seduce someone into cycling today, I would
certainly head for a reputable brand too.
Bottom line - If the bike is going to be viewed as a toy... get a toy from
*Mart... However, if there is even an ounce of real interest in cycling,
don't cheat yourself or someone else by buying something that will shift
your time away from the pleasures of riding towards the headaches of dealing
with constant repairs and substandard parts.
--
/*====================[ Jake Khuon <k...@GBLX.Net> ]======================+
| Senior Manager and Chief Architect, Net-Eng/NSM /~_ |_ () |3 /-\ |_ |
| VOX: +1 (408) 543-4828 Fax: +1 (408) 543-0074 \_| C R O S S I N G |
+===============[ 960 Hamlin Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 ]===============*/
The thing is, you ride what you can. For some people, especially kids, that means they ride what mommy and daddy bought from X-Mart. This is unfortunately the parents' fault for not being educated enough to go to a LBS. And as has been mentioned, a LBS bike does not have to be expensive.
The other thing is the economics of it all... A friend of mine thought he picked up a steal when he bought one of those flooded-to-department-store Mongoose bikes at Wal-Mart. I think he said he paid about $150 for it or something. He hasn't been able to ride it more than half a block without the chain falling off. He would then reattach the chain by hand, ride a little more and have the chain fall off again. He has taken it back to Wal-Mart and they attempted to "adjust things" but he still says the chain keeps dropping. I haven't actually seen or messed with his bike since he's all the way on the other side of the country. I imagine it could be something as simple as too long a chain. I told him to take it to a decent LBS and have it looked at. After visiting an LBS and seeing what a quality bike really is as well as factouring in the cost in the long run to keep his Mongoose in good repair, he decided to not have them do anything to his Mongoose and picked up an entry level Giant.
Purchasing a bike from Wal-Mart is like eating fastfood. The purchase is fast, the eating is fast, the onset of indigestion is fast and for one's dignity the time it takes to reach the toilet better be fast too.