Originally Posted by
sillygolem
I just sat down and read the entire thread. I noticed one very important detail was missing:
ALL department store bikes are made by Pacific Cycles.
It doesn't matter if it's a Huffy, Mongoose, Schwinn, GT, or whatever, it's the same company and the same bikes. If you see two identical bikes with different names and one is cheaper, buy that one. There is no quality difference.
Aside from Pacific being acquired by Dorel I guess that most of us are on the fence as opposed to quality. I have no problem buying a bike from a big box retailer. However, the way I approach it is as if I am buying a flawed piece of work. In that regard I don't set myself up for disappointment. Pacific is just one big umbrella corporation. Pacific may have a large market share but quality bike's will never disappear.