Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
The issue for me was to buy the right "Huffy-type" bike from the right big box store. I bought my Ragazzi from Real, a German big box store for 268DM (approx. $135 in 2000 or 2001). Real is a store chain like K-mart formerly known as Massa. I've been using it for the last 7 years of all year, all weather commuting in Iowa and have put approx. 35,000 miles on it and am quite satisfied. The only significant adjustment. I made are adding additional lights, and changing out the saddle. The bike came with full fenders, lights, rear rack, Sachs 7 speed IGH with coaster rear and front handbrakes.
In the early 70's I rode the heck out of a Sears 3 speed bike commuting in Philadelphia. I bought it through the catalog for $50. Eventually I got rid of it and bought for $82 a Raleigh Sports 3 speed.
The "issue" for some bicycling purists and others who gnash their teeth about "Huffy-type" bikes (or any other bike without an LBS provenance) is that these bikes are "never" used by the right kind of people for the right kind of bicycling.
I completely respect buying and riding a department store bike and for some folks, it might be all they need. This is not a class issue. I wear cheap clothing. Even when I owned a car, I never spent nearly as much for one as I did on my bikes; I think the most I spent was $1,000. A friend called the last car I drove the "Mad Max". We have a relatively inexpensive TV. We have the cheapest furniture you've ever seen (we have cats, why invest in decent stuff they'll tear apart?). Our wedding bands are titanium. There are many things we (wife and me) don't prioritize or value that we cheap out about.
What I don't understand is why, if you're going to spend a lot of time on the bike and it's important to you, wouldn't you want a bike that makes riding more pleasant, with less maintenance and fewer safety issues? I carry my bike in and out of the house, up and down stairs, every day - I don't want to carry 50 pounds. If you can't afford it, OK, that's a valid reason...but even nice bikes are relatively low cost and I have to think there are other priorities that can be juggled to come up with the extra $700. Extra $100, or less, if you buy used. You can get a LOT of used bike for a low number of dollars!
I'm not rich - not by a long shot - but by buying used, the occasional flip and not paying for gas or auto insurance, I have some nice bikes that I like and can, mostly anyway, sell for what I paid or more. I guess my issue is that there is another option than expensive new bike and cheap department store bike - the cheap, GOOD, used bike! For someone new to it, who doesn't know how to do repairs and maintenance, I understand why used isn't an option - but for us, I just don't understand the department store bike. If you watch CL for a month in a decent area, you can ride a very nice used bike for under $200, AND you can get the cash back when you sell it.
Honestly, I don't even really see a difference in terms of having to fix up/overhaul a used bike - you're going to have to do that with most department store bikes too.
My Huffy, which I spent less putting together than most BD bikes (counting rack, Brooks, bling cages and Panaracer Ribmos).
