Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
Photo of $99 fixed gear/single speed freewheel bike with flashy/gaudy color scheme currently sold at Walmart. Has 622 x 40mm tires so should provide a reasonably comfy ride while providing the alleged benefits of a super cheap fixed gear/freewheel single speed bike for commuting. One local college age man rides one of these every day to the gym; he seems pleased with it. He probably doesn't read BF so is uninformed about the "horrors" of ownership of such a bike.
Should I be shunned since I keep an eye out for sales on those? If I see one new for 60 and still boxed not built I'm gonna be on it like white on rice.
And hypothetical question for Acid:
If I were to want to valuate my commuter for the purposes of working out one of these ratios what would you think would be a good starting point considering:
1:Frameset/fork/headset/seatpost and binder were freebies
2: Wheelset/tires/tubes/chain/cranks/chain/stem/bars/levers etc etc etc came from parts pile
3: I think I bought it a bar mounted bottle cage for about 6 bucks.. this is the only purchase I can remember making for this bike.
I think you can see my problem here as I don't feel $6 is necessarily a good valuation but that's where it stands in my mind.