Originally Posted by Mild Al
I'm new to cycling--I just started this summer--and I'm currently riding a low-end Roadmaster bike, handed down from my dad. I'm perfectly willing to spend money (once I get some) on a fancier bike, but I've resolved not to spend money unless I understand why I'm spending it.
Well, there's features and there's quality. Those are two entirely different things.
Within a pretty narrow range, all bicycles have the same features.
Quality, as it pertains to bicycles, generally comes down to better materials, smoothless of operation, reliability, and ease of repair. Low quality bikes tend to have a lot of machining burrs and such so that, when you try to adjust them, the parts don't move initially and then overshoot the sweet spot that you're looking for. Not just every component, but every screw and nut on every component of a $800.00 Trek will be of better quality than the equivlent part on your Roadmaster.
Is the difference worth the difference in price? That's up to you to decide but it definitely is to me.