Originally Posted by
EnjoyinTheRide
Then I wouldnt waste good money at a LBS.....A poster above is right. If you read down the forum list of threads you will see many topics on the same thing with the same results..If your a hardcore you love the lbs....Normal human being your walmart bike will be just fine....Again, they both break down..
If it warrants, pay your 100 bucks, enjoy it, take care of it, it will last long enough. Im on 3 years 400 miles no serious breakdowns.......Other than weather lol
If your an extreme hardcore I hope you have 10k lol
You do realized that 400 miles in 3 years is extremely low mileage don't you? Most people...even some who are riding Helmart bikes...put in 10 to 20 times that mileage in 3 years. Some are going to do 400 miles in a week. Even a Helmart bike should be able to go for 400 miles without any problems. The problems start to arise when they have gone 4000 miles.
And you don't have to spend $10,000 to get a really good bike at your local LBS. A Jamis Ventura Sport is a very good road bike for about $650. A Jamis Trail X Sport is a pretty good off-road bike for $550. Both of these bikes are at least as good as the bikes I've ridden for many, many miles over the years.
Of course you can get better ones for a more money but even then you don't have to spend $10,000 to get a really, really nice bike. If you want a dually mountain bike, a Specialized FSR or Epic can be had for around $3000 and would probably fit the needs of just about anyone who isn't doing competitions. If you are willing to use a hardtail, you can get a HardRock for around $500. A Specialized Diverge start at around $900 for a very capable road bike. They aren't going to have the latest nor highest end equipment on them but they will last a lot longer and be more fun to ride than anything you can buy at Helmart.
Other manufacturers make similar bikes with similar prices.
These bikes will still be running long after the Helmart bikes have been sent to recycling.