Originally Posted by alanbikehouston
Anyone who spends a couple of hours riding with a boy who is nine or ten years old quickly sees that they approach bike riding differently than adults. They are going to push a bike to its designed limits, and then beyond those limits.
Knowing that, last year I gave my nephew a Giant BMX bike. The frame, wheels and components were designed knowing the bike would be heavily abused. Massively over-built frame, rims, hubs, handlebars, cranks. If I loaned the bike to a guy who weighed two hundred pounds, took him to a local park and said, "do anything you want"...the bike would survive unharmed.
And, a simple, tough bike bike requires zero upkeep. The hubs are securely bolted to massive dropouts. No quick releases. Just one speed. No front suspension. No rear suspension. Just put air in the tires and go.
Wal-Mart continues to sell kids bikes with 14 speeds, 21 speeds, front suspension, rear suspension, quick releases. All made "just" good enough to meet U.S. government standards IF the bike is expertly assembled and adjusted and IF the rider simply cruises on smooth pavement at moderate speeds.
The stockroom boy does not have a clue how to assemble these bikes. Neither do most dads or moms. Close a quick release correctly? Half the quick releases I see on adult bikes have been closed incorrectly. Expecting that a nine year old will follow the precise tightening procedure, AND have the muscles to close a quick release tightly is a fantasy.
Who is to blame? The parents. I don't give kids guns or knives to play with. Too dangerous. I won't give a kid a 21 speed dual-suspension bike from Wal-Mart either. Too dangerous.
Wal-Mart's slave labor factories in communist China could turn out high quality single speed BMX style bikes that are safe and reliable for a retail price under $100 (given their dual suspension 21 speed bikes sell for $59 and $79). A single speed bike with a coaster brake is so simple to assemble that a monkey, or a Wal-Mart employee could do it correctly. And, if a customer said to a Wal-Mart clerk "My kid wants a dual suspension bike", the employee could be instructed to say "We are a toy store...we don't sell real bikes...if you want a real bike, you need to go to a real bike store."
When will Wal-Mart begin to act in a responsible way? When their survival depends upon it. If Americans stay away from Wal-Mart by the millions, the company will be forced to re-examine how they do business. But, as long as most Americans are happy to buy cheap commie-made crap, then crap is what Americans will get.