Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
Basically anyone in the UK or the US who was not a self styled "cycling enthusiast", or a bicycle snob, would view someone else's single speed bicycle that cost £300 or $500 as overpriced and definitely never describe any inexpensive bicycle as a “bicycle shaped object” or any other derisive term.
I’ll explain it...again. I don’t look down on the people who
ride a $100 dual suspension that they have purchased from HelMart. I look down on the
bicycles because they should be looked down upon. They can’t be fixed without spending more money on them was original paid for them. The bearings, axles and bottom brackets are made of unharden steel. The metal can handly be called “steel”. It’s more slag in many cases then actual iron alloy. Bike shops don’t work on them because they would have to charge more to fix all the issues than each bike is worth and, in many cases, more than 2 BSOs are worth. For example, a common problem I’ve seen are bottom brackets that are completely ground to dust. To replace one would cost $15 to $30 with a half hour of work at $70/hr. If it costs $50 to $75 to replace a part in a bike that costs only $100, you are throwing good money after bad.
If people would save just a little bit more, they could get a much better bike for a bit more money. A $250 bike from a bike shop isn’t the greatest bike ever made but it does at least have hardened bearings, real axles and far less problems than the ones you get from HelMart. Even a $100 30 to 40 year old bike off Craiglist would be a better value.
No one is going to say that a $500 single speed is a “cheap bike”. I’m not saying it is overpriced either. It’s about middle to the upper end of the single speed scale. There’s not much that goes into a single speed so a very good one can be had for far less than a very good derailer equiped bike. A $1500 single speed would be “overpriced” as there’s not all that much you can do to a single speed to make it that expensive.
Originally Posted by
fietsbob
a $119 full suspension brand new MTB from the sporting good section of a big box store,, what 3 letters would you use to shorthand it over the net?
Exactly. It’s a fool’s bargain. It costs too little to have any quality and it not worth enough to fix it. It’s very much like buy cheap tools, the most expensive tool you have to buy is the one you have to buy twice.