Originally Posted by
UniChris
Right kind of idea and probably something more middle-class consumers should consider.
But better still if it was out there in volume, used simpler brakes, $300 or under, and available for cash to the unbanked to who need to ride something home from the store that day so that they can get to work in the morning if not later that night.
It's about getting the clueless consumers and the critical economic transport need purchases away from the unfortunate BSO's and towards a slightly simpler version of that, which would need to be made comparable available. The difference between $200 and $300 is bad enough, the difference between there and $500 plus needing a credit card, stable address, and ability to wait is huge.
All very true. When my son was little, I managed to find some good deals for him from small local bike shops, but the market may have changed since then as that was over 10 years ago. For example, When my son was looking for his first adult sized bike at the age of 9 or 10, I knew it would not be a long term purchase as it was very likely he would grow out of whatever small frame size he was at, and indeed he did. So rather than buy an bike for $350 or $400, which is what a basic new quality bike would cost, I started asking around if any shops, or even mechanics was up to the challenge of building a basic bike with a small frame for under $200. And a local shop owner had a pile of frames in the back some with components attached, some without. And we came up with a plan for an older Trek that looked ok, but needed some work. He said he could do it, clean up the bike, guarantee it was mechanically sound, replace worn or broken components with either new ones or at least functional ones. And because it was going to a kid, it had to look nice. And they did. For less than $200. He outgrew the bike after about 2 years and I sold it for just a little less than what I paid for it, which went towards his next bike.