Old 05-03-21 | 07:44 AM
  #14  
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wphamilton
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,278
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From: Alpharetta, GA

Bikes: Nashbar Road

If you're talking entry level. Name brand entry level bikes are all good, with not enough differences to mean much. Avoid shock absorbers, that's where they cut corners. Otherwise just go by price. If someone is selling you on the frame, I'd pass on it. The frame is just about irrelevant at the low end price point of name brand bikes.

For budget entry level, not name brand, every single one of them will be cutting corners somewhere, possibly drastically. I wouldn't be sanguine about it until I identified where. One-piece crank is a hard no. Nonstandard bottom brackets are problematic; I'll take just the normal square taper cartridge.

Some will advertise "Shimano" when they really have only the numbered (not named) Shimano rear derailleur and everything else is off-brand. That's asking for trouble.

Tourney is fine. Acera, Altus whatever.

Cheap stock tires, who cares. You replace them later anyway, maybe immediately. The cheaper they go there, the less they marginalized elsewhere.

Boat anchor saddle and saddle post is another who cares. Replace it with something cheap from online if you want.

Heavy cheap wheels are pretty common. I agree with avoiding 7-speed freewheels. Although the wheels can be upgraded eventually when those wear out. It's worthwhile IMO to learn how to true them, and lubricate the bearings, set the cones right etc, which mitigates almost all of the problems with those stock corner cutting wheels. So the poor wheels are almost a positive, when you have that capability.
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