The first bicycle I owned as an adult was a Huffy that a family member had won in a contest 7 years ago. If I rode it for more than a few minutes at a time, it became a painful ride.When the bike was stolen, I was in no hurry at all to replace it. It was years before I found my way back into bicycling and realizing how pleasant it could be.

A shoddily-made bike isn't a stepping stone to a better bike. A shoddily-made bike makes one say, "Gee, riding a bike is an unpleasant thing. The people who actually ride these things for great distances must be masochists!"