Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
Thing is, I do not have the floor space to be all things to all people. I have defined my niche, and competing with the big box stores at their end of the market simply does not fit.
Most people who buy low end bikes are not as capable or knowledgeable as yourself on their maintenance, and if I sold high volumes of them, my service department would be kept busy doing nothing but free tweaks and adjustments.
I do not consider myself an elitist snob or anything like that. If someone feels the cheapest bike on my floor is too expensive, I will politely direct them to where they can buy bikes that are within their budget.
Most people who venture in to a bike shop are hoping to find something better than Wal Mart's offerings. I can't hope to compete with them on price no matter how many I sell, so I have to offer something different.
Dan Burkhart
www.boomerbicycle.ca
I don't either.
However, I've owned plenty of crappy bikes and know that they are a horrible suggestion for anyone starting out in cycling. Primarily because they will not work well consistently under regular use and it becomes very frustrating to constantly return a bike to a bunch of idiots who don't know what to do with it or worse a real bike shop who's employees will scoff at the crappy components and berate the owner for buying it in the first place.
Can a cheap department store bike be a suitable commuter bike? Yes, apparently it can...if you know your way around a bike and aren't afraid to work through the problems it will present you with.
Personally, I think it's better to spend a little more and get a quality bike.
Flame away knaves.
