Originally Posted by
canyoneagle
In 1978 I bought an inexpensive Peugeot mixte with stem shifters and the lowest-end european components of the day (steel cottered crank, plastic-heavy simplex derailleurs, weinmann centerpulls, steel rims, etc) because it was all I could afford at the time ($85 at the Px, I believe). I was 12, and to me, that bike was a ticket to freedom. I rode the hell outta that thing. Between then and 1982 I began racing in citizen races, and regularly beat kids on much fancier bikes.
I learned how to maintain the bike, and it was my doorway into the world of bicycling.
I did not put much money into it (upgrades were futile), but because of the doorway it represented, I replaced it with a Raleigh Super Course (sport-touring bike) that I rapidly upgraded for more spirited riding (it had a frame that was worthy of such upgrades).
My point here, is that as long as an inexpensive bike is set up correctly the first time, it could be a perfect entry point into the world of cycling. If the person gets the passion, then they may decide to commit the money towards getting a higher quality machine.
It seems to me that the Denali is very likely such a bike.
I'm very familiar with bottom of the barrel Peugeots from the 70's. My wife bought one at garage sale for $50 because she wanted a road bike to use in her first triathlon but didn't want to spend much money.
It had a plastic simplex derailleur and steel wheels just like your bike. I replaced the wheels with alloy ones and made some other changes. So she ended up racing on 30+ year old bike. It worked just fine. She later got a better bike and I sold the Peugeot for $150.
The bike I had in 1978 was a Huffy Sante Fe. I have no idea what happened to it. In 1988 after being out of college for a year I bought my own Peugeot which I owned for 20 years and sold this spring for $270.
Going back to 1978 again one of my brother's had a low end Fuji. That bike is still in the family and was also raced in a triathlon back in 2006. My other brother had Peugeot of his own back in the 70's. He didn't drive until he was in his 30's so that bike was his main transportation. He now lives on an island in the Pacific and still rides that same Peugeot to work.
So no, you don't need a modern high end racing bike in order to start competing. What I will say though is that even your bottom of the barrel Peugeot was a better bike than my old Huffy. So just in my own family we have examples of 3 old Peugeots and one old Fuji still in service to this day. The Huffy's we had (and there were several) have long since met their demise.
I don't really know where the Denali fits from a quality and longevity standpoint but I'm guessing it's closer to a Huffy than to a low end Peugeot. And I think that's what's missing in today's market. The major brands no longer make something equivalent to a low end Peugeot road bike.