I agree with most of your comments. However, the issue is most people here don't have a real clue just how far down the price points you must go before hitting what can be considered "junk". They're thinking of a high number pricewise but they are wrong. It is easy to see that a $69 big box store bike will probably be a disappointment. That's a "no brainer" of course. But as Thor even admitted himself, bike quality has improved over previous years, but I guess it hasn't improved enough according to him for the $200 bike, or anything that sells for under the price of a Boardwalk S1 for that matter.

This is where we differ philosophically because now a days, there are a considerable number of good bikes in the $200 to $300 corridor. And yes, the Boardwalk is one of them, but NOT the only one! Schwinn, Citizenbike, and SRS among others have introduced more than just a "modicum of quality" into these price ranges. I will go as far as saying there are some honorable mentions in the sub $200 category such as the bike I ride which is built to survive a nuclear holocaust, albeit at the cost of performance. It's slow, but hey, it will be rideable even when I reach retirement age.

For most people these budget bikes will work well, and when a percentage of them get "folderitis", and it will happen, then that's when they'll be ordering that D7, or the P8, or even a Mu SL.

Edward Wong III
Qile Duo 5 Speed 20" Folder