smd4

The sentence is more accurate if you replace “inexpensive” with “cheap.”

Moe Zhoost

Well, well, my thread has progressed in a way that has not disappointed. My simple quality control example has morphed, through inventive assumptions, into a treatise on the economics of manufacturing, labor practices, and of parenting. Nice!

So I didn't include much of the back story on this in my original post because it wasn't really relevant to the QC issue, which was simply that someone could have simply rejected a faulty part during manufacture. I reckon that subsequent QC checks should have caught this issue, as well as the final checks should have at the shop where it was originally sold. I don't know the entire history of the subject bike, only that it came into our local co-op as a donation from a parent who had purchased a bigger bike for his growing kid. The chain drop issue was described as a frustration when the bike was dropped off. The bike in fact was a quality brand (Cannondale) so it's a wonder why this issue was never caught nor corrected. Nevertheless, it is now fixed and the bike will go to a kid who will have many happy hours riding it.

Our co-op has a program that provides bikes to underprivileged pre-teen kids, both through the local schools as well as for various Community groups. All of the bikes are donations of various qualities and condition. I've personally reconditioned dozens of these over this past year and can say that most of the inexpensive Wal-Mart type bikes can be quite nice with a bit of attention. Certainly nice enough to give a kid a few years of good service. The shortcomings of the cheap bikes are mostly related to the v-brakes and cabling, which need a lot of re-working to be reasonably functional. Grip shifters for multi-speed bikes are iffy as well. Simple bikes with coaster brakes are preferred for these reasons.


Fixed it for you

I kinda think that there are many more factors beside unit output that affect bottom line profit.

Really? Can you provide a citation for your source of this enlightening info?

Nice bikes, but sometimes have some quality problems despite their cost and reputation as shown by my example.

jon c. 

You're assuming facts not in evidence. We don't know that anyone is charged with rejecting faulty parts during manufacture or assembly or that subsequent quality control checks exist or are desired.

Your inventive assumption is that anyone other than the end user is in any way concerned with defective parts. What you suggest could have happened would only have happened if that were a component of the established processes of the manufacturer or vendor. Subsequent QC checks "should" have caught this issues in the world as you wish it to be but the economics of manufacturing at play here do not provide for such a world. The QC issue is that QC comes at a cost and no one wants to absorb that cost.

JoeTBM 

This is true and we also do not know the tolerances allowed for a part to be considered defective. I have changed a number of handlebar stems because they are not [welded] straight, very noticeable on an assembled bike but not so noticeable when it was in the box.

Schweinhund

Quality control is not what it could be. I've seen a EZBuild huffy come out of the box with a fork leg welded on 180° backwards. Seen completely missed welds. seen tacoed wheels come out of an undamaged box.
I've seen some bad stuff on bike shop bikes too but nothing like the big box bikes.

Moe Zhoost

Be careful that your motivation to troll an argument does not inhibit your ability to think critically.

smd4

How is what jon c. wrote in any way “trolling?” Do you even know the meaning of the word? What he wrote sounds perfectly logical.

soyabean

Agreed.

The OP fails to realize that big box store bikes just look like bikes. Like those fake Rolex watches.

GhostRider62

I spent about 40 professional years in quality, what he wrote is pretty darned good for an amateur. What you wrote makes no sense.

Kai Winters

One must assume the QC person is knowledgeable. Likely it is someone who was assigned the task by a manager and also likely knows nothing about how a bicycle is assembled.
We, the shop where I work, get a share of bikes bought at local big box stores that have been assembled incorrectly...usually loose parts, out of true wheels and now/then the fork is backwards...that always gets a hoot of laughter. I've also seen and dealt with pedals incorrectly installed, stripping the teeth and making the pedals/crank damaged beyond repair...not going to spend a couple of hours trying to repair a $25 dollar one piece crankset.
But it is hard to deny the attraction of buying a 20" kids bike at the local wally world for $78...I was at ww a couple of days ago and walking past the display noticed the bike and price tag...a great price for a bike that is likely to get trashed, left out in the weather 24/7, etc.
I generally don't have a problem with big box bikes as they generate a lot of service work for the average small shop and can be the gateway bike, hehehe, for something better when we show them the differences between bb and shop bikes especially when they take them for a ride...sometimes we get a 'rider' out of the experience.

soyabean

Agreed.

It's like we need BB bikes to be crap with defects on purpose, so newbies level up to an entry-level performance brand and keep it well oiled by their LBS.

The OP fails to understand that entry-level performance branded bikes already cost as low as they really can simply because thats how much it costs to build a bike. Having a factory of labor slaves make bikes, it's actually impressive they can get them to look like bikes and even partially work. Funny, QC

Chuck M 

Spent the day looking for a bike for my 7 year old grandson. I have no problem with poor assembly from the store as I will give whatever I get him a good going over. But everything in his size with coaster brakes had a problem with the wheel not turning freely after applying the brakes.

JoeTBM 

Chain too tight or coast hub cones too tight, no grease in hub. Sorry to say but typical for the last few years.

wheelreason

Yeah, and unicorns, next you'll want grease on the bearings, and training wheels that last longer than a week... LMAO.

Koyote

The owner of our little LBS asked me to come down a few weeks ago and help out with this sort of project. She had accepted 7 or 8 such bikes from the local WalMart. Most were returns, some were brand new but not put on the sales floor -- they were defective right out-of-the-box, missing parts, etc. She volunteered to try to fix them for a local non-profit that would give them to disadvantaged kids. My friend and I got about six of them into ride-able condition; most needed some labor, a few needed some cheap new parts. I think five of those bikes might even hold up reasonably well under light use. But, yeah, some of the defects were pretty amazing -- they fell into the "Whoa, I've never seen that before!" category.

Darth Lefty 

Right now I’m having QC headaches on a kid bike that cost like 800 bucks. The front brake won’t come into tune and either the frame alignment or rear wheel dish is messed up

JoeTBM 

It is amazing the problems you see, thanks for helping out.

SoSmellyAir

Cannondale Quick 20 Kids' Bike | REI Co-op

hokiefyd 

I bought a bike from Walmart for an angel tree gift last year. I found it on the website, a red something or other. Very eye-catching. It came, I unboxed it, and there were two major problems...one of which was easily fixed. The integral steel derailer hanger was bent severely and the chainring was so out of true that it'd tend to shift itself as you pedaled. Rather than try to mess with it, I wheeled it to the store and returned it, showing them the obvious defects (they didn't care). Guess where I saw that bike next? That's right -- on the sales rack the next week. You could pick it out for three reasons: 1) it was a distinctive bike that they didn't carry in the store, 2) it had a very apparent bent derailer hanger, and 3) it had a very apparent out-of-true chainring.

So I learned lesson #1 on that.

I replaced it with a much nicer Schwinn from the rack that I could inspect first. This is one of the newer generation Schwinns that actually has a tapered head tube (but adapted to straight fork). This bike was much nicer. I bought a 50States water bottle/bracket kit and installed that for the kid and hauled it over to the school to the angel tree collector. Guess where I saw that bike next? That's right -- on the sales rack the next week, complete with the 50States water bottle and bracket and correctly-aligned controls and cables (after I corrected all of it).

So I learned lesson #2 on that.

That was an educational year.

soyabean

I believe that the Angel Tree organization may have returned it back to the Walmart for a cash or store credit refund, then used to get multiple smaller gifts for many kids. Charities have all sorts of "Fight Club" insider connections so they can squeeze from what they receive.

Or maybe just a staff member did the above and pocketed it for themselves. They probably felt they needed it more than the kids.

Either way you helped someone out.

oldbobcat

So what were you expecting?

I salute the work your co-op does to make these bikes serviceable. But understand that time is money in a pro bike shop, and so is product liability. We all have our reasons for choosing what we'll work on and it's not reasonable to expect to change a lot of minds on a bulletin board.

Chuck M 

Were the bike staying at my house, I would have gone with something better quality. But as fast as he grows in addition to the chance it will get stolen at his mom's house, the Huffy from Academy Sports will have to do.

Day two of bike shopping took me to Wally World as my wife thought the Academy bikes were too grown up looking for an 11 year old girl. It was difficult to find a bike there between the obvious returns and the ones with bent fenders, torn seats and deep to the metal scratches.

I hope it was one of the scenarios you describe. Unfortunately little Johnny's or little Mary's parents will sometimes return the gifts for cash.

hokiefyd 

I do think a lot of things are possible. This wasn't an actual Angel Tree organization thing...I didn't know there was such an outfit. I was using lower case generic angel tree just to make reference to the concept of hang tags on a tree...this was an FFA sponsored thing at my kid's high school where they adopted a family and the kids/family asked for specific things and those tags went on the tree. Nobody claimed the bike, so I took it.

I presumed the adopted family returned it for cash after Christmas, but I of course can't be sure. If they did, I hope it went to something practical (like clothes or something).

Soody

This isn't a defect, it's an eccentric washer.

JoeTBM 

Yes I have seen this happen at our local Walmart a few times. We are actually positive it was given by our Christmas Come True group as it still had our "Elf Inspected" tag on it. It is sad because it was a specific request that went on the "tree hanger"

We try not it let the isolated incidents affect us and look at the overall good to the county

edited to add ..... PS I also believe in Karma