Look what I found at a Garage Sale Today
I was heading out for my morning ride and passed a garage sale. This bike was sitting right out front.
From what I can tell, it's a 100.00 Walmart bike that is no longer available for sale. It looks brand new to me and I paid 20.00 for it. It's my daughter's favorite color but still a little too tall for her. I guess I will just have to hang onto it for now and maybe take some 'test' drives. :) http://i.imgur.com/y6O0jRM.jpg http://i.imgur.com/osCbPQ5.jpg http://i.imgur.com/maUtlO0.jpg http://i.imgur.com/keYAPAP.jpg |
Well, hell...I woulda bought it for $20, too. T'would be a nice bit of wall decoration for my basement workshop. :thumb:
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Tires are worth $20.00
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Good find...I'd get $20 worth of fun out of that bike.
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The protector over the no-name RD is a nice touch. :D
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Originally Posted by mprelaw
(Post 18250130)
The protector over the no-name RD is a nice touch. :D
No name? that is a FIS... |
Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet
(Post 18250068)
Tires are worth $20.00
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Take it off some sweet jumps.
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Give us a good review after you have tried on few rides. Lots of people have said many negative things about big retail store bicycles. The term BSO (Bicycle shaped Object) has been used when referring to them, so hopefully your review give us an honest view of it.
I have been volunteering at our local Co-Op and lots of bikes like this are donated everyday. We fix them as best as we can and donate them to kids that can't afford a bike or are in need of one. So I will be looking forward to read your views after you have tried it. |
Hope you find a boat at the next garage sale, 'cause you already have an anchor, now! ;)
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I wouldn't put my kid on a bso like this. Not a chance.
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I found a similar bike, labelled "Quest." The biggest drawback is the weight, mostly due to such amenities as front and rear shocks. If you live an a fairly flat area, it won't be as much of a problem for your daughter. The ride experience is probably similar to that of a beach-cruiser. My adult son, a body-builder, loves this bike for running around town because it develops his leg muscles. (He weighs 210 and doesn't appreciate the springy shocks.) So far, it hasn't presented any mechanical problems, though.
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Try not to take it on a long ride. Even though it says 2009, the tires and inner tubes may be a lot older. Perhaps sitting in a garage and the rubber has gone through some deterioration over time.
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You got robbed.
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I like the hole in the weld on top of the BB shell, I'm sure that's for venting moisture out...
Seriously, if the bike works good and your daughter likes it, well, you can't go too wrong for $20. I would never spend a lot of money on a kids bike because they crash em, bang em, smash em, flood em, and leave em somewhere only to find it gone when they come out from wherever they were. |
I would have bought it and donated it to Recycle Bikes for Kids. Nice find for $20.00 just wouldn't work for me.
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Haha, I am cracking up at some of the responses. (I'm easily entertained though.)
Currently she is on a little bike that I found for 5.00 at the thrift store last year and the bike seems to be a little too small for her so I was hoping to find something that fit her better. (She only started actually riding her bike over the last week or so.) I guess I failed, it's too big and apparently a crappy bike from what I've read above. I figured, if nothing else I can sell it off for what I gave for it or donate it. Lately I have developed this compulsion to buy bikes. :p This is what she is currently riding: http://i.imgur.com/ByCfMQ8.jpg |
Put an XTR group on it.
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Originally Posted by YogaKat
(Post 18252753)
Haha, I am cracking up at some of the responses. (I'm easily entertained though.)
Currently she is on a little bike that I found for 5.00 at the thrift store last year and the bike seems to be a little too small for her so I was hoping to find something that fit her better. (She only started actually riding her bike over the last week or so.) I guess I failed, it's too big and apparently a crappy bike from what I've read above. I figured, if nothing else I can sell it off for what I gave for it or donate it. Lately I have developed this compulsion to buy bikes. :p This is what she is currently riding: http://i.imgur.com/ByCfMQ8.jpg |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 18252791)
No disc brakes? You should be charged with child endangerment.
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Originally Posted by YogaKat
(Post 18252832)
I may regret asking this, but what is wrong with pedal breaks for strolling around the neighborhood?
The $100 box store bikes, in my opinion, aren't worth their weight in scrap. I also work at a local bike CO-OP and I HATE when these bikes come in (which is all the time.) Regardless of how good of shape they look to be in, they never work right. They'll never stay adjusted and they ride like absolute crap. I wouldn't have bought it for $20, but then again if your daughter needed a new bike I guess it'll be ok until she learns how to take care of a bike properly. |
Originally Posted by YogaKat
(Post 18252832)
I may regret asking this, but what is wrong with pedal breaks for strolling around the neighborhood?
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Originally Posted by corrado33
(Post 18252846)
He was joking. :)
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 18252849)
If you spent more time in the Road Cycling forum you would have your answer. http://www.bikeforums.net/images/smilies/wink.gif
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It's fine for going around the neighborhood, if it's not hilly. If it's too big, resell it, or wait for her to grow. Just check that the brakes work properly.
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I think you got a good deal. A great bike? Probably not. But, for a kid, it's OK. Kids don't care about a few ounces, even pounds, of weight. They are recreational riders at best, and all they care about is if they can ride it. Think about it the same way as a car--- the step up from no car to ANY car that runs is a big step up. The step up from any car to any other car is not that big. Check out bigboxbikes.com. You actually CAN get a decent, serviceable bike at WalMart, Sears, and the like, that will last for years. It won't be the best, nor will it be the lightest, nor will it have the best components, but, you'll be riding. Like it or not, all manufacturer bikes are welded in the same few Chinese factories, by the same robot welding machines, whether they're BSOs or LBSs.
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@YogaKat
You know, we poke fun, but quite frankly I'm happy to see the sanity of someone buying $5 and $20 bikes for their kid at yard sales, rather than the absurdity of the occasional posts you see about someone buying an $800 bike for their kid to ride in the parking lot, which they'll out-grow in 9 months! It's nice to know that there's still some sanity in the world! Funny thing is, when I was in my 20's, I had a boat anchor (cheap, heavy, low-quality department-store bike) that I found in the garbage, and rehabilitated. I had maybe $25 into the thing when I was done (A new brake cable, some grease, a tube, and a can of spray paint) and you know, I had a LOT of fun on that bike- in-fact, more fun than I have on the fancy bikes I ride now. |
Originally Posted by YogaKat
(Post 18252858)
I'm working on that. |
Originally Posted by Needles
(Post 18252958)
I think you got a good deal. A great bike? Probably not. But, for a kid, it's OK. Kids don't care about a few ounces, even pounds, of weight. They are recreational riders at best, and all they care about is if they can ride it. Think about it the same way as a car--- the step up from no car to ANY car that runs is a big step up. The step up from any car to any other car is not that big. Check out bigboxbikes.com. You actually CAN get a decent, serviceable bike at WalMart, Sears, and the like, that will last for years. It won't be the best, nor will it be the lightest, nor will it have the best components, but, you'll be riding. Like it or not, all manufacturer bikes are welded in the same few Chinese factories, by the same robot welding machines, whether they're BSOs or LBSs.
Back in the day, kids all rode cast-iron one-speeds and were happy. Multi-speeds are more frustrating than helpful for young kids. You could even shorten the chain, put it on one chain ring and one cog, and remove the derailleurs and shifters - for kids riding on sidewalks, those things are dead weight. As she grows and gets stronger, you can re-install the shifting components or just move the chain to a smaller cog. It's inspirational for kids to see their parents wrenching on a bike. |
Truth be told, she (currently anyway) is not nearly as obsessed with cycling as I am. I think her main excitement is that she finally learned how to ride and she like to spend time peddling along with mom, so it's become a really nice way for the both of us to spend quality time together and enjoy the outdoors.
I was a little worried about all the gears, but at the point that she grows into it I foresee her pretty much not even really changing them much, if at all. But I could be wrong - only time will tell. Hehe, she's already put me to work on the current bike changing out the seat and adding a cup holder for her. ;) Yep, I remember the days back in the late 70s/early 80s... riding all over the city on a SS pedal break bike that I don't even know what brand it was and I loved it! btw - thanks @Stucky |
Originally Posted by YogaKat
(Post 18253454)
Yep, I remember the days back in the late 70s/early 80s... riding all over the city on a SS pedal break bike that I don't even know what brand it was and I loved it!
btw - thanks @Stucky |
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