That’s not a bicycle shaped object...at least not in the way that most people would describe a BSO. A $500 single speed (using the exchange rate from 5 years ago) is a fairly high end bike. A $500 multi-speed is a lower end bike but still not a BSO. A $150 multi-speed (or less) is definately a BSO and a $150 dual suspension, disc brake equipped bike that doesn’t need a wall to stop is a miracle.

I would expect a $500 single speed to last a whole lot longer than 5 years...even with daily use.

As the US and UK are on a similar par when it comes to income, it is not improper to do the comparison...unless you are saying that the UK makes so much more money than people in the US that a £300 bicycle is an exceedingly cheap bike like a $100 bike from HelMart. I doubt that is true as I know a few people from the UK and they don’t appear to be exceedingly wealthy.

Basically, anyone in the UK or the US would view a single speed bicycle that cost £300 or $500 as definitely not a “bicycle shaped object”. unterhausen pointed that out to you in the post 2 of your thread.

That doesn’t make the bike a BSO in the context of this thread. If you didn’t get good value for your money, that’s due to poor decision making but it isn’t due to the bike. On the other hand, your bike has been serving you for 5 years of regular use. BSOs as described in this thread aren’t designed nor built for that kind of use...especially those that are being sold in the Big Box Stores today for the same price as they were 20 years ago.

A bike that doesn’t work quite right isn’t a BSO. It can be fixed with a minor investment of money. A bicycle that can be purchased for about $100 from a store like Walmart, Target, Fred Meyers, etc. simply can’t be “fixed” with a minor investment of money. Even with a large investment of money equal to several times what was intitially paid won’t make the bike a “better” bike.

Additionally, many people who purchase a BSO usually don’t have another option. They have to purchase one or not have a bicycle at all. I volunteer at an organization that tries to get better used bikes into the hands of these people so that they have a bicycle that actually works and doesn’t require more money to keep it running. I dislike BSOs due to their poor quality but I understand the reasons people own them. Hate the sin but not the sinner...and all that rot. To put a $500 bike on that same level is rather tone deaf


Bottom line, your bike simply isn’t a ”BSO” as the term was coined.

I’ll explain it...again. I don’t look down on the people who ride a $100 dual suspension that they have purchased from HelMart. I look down on the bicycles because they should be looked down upon. They can’t be fixed without spending more money on them was original paid for them. The bearings, axles and bottom brackets are made of unharden steel. The metal can handly be called “steel”. It’s more slag in many cases then actual iron alloy. Bike shops don’t work on them because they would have to charge more to fix all the issues than each bike is worth and, in many cases, more than 2 BSOs are worth. For example, a common problem I’ve seen are bottom brackets that are completely ground to dust. To replace one would cost $15 to $30 with a half hour of work at $70/hr. If it costs $50 to $75 to replace a part in a bike that costs only $100, you are throwing good money after bad.

If people would save just a little bit more, they could get a much better bike for a bit more money. A $250 bike from a bike shop isn’t the greatest bike ever made but it does at least have hardened bearings, real axles and far less problems than the ones you get from HelMart. Even a $100 30 to 40 year old bike off Craiglist would be a better value.

No one is going to say that a $500 single speed is a “cheap bike”. I’m not saying it is overpriced either. It’s about middle to the upper end of the single speed scale. There’s not much that goes into a single speed so a very good one can be had for far less than a very good derailer equiped bike. A $1500 single speed would be “overpriced” as there’s not all that much you can do to a single speed to make it that expensive.

Exactly. It’s a fool’s bargain. It costs too little to have any quality and it not worth enough to fix it. It’s very much like buy cheap tools, the most expensive tool you have to buy is the one you have to buy twice.

It’s not really a fair comparison to a Denali. It’s a multi speed bike that sells for less then half of what you paid. The price has been pretty consistent for many, many years at about $200. All those extra parts for less money means that they have to lose a lot of overall value. And, like $100 bikes, they are assembled by people who have little idea of what they are doing. The frame has potential but there’s not much else to say for it. They come in one size. They come with a funky handlebar that is split in the middle so that they can use a twist shifter. Their cranks are steel and the whole bike weighs a ton.

Your bike has a steel frame that comes in 3 sizes, seal bearing flip flop hubs (look like maybe cartridge), threadless headset, fair brakes with good levers, an aluminum crankset, and pretty good pedals. It’s not comparable to a Denali at all. There’s not much you can put on a single speed so the cost can be a lot less for a very good bike. Sure, the bolts rust but that’s normal on a lot of bikes, especially ones used in the rain. The brakes may not be the best but if the brakes have degraded over time, it may be a maintenance issue rather than a problem with the brakes. And the brakes are worth replacing because the rest of the bike is a better bike than the Denali. I guantee you that nothing on the Denali is worth replacing or, rather, you’d need to replace everything on the Denali to have a mediocre bike. And it would cost more than just buying a mediocre bike outright.

Another way to look at it, if you spent twice as much on a single speed bike as you spent, you’d have a very, very good bike. If you spent twice as much on a Denali or a $100 HelMart bike, you’d only have a mediocre bike. You’d have to spend 10 times as much on a Denali or $100 HelMart bike to get a good bike.

For 10 times what you paid for your bike, you could get a work of art in bicycle form if you stayed with the single speed..

The Denali is one of the very few, if not the only Walmart bike that comes in multiple sizes. 4, I believe.

In stock form, minus the kickstand, a medium weighs 30lbs .
Mine is setup as a commuter, with lights, full reflectors, rear rack, small bag on the rack, and double wrapped bar tape. Weighs 32lbs. Definitely not a racing bike, but I'd hardly call it a ton. Perfectly acceptable weight for a commuter bike in my opinion.

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