bowwow

As a self-anointed moderator you would do well to treat all members with respect. Otherwise, I am afraid that you shall never attain the status as that of a real moderator.

Work on it.

livedarklions

Let me guess, when you flagged me, the mods didn't go for it.

I don't respect your hypocritical trolling, but nice try at the misdirection. D-.

bowwow

That's a little bit better. You've got a way to go but your effort is duly noted and appreciated.

Keep working on it. As you learn, you will find life to be more enjoyable. I would be glad to coach you if you wish.

BillPayton

Me too??? (Motorcycle)Right hand front brake. I have my bike on the left side but it seems wrong.

livedarklions

What's hilarious is occasionally someone will argue that right-front or right-rear is inherently superior when it's really just a matter of what you're used to. You can change it if you want.

livedarklions

Totally incompetent trolling. Makes it clear you unsuccessfully and hypocritically flagged me. Definitely an F-.
Trust me, no one wants your coaching.

You bore me. /ignore.

denaffen

Would you two knock it off? I don't even know if you're serious or just ribbing each other, but either way you're dumping on a perfectly good topic. Please, for the sake of the rest of us, just stop.

livedarklions

I agree with you, which is why my last post said he was going on my ignore list, I'm done and want to get back on topic (broadly defined).

I see a lot of people who ride around on department store bikes and they seem to be enjoying it or at least getting to work ok.. I think part of the problem with BF is people who do this will feel intimidated from posting because of the inevitable "no one should" posts that will follow.

So, I'm kind of hoping that people who actually do buy and use department store bikes successfully will explain how they do it and what has worked for them. Judging from your list of bikes, it doesn't appear to be you, but if you do know someone, let's encourage them to post.


Thanks!

urbanknight

I bought my son's first bicycle at Toys R Us, but I wouldn't let him ride it until I inspected it at home and made sure it was at least safe. Turned out nothing was dangerous, although the training wheels were adjusted high enough to be useless until I brought them back down. The front wheel was about 1/4" off center, so I trued it... which made it closer to 1/2" off center. Turns out the blades of the fork were not straight nor the same length. No fixing that, and I was left deciding whether to dish the wheel or just leave it off center. The brakes squealed and were all not quite aligned, though they did stop the bike adequately. I personally have considered buying a GT from Dick's with the same expectation of having to make some adjustments. Found a good deal on a Specialized with similar components instead, but otherwise would have probably been just as happy on the GT.

When I worked at a bike shop, we would sometimes get department store bikes that were barely used in for a "full tune up" because they never did shift well. We would usually also notice that the stem or saddle weren't straight, brake pads were angled weird, wheels were out of true or dish, spokes were too tight or too loose. The lower end components were also harder to adjust, and tended to go out of adjustment more quickly. It was just sad to know the customer bought that bike hoping to save a buck, but was now paying about that same amount just to get it working properly.

For these reasons, I feel these department store bikes are not saving the entry-level consumer much money because they're going to have to bring it to a shop for a competent mechanic to fix before they can really enjoy it. Anybody competent in their own repairs will likely enjoy the cost savings, although the resale value is usually just as much lower in the end.

livedarklions

Right, but where I have a problem with this is that the bikes you were seeing in the bike shop would, by definition, be ones that were problematic. It's not necessarily a representative sample.

urbanknight

Over the years, I have peeked at many bikes while browsing in Target, Sportmart, etc. and they are more often than not in need of adjustment. Rarely unsafe or unrideable, though. REI and Sport Chalet were shining exceptions, but they also seemed to hire real bike mechanics.

indyfabz

Had a friend who worked at the Conshohocken, PA REI part time after semi-retirement. He was definitely a trained mechanic. I have used the Missoula, MT REI four times to re-assemble and pack my bike before and after tours. Definitely real mechanics. One of them there turned out to be from my neck of the woods and had worked at a well known shop.

Eric F 

Many of the big-box bike problems, and the frequency they occur, don't generally happen with LBS bikes.

livedarklions

Not the question I'm asking. The point I was making was the ones being brought into LBS for repair/rebuild were obviously problematic ones, and I'd like to get a better sense of whether there is a large or small subset of department store bikes that actually do work ok. Certainly, if you include Dicks in the category, that's kind of a no-brainer, but I'm interested in hearing from people who actually buy a Walmart bike and find it works.

Eric F 

I suspect it's going to be really difficult to get any kind of accurate info on that. My guess is that most are functional, and without hazardous flaws in assembly or construction. I would also guess that most have minor issues that are ignorantly ignored by their users. I would agree that factoring in bikes from Dick's (and similar stores) will skew the data towards the non-problematic side.

urbanknight

That's going to depend on one's level of tolerance and definition of what works "ok". The bike in my story worked and could be ridden safely. It just wasn't tuned or built to my standards. Considering there isn't a rash of lawsuits over injuries on department store bikes, the vast majority of these bikes likely work "ok".

Ghazmh

Still no pics.

bowwow

Aww, so disheartening, you had made such an encouraging step forward and now have sadly fallen back to your old cynical self. There is no need for you to continue enduring the pain and suffering brought on by such deep-seated resentment. You can easily change this negativity to a more positive outlook on life.

Very often agitation and anxiety are caused by such common things as diet and exercise. Knowing that you exercise by riding a bike many thousands of miles per year makes me think that a poor diet may be your problem. You may be constipated. Have you been having regular bowel movements? You should check your stool. Your stool should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. A hard stool is hard to pass and may explain your dyspeptic nature. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to eat a healthy diet. Cutting out refined sugars and highly processed foods is a good start.

I would like to see you free yourself from your burdens. Please reconsider my gracious offer to help. While I am no longer permitted to prescribe drugs, there are many other options. I could help you with some relaxation exercises or some meditation. Some people find yoga to be helpful. Would you like to try some yoga?

You really ought to take me up on my gracious offer to help because frankly, I don't think there is anyone else who will. PM me and let's get to work at getting you back on the road to a life of contentment.

cb400bill

This thread has failed to deliver.

Closed.