What's a cheap bike for some, may be hard-earned critical dollars for others...

Agreed and I know what you mean, frugal and cheap being - buying a inferior bike when having the means to buy a better one.

However, what I meant was, some of the bikes those of us who have good pay-packets would consider as cheap... may be the only option that someone who can barely put food on the table, could afford in order to sustain their means for a living... (commuting).

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Therein lies the problem...they don't STAY adjusted and require a fair amount of time to keep maintained compared to a slightly better built bike. I have had many a WM bike go out of adjustment while it was still on the repair stand. They use the absolute cheapest components they can, screws strip, the springs are weak, etc, etc.

Aaron

One of my ride buddies used to ride Schwinns from Target. Within a year something would go wrong and he would take it in for repairs. They usually couldn't repair it and would just give him a new bike, with a new dated receipt and one more year of warranty. So, yes, they do 'last', in a way. bk

I had a Walmart bike that lasted me about 4000 miles and still going strong.

I think the Walmart bikes several years ago were better and longer lasting. My old bike is a walmart bike. It certainly has some problems, but I've had it for 10 years, and it's still perfectly rideable. I never encountered anything I couldn't fix. It has well over 1000 miles on it, but I don't really have any idea how much exactly.

Today's Walmart bikes definitely seem cheaper. There is more plastic, more springs, etc. With slightly aggressive maintenance and a little bit of extra patience, I see nothing wrong with riding one. I think one will last you as long as you need it to. It's just a matter of what you value more - your limited supply of money, or some slight inconvenience. If you don't have much money, I completely understand buying a Walmart bike.

You mean ethnicity, not nationality.
What's there to be pissed off about? It's a true observation, I see the same in my neighborhood, many hispanic worker's commuting by bike to and from work, shopping, etc.

They seem to get much more Practical use out of their cheap mart bikes than the affluent nebulously-white-ish people who just take their carbon racers out on weekends. So its probably a decent value.

About the only issue is, they Need some Baskets and racks on those bikes! They always end up hanging their grocery bags from their handlebars for lack of real storage capcity. Actually had a guy approach me and ask about my rack with milk crate; he wanted to know where he could also get so much awesomeness. My impression is, most of the commuter's simply do not know storage options Exist; because walmart doesn't stock such items...

^^^^^^^^
That.

Even if you have to replace the whole bike every 2 months is still a win. Plus in some Latin American countries people use bikes a lot and know how to maintain them. I would not be surprised is they can squeeze more miles out of the x-mart bike than most locals.

I understand the only option for people that cannot afford otherwise, IMHO WM (and others) are taking advantage of the disadvantaged, if you will. This is one reason I am a huge fan of things like cycling co-ops.

Aaron

dwilbur3 - What was the cheap bike? What are you riding now? I'm curious because my commute takes about an hours and I'm looking to cut time.

It was a '95 or '96 Pacific Vector. Mostly a pretty well put together bike. The chainrings are all chipped and cracked (have been for years), but the frame and wheels seem to be quite sturdy. I'm trying to get it fixed up so my wife can use it. Her old bike had 24" wheels and was just WAY too small for rides of any distance. I put Schwalbe Kojaks on it and I'm hoping it will roll a little easier now. No way it'll ever roll like my Sirrus.

I got a 2001 Specialized Sirrus Comp off eBay for about $200 (local, so I save the shipping too). It's a hybrid bike: basically a road bike with flat bars and a few extra braze-ons. Most people around here seem to hate hybrids, but I love mine.

I like my hybrid. Great all around bike but I got passed too often on my commute so I switched to a road bike. Something about my personality, admittedly a flaw, doesn't like getting passed 'specially by a girl, even if she is 15 years younger ... I only got passed four time last year - I guess I can live with that - they were all men and showed good reason for being able to pass me.

If I was worried about passing people I'd have to strap on a rocket like Wyle E. Coyote. I get passed by 70 year-olds and school children. But I'm faster than I was, and that works for me.

old bike: 8-10mph (13 tops)
new bike 13-14 mph (17 tops)

When I regained interest in biking in my adult life, I decided to go down the department store route and bought a Schwinn Ranger 26" mountain bike from Target. I paid $139 for it and it was a great bike for the money. It was of good enough quality to get me back into riding again. After riding for months and racking up hundreds of miles on the bike, I realized I wanted a more efficient bike/faster, so I sold the bike on Craigslist for $75. The bike gave me absolutely no trouble what so ever. Except for when I attached a trailer to it and stripped out the bolt on the rear wheel....

It really depends on how you bike and what you have ridden before or currently own. I have saved myself probably thousands by NOT taking very high end bikes for test rides at my LBS.

One could argue that higher end bikes are a waste of money by the diminishing returns in performance/reliability.

joe_5700 That's where and why I got my hybrid. Last year I experimented with an old 10-speed to see if I wanted to go the road bike route. I think I do - so I'm taking the off season to consider what I'll use come spring.

Rumrunn, we went down the same path bike wise. I upgraded to a Trek 7200 hybrid after the Schwinn. It was definately worth the extra $. I also got a road bike to reduce ride times on my routes.

I was salivating over a Specialized Tricross last week ... happy trails

alot of them seem to be OK bikes for the money, but i don't think they are really intended to last, I think they are sold more as toys to be used occasionally. Also the lack of size options, or at least lack of design that allows the bike to be resized to fit alot of people. I think some of their bikes aren't terrible, like the single or 3 speed steel non suspension bikes. All the crazy full suspension, disc brakes are just toys for people who don't know the difference and want a bike that looks like what they see in a bike ship.

I agree completely...depending on the bike. Value and price are not necessarily linear. I wouldn't hesitate to spend $1700 on something like an Azor Opa, because I know they are built to last. Yet I wouldn't spend that much on a Trek Carbon Fiber Road bike, not a good value to me. I have pointed out many, many times that the Mongoose Paver at WM is an excellent value for the price, but not something like the Next PowerX Dual Suspension MTB.


Aaron

I think big box store bikes are perfect for their intended purpose, to make money for the store and sit in garages at home. Most people in the US don't bike and one reason is the bikes they buy are so uncomfortable and go out of alignment so easily. My guess is most working people- especially people who have come from another country can and do fix and repair the bikes themselves. You get by on what you must.

I respectfully disagree. The car I had in highschool certainly did not discourage me from wanting to drive a car. I KNEW there were better cars out there. If doubt most consumers think Walmart and Target have the same quality bikes as an LBS. I knew this was not the case when I was in the 4th grade and wanted a "real" dirt bike. People assign a certain ceiling or price cap on a certain item. Also not too long ago Target was running an ad for a $59 bike on TV. That only helps to lower that price cap.....

Actually, the average American wouldn't have even the faintest idea where the nearest LBS is located. If they think they need a bike (a rare event indeed) they'll get a bike where they shop for everything else: WalMart, Target, etc.

If they did wander into an LBS they'd take one look at the prices and turn around and walk out. In their mind a bike costs $150 or less. They know, they've seen them at Xmart. Someone selling a $300 bike (much less a $1500 bike) is just crazy.

And if they think they want something higher quality, they'll just buy the $200 Xmart bike (with all its useless bells and whistles).

I hope that is NOT how the average American thinks..... Bikes are only one of many items that department stores sell that are of low quality. For instance you can buy power tools and musical instruments at any department store. Chances are you are not going to find any of those tools on a real jobsite, or those instruments on stage at a show. I would think that anyone who had enough synapses firing to find themselves in an LBS would KNOW why their prices are higher than a department stores...

I wouldn't bet on it...there are threads upon threads on forums all over the place where people are convinced that everything WM sells is just as good as the stuff you pay 3 times as much for at the smaller independent stores. Some things are the same but many, many more are not. And yes the crap tools do show up on jobsites. Too many Americans only worry about price. The forums here are filled with people looking for the cheapest this or that. "They know the price of everything and the value of nothing" it hasn't been helped by the sale of names like Schwinn and Mongoose to Pacific Cycles, people still think of Schwinn as a quality product, because they remember having one back in the 70's. Mongoose went the same way.

Aaron

Supply and demand. People will buy for price and manufacturers will cater to that. Once we get more than a handful of brands selling inexpensive bikes people will choose on quality and features within the inexpensive choices. It is absurd to spend $1,000.00 for a good quality bike. You all seem to justify the cost because of the quality. Which IMO is wrong.

I think it is sad that people do not know the difference between savings and quality. When I was in the construction trade, I never came across WM type tools. They wouldn't last a day on the job. I mentioned instruments before, and I always want to say something to parents who are picking up a First Act brand drum set for their kids at WM etc. I want to tell them they could spend just a little more money on a decent non toy quality kit that won't break in 15 minutes and will retain it's value...heck I'd even throw in free drum lessons. I don't know how people like us do get it when it comes to quality products....I credit my Dad for that. I know what you mean about the current Mongoose (and others)brands. They are not what they used to be. I remember going into my LBS and seeing Cycle Pro, Red Line, Mongoose and Schwinn dirt bikes in the $300-$500 range in the very early 80's. I don't think the current dirt bikes are of that caliber...