zooplah

Last year, I got a Schwinn hybrid (it had Avenue in its name; I'm thinking Fifth Avenue, but that's a candy bar) and the cassette broke within a month (the bearings fell out). I was wondering if I should take it to the bike shop to get it repaired (after all, the brakes also squeak) or to buy a new one.

Here's what I think are the pros of each option:
Have my bike repaired:
* I already have the handlebars and seat adjusted.
* I already have the bell and taillight mounted.
* I don't have to go through the awful selection process at the LBS (that's what got me to get one online in the first place; the LBS is a terribly uncomfortable place (of course, most places are uncomfortable to us with agoraphobia, but it was above average in its uncomfortableness)).

Getting a new bike:
* Maybe it will come with better parts (will better parts be available for my existing bike?).
* I don't have to lug my unridable bike all the way down to the bike shop (it must be ten miles).

Any comments or suggestions?

10 Wheels

New Bike, New Bike Shop.

DX-MAN

Which side of $500 do you want to keep your expenditure on?

And, a question: never saw a cassette with bearings in it -- can I see yours? Lots of old-style freewheels have 'em, but never a cassette, IME.

cyclist2000

Shouldn't this be a warranty repair?

bkaapcke

10 wheels has it right; new bike and bike shop. Repair a schwinn hybrid? Good money after bad. bk

X-LinkedRider

Not from schwinn and not this late into the game.

+1 on 10 wheels. Go to Specialized/Giant/Trek dealer and get the bike you want. any good bike shop will find the right bike that you can afford and you love.

Robert Foster

If you are interested in a Hybrid then a new bike from a new bike shop could be in order. I got my wife a Giant Cypress for under $350.00 and I am sure the shop will put your accessories on and adjust your saddle. And you can get Shimano parts anywhere. If you can’t afford it a bike shop should be able to repair your old bike.

acorn54

to give you an idea
i just had derailluer cables, and a new shifter, and rear hub adjusted. cost was fifty bucks. so you are looking at probably at least that much to repair your bike.
i don't know how much you paid for your bike but if the rest of the bike is in good shape and you don't think you will need anymore work done on your bike maybe laying out fifty bucks for the repair is okay.

noglider 

It's penny-wise and pound-foolish to buy a cheap bike. Now you know.

rumrunn6

easy fix!

sage advice: pay the shop to check the bike out front to back and especially the spoke tension; trueness and cone adjustments.

cheap bikes are OK so long as a pro checks and adjusts everything. it's worth the money. :-)

zooplah

LOL, it might be a freewheel, but I just thought it was a cassette by searching around the Internet for bike parts and identifying the one it looked like.

zooplah

Man, that would take days. I'm certainly not looking forward to that.

Ugh, I can only tell you my previous experience in the bike shop: it was horrible. I might do it if I had to, but I definitely wouldn't be spending my time in it; I'd say, "Yes, this is OK," just to get them off my back.

zooplah

Yeah, that's what I'd like to do. Tell them to fix it and just let them go at it, rather than have them breathe down my neck and ask a bazillion questions, and end up not buying anything and never wanting to go there ever again. I'm not aware of any cones on a bike, though (I guess there are a lot of geometrical shapes that comprise a bike).

zooplah

It wasn't exactly cheap. It was around $300. It wasn't like it was $50 (it might have lasted longer if it were, though). "Penny-wise, pound-foolish," whatever that's supposed to mean. Are you referring to weight pounds or currency pounds?

Kimmitt 

Check the refund policy and buy a bike from a reputable brand, would be my suggestion.

Velo Dog

new shop for sure, if you don't like the one you have. But if you bought the bike online, can you really blame the shop for not treating you like a customer? In a perfect world they would, but you went out of your way to avoid giving them business, and now you seem offended that they don't welcome you. if you'd bought a bike from them, presumably they would have gone over it before they let it out the door. One of the ways online places save money is by not doing that.
With the exception of the bearings falling out (actually out, into the street?), none of the things you mentioned is important enough to worry about. Putting on a bell takes, what, 30 seconds? Same for the taillight. Bars and saddle take maybe a minute, with a test ride in between. They're just not issues at all. If you like the bike otherwise (I don't know anything about it), at most you need a new rear wheel. That doesn't seem like a reason to toss the whole bike. but your gripe is with the seller, not the shop.
FYI, the cones are part of the wheel bearings. They're the little cone-shaped pieces that go between the balls and the cups. Hence the term "cup and cone bearings."

dynodonn 

Maybe not cheap to what you're used to, but for a new LBS bike, that's pretty much a low end base model for someone who wishes to commute on a daily basis.

Esteban32696

If the cassette/bearings are bad on the old wheel, the wheel may need to be replaced. Just keep your eye open for a used wheel. THEN, have it, & all the other bearings repacked on the bike & ride. I have seen some new imported bikes that didn't have a teaspoonful of grease in the entire bike !

X-LinkedRider

It's hard to tell now a days. Many companies are using some form of Waxed grease or solid state grease. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether or not the bike is greased when new.

AdamDZ

Yup. Quality bikes start around $500. People are used to the department store pricing where you can buy a brightly colored, full suspension mountain bike with disc brakes for $150. That's what a semi-decent set of wheels will cost you. Those bikes will literally fall apart as you ride them, exactly what you've experienced.

I'd put this bike behind, sell it off on CL and look into something more decent from a reputable bike shop.

Adam