I think it's a little misleading to suggest a LBS is the answer. Many (or, I'd say, "most") LBSes stock Electra, Schwinn, and other brands that are about the same quality (and probably same OEM) as a brand you'd find at a Walmart.

I don't know about Electra. However when it comes to Schwinn, usually when they're in a reputable LBS, their components have been upgraded and they are installed properly. The main problem with Walmart bikes is the fact that the components of their bikes are usually both substandard and improperly installed.
It has also been suggested that their bike frames are also substandard. I'm not certain about that, except for I know for a fact that many of their bike frames are made of Hi-Tensile Steel. That may have been acceptable twenty years ago, but certainly not these days.

Probably because a lot of Cannondale's bikes are aluminum framed...;)

First, Schwinn Company went out of business years ago and the assets and the NAME were purchased by a holding company. Second, the bicycle shaped objects at the Big Box store that say Schwinn on them are neither real Schwinns made by the Schwinn family or are they actual bicycles.


LC

It down right silly to say that they are not bicycles. Of course they are. They are bicycles that do not meet your standards. The bicycle(s) you ride probably fail(s) to meet the standards of someone yet more elitist than you.

Don in Austin

The BSO term originated in bike shops and came from the poor slobs (like me) that have to get this stuff working for customers and to be reasonably safe to use. The "Elitists" just took it and ran with it.

You're right, Schwinn is owned by Dorel Industries, a holding company. According to their web site:
"Dorel markets its Recreational/Leisure products under the Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse, SUGOI, Pacific, Dyno, RoadMaster, PowerLite and InSTEP brand names. "

I don't really like the "BSO" term either, but I do think it's good that folks asking advice about bikes be warned of low-quality models. Some bike-shoppers think $100 for a bike is a lot of money so they shop at Target and get a bike for $50. But, you get what you pay for ... Reading above, I'd also guess that a higher quality bike, like your new Cannondale, is built in the same factory as the Wal-mart Schwinn, just using better specs., materials, etc.

Not to sound like a broken record but I KNOW that Worksman Cycles is a 100% American company and has been for over 100 years. The neat thing is they still make a better bike than most of the cheap imports for a few dollars more than the imports.

All this means is that bikes CAN be built in America as cheap as , but better, then the imports under any brand name.

Yeah, there are a lot of American companies... does that mean they're "good"? I like American-built products, I think the quality is high and I like to shop locally, when I can. But, even if the company has "American-made" products, that doesn't mean the materials and other parts were sourced from who-knows-where. As with almost every transportation product, it's hard to track.

The subtle point I was trying to make was that people sometimes bash the Wal-mart garbage, even if it's made alongside their $1500 Trek... better to just list good quality bike models than bash the brand.

If your brother finds a Sekai scrapping send me a PM ;).

I didn't know jack, I just walked into a bike shop & saw a Giant Defy #3, picked it up felt light as a feather "After looking at Walmart bikes", & I bought it. Ive been riding for exactly one month now & have nearly 700 miles on it. I loved it but I find myself wanting to be an elitist. It is addicting, now I want the best of everything, good bikes are like crack. I'm going shopping today, who knows what elitists bike will be on sale? Long story short I really love my Giant, even though I know they're mass produced in Taiwan.

The Giant Defy 3 is an awesome bike!

I can't see it leading to elitism...

However, I can see Walmart bikes leading to crack! :lol:

Almost every frame you can buy is mass-produced in Taiwan, or China, or Vietnam. There's no more need to be ashamed of a Giant than there is of a Specialized, or a Trek, or a BMC or anything else. Maybe less, in fact, since Giant are one of the few companies that makes their own stuff from scratch, even down to spinning the carbon fibre for their carbon frames.

A Defy is a nice bike, enjoy it.

There is some good information here on old bikes you would typically find "scrapped"
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...ITE_1_HOME.htm

You just won't find things like Waterfords, rivendells, or Lynskeys in the scrap

Also be aware that most "good" companies make all levels of quality bike. Not that their lowest stuff is bad.
Just have him save all bikes until you can get a look at them and ask around here - especially in the C & V forum.

If I were on a tight budget, I would try second hand from a shop to ensure a decent fit. Fit is very important for enjoying a bike to it's fullest. If you cannot afford second hand from a shop. At least read about fit and then go try and find a bike that comes close to what you want, garage sales, scrap as mentioned or classified ads. Once you start riding it will not take long to find the faults in a bike as well as yourself and then you can start saving for better if you like riding; the whole time researching your next upgrade. As far as asking questions like you did in this thread, remember it is a forum, take what is said for what it is worth. There are a lot of people that love to push their opinions. If you ask a 100 different people about a bike you may get that many opinions based on biases from their own personal experience or rumor or from a friend of a friend. The bottom line is buy what you can afford and get out there see if you like it and don't get hung up on others opinions that don't quite meet your view.