Well I plan on doing my first Tri this year after being out of it for a long time. Last time I competed Souza was the king of the Biathlons which have changed names. Being 40 with a recently rehabed knee and two bad disc in my back I think the Varsity Schwinn is going to be the bike I used to get back into this for fun. Who knows the frame looks decent I start having two much fun I have he option of upgrading some components. I know I don't have a chace even in my age bracket so why wast 500 to 600 dollars on a bike when I can spend 200 and be happy?

That would be true. Think there was a discussinon about a Wiler frame built with the same Cf/al idea. Of course the cost is a bit higher.

I was always in love with this Ghibli here...

Hi All-

If you're reading this and considering the Target or Wal*Mart model....get to your LOCAL BICYCLE SHOP straight away for bike purchase assistance!

~ Blue Jays ~

Especially if you've had ortho problems in the past, and even more so if you're hoping to compete, please reconsider your plan. You really do need to be fitted carefully (neither Tar-jay nor Wally's will do that for you), and you need a high-quality frame and reasonably high-quality components (yeah, Sora will probably do ya). In answer to your last question, it's not money wasted! Consider it money saved in the long run. If you can't afford a good entry-level bike, then shop around for a good used one (uhhh, that wouldn't be one of these "Schwinns" that someone's trying to unload).

I think maybe you should consider MTBLover's post very carefully. Buying that $200 Schwinn could be a big mistake for someone like yourself. A $500 bike with a proper fitting will go a long ways towards enabling you to ride more comfortably and stick with it. Just a thought.

Only Slightly off topic: The huge Target Billboards they have down in Times Sq...one of them is of some eurotrash-model dude on a track bike, riding down a Target Logo...thought it interesting considering Target doesn't provide any track equipment.

I'll take a picture.

Wow, they can sell a whole bike for less than the price of 1 LOOK Carbon Ti pedal!

I don't know who's dumber, those who buy this bike or guys like me who buy $400 pedals.

I saw one of these cheap bikes the other day - I think it was an "Axiss" or something like that. I think Target sells it. Anyway, it was a drop bar bike, but it had V-brakes. Cheap cyclocrosser? Dunno. Also had rack mounts. So probably a good cheap commuter.

I'm a little troubled by the notion that someone is "wrong" to purchase lesser quality and thereby lower priced goods in any category including bikes. At some level, that suggests my $2K+ investment in cycling is "wrong" because I could have spent more. I, as I am certain, those who spent less than I, feel a level of excitement, pride and accomplishment in our purchase, and in our use of the goods we are able to acquire. I suppose though, that there are other discussion forums where people are criticized for spending within limited means on cars, houses, pets, etc.

Cheap bike are cheap, news at 11.

It gives a false sense of saving money, since the thing will break and become unusable (or unrepairable) sooner or later. While one could put in a tiny bit more (at an LBS, or the same amount online) and get something that could be relied upon.

It's not the fact that it's cheap that make buying this bike 'wrong', it's how the customers are led to believe they are buying something akin to a real bike while in reality it is nothing but. Alas, people that will be shopping at Target or Walmart have a very strong tendency to buy on a whim and not make any research before-hand. They (Target and Walmart) know that fact and will sell cheap stuff that doesn't look so cheap to profit from it.

Also, what the heck is going on with that derailleur hangers? And the stand is classy.

I was 23 years old and in the Army before I could afford the "road" bike I wanted. The first "10 speed" (what we called them way back then) i could afford as a fourteen year old was a J.C.Penney's model which I put literally thousands of miles on in the six years I had it. Society has changed and Mommy and Daddy might put out $1500+ for a youngster that has dreams of one day being another Lance but the kid who has to work and buy his own needs to be able to go to Sears, Target, or Wal-Mart and get what he/she can afford just to get started. I'm in agreement with Rufvelo on this one.

Vento is just "wind" in italian.

while your add it , add kahimsin and countach.

We name our wind here too, the local breeze is called the "Denise".

As am I, except when it comes to safety, which appears to me to be the issue with LLPiper's approach. Someone with a history of ortho problems shouldn't be tempting fate by using an ill-fitting bike.

No argument here- I think that the cheaper bikes have a place, as you suggest. If they get people into the sport, or get them out on the road or trails riding, that's a good thing. Except one point, and that's responsible riding behavior. Although I've seen plenty of bad examples of this among people riding $4K CF bikes, I'd venture to say that most of the people out there exhibiting unsafe behavior (riding on sidewalks, running red lights and stop signs, and displaying general ignorance of basic bicycle safety) are riding department store bikes. At least that's been my observation here in a major East Coast city.

Actually, the bike is the GMC Denali.... so it's named after a gas-guzzling SUV, which is named after the native name of the highest point in North America....

just sayin'

This is one reason why many people still think that bikes are toys.

And I am in agreement with you. I went through at least 10 bikes while stationed in South East Asia in the seventies. Probably didn't pay $50 for any one of them. Lost 'em through theft, crashes and wear and tear over thousands of miles in nearly 5 years. I wan't even aware that $1500 bikes existed.

You have size 12 feet... Would you "just go for a leisurely walk" in size 5 sneakers because they were 50% cheaper?

Just sayin....

What?! Are you saying that the cheaper bikes are less than 1/2 the size?

the bottom line is that if all you can afford is a few hundred dollars for a bike, buy a used bike! you should be able to get a $500 bike for about $300 used, which is better than a $300 bike...

The problem with THAT is that people who are looking at bikes in Walmart/Target/name your department store here don't know the difference between a $500 bike being offered for $300 used and a $500 bike being offered for $300 that needs a new BB, wheelset, chain, crank, chainrings, cassette, etc.

Or someone offering a very nice looking bike with a dangerous crack in the frame...

At least with a bike from Walmart/wherever you KNOW what you're getting... a cheap bike that's new and in ridable condition.

The only new bike I've ever owned was bought from Walmart with my first paycheck from my first job. I paid $127 for a Huffy road bike, and rode that bike for two years. Never had any major problems with it, and gave it away when I went into the Navy, with many thousands of miles on it. I was back in town about 3 years later and saw someone riding it. Stopped and talked with him. The bike was very recognizable from the scratches and gouges in the paint where I got hit by a truck ... two 8ft 2x4's made great levers to straighten the frame and get it back on the road.

And as for this:
I have to call bull **** .... The fictional person in this story would NOT be out $200.... hell, he could probably ride the hell out of the bike for two months and still return it and get the full amount he paid for it back. Walmart has one of the most liberal return policies of any store I've ever been to.

I'm half tempted to pick up one of the $300 Yukon's just to watch the poseurs eat my dust on a Walmart bike.

My dad has a 1968 Schwinn Varsity that got me hooked on road biking. Its a shame that they have badged a walmart frame the varsity. The bike hung in our garage for 19 years and all I did was pull it off the wall and put air in the tires. There was no need to do anything else. It is a wonderful bike.

So true, we had a recent thread that kind of trashed the varsity as a POS...
then I read this article...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/varsity-shaddox.html

It told of the varsitys' record of being the most produced deraileur bike in history and the millions of people it introduced to cycling... I have no antimosity to cheap bikes if it brings joy to those who ride it.

why is it the first thing out of everyone's mouth is negative, when someone brings up the word used, when in fact there ARE people that sell perfectly working used bikes for good prices because they just don't want them anymore...

and just because they don't have more than $300, doesn't mean that they can't enlist the help of a cycling friend to help them find a good deal, just to make sure they don't get taken advantage of...

it's like if you're into home theater, and want to spend $300 on a good subwoofer. do you spend the $300 on a new BIC H-100 (which is one of the best in that price range) or do you spend the same $300 on a used SVS PB-10 (which is the best entry level subwoofer in the world)? the average person would probably spend it on the BIC, because they would rather have something new over something used for the same price, but the SMART person would spend it on the SVS because it's better even though it's used...

I didn't necessarily say anything bad about used bikes. Just mentioning the possibility. My personal experience looking for a used bike recently was that 90% of the bikes I looked at were overpriced junk, but they held air in the tires, and rolled, and someone that was looking for a first bike would NOT have known the difference without finding an experienced friend to help them look.

If you look at my post I do mention that I've only ever owned one new bike, and that was a Walmart bike... every other bike I've ridden I picked up used, including the 1988 Raleigh I'm currently using for a commuter (And currently my only bike) which I picked up off of Craigslist for $50.