Chris_F

Sure, it's cheaper to buy the whole bike, but that requires having a pile of money now or having no bike and saving up over time. You can get a cheap bike and build it up over time and spend more money overall or have no bike and spend less money when you buy. It's a time value of money kind of thing.

WhyFi

I don't think that the cost of the bike has anything to do with the owner's willingness to tinker with it.

Sometimes, more expensive stuff is simply bought by more wealthy people... but often, people buy above of the "normal" price range for their income bracket because they have a greater appreciation for quality. Appreciation of quality often involves an understanding of how or why one product is superior to another. A deeper understanding of how something functions is usually enough to remove the fear of totally ****ing it up when you make adjustments here and there.

Yaniel

he has a bike. saving up and buying something in one shot in the future won't negatively affect him now because he'll still have a bike now plus get exactly what he wants and have it all be brand new when he can finally afford the dream bike and save some money, which he doesnt have much of, in the process.

deadprez012

@ Schnee: Actually, that's exactly why I posted this here. When I stopped lurking on BF and joined, this was the first forum I looked in for advice finding a low cost road bike. A guy in my position wouldn't go to fixed gear, because he wouldn't want that and wouldn't associate his needs with that title, and he wouldn't go for this info in commuting, because his intentions might be different. Ex: If I were only interested in a commuter, my area has a great resale culture for MTBs. I was specifically interested in a road cycle.

And a poster talked about why LBSs would never stop rejecting Wal-mart & similar big stores' bikes. Well, another issue I'm running into is a lack of support for me as a cyclist because of it. I don't choose dirt cheap because I think it's quality--I choose dirt cheap because of circumstance. I invest time because I believe in quality, but in the absence of it, I believe in making due. So, in the very spirit of a dedicated person--cyclist, runner, motorist, athlete, working man, or anything else--how is it still valid that I should not feel welcome or respected in any of my local shops? Because I ride a <$200, cheap component bike? Is that supposed to be some kind of reflection on how serious I am about being a cyclist?

Does that mean because I borrow, rent, and check out my textbooks I'm not serious about being an engineer?

I get a forum being a very closed culture, with its own flavor, personality, and standards of acceptance, but that can't be true about a bike shop, which should be a resource for new cyclists as much as it is a playground for seasoned ones.

nixternal

Message me if you would really like to know. I don't think hijacking this thread with my MBA thesis would be nice for the OP. Someone brought up capitalism, that isn't it. I am a capitalist, right wing, non-nut job I am also an open source developer, and I hate people or organizations that stifle or kill creativity (Microsoft is another company obviously that I do not support).

longbeachgary

A lot of shops won't even work on these bikes because they are almost impossible to get running correctly. If they get it halfway right, it won't last through the next ride.

recon455

wow.

wheeldeal

To the OP....finally, a person that is able to write an intelligent & articulate post!

I give you props for trying to learn & fix your own bike. It can only help you in the future. Congrats on the bike.

Chris_F

Road cycling is all about being better than everyone else. And everyone knows that money makes you a good person. So showing that you have no money by buying a cheap bike proves that you aren't a good person and thus not worth associating with. You gotta understand where you are in the pecking order and as a road biker you'll never get to hang with the cool kids until you have a $4000 carbon fiber bike. If you ride a WalMart bike, or worse, don't wear a helmet, then you're pretty much scum.

And that's why mountain bikers are better than road bikers.

Chris_F

Here's the problem: a bike is just a pile of metal tubes (okay, sometimes plastic) and a half dozen or so simple mechanical things. We spend far too much money on them and get far too emotionally involved in our choices. If someone is able to buy a cheap bike from a non-approved source (the only approved source is your local bike shop) and that bike actually works, it undermines this little world we've built for ourselves where our choices are the only good ones.

embankmentlb

I am happy the OP likes his Walmart bike. That is all that truly matters.
Personally, i would rather have the 80's Panasonic. Panasonics from the DX2000 on up are excellent bikes!

doctor j

OP, congratulations! You're making good use of your resources and learning a lot in the process. Keep on riding and learning.

Daytrip

I bought my daughter a Trek 1.2 a few years ago because she was interested in road biking. I thought, "Why spend a lot of money only to find out that she's not into it?" Then I bought myself a Giant OCR-1. We both got into riding, so I bought a 105 groupset, put the crank and brakes on my bike, and then the remaining 105 parts, the Gossamer crankset and Tektro brakes on her 1.2. When I upgraded to a set of Psimet wheels earlier this year, my original Xero wheels went on her bike. So now she's basically got an '08 Giant OCR-1 on a Trek frame, and I've got....whatever.

Bottom line: upgrading both bikes was a lot of fun and very satisfying work and I learned a lot about DIY bike maintenance and building in the process.

Sounds to me like the OP is off to a good start. When you think about it, maintaining and upgrading a cheap bike will give a person all the skills and experience he/she needs to really appreciate and maintain a nicer rig at some point down the line.

Herbie53

+1 - enjoy the bike, fix or replace what breaks and upgrade the whole works when you feel like it's time. The bike manufactures get stuff a lot cheaper than we can and it shows in the pricing of entry level bikes.

roccobike

Congrats on learning about bikes. I think the time you spent is well worth it. I'm biased because I did almost the same thing, but with a 1988 Nishiki Ariel MTB that I picked up at a yard sale.
Once in a while I flip a bike or two. I've had two Wally World Schwinn road bikes pass through my hands, a Prelude and a Varsity. The Prelude was a dog that took way too many hours to get straight. It rode harsh and I was glad to part with it. The Varsity is not the same bike as other may think. The different, steel, raked fork and long head tube give it a much softer, more in control type ride that I actually liked. However, all the Wally World road bikes have low end components that are very difficult to tune.
I wish I could convince you to stop investing in the Denali and to buy a quality mid to late 80s road bike. A Nishiki International (Tange 1) or Prestige (Tange 2) or a Centurion LeMans with Tange 2 frame or, although they are pricey, a Centurion Ironman would be a bike worthy of your new skills. It would also be a bike that would respond big time to your improvements. Please re-consider this. Talk with some folks over at C&V and think about a really nice vintage bike. You'll be glat you did.

tridavis

Now, see this is the elitist thing I can't stand about some roadies. The guy did some research worked hard on his bike and it is fine for him. Most LBS should start working on these bikes if they want to stay afloat. Yeah, Yeah I know, yours is turning business away. I give the OP alot of credit as most rodies go buy the ,most expensive bike they can afford and then can't even adjust the brakes when they need to. I have had a bike like this handed over to me by a neighbor and had no problem getting it properly adjusted, and the wheels trued. Just depends on your abilities I guess.

Chris_F

I can see some shops turning away those cheap full suspension mountain bikes. It seems every time I'm at the shop and someone brings one in it's because the mount points for the rear shock are broken off or the rear shock is busted in half. Most shops don't want to be welding frames (don't blame 'em) and don't carry the cheap parts required to make an economical repair (most rear shocks cost the same as the whole bike they're fixing). But turning away otherwise serviceable bikes? That doesn't make sense. It's not like the customer is expecting perfection, they did after all buy the POS bike in the first place, right? Just get it as good as you can and send it out the door. Collect money, and maybe the person will buy some accessories while they're in the showroom. If you see the bike come back again then you get the chance to up-sell them on a bike from your floor.

deadprez012

Yeah, that Panasonic would have been a sexy beast to keep...alas, my med school roommate decided to finally return to bike commuting instead of driving and wouldn't sell it. BTW someone asked about a pic, but I can't get it because I've since moved out and when I had the privilege of riding it, I didn't have the presence of mind to document it!

Vintage bikes do sound intriguing to me. About the appeal of vintage cars so I do think I'll look into it for my next steed. I dig new shiny things (and there's a soft spot in my engineering heart for CF) but there's something satisfying about restoring old things to glory.

To those who support, thanks. To those who diss, whatever. See you on the road!

ptle

I still would rather spend the $150 to an old 80s steel bike. I've never had any problems with my $100 Bianchi, and it's got over 1000 miles on it. Since the first tune up which involved 3 hours of chain cables, housing, chainrings, cassette, bearings in hubs/bb, bar tape, and tires. I haven't had to really touch my bike since then. The only maintenance (other than keeping the shifter/brake cable in correct tension) I have done since mile 0 is change the chain, I think.

I've ridden the bike in the pouring rain, snow, through large puddles, heat and haven't had it break down. I don't think you could do that with a Walmart bike.

I like to fix my own bikes and actually enjoy it. However if I were given a Walmart bike, I'd get rid of it as soon as possible. The bike is just going to be more trouble than it's worth... especially if you actually start doing some real mileage.

DScott

One of the things you buy when you spend more money on a bike is fewer problems to fix. That's worth something.

There's still plenty to do to keep any bike running if you ride enough. That could satisfy your "man fix thing" urges, I'd suppose.

When fixing things interferes with riding, it may be time to spend a little more money on the bike.

DataJunkie

Start building up a frame next. Man build thing urge > man fix thing urge.

nixternal

I understand this story on a different level. My bike shop does fix the cheap bikes and they do it with a smile on their face. I noticed they don't rip on the bike or try to get the person to buy one of their bikes. They do what the people ask. I was the one that did the "WTF? You bring in an $80 bike for $120 worth of tune-up, tires, and tubes? Are you really that stupid?" Well, I guess they are, but who am I to judge them right?

I have to give it to my bike shop for not being elitist. Their mechanics say they hate working on them, but they have no other choice. I do know a bike shop though, actually a few of them here, that will not work on them.

esmith2039

Just go done tunning my dbx MT1000 mountain bike that I use as a commuter. Can't believe how badly this thing was put together. Both brakes dragging, front wheel crooked, lots of slop in both shifters, max and min not set on both derailleur even the kickstand was messed up.. you get the picture. Internet is a wonderful resource that I didn't have as a kid with my Huffy. Would of been 100x better with what I know now. The dbx was originally a $100 Dicks sporting goods special I only paid $18 for it at Goodwill.. still brand new now I know why. Can tell a big difference in quality from my other Bianchi but as a daily the dbx will work just fine. May keep it from getting stolen.

Wanderer

Well, I work on a lot of them, for the neighborhood kids.

And, they learn a lot about bicycles, in the process, as I let them "help" me fix and adjust. And, we always talk about what we're doing, and why.

It's a real reward, to see a 10, 11, 12 year old girl, help a 5, 6 year old "fix" their bikes.......

They're learning the basics of how bicycles work, and how to fix them. I suppose they could learn on 2,000 dollar bikes, but who buys their kids their first bikes, at those prices.

Me ------- I get to spend time with my grandchildren, and their friends!

ls0725

I don't shop at Walmart (LA area) too because there are always plenty of shoppers that annoy me.