USED, There are some incredibly sweet used bikes, no matter wher you look, garage sales, salvation army. It kills me sometimes that these top of the line bikes sometimes sell for under $10, (especially when I STILL don't have enough to buy them.) I think it's funny, too, that if you have a '79 Paramount parked next to a brand new Wally World bike, 9 out of 10 crackhead thieves will take X-mart bike! The point is, if you don't care about riding an older looking bike, you could potentially buy 2 or 3 nice bikes from the 70's and 80's for the price of one Target bike.

A few years ago, I bought a $58 Roadmaster from Walmart and rode it from Columbia, SC to Raleigh, NC after losing my job. Stuck a cheap rack on the back and away I went. Other than an initial adjustment on the brakes, I had no problems whatsoever with it. It was heavy and slow as molasses but I did the 250 mile ride in 4 days. I donated the bike to Goodwill when I arrived in Raleigh.

In the town I live at, nearly all the bikes I see being used for errands and such are xMart bikes. At two LBS's I have checked, I have yet to find a single bicycle that my daughter was interested in. And I totally understand why. Like it or not, xMart bikes appeal to kids.

I bought my hybrid bike at Dick's Sporting Goods that I use for touring and daily riding where they do adjustments and such for up to one year after the purchase. I have several thousand miles on it and other than one flat,two tires, and cable adjustments, no problems with it. Dick's is above the xMART bikes is that they usually have someone who is knowledgable about bicycles.

What I am saying is cheap bikes do have a market with the poor and with kids. I know on bikeforums.net, cheap bikes get frowned upon. I strongly recommend Dick's Sporting Goods if a cheap bike is all you can afford based just on my personal experience.

Cheers and Happy Riding,

To give you an idea of the quailty of there bikes, just my seat cost more then any bike Target has.

Wow..strong endorsement for Hefty™ Trash bags. Can you get those at Target?

There are a few models using chromo and steel at Target-generally the ones selling $140 and up.

When I go into the central business district accross the river in DC, I see bare frames attached to racks with kryptonite locks. Sometimes a low end bike with a $5 lock that survives what an expensive bike won't serves a purpose.

I don't think so, not any more. They used to sell them, but what with rationing and all in wartime, every Hefty™ product has been bought up by the gov't to be used as body armor for our boys overseas.

A few years ago i got one of htose Walgoose "full suspension" bikes. GOd the fork weighed like 10 lbs and another 5 for the front wheel and 30 for the frame. And then i got so frustrated becuause i couldnt figure out what that spring was for and so i took it apart and there was no lubricant on the pivot. I took it apart and and lubed it and then yes it was bouncy but im not a big fan of that. Then i actually rode like regular as in off road and on trails and everything fell apart and gave me lots of injuries. Got me into cycling mechanics though

OMG that's funny! :D I never considered the Dutch to have deep pockets BTW but I've heard the stereotype. ;)

I test rode a "telescoping" type bike a year ago. I actually liked it. I believe it was a 16" wheel model and had 6 speeds.

It was being displayed at an airshow and I believe they wanted about $350 Canadian for it. (bright yellow frame - other colours available) Rode it around the show for about 15 minutes... pavement, grass, taxiway, runway...oh my.

Seemed quite civil. Could have been the Giatex I've seen online. (looked like it...but it's been a year)

C

I've spent some VERY fun nights with Jeep juggage. ;)

Alright, ya got me. I didn't notice how old this thread was!!!!!!

puegot?

If only target made singlespeeds, road bike geometry singlespeeds with brakes would firstly make the bikes cheaper to make, and thus better quality for the money, and the the bikes would be a joy to ride, and would really get kids hooked into biking. All the problems that make cheap bikes stuff up, (mainly shifting, derailleur, suspension) would be gotten rid of.

The new cruisers, are a step in the right direction, (singlespeed), but also a step in the wrong direction (making bikes look cool, rather than functional).

Singlespeeds at kmart are only a dream though...

Point well taken. (Of course, that was one company that made its name with both cars and bikes, not a car company that has nothing to do with bikes but is merely selling its brand to attach to a bike.)

After reading this thread earlier today, I went to Target this afternoon. Sitting in a bike rack outside (unlocked!) was a perfect example, a cheapo full-suspension mountain bike that had probably come from that very store. (Do they have homing instincts?)

Anyway, this particular bike caught my eye because, along with the bouncy front and rear, it had a big ol' puffy gel saddle about the size of a couch cushion. I mean, my girlfriend's mother has a saddle like that on her bike, but she's 72! I guess whoever owns this one is REALLY into comfort...or those mountain bikers just aren't nearly as tough as I thought.

I tried to adjust brakes on a Mart bike, the parts were so poorly made it was impossible. I have seen kids come into the bike shop with loose seats and handlebars right from the store. One little girl had a loose seat and handlebar. It's a miracle she did not get hurt, she could barely ride the bike. The parents had no idea, they sent her out for a ride. I'm afraid some kids will, or are, getting hurt.

There are SS cruisers at my local Wall Mart. Some of the fenders are on backwards and one
had a couple of loose parts on it.

I have to agree with you, some kids and probably a few grownups would not have a bike if not for the cheap bikes at dept. stores. The cheap bikes do have a market with the poor or those unwilling to buy from a LBS. The main complaint with these cheap bikes is poor assembly, if these same bikes were assembled at the LBS, would they be better bikes? One of the local LBS in my town will do a tuneup on a xmark bike for $35 and he told me what he finds is most have little grease. So I guess a person who has some skills at bike assmebly may have a different opinion of cheap bikes than most of us have. After learning more about bikes here and at my local LBS, I will be getting a Lemond soon but I will never forget all the fun I had on the cheap bikes I got thru the years for Christmas from my parents who spent what they could afford for a kid who rode it and did not know any better LOL. A lot of good advice has been given to visitors to this forum who may not have a lot of bike knowledge especially the idea to check Salvation Army stores, etc for used bikes if you cannot afford a LBS bike. While I choose to get a good bike from my LBS, I will never look down on those who ride xmark bikes because thats what I used to ride. Cycling is fun and I hope more people could enjoy it.

The Target Schwinns are great -- better than some "real" Schwinns, IMO. I have some comments here.

Our local Target stores are selling a very odd unbranded "road" bike, though. Aluminum slope-tube frame, steel stem, steel handlebar, genuine nuts for both hubs: $99. It feels like it weighs about 35 pounds ... looks like it's running a 42/14 top gear.

Target and Walmart bikes are good if you are like the average consumer who buys a bike, rides it for a couple days and then leaves it in the garage or sitting out in the yard for the rest of it's life. If you actually plan to ride a lot then you need a bike from a LBS. (local bike shop)

There are plenty of good bike shop bikes gathering dust in garages. So if you don't plan to ride much, go with the Target bikes. When comparing prices between X-mart and bike shops, keep this in mind: If you spend $150 on a bike at Target, it is basically worth ZERO when you walk out the door with it. Try and resell it a year later and you won't get squat for it.

Good bike shop bikes like Trek, and Cannondale etc. will hold there value pretty well. It is not uncommon to see 1 yr old bikes on Ebay selling for more than they were sold for originally in a bike shop.

Target was selling a one speed Schwinn beach cruiser for around $150. Some bikes shops in my area sell similar beach cruisers for $160 to $175, so the Target "discount" was not significant.

And this is EXACTLY the type of bike Target should sell. When the bike comes out of the box, all the clerk needs to do is put on the front wheel, and maybe the handlebars. Put in air. Ready to go. If discount stores would sell sturdy one speed bikes, with coaster brakes, and NO other bike, they would be doing their customers a real favor. But, Target customers are also buying "dual suspension" bikes put together by a guy whose "regular" job is unpacking boxes. Very scary.

Even with a one speed beach cruiser, a good bike shop will check to see if the wheel truing needed a "touch up", or if the wheel bearings need adjustment, or check whether the factory forgot to put grease in the head-set. And, a bike shop will take care of any problems that come up after a few weeks or months of riding. Valuable services that are well worth paying an extra $50 or so.

Agreed. There's not much to screw up on a singlespeed cruiser and it's likely the manufacturers won't have drastically cut corners building it so the quality of the bike is likely to be higher because the production overheads will be lower. On the other hand, buying a "full-suspension mountain bike" from Target is akin to buying a filet mignon from McDonald's.

Don't buy a Daihatsu either. Wait until you can afford a Ferrari.
Don't rent an apartment either. Wait until you can afford a McMansion.
Instead of eating bologna, wait until you can afford caviar.
Don't play Fish or Spades or Hearts. Wait until you are a professional Poker player.
Why buy a 13 inch TV when you can save for a 62 inch flat plasma HDTV?
Why cook a meal? Wait until you can hire a chef!

X-marts sell hundreds of thousands of bikes every year. They are clearly satisfying a demand. That's the way the system works.

People buying a bike for a kid, which will likely be undersized, damaged or lost while the kid grows each year are probably right to buy an x-mart, or used bike. You ever try to talk quality and workmanship to a kid when you are competing with a Spiderman or Dora the Explorer logo?

I think in some ways the expression "To each their own" implies a certain amount of freedom and mutual respect. :)

I was under the impression that schwinn either went belly up, or sold out. The big China bike conglomerate bought the rights to the name, and can put it on anything they want. Same with Mongoose.

Those are terrible analogies, and you're trying to make us all come off as wealthy, elitist snobs. What's really being said is, lay down the Big Mac, and spend a little more for something that's actually good for you. A good introductory model bike is not that much more than a Wal-Mart bike, is much better quality,weighs substantially less and will last many times as long. Also, for the same price as one of those turds, you can get a quality USED bike. There is nothing elitist about expecting a certain standard of quality in a vehicle that could potentially kill you if it's shoddily built. Those who still want to be obtuse can be obtuse, but I find it ironic that not one LBS employee, (the people who have to service these POS's,) will defend these bikes. It's always the people who are too cheap to buy their own kids something safe to ride around on. That sucks.

I agree that you have some pretty ridiculous analogies. I completely respect anyone's right to go buy an X-mart bike. The purpose of forums like these is to share information and to educate.

Everyone has the right to ignore this advice. I am sure plenty do. My username comes from the fact that i started out with a "Schwinn" ranger from target a couple of years ago. I got advice from everyone on here to get a better bike. After a few rides I was smart enough to see what they were saying.

4 LBS bikes and 10,000 or so miles later and i am very grateful for that advice. I am thankful for the target bike in the respect that it got me into cycling. I am even more grateful to the members that told me, i would likely appreciate a better bike.