Is the Wallmart fixie really that bad?
 

Hey forum I need cheap fixie and I've been thinking instead of getting a bike of CL and converting it. I could just buy the Mongoose Cachet and take every thing apart and rebuild it replacing all the broken parts. Would this work beter than converting a bike. If any one has one could they share there experience. Also if you know how much it wieghts could you tell me?

Why would you want to spend money on a crappy bike, only to "take every thing apart and rebuild it replacing all the broken parts" right away? You'll probably end up spending more than if you just bought yourself a decent bike to begin with and at the end of the day, you'll still be riding a ****ty Mongoose from WalMart.

Save up some damn money and buy a real bike.

Bam!

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/st...egoryId=201924


4 Single Speed bikes all quality all under $300. Ive seen the hounder go for like 160$ shipped on certain weekends.

:lol:

To be objective, low end bikes fill a niche.
Some people want to try something new without making the $$ commitment and maybe do not have the tools/know-how/patience for a cheap conversion (Look around BF).
Some just can't afford a nicer bike or don't want to have to buy a $$ lock system and worry if the bike gets stolen (Again, look around BF).
So you could buy one, slowly upgrade/personalize it, learn about maintenance and adjusting bearings (you'll need that) and then when you can afford it and decide you like FG transfer the components to another frame or conversion.

I think it is a great option for HS/college kids.
Will the cool kids snicker when you roll by? Probably.
Will you care? That's up to you.
If you are fast enough it doesn't matter what you roll on. I do centuries on a dumpster conversion and I pass a lot of carbon.

I would much rather see a Wmart fixie on the road than a Schwinn Varsity conversion.

Whatever get's people on bikes is a good idea to me.
I'm planning to travel to China this year so I will probably buy one at the Wmart there and then just give it to a friend or aquaintance (it's cheaper and less risk than shipping a bike).

Enjoy

Here's the thing about Wal-Mart bikes: when you talk about replacing the broken parts, you have to understand that these bikes are not built to be maintained. They are priced so that when they break they get thrown out. The mechanic at the bike shop I use complains when someone brings in a Wal-Mart bike for repair because a lot of the time the simplest repair is not possible because odd sizes are used for many of the parts; you can't order those out of the standard supply catalog, so to repair the bike parts have to replaced at a higher level. For instance, the hub threading may be a different diameter, so instead of replacing a cog and lockriing you may have to buy a whole rear wheel.

So if you want a minimum investment to see if you like riding fixed, go for it. But when parts need to be replaced (and they will), you may or may not be able to get the parts you need.

I've worked on a lot of low end bikes both in a shop and a co-op.
Unless it is 20 years old or a schwinn there are not a lot of odd sizes out there anymore.
The mechanic complaint you are referring to is probably more about the replacement component costing more than the replacement value of the bike.

Enjoy

Not this guy, he wants to buy a ****ty bike and use the ****ty frame with new parts. Buy something proper, **** walmart.

Just buy a kilo tt its dirt cheap and works fine(comes with brakes!) add some aerospok and youll be ballin

I'm curious, do you have an actual example where low end bikes use non standard threading somewhere?

Maybe he wants to be ironic.
Like the guys here in BF that buy nice bikes and then make them look crappy on purpose.

Enjoy

Word UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why?

And to the OP, remember: Everytime you make a purchase at Walmart, you help to put a small mom & pop store out of business. Buy a used, tuned up bike at your local LBS, don't support the dumbing down of America.

Right on! Buying a fixed gear bike from Walmart is like buying a Nickelback CD because you like metal.

That was pretty funny. lol

What else is funny is that every week someone askes about the Walmart bikes, then everyone says they're **** go buy a Kilo, then evryone *****es that there's too many Kilos.

lol...Vicious Cycle. Pun intended.

I talked my homie into buying one! I've been trying to get him back into cycling for a year or two now, so this was the easiest way. He was too slow and the first one (mongoose) sold out quickly. When the second one came out (Genesis), he snatched it up for only $150 shipped. Came mostly assembled, so he was able to put it together without needing any bike specific tools. Decals are on top of clearcoat, so he removed all those. He plans to eventually respray the whole thing with some leftover white automotive paint. I'm gonna check it out when I get back in town, but he seems to be enjoying it so far. It's perfect b/c he buses to work, and plans to take the bike once in awhile too, so he won't have to worry too much about leaving this cheapie locked up outside all day, or it getting scratched/dinged up. If he ends up enjoying it, then I can try and steer him towards buying a better bike down the road.

Aren't you the same guy that wanted to make money by building wheels from ground up and sell it to people...

Oh wait...it is!

Yeah I am if you haven't noticed i'm pretty young and broke but do you think its worth converting my schwinn le tour (it's hi-Ten

I'd much rather convert a Le Tour than ride that Walmart crap.

If I were to convert it I would probably buy http://www.cyclingcloseouts.com/Prod...ia_wheels.aspx have you heard any thing bad about these?

The Hounder is pretty decent for $199

Am I the only one who thinks that model name is really ironic?