It would be helpful if you would quote the people you are responding to so that we don’t have to guess.
Originally Posted by
rydabent
On what basis do you say "not particuarlly strong". If they are up graded with serviceable components, they may be a little heavy, but very serviceable over all. In many cases buying a "name" is a huge waste of money. Remember unlike the quality lugged frame bikes before 1990, almost all are computer welded frames from China. Only the name painted on the frame is different.
What I mean by being “not particularly strong” is that the frames are poorly welded and poorly fitted. Welds are barely adequate to hold the frame together. Threads on the bottom bracket are inconsistent. They are often too tight because the dies used to cut the threads are worn out and don’t cut the threads deeply enough.
If the bottom bracket comes out of the shell, putting a new one back in will often need the threads to be recut so that the new bottom bracket can be threaded in. The frames are often misaligned. The forks are often misaligned. The derailers used are flimsy and won’t keep the bike in gear and are also very easily bent out of alignment...like bumping in a bike rack flimsy.
Yes, many bikes are welded in China. Most of the bike store bikes are welded in the better factories to specific specifications. The point of a bike store bike...even a cheap one...is to provide a quality product that will last, provide enjoyment, and, perhaps, get the customer to come back and buy something better.
The point of a HelMart bike is to provide an object that looks like a bicycle and will roll long enough to get it home where it will be ridden for a few miles at best and then hung on a peg where it will hang until someone decides to throw it away. HelMart’s model is not about getting people to ride bike but to come in to buy a bike and maybe pick up a bunch of other cheap stuff at the same time. The only thing that makes HelMart bikes safe is that they are so poorly built that they will stop working before they can collapse and cause the rider injury.