KDNYC

This. The description does not mention the steel. It's gaspipe, which is why it's so heavy. Have you picked up 25-30lbs lately? Weight does not equal build quality: a cheaply built frame can still crack at the welds. There may be alignment issues you won't notice.
The wheels are also cheap, as are parts. You'll be lucky to sell them for any amount. This is a bike that parents buy for their teenagers, because the kids want a cool "fixie" and the parents are tired of hearing them complain. Read the reviews. The parts don't last. It's a "fun" bike destined for the curb alright, but in the trash heap.

The bike cost $99+shipping and you'll be spending $300 if you buy everything new, around $400 total. You'll need a few additional tools, figure $25-50. A buildup is simple, but if you've never done it before, you'll make mistakes, or change your mind and swap things, so count on spending a bit more than you think. You'll still have a cheap, heavy frame. Lipstick on a pig.

For comparison purposes, a new Wabi classic frameset costs $375, and it has a much better quality steel frame/fork. You can spend a little more for an installed BB/crankset and headset. The complete bike will weigh about 18lbs. I'm not touting Wabi over other bikes (just happen to own one, and I've owned more than a few FGSS bikes) and it's not a good choice for freestyle or polo, but the math still favors a bike that has actual value. There are less expensive 4130 cromoly bikes that will be much better to ride. You can probably find one on craigslist for a lot less than a Thruster + parts swap.

If you've never ridden a FGSS before, it's not a bad idea to buy a cheap complete bike and ride it around. But if you actually want to do something fun and build up a bike, start with a decent frame.

Jaytron

This forum is going downhill.

Dannihilator

I totally would not trust a full on downhill bike from walmart.

KDNYC

4130 cromoly frame/fork. Check the deals threads, and the other threads. Popular examples include Kilo, Pake, Soma. Steer clear of frames that don't specify the steel, or say "hi-tensile" as another commenter noted. They are bottom barrel bikes. It's not about "nice" but "decent." You want a decent bike.

I'm not a big fan of Bikesdirect, but even their complete bikes are going to be better than a Thruster! $300 shipped will get you a wide tire 4130 bike, and you can tighten up everything and ride it. Lots of people in NYC buy these inexpensive bikes as lockup or polo bikes.

Read the sticky'd posts. A thousand people come here asking the same question.

Dannihilator

I've only ever seen two thrusters in person.

Midawi

In defense of the Thruster!!!

Against most of the advice on this forum (as well as others) I bought a Thruster Fixie at the beginning of the summer of 2013 for $90, and I must say it was the best bike for me for many reasons.

When I saw it I was skeptical of a few things... plastic brake mounts, plastic covered steel cranks, generally cheap materials breaking beneath me while learning to ride a fixed gear. Well I should say 550 miles later none of my fears were realized.

What I love most about this bike is that I don't have to worry about it. I live in Jersey City and ride in NYC quite a bit as well, so I didn't want to worry about locking it up.

I also wanted a bike I could use to experiment and learn on without spending much bread. I suspected things would malfunction and break left and right from the talk on these forums. Not a single part has malfunctioned yet, so the upgrades I have made have been just addressing personal preferences.

Here are the things I have done so far:
1) Avenir alloy seat post. With the included seat post I couldn't quite adjust it back as far as I like. I didn't need much additional adjustment (not offset post) so the different mount type allowed enough adjustment. $8.48

2) Foot Straps. A cheap way to see if I wanted toe cages down the road. I'm ready to buy Avenir pedals with toe cages, but until the straps or the current pedals brake, why bother? These have lasted me 550 miles so far. $10.86

3) 13T Cog. I probably would have experimented with cogs no matter what bike I bought, but for the sake of argument, I'll include it. $14.99

4) When I finally (recently) realized that I could put some thinner road tires on these rims (I initially thought these rims required 38mm wides, like what came with the bike) I got some 25mm Continental Ultra Sport II's and smaller tubes. This has been a HUGE improvement to speed, weight & feel on the road. It was well worth the $56.48.

5) Avenir Lock Ring. I sort of ruined the included lock ring (and my knuckles a few times) following the terrible advice of my LBS. He suggested I use channel locks instead of buying the right tool to change cogs. $5.98 Probably shouldn't include this expense here, but again, for the sake of argument I'll include it.

Totals:
$90 initial bike cost
$97 upgrades
$187 total investment

After these mods the bike weighs a reasonable 27 lbs.
Granted this is not the 18 & change that Wabi advertises for their $750 classic, but not bad for a bike that cost a QUARTER of the price.

The best part of going this route (starting cheap and working up to better equipment) is you learn how each part works and feels, in a manageable way one part at a time. This way, when you finally decide to upgrade (or need to due to wear and tear) you REALLY appreciate what you are getting!

Finally, I could probably get a few bucks selling the old parts I took off this bike as well.

jlafitte 

More power.

BTW. $90 is a month's or more income for a lot of people in the world. Walmart markets their bikes essentially as disposable toys, but in some places in the world a Thruster or equivalent can be the difference between supporting oneself or utter destitution. Check it out: Wheels4Life - Providing Low Cost Bikes for People in the Developing World

Also, closer to home:

hairnet

There's starting cheap on entry level bikes and then being cheap and starting on garbage.

I have worked as a bike mechanic for several years now and these Thrusters, as well as other department store bikes, are the worst. People bring them in for repair because the cranks are loose and I have show them that the crank taper is rounded out. Wheels go out of true because the spoke tension is all over the place and the rims might as well be made of playdoh. All the bearings are either scarey loose or horribly tight and trying to adjust them well is an excersise in futility. The brakes... better off not relying on them.

I'm sure others that have had to fix a Thruster will agree. I have helped a lot of people that rely on these for transportation and I feel horrible when I have to tell them the crank is toast or the wheel is too far gone for me to do anything for it.

TejanoTrackie 

+1000

TenSpeedV2

27 lbs for a fixed/single speed is reasonable? Uh, no. I am glad that you are enjoying your Thruster and that you are out riding. I have learned one thing in the last few years. Life is too short to ride a crappy bike.

CliffordK

I would say have fun and customize away. You certainly can't "ruin" a $100 bike. When you get down to it, the frame, forks, and headset may be worth $100. Not the best quality in the world, but good enough.

As far as paying $100 to outfit a bike. Even those people that buy $5000 bikes often end up spending in excess of an additional $100 for things like pedals, seat, water bottle cages, & accessories.

Do you have a local co-op or bike store that sells used parts? There are often a few gems to be found, although they often need some work.

T13

Saying you love bikes, and riding, but riding something like this is like saying you love music and yer favorite music is Brittany Spears or Taylor Swift.

Cute Boy Horse

The thruster is in no way equivalent to the sort of bike that's a livelhood for someone in a poor country.

The difference? A thruster will break down under heavy use and end up costing money. Good luck going "boda boda" on something so badly built the brake levers snap.

screamtone

$187 to get a 27 lb. Thruster? I bought a Pista on CL last month for $200.

jlafitte 

It's a fixie, it's not supposed to have brakes.

ha pwned you dude

Caliper

I looked at a Thruster once thinking the same. I quickly realised that not a single part on there was really what I wanted to be riding. Just cheesy parts and low quality. Sure, if you need basic transportation for next to nothing or live somewhere with crime problems, it would be great. But, for someone who enjoys riding I realised it would just never make me happy. Buy once - cry once really is a saying that takes some time to learn, but when I've followed that advice I never really think about the price of that expensive item again becase every time I use it, I love it.

Midawi

I'm not saying the Thruster is for everyone, but personally I wanted to learn about the actual differences in feel between what some call "garbage" and better quality items. What better way than to start at the bottom of the barrel and replace parts one at a time as I choose or as they wear out.

I have read/heard some guys on bike forums or in shops say "you need this, or that," but when you ask why they can't give a clear answer. I appreciate when someone can answer a simple why without feeling threatened or getting defensive and help you understand the bigger picture, if there is one. Unfortunately few people have this skill. Thanks to those of you on here that do!!

As a musician I believe I should be able to explain why I don't listen to Brittany Spears or Taylor Swift in a more meaningful way than just saying the music sucks or that it's cheesy--especially if I'm talking to people that listen to and like that sort of thing.

As for the Thruster yes the brake levers suck. I expected to replace them very soon after buying the bike, but they have actually, surprisingly held up much longer than I expected. And since the Thruster came with front and rear brakes, when you ride fixed you have 3 ways to stop, just in case, so you don't really have to "rely" on them at all.

Having said that, the front brake lever has just started to show signs that it will give out soon. The plastic of the lever is "stretching" and creating play in the mechanism. So that will be something else for me to learn how to replace/upgrade.

I also feel the need to defend the wheel set on the Thruster. They are relatively lightweight aluminum and I have had no problems with them. I don't know the tolerances of what is considered a "true" wheel, but I bought a spoke wrench and was able to improve these wheels quite a bit with no issues. Granted I don't have anything to compare them to, but when/if I upgrade I will understand the difference and appreciate my new wheel set even more.

Finally, if I do decide to eventually upgrade to a better complete bike, I'll know what to look for on my own terms, and I'll have a backup lockup bike to boot, which is a must in the city.

I happened to notice there is a new Thruster being advertised at Walmart with an aluminum frame. I'm not sure what my frame is as it was not listed in the description (I'm guessing steel) but is there anyway to tell between steel & chromoly?

hardboiled718

I think most people's beef with the thruster is the way it's marketed and it's target buyers. There's also a clear lack of quality in favor of supplying a cheap product to fill that market.

I only got 1 bike and ride daily as a commuter and also for recreation so it gets a lot of use and abuse. I wouldn't want to worry about some part failing while riding in traffic or whatever. For me, paying a little more to buy a quality part that I can trust is worth that assurance.
I'm not saying everything has to be top of the line by any means either, my current bike is a no-name steel frame with a mix of parts I've acquired over the years, but has held up a lot more than I'd bet on a thruster. I also like supporting local bike shops that guarantee their work and can give suggestions about parts and stuff (although this is also difficult to find), which walmart doesn't provide.

CliffordK

Aluminum parts such as dropouts tend to look much chunkier than steel.

A magnet will stick to steel.
It will not stick to aluminum (or a few high end stainless steel alloys).

TejanoTrackie 

A cheap steel frame is a lot safer than cheap aluminum. Steel bends on impact, aluminum breaks.

neamatoad

between 3 bikes I've had to replace 3 right crank arms, re-pack 2 rear hubs, replace 1 bb, and replace one entire rear wheel due to a hub shell collapse
there would've also been a lot of wheel truing had the owners not been too cheap to have it done

I mean this in the least offensive way possible, but are you sure it's the thruster you're defending, and not your decision to buy one?

Midawi

I'm not offended by your question, nor am I defensive about buying a Thruster. I waited almost a year to share on these forums just because I know how outspoken some people are against this type of bike. Naturally I was reluctant to throw myself to the wolves. But by now I have put 665 miles on this bike and overall it has been a decent bike for me. I've gotten more than my money's worth out of the bike and I wouldn't regret buying it even if it dies tomorrow (and it might). For me it has been a fun, inexpensive and successful experiment. I'm hooked on riding fixed gear now, so when/if I see a clear reason to upgrade to a better bike I'll know better what to look for. But honestly, I'm good for now...

Thanks again to the light hearted & open minded guys on here.

Eric11

Glad this worked well for you. I have ridden mine daily for a few years. It was what I could afford ($50 at a flea market). It was more important for me to be able to ride than not ride for three months while I saved money. I have had to repair and replace as I could afford to do so. I was told more than once that it wasn't worth fixing and to the point where I decided to stop going to one shop. Fortunately that steered me to another shop that has been totally helpful and not at all condescending. Recently, I had a "cut my losses" opportunity/decision when having to replace the wheels. With the 110mm rear hub (probably one of the main reasons these are not top choices for builds), the cost of rep[lacing the wheels was gonna be within $100 of the cost of a new bike in the shop that I had been eyeing for a while, and I had just enough cash to make it happen. After test riding the new bike, I discovered my old bike felt better and I went ahead with the wheel project. I have thoroughly enjoyed riding and fixing up this bike. Hope you have and continue to do the same. Hope to hear more about your experience.

TenSpeedV2

^ what was the other bike that you were looking at that made you continue to ride the Thruster? I have to know this.

sickz

i'd be ngikcuf embarrassed to be seen on that piece of ****.

ppl that sit around here defending how a "thruster" is the best choice for them HAVE NEVER RIDDEN ANYTHING OF QUALITY.