livedarklions

What happened to it?

Rajflyboy

If you do your homework you buy a bike with a 1x drivetrain and replace the rear derailleur. Less than 100 bucks. Buy a bike with a threadless headset.

Kev central is a great resource for folks who don’t have big cash to buy a bike.

bampilot06

cranks cracked. it was within 3 months so I returned it.

Rajflyboy

If you do your homework you buy a bike with a 1x drivetrain and replace the rear derailleur. Less than 100 bucks. Buy a bike with a threadless headset. A few things that help.

Kev central is a great resource for folks who don’t have big cash to buy a bike.

Rajflyboy

One can also frequent places like Good Will, Salvation Army and other thrift stores (I have found a few good bikes over the years at places like this).

Marci

The difference is in the ride. And the quality. You get what you pay for. I started with an OLD Huffy bought at a thrift store for a whopping 7.50. LOL But even with the tune up my friend did it still was a monster to ride. Geared too high, so heavy, and just horrid to ride.
I had trouble keeping up with the group and we ride slowly. I was fit from swimming nearly every day but that thing was just terrible to ride. Took all the fun out of it. I did learn a lot though, mostly what not to do. Its really important to keep the tires inflated, if they are not it makes it 400 times harder.
When I bought my well used Specialized (I named it Old blue because like an older blue roan horse the nicks on it were in a different shade of blue) the difference was so apparent. I suddenly could get up hills easier, and go faster. It put the fun back in biking. So yes there is a HUGE difference in the cheap bikes at the chains that are usually not even put together right and the good name brand ones at a reputable bike store.
You can find used good bikes at close to the same price of one of those horrid things at wallmart.
I now ride a nice bike (semi recumbent Day 6) that I paid over 500 for used. New they are 1000. I love big red. I am hooked on it. I have to say the knees are better than they have been in a long time even with the severe arthritis.

Rajflyboy

this

dkatz1

The way I see it, you don't just buy the bike, you buy the store....i don't doubt that there are crummy local bike stores, but there really are good ones. To me, the follow up service over your life as a cyclist is really important. Definitly don't buy a bike from anywhere that can't properly service them. A bike can be totally self-serviced, it's true, but no everyone can or is willing.

Rajflyboy

great point

kocour

I volunteer at my town's bike co-op or bike library. We accept donated bikes, fix them, and make them available for low cost. When we receive a "department store bike" we usually strip it of any useful parts (not many) and sell the rest for scarp metal. These cheap bikes are usually of poor design, heavy, rusted and just no fun to ride. It is a shame that energy and materials went into producing a product that is so crappy it turns off its buyer from biking in the future. Invest in a quality bike and accessories from a local bike shop and you will be a happy biker.

Rafe Hollister

"Anything worth doing... is worth doing poorly". If you can't afford an expensive bike, buy a cheap one. It's still fun and will get you in shape and you will make friends, might make more friends if it breaks and you gotta rely on strangers to fix it or get you home.
I also volunteer at my local Bike Kitchen, we have very nice 30 year old bikes that have been gone thru thoroughly by at leased half-assed mechanics. I have a pretty big ass, so when I do a half-assed job, its still pretty impressive. And they are priced from 50.00 to 150.00. If that's too much, you can volunteer, build up credits, and build up your own bike with help from some of the most experienced bike mechanics... for free. (we also toss dept store bikes in the trash, only saving seat tubes, seats, tires, tubes, bars, and accessories)
I went to Burning Man this year with one bike... crimped and spot welded frame, got for 10 bucks at yard sale, some gears don't work, brakes are way better than dragging my feet. Its the cheapest bike I've ever seen. But I've had it for 8 years now, occasional rider, and I love it.
At Burning Man, everyone takes a crappy bike, many get left there. So I came back with 11 bikes on my van. I selected one for the TrueTemper ChroMo doublebutted frame (DiamondBack from 90s), another for the Shimano Deore shifters, Bike Kitchen had some nice stems, bars, seat tubes... I put some chubby 2.25" street tires on it and now own an amazing 26lb bike that will do errands, light off road, and almost keeps up with roadie friends that aren't in good shape.

livedarklions

It's really hard to quantify, but there's a sweet spot where you have a "beater bike" that's fun to ride, and then there's a junk bike where everything feels like a struggle.

Rafe Hollister

Yes. I've not yet ridden a suspension dept store that I enjoyed.

Rajflyboy

Sounds like you are having a lot of fun with your cycling and also helping others get into cycling

Senior Ryder 00 

Another two cents worth!

Department store bikes are great for business at the co-op where I volunteer. Every fall, when people are cleaning out their garages, several are donated. Most have only been ridden a few miles for a season or two. They’ve been donated because they were poorly setup and are hard to ride. These are typically <$200 bikes, a quick fix. Best part is that they are “clean”. A quick wipe down, check and inflate tires, lube mechanisms, repack/adjust bearings, adjust shifters/derailleurs and their ready for the sales. These sell for $100-125 depending quality with a 90 day warranty. Most don’t even need the cables replaced.

Yes, the overall quality is not the best, but the main problem is poor assembly and lack of quality control. Part of the co-op’s charter is to provide training. We’ve trained assemblers for many of the local department stores. Most have a target of 30 minutes from box to display rack. I‘m a decent mechanic and it typically takes me two hours to check,service, and adjust a bike that’s already been assembled.

Of all the bikes that have passed through me and my family, very few have been cheapos. While I tend to focus on better quality bikes, I understand the need for entry level bikes as long as they are safe and functional.

So, hopefully, those that have turned this into a shouting match will move on.

Cheers,

Van

livedarklions

Thanks for the interesting post.

Honest question, do many of them come back during the 90 day warranty?

Rajflyboy

80$ bucks to add a good rear shock.

https://www.amazon.com/DNM-Damping-M...mr1&th=1&psc=1

Senior Ryder 00 

livedarklions About 40% of those that are actually purchased come back for follow up service and adjustments. Sadly, most of the ones that go thru the Earn-a-Bike are never seen again. A volunteer must work 12 hours to earn one of these. Although we provide a lock with HD chain, helmet and lights many are "stolen" within a few weeks. Needless to say this area has a serious homeless and drug problem.

Regards,

Van

bpcyclist

I have gone sort of both directions with this with various big purchases over the years. I bought a totally decked out, top-shelf Camry years ago that was nice, but it did not hold up nearly as well as the admittedly slightly more expensive but still bottom-rung Lexus I later got. The Lexus was clearly the more wise long-term choice--if the money was there. I have bought guitars of all brands and types but still, by far, the finest guitar I ever owned was a 1968 Les Paul Goldtop with original everything. Gibson made high-quality instruments in those years and they really lasted. Via a story too long for here, I got to play a bunch of Rick Nielsen's (of Cheap Trick) guitars one afternoon with him. There were several late 50s Les Pauls and Strats of all kinds. It was insane. But they played awesomely (not me, the instruments). Again, timeless quality that endures.

I have had two versions of 105, some Rival, some Force, and some Ultegra over the years. I consider both SRAM and Shimano to be reliable and well worth the money (forgetting about Red and Dura-Ace--I do not race, so those are of no use to me) generally and I would not scrimp on one of these cheapie gruppos just to save some short-term cash. Much better to save and wait until you can get a quality product from a reputable mfr. that will support it and you. Aim for Tiagra, for example. I feel the same way about frames. I would not personally ever buy a cheap Chinese frameset for $400. Who do I call or take it to if there is an issue?

In the end, most quality companies manufacture quality gear for a fair price and stand by their products. That's what I am aiming for. It doesn't always work out, but more often than not, I end up happy--even if I can't afford the top-of-the-line item. In short, I usually buy the company.

alloo

Why do children need designer bicycles?

livedarklions

I don't think Walmart and designer bikes are the two alternatives, rather it's between department store vs. low-end lbs bikes.

The calculation is a lot different for kids bikes and adults, and here Walmart has a better case than in adult bikes. Durability and upgrade worthiness aren't really important factors in a bike that you expect the rider to outgrow in a couple years. So basically, if you have a serviceable single speed bike where the parts stay on and are good enough for the limited demands a child will make on the machine, then that $89 or whatever is well-spent.

Unfortunately, there are some $89 bikes that can't even meet those limited standards. A bike that needs a parent's attention every hour or so is not going to be a lot of fun for the child, and I've seen some wm bikes where the frame is messed up enough that you can't adjust the rear wheel to keep the chain from falling off repeatedly, for example.

If you can treat the return period as a sort of extended test ride, then that $89 may be a good risk.

Rajflyboy

You must be be doing something seriously wrong if you cannot get a Toyota Camry to last a long time. This is one of the most reliable vehicles ever made.

BookFinder 

Yo zappy007 , welcome to the asylum. If you have read every page of the feedback to your question, you by now realize that opinions vary widely, and that it is wintertime in many places so discontent shows up in butt-loads.

Re, your question - here is my personal short list of how to approach an answer.

• Intended use and fit first
• Quality next
• Features last

All of these are an important part of the decision matrix so none should be left out, but the order is important.

I have a Wally World Schwinn MTB that is one of my favorite rides. I've had it since 2003 and have ridden it around town, in the neighborhood, and it is the bike that goes with me on vacation trips. I lucked into a proper fit when I did a stand-over check and bought it on impulse. I bought it with the intent of neighborhood rides.

Later, I took it to a LBS to have SPD pedals installed and some fitting adjustments made and the tech commented on the quality of the frame build. His words: "the frame quality on this bike is really nice and it should last you a while. The components will eventually need replacing."

Finally, "features" gets at type of shifters and brakes, and other nuances. For example, does it have bosses for water bottle cages? Are the cables routed through the frame, or mounted externally? Is it set up with eyelets to add a rack if you decide to turn it into a commuter or Saturday day-ride mount for the bike-trails? How much adjustment is possible in the seat post? And other questions like that.

There are real differences in how certain components perform and in how well they last over time. For me, the big box Schwinn got me back into the sport, and gave me an inexpensive mount to learn and experiment on. Since then I've owned several Giants. They were great bikes, but I worried about the $1,700 TCR getting stolen. I've settled now on hybrids as my preferred ride so I bought an old Cannondale on the cheap and rebuilt it. There was not a Dick's Sporting Goods nearby when I bought the Schwinn in '03, but if I were making the same decision today I would probably go with Dick's instead of Walmart, because Dick's offers an in-house bike shop.

Finally, the chances are that after you get onto a bike your intended use will either change outright, or at least expand in different ways. So take the long look, and then snag something that fits so you can ride it comfortably and effortlessly. From there you will figure it out.

wolfchild

Thread has gone for 6 pages and not even one reply from OP.

cyccommute 

Have you ever handled a HelMart kids bike? Have you ever worked on or picked up a “designer bike”? The difference between the two is astounding. Some of these bike can drag 40 lbs. Little kids (and smaller adults) have less muscle mass and less strength but we ask them to ride bikes that can weigh as much as they do and sometimes more. Go put pedals on a motorcycle...with the engine still in place...and go see how much you like to ride it.

People who ride bikes that weigh a fraction of their body weight shouldn’t tell people that weight doesn’t matter when the weight in question is either a significant percentage of their weight or a multiple of it.