Maybe bike shops should sell inexpensive bikes
#126
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
My friend and I (a great mechanic) had discussed opening a shop here to cater primarily to commuters and utilitarian riders as that is a market that the local shops don't really serve very well.
If you want to mountain bike or ride high end road bikes then there are plenty of shops that will take your dollar but the selection of commuter friendly / commuter specific bikes is pretty thin and many of those are quite pricey ie. Batavus when they are basically, very simple bikes.
Being able to provide a simple high quality bike at a good price was one of our main topics of conversation.
If you want to mountain bike or ride high end road bikes then there are plenty of shops that will take your dollar but the selection of commuter friendly / commuter specific bikes is pretty thin and many of those are quite pricey ie. Batavus when they are basically, very simple bikes.
Being able to provide a simple high quality bike at a good price was one of our main topics of conversation.
#127
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My friend and I (a great mechanic) had discussed opening a shop here to cater primarily to commuters and utilitarian riders as that is a market that the local shops don't really serve very well.
If you want to mountain bike or ride high end road bikes then there are plenty of shops that will take your dollar but the selection of commuter friendly / commuter specific bikes is pretty thin and many of those are quite pricey ie. Batavus when they are basically, very simple bikes.
Being able to provide a simple high quality bike at a good price was one of our main topics of conversation.
If you want to mountain bike or ride high end road bikes then there are plenty of shops that will take your dollar but the selection of commuter friendly / commuter specific bikes is pretty thin and many of those are quite pricey ie. Batavus when they are basically, very simple bikes.
Being able to provide a simple high quality bike at a good price was one of our main topics of conversation.
I sort of wonder how Mellow Johnny's is doing down in Austin. Have they opened yet? What are they carrying?
#128
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#129
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The Cobalt is not a Daewoo. the Cobalt is completely US designed and built
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I'm glad this thread made it to 6 pages.
Regarding the profit margins- I'm hoping that the manufacturers would make bikes that are slightly less expensive so LBS margins are still OK.
A $100 XMart bike will easily last as long as a $1000 LBS bike, the $1000 bike will be more comfortable and better to ride though.
$200-$250US is really the number I'd like to see, rigid frame and fork, 7 speed gears, comfy seat
The Schwinn Sierra 7 is a good start at $250
Regarding the profit margins- I'm hoping that the manufacturers would make bikes that are slightly less expensive so LBS margins are still OK.
A $100 XMart bike will easily last as long as a $1000 LBS bike, the $1000 bike will be more comfortable and better to ride though.
$200-$250US is really the number I'd like to see, rigid frame and fork, 7 speed gears, comfy seat
The Schwinn Sierra 7 is a good start at $250
#131
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WRONG. Worked on bikes for fourteen years, ridden bikes for 30+ years, owned department store bikes and bike shop bikes. Under the same conditions, a brand bike will outlast the Xmart bike every time. There is no durability comparison.
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#132
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I'm very interested in how it all comes together. It sounds pretty exciting.
#133
Apologies, you are correct. It's the GM delta platform. ( AKA Saturn Ion ) However, control of the platform has been in the hands of GM Europe ( Opel ) since 2005, which probably explains why I was so impressed with the Cobalt I rented last year.
#135
Walmart bike rider
Walmart bikes can last just as long.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
#136
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Any bicycle mechanic can tell you this is false. The components are crap.
You could hang quality components on a POS boat anchor frame and it will still be a POS boat anchor frame. I hate to be the one to break this to you. An LBS bike that comes with Sora or Alivio will last longer than a Walmart bike with plastic no-name components. This is common sense.
Wow, that's actually true.
Hopefully, they'll buy something good enough initially that they won't be turned-off by the entire experience.
This is yet another example of your intellectual dishonesty. There is a resale market for everything, without it being a reflection on it's quality. I go to Craigslist and find a lot more Volvos than Yugos, so what does that say as far as quality is concerned? Also, what is the resale value on a Trek or Giant as opposed to a Next or Mongoose?
--------------------
It's adorable that you've found your niche here on Bikeforums as being the guy who likes Walmart bikes, good for you. the observation that bike shops are filled with quality bikes needing things done to them as being anyway relevant to the quality of your Wally-World bike is sheer stupidity on your part, and that's as nice as I can be. It's simply not at all a logical conclusion to make. I go to good mechanics and see good cars being worked on, it doesn't make my functioning Yugo any more worthwhile.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
--------------------
It's adorable that you've found your niche here on Bikeforums as being the guy who likes Walmart bikes, good for you. the observation that bike shops are filled with quality bikes needing things done to them as being anyway relevant to the quality of your Wally-World bike is sheer stupidity on your part, and that's as nice as I can be. It's simply not at all a logical conclusion to make. I go to good mechanics and see good cars being worked on, it doesn't make my functioning Yugo any more worthwhile.
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#137
Walmart bikes can last just as long.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
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#138
Walmart bike rider
But what I find strange is that you see many people riding Walmart bikes without a problem with put one in the hands of a LBS mechanic or LBS bike rider and everyone of them says they fall apart almost right away! Amazing! I can go down here to the chicken plant and see over 100 bicycles being used for commuting and everyone of them a Xmart bike. But yet, the experts can't ride a Xmart bike more than few miles before they "fall apart". Amazingly bad luck I guess.
Personally, if you are a bike mechanic and you can't keep a Walmart bike in good running condition, no one should trust you to fix a more expensive bike.
you can search 1000s of postings on bikeforums.net Bicycle Mechanics subforum about suspension questions and other failures of more expensive bikes. So don't give this crap that they don't break down. They do.
An LBS does serve a purpose if you need a speedy road bike or want to feel trendy and fit in with other like minded people. But if you are in the majority and simple ride a bicycle for fun and exercise, a Walmart bike will do the job well.
#139
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Walmart bikes can last just as long.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
All bicycles will require maintenance and any bicycle can really last forever if you keep replacing parts in it and it doesn't matter what brand. There isn't a part you can't replace in a bicycle, so really, **ANY** bike can last forever unless it's wrecked beyond belief like ran over by a tractor trailer.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of common sense, you can do all your own repairs & replacements real easy.
The idea is to get people to ride... regardless if you buy at LBS, Walmart, Salvation Army, or get a freebie from the dump.
And to those who think that buying an expensive will keep you riding, just go to craigslist and you'll see tons and tons of high priced bikes that people are selling off for pennies on the dollar because they no longer ride them.
They are also less enjoyable to ride. One of your arguements for ****ty bikes is to get people on bikes. Bicycle Retailer did a study on riding habits and it showed that Xmart buyers put less than sixty miles on their bike and then quit riding.
As for finding "new" LBS bikes on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar, pure bull****. Yes you will see older(much older) LBS bikes on Craigslist for far less than they sold for when new but they are much used and still go for decent money(More than a new similar Xmart bike). When a newer LBS bike goes up for sale on CR(and it is not stolen) they go for 50-75% of new price.
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#140
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Mechanics have a financial interest in non-Walmart bikes so it's not like their opinion holds a lot of weight. Sorry, LBS makes a good chunk of their money repairing their own bikes & don't lie and say otherwise.
But what I find strange is that you see many people riding Walmart bikes without a problem with put one in the hands of a LBS mechanic or LBS bike rider and everyone of them says they fall apart almost right away! Amazing! I can go down here to the chicken plant and see over 100 bicycles being used for commuting and everyone of them a Xmart bike. But yet, the experts can't ride a Xmart bike more than few miles before they "fall apart". Amazingly bad luck I guess.
Personally, if you are a bike mechanic and you can't keep a Walmart bike in good running condition, no one should trust you to fix a more expensive bike.
you can search 1000s of postings on bikeforums.net Bicycle Mechanics subforum about suspension questions and other failures of more expensive bikes. So don't give this crap that they don't break down. They do.
An LBS does serve a purpose if you need a speedy road bike or want to feel trendy and fit in with other like minded people. But if you are in the majority and simple ride a bicycle for fun and exercise, a Walmart bike will do the job well.
But what I find strange is that you see many people riding Walmart bikes without a problem with put one in the hands of a LBS mechanic or LBS bike rider and everyone of them says they fall apart almost right away! Amazing! I can go down here to the chicken plant and see over 100 bicycles being used for commuting and everyone of them a Xmart bike. But yet, the experts can't ride a Xmart bike more than few miles before they "fall apart". Amazingly bad luck I guess.
Personally, if you are a bike mechanic and you can't keep a Walmart bike in good running condition, no one should trust you to fix a more expensive bike.
you can search 1000s of postings on bikeforums.net Bicycle Mechanics subforum about suspension questions and other failures of more expensive bikes. So don't give this crap that they don't break down. They do.
An LBS does serve a purpose if you need a speedy road bike or want to feel trendy and fit in with other like minded people. But if you are in the majority and simple ride a bicycle for fun and exercise, a Walmart bike will do the job well.
#141
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There are a ton of Xmart bikes being used by delivery people here in NYC, and they are old as hell and treated like crap. Can't really say their durability is all that bad. As for their quality and comfort, who the hell knows.
#142
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Well lets see some high mileage Xmart bikes
Here is a high mileage bike shop bike. Except for many changes in rubber(tires, tubes, brake pads), it has only had a couple of chains, two cassettes, and big/middle chain ring swap. The stem was swapped once for position change. The bike is a '94 but was set up in '95 with the parts pictured. It was raced for a couple of seasons, trained on, used as a commuter bike, was used for competition trials, raced off and on for several more years, used for urban(trials) fun riding and is now a grocery bike(hence the skinny rubber) I have no idea how many miles are on it, even at a very conservative 500 a year it would be 6500(It is likely higher, this was my main transport for about two years and it often saw 150 miles a week.)Edit: I did change the bottle cage because I bent the old one in a crash during a race)
Here is a high mileage bike shop bike. Except for many changes in rubber(tires, tubes, brake pads), it has only had a couple of chains, two cassettes, and big/middle chain ring swap. The stem was swapped once for position change. The bike is a '94 but was set up in '95 with the parts pictured. It was raced for a couple of seasons, trained on, used as a commuter bike, was used for competition trials, raced off and on for several more years, used for urban(trials) fun riding and is now a grocery bike(hence the skinny rubber) I have no idea how many miles are on it, even at a very conservative 500 a year it would be 6500(It is likely higher, this was my main transport for about two years and it often saw 150 miles a week.)Edit: I did change the bottle cage because I bent the old one in a crash during a race)
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#143
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As for finding "new" LBS bikes on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar, pure bull****. Yes you will see older(much older) LBS bikes on Craigslist for far less than they sold for when new but they are much used and still go for decent money(More than a new similar Xmart bike). When a newer LBS bike goes up for sale on CR(and it is not stolen) they go for 50-75% of new price.
#145
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I agree; it looks horribly uncomfortable; You'd be riding with your a@@ in the air and your head at the level of your knees. And if you are male, something would be pinched and squeezed that ought not to be pinched or squeezed.
#146
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But what I find strange is that you see many people riding Walmart bikes without a problem with put one in the hands of a LBS mechanic or LBS bike rider and everyone of them says they fall apart almost right away! Amazing! I can go down here to the chicken plant and see over 100 bicycles being used for commuting and everyone of them a Xmart bike. But yet, the experts can't ride a Xmart bike more than few miles before they "fall apart". Amazingly bad luck I guess.
Yep and they have probably been ridden a lot harder and further than the typical xmart bike.
For dependability and proper fit I will take an LBS bike any day of the week PERIOD! The quality of the xmart bike of today and the xmart bike of 10 years ago is a world apart...today's are worse in most cases.
Aaron
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
Last edited by wahoonc; 04-14-08 at 11:21 AM.
#147
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[QUOTE=wahoonc;6516853
Personally I think this is a load of crap. If a component breaks or strips while I am attempting to adjust it, what am I supposed to do? Replace it with a more expensive one gratis? FWIW I have wrenched on my own bikes and others for over 30 years. The current crop of xmart stuff is pure junk. I have attempted to adjust dérailleurs where the stop screws were stripped, cable stop screws were stripped, etc. These were almost new or brand new bikes.
(snip)
For dependability and proper fit I will take an LBS bike any day of the week PERIOD! The quality of the xmart bike of today and the xmart bike of 10 years ago is a world apart...today's are worse in most cases.
Aaron[/QUOTE]
IMHO, your typical X-Mart bike isn't really a bicycle, it is a bicycle-shaped piece of scrap metal.
Personally I think this is a load of crap. If a component breaks or strips while I am attempting to adjust it, what am I supposed to do? Replace it with a more expensive one gratis? FWIW I have wrenched on my own bikes and others for over 30 years. The current crop of xmart stuff is pure junk. I have attempted to adjust dérailleurs where the stop screws were stripped, cable stop screws were stripped, etc. These were almost new or brand new bikes.
(snip)
For dependability and proper fit I will take an LBS bike any day of the week PERIOD! The quality of the xmart bike of today and the xmart bike of 10 years ago is a world apart...today's are worse in most cases.
Aaron[/QUOTE]
IMHO, your typical X-Mart bike isn't really a bicycle, it is a bicycle-shaped piece of scrap metal.
#148
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It is not as bad as it looks, the camera was in macro and it "bent" the image. It is pretty comfortable, tho the seat is higher than the handlebar.
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#150
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A couple years ago a roommate of mine was given a mongoose mtb for his birthday, and he was really excited to come biking with me and our one other roommate. He was ready to bike to work, too, because it was only a little over a mile away. His excitment turned to disappointment very quickly.
Even brand new the wheels were way out of true, and of course the brakes were terrible and loud. He stopped riding the bike after a couple months because it was slow and he never felt safe on it. We lived in a hilly town and we were all scared to death that the brakes were gonna fail on that POS. We even gave it a full tune up right away and everything went out of whack in a month. It would either throw the chain constantly or you had to adjust it so you couldn't use the smallest chainring or cog. It was so much work to keep it in good riding condition and he was pissed about it. Even my ten year old huffy loaner bike (which also sucked) was way better than that brand new bike. I couldn't believe that some place could sell a bike brand new that was that much worse than the huffy I wouldn't touch once I got my Jamis. They paid 200 for the mongoose at wallmart, and I paid 350 for the jamis at the LBS. I got free tune ups for a year and had someone I could talk to face to face. I was still pretty new to bikes and bike maintenance, and the guys at the LBS were willing to sit me down and teach me what I needed to know to keep the bike going for a long time.
LBS vs Xmart? that's a pretty silly question.
Even brand new the wheels were way out of true, and of course the brakes were terrible and loud. He stopped riding the bike after a couple months because it was slow and he never felt safe on it. We lived in a hilly town and we were all scared to death that the brakes were gonna fail on that POS. We even gave it a full tune up right away and everything went out of whack in a month. It would either throw the chain constantly or you had to adjust it so you couldn't use the smallest chainring or cog. It was so much work to keep it in good riding condition and he was pissed about it. Even my ten year old huffy loaner bike (which also sucked) was way better than that brand new bike. I couldn't believe that some place could sell a bike brand new that was that much worse than the huffy I wouldn't touch once I got my Jamis. They paid 200 for the mongoose at wallmart, and I paid 350 for the jamis at the LBS. I got free tune ups for a year and had someone I could talk to face to face. I was still pretty new to bikes and bike maintenance, and the guys at the LBS were willing to sit me down and teach me what I needed to know to keep the bike going for a long time.
LBS vs Xmart? that's a pretty silly question.