Cheapman Finds a $25 Bike!
#1
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Cheapman Finds a $25 Bike!
I'm a notoriously frugal individual. I ignored all advice on here and bought the cheapest working bike I could find. A 7 speed Ozone Westcliff 700 for $25. My guess is the guy bought two bikes, ride them once or twice with his s.o. and out them in his garage for 3-4 years. After cleaning off about an inch of dust and dirt, they look basically new. Brakes needed adjusting and the wheels look like they were never put on right as they were rubbing hard against the fork and frame, respectively.
Brakes squeal like a ***** pig despite my cleaning them with soap, water and alcohol...any suggestions?
Other than that it's a very SIMPLE bike. No quick release anything. Surprisingly light and nimble!
Derailleur is, I'm sure the cheapest Shimano makes but it works smoothly.
I'll try to update if it falls apart and what fails first. There certainly are some things that look pretty cheap...plastic pedals, plastic brake adjusters on top. Some spokes seem looser than others but the wheels seem pretty straight and true so I don't want to mess with them.
Brakes squeal like a ***** pig despite my cleaning them with soap, water and alcohol...any suggestions?
Other than that it's a very SIMPLE bike. No quick release anything. Surprisingly light and nimble!
Derailleur is, I'm sure the cheapest Shimano makes but it works smoothly.
I'll try to update if it falls apart and what fails first. There certainly are some things that look pretty cheap...plastic pedals, plastic brake adjusters on top. Some spokes seem looser than others but the wheels seem pretty straight and true so I don't want to mess with them.
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#2
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I'm thinking this was bought at Academy sports, don't know if that's as bad as Walmart or not.
One question though....there look to be holes near the drop outs for a rack, but there are no braze ons near the seat post. Does anyone make a rear rack for this kind of bike or do I have to get a seat post rack. Those look kind of rickety.
One question though....there look to be holes near the drop outs for a rack, but there are no braze ons near the seat post. Does anyone make a rear rack for this kind of bike or do I have to get a seat post rack. Those look kind of rickety.
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Depending on which type of brakes it has ... assuming it's basic V brakes, consider the appropriate Kool Stop pads for it. I've used them on several different brakes and they have worked exceptionally well. Smooth, low risk of squealing (when adjusted properly).
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Depending on which type of brakes it has ... assuming it's basic V brakes, consider the appropriate Kool Stop pads for it. I've used them on several different brakes and they have worked exceptionally well. Smooth, low risk of squealing (when adjusted properly).
A lot depends on what kind of brakes the bike has.
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P clamps will work for the rack.
You could try taking a file to the brake shoes. Also can the shoes be angled or toed in? That helps with squealing.
You could try taking a file to the brake shoes. Also can the shoes be angled or toed in? That helps with squealing.
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Take the brake pads off and try using a file/sandpaper on the contact surface to roughen it up a little as that surface might be hardened with age, or the pads are so new they still have the 'sheen' on them rom being molded. Last resort is new pads.
Koolstop pads - I tried those once, never could get them to stop squealing like a terrified pig and I didn't think they stopped the bicycle any better than generic pads. I replaced them with generic black rubber pads that work fine and don't make noise. YMMV
Koolstop pads - I tried those once, never could get them to stop squealing like a terrified pig and I didn't think they stopped the bicycle any better than generic pads. I replaced them with generic black rubber pads that work fine and don't make noise. YMMV
#7
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Thanks for the suggestions! There is very little room to "toe out" the brakes but I did try as best as I could. Unfortunately my file is in storage. Worse comes to worse I'll replace the pads. Or I'll just live with it....I'm 51 years old so looking/sounding dorky doesn't really bother me.
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I just replaced a set of kool stop salmon pads because they were squealing, even after "doing everything right." My guess is they will work perfectly on the next bike, so they went back into my bin, and the bike now has some generic black rubber pads. Given the popularity of the KS pads, I can't believe there is actually anything wrong with them. Nobody knows the precise cause of squealing, so the best approach is to first try "doing everything right," and then start changing things.
Also, the age of the pads is kind of on the edge of where they could be hardened by natural aging of the rubber material.
Also, the age of the pads is kind of on the edge of where they could be hardened by natural aging of the rubber material.
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In 15 years, the bike had over 40,000 miles on it, and definitely qualified as frugal.
No way would you get that kind of value from a cheap bike.
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I love squeaky brakes, lets people know you are there! I have an older bike with a front brake so loud that I use it instead of my bell and hardly drop speed. Ride the bike into the ground
#12
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N
I'm sure it's a great bike but for $1000 I can buy 40 cheap bikes. I can get a new one every year and still be way ahead by year 15. I'm a casual, around town rider/commuter so I doubt I'll ever use a 1000 dollar ( now 3000 in today's dollars?) to anything close to it's full capabilities.
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I'm sure it's a great bike but for $1000 I can buy 40 cheap bikes. I can get a new one every year and still be way ahead by year 15. I'm a casual, around town rider/commuter so I doubt I'll ever use a 1000 dollar ( now 3000 in today's dollars?) to anything close to it's full capabilities.
By the way, $1,000 in 2003 had the same purchasing power as $1,451 has today.
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I'm sure it's a great bike but for $1000 I can buy 40 cheap bikes. I can get a new one every year and still be way ahead by year 15. I'm a casual, around town rider/commuter so I doubt I'll ever use a 1000 dollar ( now 3000 in today's dollars?) to anything close to it's full capabilities.
#16
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Not sure how you know my bike is cheap or nasty. It rides great. Thanks for the well wishes.
Also thanks for correcting my off-the -cuff estimate with the exact inflationary data. You must be a really fun guy at parties. God bless.
#17
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I'm wondering if the Ozone Westcliff is the same bike as the Mongoose Hotshot, which is a big-box bestseller of sorts. They look very similar. The Hotshot is a simple, decent bike for getting around town (I rode one while visiting Gallup once), with the same brake pad issues.
(Issues that are, of course, fairly common among caliper-brake big-box bikes.)
(Issues that are, of course, fairly common among caliper-brake big-box bikes.)
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You get what you pay for and there is no need paying for more than you need I guess. Bikes make people happy and if you can do it for 25 bucks more power to you.
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I love a properly working bike that isn't poorly set up and in need of service but maybe that is just me and well just about everyone else here. If you don't "drop speed" when using your front brake that is BAD and you could not stop at all and potentially get very badly hurt or die, Troll or not people shouldn't die over not maintaining their bike because they are cheap (not frugal this is not frugality) or think it is a great feature. A Chris King or I9 hub is a better option if you want to make extra noise.
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Yet another BSO thread. Are they somehow linked to cicadas?
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I'm sure it's a great bike but for $1000 I can buy 40 cheap bikes. I can get a new one every year and still be way ahead by year 15. I'm a casual, around town rider/commuter so I doubt I'll ever use a 1000 dollar ( now 3000 in today's dollars?) to anything close to it's full capabilities.
Like saying why buy a $25,000 touring sedan (think, Honda Accord) when I can buy 50 cars for $500 each, and simply discard them as they stop running. The diving experience? Um, not so great.
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Depending where you live, it's impossible to sell a good old bike. I just gave away a 1981 Raleigh, in perfectly good condition after no bites at $100 listing on Craig's list. I'd have loved to have a bike like that when I was in college.
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Just trying to wrap my head around the amount of work (and money) needed to make 40 $25 bikes rideable. Would rather have a bike that I can ride as much as possible
Last edited by alcjphil; 05-17-21 at 08:58 AM.