SJX426 

Many of these low end bikes look better than my Pinarello!
I really can't participate. My wifes Raleigh GP would almost qualify but she bought it new in 1974.
Raliegh_DSfront on Flickr

DMC707

Not sure if this qualifies , but this DeBErnardi is likely the most modest in my collection- Tubeset is Aelle TreTubi (seamed tubing) and groupset is Veloce 9 speed triple. Others have critiqued the bike and told me it didnt look "well sorted" with the Technomic and black zero offset seatpost -- built to ride though, not to look at. Really not that heavy despite the Aelle frame and heavy wheels and triple -- around 23 lbs

Mr. 66

For me it is toss up with a Nishiki Competition and Raphael Geminiani.

Respectively the Nishiki was $40, and the Geminiani was $29. I've spent less on a few and had lower quality, but those have been sold on Craigslist or donated to Bike Works and the Bikery over covid lockdown time.

Flatforkcrown

My bianchi volpe with a mix of 9 speed components.


it’s a nice bike, but I only have 3. The other two are a de rosa and a le champion, so…

ofajen

That’s a fair point. My mid-80s Sprint frame was bottom of the line, but it’s still a sturdy lugged frame made in Taiwan (by Giant if I have that right).

And after more than 30 years of what appears to have been rough use, it’s able to tolerate my single speed riding on crushed stone trails and over rough wooden bridge crossings with a pretty high duty cycle of out of the saddle pedaling.

Otto

embankmentlb

My bike of least quality? That would be my Panasonic DX 2000 from 1982. It is in pieces at the moment and needs paint. The DX 2000 is actually not a bad bike at all. Bottom of the line for a racing bike but with all the right parts. Next bike down in Panasonics line up would have turkey levers and stem shifters.
I hope to do a full restore on it one day.

Velo Mule

I'm seeing some nice bikes here. I'm going to have to bring this thread down a notch or two. My boss was cleaning out his old house and this was his brother's bike. He asked me if I wanted it. Well a bike for free is a bike for me. This is how new projects start.



It is a made in Japan Royce Union from the late '70's. The frame has been used for paint practice. I used automotive paint left over from a friend's Jaguar restoration. Added graphics from the shop in Florida that @gugie recommended. DIYlettering . It is not a rolling bike yet, since I have others bikes in front that need to be completed and the paint worked out well. It will eventually find it's way to the front of the queue.



My list of bikes are probably lower end than most of the members here. They all work fine, ride well and are enjoyed. They also have way more money (and time) poured into them than any sane person would do. Low end frames with good wheels and tires works for me.

grant40

I NEED pics of this.

grant40

Another possible contender. This thing is sitting in my basement, all stripped down. I did repack the headset and the BB. Very much at the bottom of my list for projects to finish.

German made Sprinter 3 speed. rear rim and hub were toast. It was free though!!!

bikingshearer 

I don't think anything I have qualifies as bad quality. The cheapest I have is a Medici f/f that I got probably 10 years ago for a lowball "what the heck" bid on eBay (~$100, maybe less). Since nobody beat my bid, I ended up with it. It was powder coated (most likely) or repainted a nice sort-of burgundy color and given mediocre to poor repro graphics (they look home made). The seller said it was Tange Prestige tubing, but I cannot confirm that.

How does it ride? I don't know - I have never gotten around to building it up, the only frame I ever purchased that has not been called upon to hold up my weighty carcass. It languishes in my basement along with two formerly ridden but now retired frames (2000 Lemond Zurich, 1993 Russ Denny-built Fuso). It's probably time I moved them along . . . .

55murray

My 1976 Kmart All-Pro cruiser. My brother outgrew it around 1981 and I got it.

sd5782 

[QUOTE=55murray;22360345]My 1976 Kmart All-Pro cruiser. My brother outgrew it around 1981 and I got it.

[/QUOTE

My in laws in western Ohio live in the country right across the street from one of those windmill installations. Not sure how much I like it, but the sight is quite interesting.

My cheap bike is a 64 Huffy Sportsman 3 speed; basically a rebadged Raleigh Sports. Fun city ride and my only plain steel frame.

Bianchi84

True Dat! Schwinn Ruled!

John E

In the past I have had a bottom-of-the-line Bianchi Corsa, an Armstrong 3-speed converted to a 3x4 hybrid drivetrain, a Schwinn Varsity, and an American-made Sears Free Spirit boat anchor.

My current bottom feeder would have to be my 1970 Peugeot UO-8 rust bucket, which at least has aluminum cranks and rims. The Siegers and the mountain bike were top-of-the-line for their respective marques.

My UO-8 with barcon cables routed between the rack and the cylindrical Bellwether front bag.

ofajen

What tires are you running?

Otto

55murray

The tires on that are just low end slicks (Fenix Cycles Wanda Road Slick P1179 Bicycle Tire, 26" x 1-3/8"). The bike is in my rotation for my short commute to work and the occasional winter ride where I just want to bundle up against the cold and cruise for a bit.

sd5782, I actually don't care for the industrialized look of these wind farms. This is north of me, and I was dismayed this year when I rode far west and found out they put in another huge one in western Warren County, a previously empty, pastoral area on the Illinois border. I see you are in Toledo, this bike is from Monroe MI.

sd5782 

Yes, Monroe just a short distance away. Those windmills are imposing even at 1/4 mile away, and there are hundreds. From the little research I have done, I don’t think they really have a means to dispose of or recycle the giant blades at the end of the probably short useful life. Being green should take in the whole product cycle, which would include hybrid car batteries and obsolete solar panels.

obrentharris 

Brent

justcynn

have purchased several $10-$50 bikes and parted them or moved them on, but the lowest level of them that I have actually ridden was a '87 Schwinn World, I gifted it to my nephew even though it was my first ride in 1987 - nothing special about those, hi ten frame, the wheels may have even been steel instead of alumum, etc but I had no idea in '87 and put thousands of miles on it

of my current bikes, this '81 LeTour Frame is prob the lowest level - 1020 Carbon steel, but also one of my nicest...

'81 LeTour New Old Stock Frame, with a mismatched chrome fork

Road Fan

I'll go sacrilegious and say it's my rusty green (such a great color!!) 1970 or so Peugeot UO-8. It's actually a great ride, but my bud and I straightened a kinked steer tube to get it to a rideable geometry, and I took it out for 40 miles. Nice ride but then I got nervous about the weakened steerer, and I still am! I have all the parts and can move them over to clone frame brother of a bluer color - not as nice as the green, but it has no major frame damage or flaws. Here's a pic of the green Peug:



The Green Peug, set up for her ride. Long fork rake, deep seattube setback, classic old Ideale 92, a leftover Shimano 600 chainset/600 pedals, and some nameless sidepulls i still have not figured out. but nice functional brakes! Gave a good test ride! I wish I had another one of these green ones, I really like the gleaming metallic element.

Actually these wheels are Matrix tubular rims. I did the test ride on the original wheels, because I wanted to see how the original geometry and wheelset felt.

gthomson

Not that I have much of a collection and this bike wasn't that cheap but it's what I call, all show and no go! A box store bike made of gas pipe frame that weighs a ton. Thought I could use it on the trainer for indoor riding but it just didn't fit well. Instead, I decided to throw on some accessories to see if it could be a touring bike but it would need new brakes. The only interesting thing about this bike is it's an Ovaltech triple crank which I thought might be good on hills.

dpd3672

Sorry they're not "studio-ready," but pulled it down in the garage and snapped some quick photos. I think I took it for a quick test ride when I first bought it, 2 or 3 years ago, then put it up because it's likely never going to be in the heavy rotation of bikes I ride.

Still, an interesting example of...something...lol.

randyjawa 

Entry level seamed tubing Torpado with entry level components and steel rims. Given to me by a good friend for free. It was fun to street restore and I actually do like riding it...

grant40

Definitely a cheap, German bike. I love that spoke protector.

grant40

Definitely made in Germany by Gudereit in the early 1970s. I have no Idea why it is branded Pinerello. Guessing that it has a weird BB that is a hybrid between a 1 peice and a cottered 3 peice.