How much am I going to regret buying this bicycle?

[WolverineGator]

The people who just ride their bikes around the block are posting in this thread saying the Malwart bike is good enough.

The people who are cycling enthusiasts say the Walwart bike is junk.

Truth is, they're both right! It depends on which category you put yourself into. You can verify that your bike is assembled well with a metric allen wrench set, a philips screw driver, and an adjustable wrench. Make sure all bolts are tight and there's no side-to-side slop in the wheels, crankset, or shocks.

Now if you're serious then this bike is inadequate, but you'll learn that over time. I ride my bike often enough that I replace chains and cogs because they wear out and start skipping gears! I can usually get away with replacing those parts just once a year.

Know its limitations, but above all enjoy the bike.

 

[Gnurb]

What about this bike?
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/48022548.htm?vcat=OUTLET_SSHP_CYCLING_SA
Marin Kentfield 05 Bike $279.93 I would be commuting a couple miles to work and around Boston.

edit: I like the 05 Larkspur too for 20 dollars more.

 

[edprush]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
You do realize that you pay for the service right??

I have talked to the employees at kmart and walmart and they said that the bikes are assembled by a contractor (maybe an LBS employee moonlighting)

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: edprush

Originally posted by: Dishpan
You do realize that you pay for the service right??

I have talked to the employees at kmart and walmart and they said that the bikes are assembled by a contractor (maybe an LBS employee moonlighting)

From the ones I've seen, I think this is doubtful, 😉

The guys putting these together get paid by the BIKE, meaning the faster they can toss them together, the more $$ they make.

Sadly they usually come BACK apart at about the same speed.

 

[Jmman]

I have a Mongoose I got in 1997 and it has fairly nice components Iit was selling it local bike shops for $600 or so. I picked it up online from fogdog for $260 on clearance. Mongoose has or had a few nicer bike lines than the walmart line.

Anyway, this bike should be fine for riding around the neighborhood.......

 

[Eli]

You're going to regret it the most when you're powering up a hill and the chain slips because the derailleur has gone out of adjustment. 😉

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: DaiShan

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: quakefiend420

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I dont quite understand. I have a bike from walmart still going strong after 6 years. It a purely street bike just for riding around the neighborhood. The only reason I'm getting a new one is because I popped the break assembly (foot braked) after slamming on the breaks while going down hill at around 55 😛

55? How steep was the hill?

i doubt he was doing 55...it just feels faster on a bike, you know?

55 is not really all that much on a steep hill. I wouldn't go any faster unless you are really well trained though. I try to limit myself to 45-50 on a downhill otherwise I feel a little shaky. But since I live in Houston, I don't worry about hills too much.

thecoolnessrune, did you have a cyclometer on you, or is that just a guess?

I wouldn't go that fast on a Walmart bike. Fastest I've hit is 48 mph on one of my road bikes.

The cyclocomputer on my road bike cost more than that wallyworld bike.

Jules caught my point. At any rate, I've hit about 35 on my MTB on a fairly flat road.

That's fairly impressive. You have slick tires on it? My Trek 4500 has slightly knobby tires that I use on the road, and the fastest I've ever managed to get it is 34-35 MPH on a gradual downhill slope. That speed is about the top end of the gearing, so any faster would have to be on a real steep hill without pedaling.

I'm assuming that everyone here is just guestimating. I ride a Specialized comp triple with the shimano flight deck system and maxed out down a fairly steep hill I hit 43mph, which is recorded as the fastest speed on the flight deck. A better rider might be able to get a little bit more out of it, maybe 45ish on that hill, but 35 on flat road on 2" tires Lance himself couldn't do, and forget 55 heh.

/edit BTW I'm agreeing with you.

Cadence Cateye Mity2😉

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: DaiShan

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: quakefiend420

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I dont quite understand. I have a bike from walmart still going strong after 6 years. It a purely street bike just for riding around the neighborhood. The only reason I'm getting a new one is because I popped the break assembly (foot braked) after slamming on the breaks while going down hill at around 55 😛

55? How steep was the hill?

i doubt he was doing 55...it just feels faster on a bike, you know?

55 is not really all that much on a steep hill. I wouldn't go any faster unless you are really well trained though. I try to limit myself to 45-50 on a downhill otherwise I feel a little shaky. But since I live in Houston, I don't worry about hills too much.

thecoolnessrune, did you have a cyclometer on you, or is that just a guess?

I wouldn't go that fast on a Walmart bike. Fastest I've hit is 48 mph on one of my road bikes.

The cyclocomputer on my road bike cost more than that wallyworld bike.

Jules caught my point. At any rate, I've hit about 35 on my MTB on a fairly flat road.

That's fairly impressive. You have slick tires on it? My Trek 4500 has slightly knobby tires that I use on the road, and the fastest I've ever managed to get it is 34-35 MPH on a gradual downhill slope. That speed is about the top end of the gearing, so any faster would have to be on a real steep hill without pedaling.

I'm assuming that everyone here is just guestimating. I ride a Specialized comp triple with the shimano flight deck system and maxed out down a fairly steep hill I hit 43mph, which is recorded as the fastest speed on the flight deck. A better rider might be able to get a little bit more out of it, maybe 45ish on that hill, but 35 on flat road on 2" tires Lance himself couldn't do, and forget 55 heh.

/edit BTW I'm agreeing with you.

Nope, I have a bike computer. 🙂 It should even be fairly accurate as I've walked my tire circumference out on concrete and measured it, rather than going with the default for my tire size.

 

[DrPizza]

Those are some pretty impressive speeds on level roads.. 35 mph with a cycle computer? Or just a guess?

For what it's worth, on a moderate slope, my bike easily hits 45 mph. At about 48 mph, my legs simply can't keep up. I need a better gear ratio! (and will probably fix this "problem" some time this spring.) For whoever thought it was ridiculous to hit 55 mph, they should put on some nice spandex bike pants and shirt (baggy shirts create way too much drag), get on a *good* road bike, and go down a moderately steep hill.

For the OP who's going to ride only a few miles a week, the Wallyworld bike will probably be just fine. I think, though, that if the OP had a really nice bike, he'd realize how much more enjoyable biking could be. If you have a friend who has a really nice bike, maybe he'll ride with you, letting you ride the first couple miles on your bike, then a couple miles on his bike. After that, you'll realize what you're missing out on. I had my first experience on a really nice bike during a triathlon. A friend let me borrow his for the bike portion of the race. It was a 10k, followed by 25 miles on a bike for the first 2 events. I struggled through the 10k and was half dead by the time I got to the bike. But, throughout the bike portion, I found myself passing people as if they were standing still. After 10 years with cheap bikes, it was one of the greatest pleasures I had riding. Soon afterward, I bought a nice bike.

For the "35 mph on flat road" speedsters, first I'll say that there's a chance that I do need to check to see that my computer is programmed correctly. However, on relatively flat ground, I struggle to maintain 21-22mph for 3 miles, and can barely hit 30 in a sprint without something to draft behind (although, it's been a while... I can't remember what my sprint speed was last year; my computer's max speed shows just under 50, but that was on a short hill near my house.0 Then again, a friend says that his bike is set perfectly (He claims to know this because he synched it up with one of those "your speed is" automated signs, which I doubt are accurate.) The last time I rode with him, we raced the last mile to a bar (loser buys the first round) He claimed I had to be going almost 30 because I was blowing him away. Regardless, I'm pretty sure my speed was correct - 23 tops in a 1 mile race. Fastest average speed for the fastest stage of the tour de France is only about 31 mph (not all the stages go over mountains)... I'm quite impressed with the 35 on a *mountain bike* on flat ground. Maybe the tour de France riders will take notice, ditch the $5000 road bikes, and grab some cheaper mountain bikes instead 😛


edit: for what it's worth, Sukhoi stated that his speed of 35 was on a downhill slope... I'm not referring to him.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Spend $200 on a real bike from a bike shop, you will be much happier. Walmart bikes fall apart.

Don't buy your bikes and your q-tips in the same store.

Walmart doent make them and back when I was a kid Mongoose was really top of the line and you could only pick it up from a bike shop. Did they really go down hill so bad over the last 20+ years or is it because it is sold at walmart now its got to tbe a hunk of crap????

BTW I bought my oldests bike from walmart 6 years ago and it still looks like new and havent had a problem with it. As for checking the assembly WTF is there to checking it. You tighten some wheels down, make sure the seat is at the right height and ride the sucker. The only time I would take it in is if the spokes were out of adjustment. But aside to that its a bike not a rocket and all you got are some nuts on it to tightned down, big whoop, what? Wanna fight about it? Didnt think so.

Nice bike it looks to me for $99 and I prolly would of bought it.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: funboy42

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Spend $200 on a real bike from a bike shop, you will be much happier. Walmart bikes fall apart.

Don't buy your bikes and your q-tips in the same store.

Walmart doent make them and back when I was a kid Mongoose was really top of the line and you could only pick it up from a bike shop. Did they really go down hill so bad over the last 20+ years or is it because it is sold at walmart now its got to tbe a hunk of crap????

BTW I bought my oldests bike from walmart 6 years ago and it still looks like new and havent had a problem with it. As for checking the assembly WTF is there to checking it. You tighten some wheels down, make sure the seat is at the right height and ride the sucker. The only time I would take it in is if the spokes were out of adjustment. But aside to that its a bike not a rocket and all you got are some nuts on it to tightned down, big whoop, what? Wanna fight about it? Didnt think so.

Nice bike it looks to me for $99 and I prolly would of bought it.

They did indeed used to sell Mongoose at bike shops. I friend of mine used to sell them at his shop and they DID make some very nice bikes. THEN they started selling bikes called mongoose at department stores. They were NOT the same bikes by any stretch of the imagination. People would buy a dept. store mongoose and then try and take them to HIS shop for warranty and repair work. He dropped mongoose like a hot rock!
Schwinn is now doing the same thing. We were carrying Schwinn at my shop for a time, and right across the parking lot was WalMart selling (Schwinn) people would ask us "Why are your Schwinn's 2 or 3 times as much as the one's at WalMart?!!"

We no longer carry Schwinn...

Many bike companies are doing this now. Just because the NAME is the same does NOT mean the bikes are the same!

READ

READ

The Truth About Toy Store Bicycles

Bike Shops


Train their people to match your kind of riding to all your different bicycle choices.
Carefully, proportionally fit your bike to you. This is vital to your safety, comfort, and fun. Quality bikes are built in many sizes to fit you OR a growing rider more safely and longer.
Provide you honest information, have more types of bikes for different types of riding, and let you to test ride your choices.
Quality bicycles ARE repairable, worth repairing, and are built with better, more durable parts less prone to malfunction or need for repair.
Bike shops have expert, trained technicians to build AND repair bicycles..
Correct, safe bicycle assembly by a bike shop takes an average of an hour or more per bicycle and is FREE!
ALL NEW BIKES need re-adjustment of gears, brakes, spokes, bearings, etc. after an initial 15 to 30 hours of use to operate properly and last. Bike shop warranties cover free adjustments, parts, and labor if problems occur.
Properly assembled and maintained bikes last and last and last?
Bike shops teach correct operation, safe use, and care, and adjust your bike to you. ONE bicycle that fits, lasts longer and "holds-up" through many riders' use (and STILL has a re-sale value!) costs less!
You BI-cycle for years on bike shop bikes.


Toy Stores


Their clerks are trained to stock shelves!
Bikes are ?one size fits all!? NO frame size selection or choice. (That?s like Nike? making ONLY size 6 shoes to fit everybody?s feet.) Ridiculous!!!
Have few bike-type choices, no test rides, but MIGHT offer a choice of colors!
"Toy store? bikes often use un-fixable, off-brand, ?odd-ball? parts, and ARE OFTEN NOT WORTH REPAIRING!
Toy stores have none!
Toy stores ?throw together? 6 to 10 bikes an hour, and most charge extra for assembly! (A bike shop would charge up to $50 to re-build such a bike.)
Expect bike adjustments to cost an EXTRA $25 to $60...and toy stores DON'T do them! DON'T overlook this "hidden expense! And, they can ONLY give you another bike-in-a-box when they sell you a "lemon!"
"Toy store? bikes often malfunction, need costly repairs, and DON?T LAST!
Clerks spend little or no time with you, and you get what you pay for! Their bikes fall apart, are sometimes NOT-fixable, are often disposable, and their frequent repair or replacement COSTS YOU MORE!!!
You RE-cycle ?toy store? bikes!


Schwinn was once a quality manufacture, recently, Pacific Cycles, has purchased Schwinn and GT. The name means nothing now, and is not worth mentioning when purchasing the bike... It?s just like the Pacific's at that price range. You may actualy even be paying more for the name, its not worth the extra cost.

Shimano's situation is a bit different; they make very high quality, and very low quality components. When it comes to bikes, "You get what you pay for" is really true.

For your $150 budget, you can find some great used hard tails that will last a life time, check with your local bike shop. Tell them you are on a budget, and you want to buy used, chances are they have the contacts to get you what you want.

You can purchase brand name 1" slicks (26" rim size) from most shops for ~$10 each. These will be much more efficient when riding on the road, and well worth the cost.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend

Originally posted by: funboy42

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
Spend $200 on a real bike from a bike shop, you will be much happier. Walmart bikes fall apart.

Don't buy your bikes and your q-tips in the same store.

Walmart doent make them and back when I was a kid Mongoose was really top of the line and you could only pick it up from a bike shop. Did they really go down hill so bad over the last 20+ years or is it because it is sold at walmart now its got to tbe a hunk of crap????

BTW I bought my oldests bike from walmart 6 years ago and it still looks like new and havent had a problem with it. As for checking the assembly WTF is there to checking it. You tighten some wheels down, make sure the seat is at the right height and ride the sucker. The only time I would take it in is if the spokes were out of adjustment. But aside to that its a bike not a rocket and all you got are some nuts on it to tightned down, big whoop, what? Wanna fight about it? Didnt think so.

Nice bike it looks to me for $99 and I prolly would of bought it.

They did indeed used to sell Mongoose at bike shops. I friend of mine used to sell them at his shop and they DID make some very nice bikes. THEN they started selling bikes called mongoose at department stores. They were NOT the same bikes by any stretch of the imagination. People would buy a dept. store mongoose and then try and take them to HIS shop for warranty and repair work. He dropped mongoose like a hot rock!
Schwinn is now doing the same thing. We were carrying Schwinn at my shop for a time, and right across the parking lot was WalMart selling (Schwinn) people would ask us "Why are your Schwinn's 2 or 3 times as much as the one's at WalMart?!!"

We no longer carry Schwinn...

Many bike companies are doing this now. Just because the NAME is the same does NOT mean the bikes are the same!

READ

It's sad that what you're saying is true... the people selling quality goods have to deal with all the morons who see the same brand name at Walmart and assume that the bike shop marks the price wayyyyy up. But, there's a huge market for crappy products. (look how busy the Walmart parking lot is.) In the end, selection begins to suffer because it's hard to compete selling only the highest end stuff.

Just as an example, last summer, I wanted to buy a badminton set. The *only* thing available within 50 miles of me were the cheap crappy plastic I'd rather buy something good and pay a bit more once, than have to buy it every year or every other year.

 

[Sukhoi]

For the "35 mph on flat road" speedsters, first I'll say that there's a chance that I do need to check to see that my computer is programmed correctly. However, on relatively flat ground, I struggle to maintain 21-22mph for 3 miles, and can barely hit 30 in a sprint without something to draft behind (although, it's been a while... I can't remember what my sprint speed was last year; my computer's max speed shows just under 50, but that was on a short hill near my house.0 Then again, a friend says that his bike is set perfectly (He claims to know this because he synched it up with one of those "your speed is" automated signs, which I doubt are accurate.) The last time I rode with him, we raced the last mile to a bar (loser buys the first round) He claimed I had to be going almost 30 because I was blowing him away. Regardless, I'm pretty sure my speed was correct - 23 tops in a 1 mile race. Fastest average speed for the fastest stage of the tour de France is only about 31 mph (not all the stages go over mountains)... I'm quite impressed with the 35 on a *mountain bike* on flat ground. Maybe the tour de France riders will take notice, ditch the $5000 road bikes, and grab some cheaper mountain bikes instead

Here to get my miles I ride a 4-mile perimeter square around the South Farms area (UIUC). It's fairly level, though there are some grades. The thing that really kills me is the wind. So far my best average speed on my MTB has been 14.9 MPH for right about 2:15. That was also wearing jean shorts and with a crappy seat. I've bought a pair of spandex shorts, a new seat, and have been doing heavy leg workouts all winter...I've raised my 3x5 squat from 155 lbs to 225 lbs so I'm really interested to see what kind of average speed I can do for 2 hours this spring.

I do think your computer might be reading low if you have a road bike. From what I remember I can do a mile sprint in the low-to-mid 20's.

 

[Sukhoi]

Is an out-of-round front tire something that can be fixed by the shop without my bike present? If I can just take the wheel up maybe I'll get it fixed, but I'm not about to haul my whole bike over there because it isn't too bad yet.

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: edprush
What are LBs?

If I could find one, my preference is a 10-speed (curled handlebars) that were popular back in the 80's and 90's. But I can't find one near me.

Here's a bike from Target that seems to get some decent reviews:
Target Schwinn

LBS = Local Bike Shop

Look in the yellow pages under "bicycles" instead of "giant warehouse discount retailer" if you want to find one instead of walmart or target.

Also, there are probably plenty of 10 speeds from the 70s and 80s on your local craigslist that are cheaper than that $99 bike, and they're much better bikes. Buy one of those and take it in to your LBS and get it tuned up, and it'll last another 20 years.

I did exactly that last year: I paid $100(cad) at a tiny 1 person shop, they rebuilt a 80s road bike with some new and used parts and put in longer stems so I can ride it comfortably. Rode is all last summer (put on about 1300km) and I was very happy with the $100 I spent.

Its been in the basement all winter long, so maybe I'll be able to ride it all summer long without diong much to it.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: deftron

Originally posted by: bR
What are you going to use it for?

Just let a local bike shop check out the assembly.

I'm sure local bike shops love "checking the assembly" on
a Wal Mart bike ...

Yeah, you might want to check that everything's on tight. I worked at a Walmart, and some of the assembly jobs.....well, they were usually pretty good, but some of them weren't quite all that great.