Comfort Bicycle

[Cup of Joe]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: built
Sounds interesting Schmoe, what is the name of it ?

How hard is it guys to buy a off the rack wally world bike and adjust it back correctly, I bet a bike shop would sneer at me if i brought it in for adjusting.


most likley you would sneer at them when they tell you how much it'll cost. putting tires, tubes, cables and a chain on an abused neglected wallyworld bike will cost more than the original price, you'll throw it out, buy another one, and the bike shop guy knows you would have been better off getting a better bike to start with.

bike techs get no respect. I worked as a mechanic for 15 years and I have seen it all. I have saved many a dept store bike.
but everyone needs to know this:
WAL MART BIKES S U C K !
trust me on this, you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I know, everyone has the same argument, it's fine for what I'm doing w/ it, I'm not racing, blah blah blah. but do yourself a favor and try out a real bike at an independent bike shop.


I totally agree. I gave away a walmart bike this year, thus far the new owner hasn't asked for payment just for taking it off my hands. It was seriously crummy. My Raleigh single speeds believe it or not are faster then the 18 speed I gave away. Me and my wife with baby in tow can run away from the 14 year old I gave the bike too.

Good bikes don't have to cost allot. The Raleighs were about $250 or so. The bike shop also had a fenderless version that was easy to ride and rode just as nice for $150-160 or so. We just prefered the Raleighs so that's what I bought. The shop owner said the expensive bikes just don't sell in our area so he doesn't have any beach style cruisers over $250-300.

Go to a bike shop and just take a test ride on different bikes to see what you like. You cannot do that at walmart.

 

[Schmoe]

Made by Next, La Jolla model.
Nobody will disagree with your blanket statement that walmart bikes aren't the best, however, they do suit their purpose. You think a walmart bike is made for the really bike perfectionist? No, more than likely it will end up in the back of the garage or shed within a couple of years, hence, the cheaper price. They are designed to fit that niche. Would yoy buy your 6 year old a 2-3 hundred dollar bike? #ell no. It is what it is.

 

[built]

nobody?

 

[moribundman]

Ahem...
Quote:
Nobody will disagree with your blanket statement that walmart bikes aren't the best, however, they do suit their purpose.


Those bikes may well suit their purpose, but they sure don't serve mine.

 

[tdpark]

I will second the Giant Sedona- I got one for my wife and great bike for the money. Also independent bike sellers are much better at adjusting and sizing. My experience with cheap dept store bikes echoes what has been already said. Near impossible to adjust or the components just outright fail after the first year. Costs more to repair than what the bike is worth.

 

[Cup of Joe]

built you need to go to the shop and see what they have. I can tell you my local shop has bikes for $150-160 with aluminum frames that rode very nice. I don't think anyone can tell you what your local shop carries. Where you go to shop matters as well. A bike down by the beach is much more expensive then a bike in a less touristy area.

I do allot of shopping in Elizabeth City, NC the service is better and the cost is actually cheaper then the Beach or OBX.

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Made by Next, La Jolla model.
Nobody will disagree with your blanket statement that walmart bikes aren't the best, however, they do suit their purpose. You think a walmart bike is made for the really bike perfectionist? No, more than likely it will end up in the back of the garage or shed within a couple of years, hence, the cheaper price. They are designed to fit that niche. Would yoy buy your 6 year old a 2-3 hundred dollar bike? #ell no. It is what it is.

I didn't make a blanket statement, I made an accurate assesment of dept store bikes. they ALL s u c k. that assesment is based on many years of working on them, seeing the frustration of the owners of them who are trying to enjoy bicycle riding. it's not a matter of being a 'perfectionist'; it's a matter of not wasting your money on a non-serviceable P O S that will get thrown away.
you are correct about the back of the garage though. because these dept store bikes are so horrible, people don't want to ride them so they just put them away. I many times have seen a casual rider start to become an enthusiast once he sees what a real bike feels like.
I'm not a bike snob. I'm not saying you have to spend $5K on a bike. but a $300 bike IS at least 3 times the value/quality/fun of a $100 bike.
and yeah I would (and did) buy my kid a $300 bike. it is a quality bike that will last and be handed down and enjoyed by all 3 of my kids.

 

[Canawler]

Originally Posted By: built
Give me some good advice then guys on what bike we need and not go over $150 ( much )


I don't have specific model advice but I will echo what everyone else is saying, you get what you pay for. Cheaper bikes often are impossible to get adjusted properly and won't hold the adjustments if you do get them working correctly. Another big point to consider is that cheaper bikes are really heavy and this makes more of difference in enjoyment than you would think. Bikes are an area where you should spend as much as you can.

All that being said, I will recommend shopping at ****'s Sporting Goods. I just checked their web site(NOT ***** dot com

) and they show multiple locations in Ohio. You are not going to get a bike in your price range at a dedicated bike store and you can afford something a little nicer than a Walmart bike. ****'s is that middle ground. They carry a large stock of comfort bikes which is what it sounds like you are looking for. Our local store always seems to be staffed by someone that actually knows how to properly size a bike and they tend to be much better put together and adjusted than Walmart stock. They carry bikes by brands that are owned by the same companies that make the cheap bikes but these are a little more upscale. They're lighter and use components that are a group or two up the quality ladder. This is also a good time of year to be shopping as the new model year bikes are being released now and ****'s usually has some good sales on remaining stock from last year. I doubt you want to wait that long but I have seen leftover bikes go for half off as it gets toward December.

Give ****'s a try. I think they will have something in your price range that will be worlds better than Walmart.

 

[Schmoe]

According to mpvue, it will be junk.

 

[built]

thanks for the help everyone.