cheap bike or not?

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride
around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike -
for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more,
and if
so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

Peter, I don't know if you read in the papers recently about those el cheapo
Big W bikes especially the dunlops, there was a major recall on them due to
the frames snapping whilst being ridden and some people have been injured on
them...

Forget el cheapos mate, Big W bikes and Kmart Bikes are put together by
young 15-16 yr old casuals who half of them wouldn't know a pedal from a
handlebar. Youd be better buying a cheaper bike from a bike shop, at least
then they should put it together properly and you should have a faster
recourse if it should fail on you.If you have any 2nd hand shops there, you
might pick up a used mtb of better quality as long as you stayed away from
the Dunlops & huffys.

This is general advice on what I've seen by others who had bought el cheapos
that sometimes lucky to last them 6 months before they are [censored].

If you can't afford a bike for around $500 then most bike shops will take
laybuys and you can pay it off when you can then bingo, you've got something
worthwhile and safe. Don't forget to factor in about $50 for a reasonable
helmet.

Go and have a chat to the local bike shop and tell him how much you are
willing to spend but you don't want to buy [censored]. They should be able to come
up with a nice package for around $500. I wouldn't spend much less.

Hope this helps, and to those who may own the bikes mentioned, sorry but
i've seen some bad results.
DJ

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike - for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more, and if
so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

The simple guide to buying cheap bikes takes just one sentence:
Don't buy anything that hasn't got "quick-releases" on both wheels.

Quick-releases look like this:
http://www.trailbuzz.com/pics/parts/shimano/alivio/i_fronthub.jpg

Sorry if the picture isn't very informative. Imagine a wheel around
this hub.
Bicycle with wheels with bolts = don't buy it.
Bicycle with wheels with quick-releases = consider it.

The $ 150 bikes at department stores are toys. Don't think that they
are analoguous to the bottom end of the car market like Daihatsu
Charades or Suzuki Swifts. They are more like those plastic toy cars
with electric motors for kids.

The reason you should only buy a bike with "quick-releases" on both
wheels is that they are an indicator of the quality of all the other
features of the bike. The better features on a bike are kind of hard to
spot, if your new to this sort of thing, but, believe me, the various
features on a bike improve together as the price goes up.
* A bicycle with both wheels held on by nuts will probably have steel
wheel-rims (they slow you down, and won't stop in the wet), cheap brakes
(ouch, in so many ways), cheap and unresponsive rear gears, heavy and
badly matched front gears, and slow steel "cranks" (the long bits that
join the pedals to the bike) and a heavy mild steel frame.
* A bicycle with "quick-releases" on both wheels will have
aluminium-alloy wheel-rims, brakes that actually work, aluminium-alloy
cranks, and front and rear gears that actually work together.

My hummbel [sic} advice is to go to your "LBS" (Local Bike Shop), look
around for the cheapest bike with "quick-releases" on both wheels, and
then talk to the staff about what you want in a bike (that has
"quick-releases" on both wheels).
The Daihatsu Charade or Suzuki Swift of new non-toy bikes will prolly
start at about $ 350 or so.

"Suspension": if you want to spend $ 350 or so, and you have a choice
between a $ 350 or so bike without suspension and a $ 350 or so bike
WITH suspension, go for the unsuspended bike every time. Front
suspension that actually works starts at about $ 300 in itself anyway,
and you can't buy a new bike with front and rear suspension that
actually works for less that $ 850 or so.

Once you've agreed to buy the bike u want from your LBS, ask them to fit
"toe-clips" (front of shoe-shaped cages on the top of your pedals
cinched with adjustable nylon straps.)
You'll hate them for the first 3 days you ride with them, then you will
wonder how anyone manages without them. Trust me.

Hope this helps
[censored]
p

Because I am stoopid, I now have to translate this message into really
bad BabelFish Espanish. Porky? Oy, es ist just too muy complicatado a
explainar right now, amigo...

[email hidden] escribió:
Vivo en Macquarie portuario y deseo comprar un montaña-tipo bici para
montar alrededor del lugar - principalmente las maneras de la caminata,
los caminos de la playa, el etc.
¿Preguntaba si él era justo de mérito consiguiendo una bici grande del
cheapo del EL de W - para la opinión $150 o tan o es él digno de él para
que mis necesidades ocasionales pasen un pedacito más, y si es así qué
busco?
Arturo Las bicis baratas que compran simples de la guía toman apenas una
oración:
Compra cualquier cosa de Don't que hasn't consiguió a "quick-releases"
en ambas ruedas.
Ra'pido-lanza parecer esto:
http://www.trailbuzz.com/pics/parts/shimano/alivio/i_fronthub.jpg

Apesadumbrado si el cuadro isn't muy informativo. Imagine una rueda
alrededor de este cubo. Ruede con los pernos = la compra de don't él. La
rueda con ra'pido-lo lanza = considera. Las bicis de $ 150 en los
almacenes grandes son juguetes. Don't piensan que son analoguous al
extremo inferior del mercado del coche como las Charadas o Suzuki Swifts
de Daihatsu. Son más como esos coches plásticos del juguete con los
motores eléctricos para los cabritos. La razón usted debe comprar
solamente una bici con el "quick-releases" en ambas ruedas es que son un
indicador de la calidad de el resto de características de la bici.

Las características mejores en una bici son clase de difícilmente a
manchar, si su nuevo a esta clase de cosa, pero, créame, las varias
características en una bici mejoran junto como va el precio para arriba.
* Una bicicleta con ambas ruedas sostenidas encendido por las tuercas
tendrá probablemente los engranajes delanteros pesados y gravemente
emparejados de los rueda-bordes de acero (le retardan tragan, y parada
de won't en el mojado), de los frenos baratos (ouch, en así que muchas
maneras), barato y de los engranajes posteriores insensibles, y "cranks"
de acero lento; (los pedacitos largos que ensamblan los pedales a la
bici) y un marco pesado del acero suave.
* Una bicicleta con el "quick-releases" en ambas ruedas tendrá
rueda-bordes de la aluminio-aleacio'n, los frenos que trabajan
realmente, las manivelas de la aluminio-aleacio'n, y engranajes
delanteros y posteriores que funcionen realmente juntos.
Mi consejo [ sic} del hummbel es ir a su "LBS" (tienda local de la
bici), mirada alrededor para la bici más barata con el "quick-releases"
en ambas ruedas, y entonces hable con el personal sobre lo que usted
desea en una bici (que tenga "quick-releases" en ambas ruedas). La
Charada o el Suzuki de Daihatsu rápido de las bicis nuevas del
no-juguete prolly comenzará en alrededor $ 350 o tan.
"Suspension": si usted desea pasar $ 350 o así pues, y usted tiene una
opción entre un $ 350 o bike tan sin la suspensión y un $ 350 o bike tan
CON la suspensión, vaya para unsuspended la bici cada vez. Afronte la
suspensión que trabaja realmente comienzo en alrededor $ 300 en sí mismo
de todos modos, y le compra de can't una bici nueva con la suspensión
delantera y posterior que trabaja realmente para menos que $ 850 o tan.
Una vez que you've acordaran comprar la bici u deseen de sus libras,
pida que quepan el "toe-clips" (el frente de jaulas zapato-formadas en
la tapa de sus pedales cinchó con las correas de nylon ajustables.)
You'll las odian para los primeros 3 días que usted monta con ellos,
después usted se preguntará cómo cualquier persona maneja sin ellos.
Confíeme en. Espere que esto ayude a [censored] p Porque soy stoopid, ahora
tengo que traducir este mensaje a BabelFish realmente malo Espanish.
¿Porche? Oy, complicatado demasiado muy del ist del es apenas un
explainar ahora, amigo...
Donde esta la zapateria, man?

[censored]
Pedro aka fredrick nadie

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike - for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more, and if
so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

Secondhand is the go for me. No doubt most replies will say spend more,
but if you're on a budget, like I was, rather than spend more, ask for
less. Find a bike shop that sells secondhand bikes and you should get
something decent for $150-200 (my first roadie 2 years ago was $90). My
LBS was tellign me basically they only do secondhand as trade-ins and
just want to get rid of them without losing money. And a secondhand bike
from a bike shop is going to come with better advice than ebay or a new
Big W bike.

DaveB

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride

around the

Quoted message said:

place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike -

for

Quoted message said:

say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more,

and if

Quoted message said:

so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

My girlfriend and I bought her two boys bikes a while back. We bought the
sporty kid a lower end Giant (about $400 from memory). The older,
uninterested boy got a Huffy (K-Mart bike) for about $180. By the time I
replaced the [censored] shifters, handlebars and seat and had the wheels properly
trued and spokes tensioned so he could at least ride the thing the total
cost was more that the Giant.On top of that, the weight of the bike and the
effort needed to try and keep up with us has put him off riding altogether.
Bad mistake, buying that dust-collector.

That experience (and I should have known better!) taught me that the cheap
bikes are not worth buying. Spend a little more on soething like a Giant
Outland or Boulder (a friend bought one for $340 on the weekend) and you'll
have a bike you'll use instead of wasting $150 on something that will stay
in the shed until the next junk pickup day.

Frank

If pushbikes were like cars, then Big W/K Mart bikes would be illegal to be sold in this country because they don';t meet any saftey standard.
A few years ago me & a mate thought about getting $80 dept store bikes for a big ride like the 'bay ride (here in Melb 210kms in one day), but a 1min test ride on a firend's friend's Dunlop something-or-other (I think), put that idea out cold. I never realised how bad these bikes can be, dangerous in every way. - Try going down a hill & braking, Drop off a gutter bend a rim, watch the frame flex when you're out of the seat pedaling, change gear & hope it stays there.... It amazed me no end.

And they wont last long at all, in less than 100kms riding something will break, bend or wear out.

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 at 01:25 GMT, Marx SS (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

And they wont last long at all, in less than 100kms riding something
will break, bend or wear out.

Feh. My el-cheapo K-mart (or was it Target?) bike lasted 10 years. The
last 2 were something like an hour a day. I didn't even bother oiling
the chain or anything like that 🙂

It's what you're used to.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"This thesis brought to you by the letter tau" -- TimC

Must have been a fabulous 10 years, rusty chain & all.
So, what’s the trick, how do you get used to it? I commute every day & that fortnightly chain oiling is costing me time & money…..

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 at 02:40 GMT, Marx SS (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Must have been a fabulous 10 years, rusty chain & all.
So, what's the trick, how do you get used to it? I commute every day &
that fortnightly chain oiling is costing me time & money.

Didn't know any better 🙂

Oddly enough, I never replaced the chain either. Oh yes I did. Once,
it broke just at the top of the hill. I coasted on down to home.

Of course, el-cheapo here had its breaks not work too well in the wet
when some moron drove in front of me. I broke their window, and
twisted the bike head, but I was fine, and the bike was mostly
fine. Hopefully taught the luser driver a lesson -- I certainly was
too young to teach them a decent lesson.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"A distributed system is one in which I cannot get something done
because a machine I've never heard of is down." -- Leslie Lamport

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride
around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike -
for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more,
and if
so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

Arthur,

I found this on ebay and I beleive this would be a good bike for you. I
don't know if you've ever used ebay before but it's worth giving it a go.
GT is a pretty good brand and has some good gear for the price.
If you won the bid you might be able to do a deal with a local furniture
removalist to pick it up for you on the way back from sydney.It's actually
in woolongong.
Click on the link for a look. If you don't want to bid, at least this might
give you an idea what to look for.There should be a mid north coast version
of Trading Post in your area, have a scan through there as people are always
selling bikes. Just keep away from the el cheapo Big W or kmart brands and
you should be ok.
heres the link......
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=7109652798&rd=1

good luck

DJ

I also live in Port Macquarie. Go and see Eric at the LBS at the River end
of Murray St. See what he can do for you.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride

around the

Quoted message said:

place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike -

for

Quoted message said:

say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more,

and if

Quoted message said:

so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike - for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more, and if
so, what should I be looking for?

Arthur

TimC said:

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 at 02:40 GMT, Marx SS (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Must have been a fabulous 10 years, rusty chain & all.
So, what's the trick, how do you get used to it? I commute every day &
that fortnightly chain oiling is costing me time & money.

Didn't know any better 🙂

Oddly enough, I never replaced the chain either. Oh yes I did. Once,
it broke just at the top of the hill. I coasted on down to home.

Of course, el-cheapo here had its breaks not work too well in the wet
when some moron drove in front of me. I broke their window, and
twisted the bike head, but I was fine, and the bike was mostly
fine. Hopefully taught the luser driver a lesson -- I certainly was
too young to teach them a decent lesson.

Well, there you go. Cheapies work just fine for some folks - go ahead
and save yourself $ 250 by buying one. (I guess the extra weight and
crappy components mean you're getting a better workout than someone
travelling along at the same speed on a "better" bike.)

(I still agree with Marx SS:
("If pushbikes were like cars, then Big W/K Mart bikes would be illegal
to be sold in this country because they don';t meet any saftey standard".)

On the other hand, I happily rode a cheapie K-Mart "10-speed" for years
as a kid, and was as happy as Larry (who is this Larry anyway, and where
can I buy the drugs he's on?) with it. It was only when I got "serious"
about bikes (and about myself?) that I became snobby about cheapie
bikes. They have two wheels and pedals, and they work.

It's your choice: cheap and cheerful, or a (in our opinions) "better"
bike for more $$$.
Nevertheless, I hope you get some fun and good times out of whatver you
buy.

Bike on, Arthur.

ps: wear a helmet. This is a must. Don't get me started, etc.

[censored]
p

peter.saville said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride around the
place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

I was wondering if it was worthwhile just getting a big W el cheapo bike - for
say $150 or so or is it worth it for my casual needs to spend a bit more, and if
so, what should I be looking for?

I'd consider a Giant 'Upland' which you should be
able to get from a bike shop for around $300. This
is IMHO as entry level as you might like to consider.

If price is a serious issue, maybe you could lookout
for a 2nd-hand bike. If you do go down the Big-W
route, please keep in mind that you're getting
what you pay for. Big-W probably pays $70 each for
these bikes[1], how can you build anything of quality
for that sort of price.

-kt

[1] When on super special, these get down to ~ $90.
I betcha Big-w aint selling them for a loss.

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I live in Port Macquarie and want to buy a mountain-type bike to ride around
the place - mainly the walk ways, beach roads, etc.

You could probably get away with a $50 Trading Post/Cash Converters
special to start with, especially if you're just wanting to cruise
from say Flynns Beach into town. It also makes sense to ride a junker
if you're going to be leaving it too near the beach - because of both
rust and thieves.

But a nicer bike will make it easier, and you can use it for
recreational rides. There's some nice mountain biking out near
Wauchope. I've had good experiences from Gordon St Cycles, and there's
a new LBS just up from Port Central. However, I'm a Sydney type so
it's always been small bits/repairs that I've been buying. Might be
worth sticking your head in just to see what they've got and have a
chat.

Dave - who has a couple of nice bikes for fun, and a $200 commuter.

Thank you to all who replied to my question about buying an el cheapo bike.

You've given me some very good advice and things to think about - I do
appreciate it.

It's a windy day here in paradise today - no fishing - so I'll do the rounds of
the LBS and check out their deals and second-hand offerings.

Arthur