Posted on 06/10/2010 10:00:41 PM PDT by topher
Early in 2010, I bought a new Roadmaster bicycle from Wal=Mart. This was a 26 inch Chinese made mountain bike (bicycle).
I had a number of problems with the bike from the start.
The brakes did not work and had to be worked on. In only two months, the brake pads were worn out -- something I had never since before. I have riding bikes -- on and off -- since learning during the presidency of Dwight David Eisenhower.
I took the foot pedals off to see if I could swap with pedals that had two straps.
Standard 26 inch mountain bikes have either 1/2 inch or 9/16 inch pedals. These were either 3/8 or 5/16 and I was afraid that these pedals would break and cause an expensive repair.
Then the tires were a problem that they were so loose that they would pop out of the rim.
The last straw was I needed the rims off of the bicycle for another bike.
After switching rims, the Chinamart rim buckled on a turn and threw me with enough force to break my arm.
Before it happened, I feared that the rim might just buckle from inferior design.
It should be said that Roadmaster Bikes shares in the blame. The scary thought is that I believe the parent company also owns Schwinn Bicycles.
Freepers,protect those arms!!!
It’s worth the money to buy a good bike, even if most of the Treks are still built in China.
36 spoke wheels are worth the extra money.
I had a Kia bike in the 70’s. Now they make cars!
Chinese bikes are like Bic pens.
Cheap and disposable.
Rule #1. If its made in China its cheap.
Rule #2. If its durable, well built and easily repairable it didn’t come from China.
I took the foot pedals off to see if I could swap with pedals that had two straps.
Should have been: TOE STRAPS
Guess I was a fool to buy a china-mart bike.
The good news is that you will get well soon.
I broke one ankle once and the other one twice.
I understand your pain.
I’m sure a lot of other freepers do too.
Walking is good and you don’t have to buy a thing except maybe
a good pair of walking shoes.
Good luck.
This. A cheap bike won't get you more than a real ride or two (maybe), and if you are lucky, no broken bones. Specialized are good, too. Supposedly they are made in Taiwan, not China.
Sounds like a bike that I bought at Tesco (British version of Walmart) This was in central Europe.
In my first trip along the Danube, in the first week, one peddle fell off, stripping the threads, so I could not put it back on.
The gears never worked as they should, and the sprockets
bent.
Fortunately, it was beyond repair and they refunded my money.
I then went to a real bike store and bought a Czech made bike.
It has been great, no problems at all, and is still like new, even after numerous road trips in Slovakia, and shipment to the Philippines.
I ride it every afternoon along the beach road.
You thought it was defective and unsafe but still rode it. Trust your own judgement.
I think not, I won’t buy anything expensive for my kids, they have no respect at all, everything gets trashed.
Buy a hi-end bike and it will get stolen quicker, buy a dirt cheap flashy gimmicky Chinese bike and they will be happy for awhile, and most kids get tired of anything pretty quick.
So I expect a certain amount of lifespan or longevity anyway, just have to figure how much you are willing to spend on something not worth repairing, just drop it off at a Goodwill, make a really poor kid happy. And give a job to somewhat that needs it at the same time.
somewhat=someone
Comparing a Walmart bike to a real bike is kind of unfair. You should not expect to get what you don’t pay for... Replacing the tires and tubes on a good bike costs half of the Walmart price of a bike.
Almost the same thing happened to me about 20 years ago on a Schwinn if I remember correctly. My buddy and I were being dumb kids and riding on a trail in the woods way beyond what our experience could handle.
Hit a stump, the wheel bent and I flew over the handlebars. My elbow came out the back of my arm and I walked home to mom in complete shock.
To this day I have about a 10" railroad track scar, my left arm is full of metal and won't bend straight.
Won't get on a bike anymore, now I switched to playing with firearms in my spare time, much safer hobby.
Who assembled the bike?
nice....I’m thinking of a singlespeed but can’t bring myself to go fixie, any opinions?
If Wal-Mart was unionized, they wouldn’t have these cheap bikes.
I have a Schwinn from about 2004, and have beaten the living daylights out of it on mountain trails. It seems to hold up just fine. I’m 175 lbs.
The Bad Boy Ultra is a 27 speed. It can scale any hill without having to get off and walk. Going downhill in the high gears I could take off if I had wings.
And it has disc brakes on both wheels.
A generally good rule to live by...
If it costs more than $100, or if you’ll want it to last more than a year or two, don’t buy it at Wal-Mart.
In 1974 I used to “Mountain bike” on a modified Raleigh ‘english’ 26” racer with 20” BMX wheels.
I even made my own handle bars.
But I would never consider a Walmart Mountain bike suitable for off road use, and I think they may even have tags that say just that.
I ride a Trek salvaged from a spare parts pile.
Aren't Chineese products metric?
Cannondale or Specialized.
Full Disclosure: I"m doing the MS 150 in Minnesota this weekend.
Forecast is for rain.
Cheers!
I made that painful mistake about 15 years ago. I still have a spot on my knee where I have no sensation due to the crash.
LOL - why waste your dough at QallyWorld?
When I last visited Tucson, I went to the local Pawn shop
Got a nice Cannondale for 50 USD. It’s a college town, eh?
no brakes and no seat. Redid the brakes and put a new seat on it.
Rode the living snot out of it for 6 weeks of my vacation and sold it for 400 USD.
I don’t bother to ship a bike anymore, I buy one at a pawn shop, put a few dollars and a bit of labor in it.
Sell it when I leave.
You might consider for the bucs you spent at wallyworld, a pawn shop special just might be the better ticket.
Have fun and Ride On!
I bought the infamous NEXT NITRO mountain bike at Walmart. It’s a “shocker” in bike parlance, which means the frame is articulated with a shock absorber under the seat. It has 18 gears and a pretty green paint job. I needed a ride to work when I had my car in the shop last March, and I resolved to get the cheapest bike I could find, so I knew where to look.
The bike rack was rather disorganized, and most of the bikes were $100+ , but it was hard to match prices with the merchandise in many cases. I liked this one, but figured it would be more expensive. I found a clerk to scan it for me and he said it was $70. I asked, “$170 ?” and he said, “No, $70”, so no-brainer.
I haven’t had any real problem with it, although it does seem a little suspicious. I certainly wouldn’t go mountain biking with it. It rides OK, though, and it shifts very nicely. The chain did come off once, but that was because I overshifted past the lowest gear. I bought some metric Allen wrenches so I could tighten some things up and adjust the handle bar height. It was super tight, and I had to work hard to loosen it, so I was afraid it would just break, but it didn’t, and the adjustment worked as expected. ( BTW, I suspect your pedals are metric. )
Of course, I read the horror stories such as yours on the net, but I ride it pretty easy, and it seems OK. If I keep it up over the summer, I might get a real bike. The last few weeks the roads have been torn up, so I’m waiting for the coast to clear.
I really enjoyed riding, which I haven’t done for years. The first day it was quite an exertion to ride 4 miles, and the merest undulations made me feel like I was riding in a mountain stage of the Tour. After only a few round trips, I shaped up considerably, though, and I really felt rejuvenated. Amazingly, I didn’t get stiff and sore.
“Aren’t Chineese products metric.”
Yes, Metric......
Most bicycles on the US market under about $2000 are made in China no matter whos name is on it. Most are made by bicycle mfg “Giant” in Tiawan.
I have two “Trek” bicycles each costing over $500 that were made in Tiawan to Trek’s designs/specifications. Both of these bicycles use quality componets supplied by Shimano.....
In over 6 years of use on Sacramento’s American River Bicycle Trail I have yet to have any problems other than an occasional flat tire...... Periodically I take them to a Bike shop for a tuneup and maintenance. They have been a joy to use and enjoy.
I have a Wal*mart bike that I got new that has held up reasonably well, in spite of what I’ve put it through. (approaching 10 years on the original break pads, though I’ve had to replace the chain and rear cassette)
Of course, that was before the prices dropped and the manufacturing location changed.
Take it easy and get well soon!
The last bike I bought at Wal-mart was a plain, fat tire, no gears bike. It's done reasonably well.
My accident was om a concrete sidewalk... Street riding, noty mountain biking.
Biking is less stressful on the knees.
Might have struck a heavy ant or worm [/sarc off]
The Wal=Mart store assembled it.
This is the size of the threaded part of the bike pedal.
It was much smaller than the small standard 1/2 inch.
So maybe 9mm.
Take up swimming.
They don’t make them like they used to. We have three bikes purchased from Wal-Mart. On the two adult bikes, all the chrome has rusted and I’ve replaced the parts. On my daughter’s bike (a Huffy) I’ve had to replace the tires because they wouldn’t stay on the rim.
I have another bike. This one is still in excellent shape (mechanically) after all these years. It’s a Murray Wildcat banana bike that I got for Christmas in 1967 when I was 8 years old. Only toy I didn’t manage to destroy.
I would be wary about any bike that costs $74 new. I’ve spent that much just getting a bike tuned up and adjusted.
I used to buy broken bikes and fix them. My favorite was a college bike I bought for 5 bucks after someone left it rust the entire year chained to a bike rack. Spent the summer cleaning the rust and fixing it up, and it worked for me for years.
Although I did bend the wheel on that one, lept off a 4-stair sidewalk, but while I was in the air a dog ran in front of where I was going to land, so I turned the wheel to avoid him, and landed with the wheel sideways.
Now I’ve got a nice 32-spoke Schwinn mountain bike (I bought it specifically for the 32-spokes, because I had an electric motor attachment for that many spokes — it worked for years, but finally broke down (the electric motor).
If you do your homework, you can get some great bikes at yard sales and pawn shops.
It takes up all the room of a bike, but when you think you are going to actually ride it, it is a pain in the butt, breaks, uncomfortable, DANGEROUS, etc.
If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. Don't buy anything you are going to trust your life to from Walmart or from China (and almost everything at Walmart is from China).
Next time, check Craig’s list first... bicyclists like to trade up and sell their older bikes, my son has found astounding deals. I’ve had the same hybrid bike for what I think must be 14 years? It’s an older Giant bike and I remember spending about $300...only thing I’ve had done is brake cables and a tire.
That bike in the photo is a 27 speed? Is there something I’m missing, internal hub gears etc? Wheres the derailluers?
Bad Boy Ultra Jekyll or Hyde? You decide. The Cannondale Bad Boy can be either a stealthy street commuter or singletrack shredder. Compatible with either fat knobbies or skinny road tires, you can choose your daily personality. REFLECTIVE DECALS Don’t let the understated look fool you. The Bad Boy is outfitted with reflective decals for that extra ‘pop’ of visibility and safety. * Frame Caffiene * Fork HeadShok Super Fatty Ultra DLR, 80 mm travel * Rear Shock N/A * Rims Sun DS-2 Bad Boy w/eyelet, 32 hole * Hubs Shimano M475 * Spokes DT Swiss Champion, 14g * Tires Vittoria Randonneur w/Double Shielding, 700x28c * Pedals Wellgo C002 dual-function w/alloy cage * Crank Shimano FC-M443, 26/36/48, black, Octalink * Chain Shimano 9-speed * Rear Cogs Shimano CS-HG50, 11-32 * Bottom Bracket Shimano Octalink BB-ES25 * Front Derailleur Shimano Deore * Rear Derailleur SRAM X-7 * Shifters SRAM X-7 Trigger * Handlebars Cannondale C3, 20mm rise, 600mm wide * Stem Cannondale XC3 * Headset Cannondale HeadShok Si * Brakeset Avid Juicy 3 * Brakelevers Cannondale Fire * Saddle Selle Royal Viper RVL Chromoly * Seat Post Cannondale C3 Alloy * Sizes P, S, M, L, X * Extras N/A
I think I am going to take the money I was intending to put to a monthly fee to go to the gym and make payments on a DECENT bicycle instead ... Hopefully one for $500 from REI or some such ... just thinking out loud here, topher, thanks for the heads up.
Or buy one from a pawn shop -- if I can verify it has not been stolen.
What I have been doing is starting with a collection of import bikes and then skimming off the cream — taking the best serviceable parts from each one and combining into a single decent bike. Not everyone is in a position to do this, but it has been working out well. Surprisingly, I found a really good 36 spoke wheelset on one (most Chinese are junk — would be afraid to hit a pebble with them), decent Bell tires from old inventory (new ones are Chinese one-season or one-ride junk), a strong frame (heavy), and the other parts. Occasionally I have to go to eBay for something like an acceptable seat stem, or crank (the hollowed out Chinese crank arms will snap and hurt you just as quick as a wheel failure). Sometimes I end up using a BMX handlebar or even a pitbike handlebar. These are kid’s bikes I’m talking about but I ride them, too. Also have a Cannondale road bike but enjoy the hybrid thrift store bikes just as much. Not really bike weather here now, though.
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