What makes those £70 FS bikes SO crap?
Discussion
Because you can't even buy a decent rear shock for £70!
They use lots of cheap and nasty components, frame will likely be made of heavy low-grade steel, poorly coated and will rust nicely if it's shown water. Suspension will either be undamped coil springs or (if you're lucky) elastomers, which are both pretty awful - the former meaning you'll bounce along like Zebedee. Brakes, wheels, geartrain will be made of the softest, cheapest metal they can find and just won't last given any use. They're just a false economy.
Explained more here: http://southcoastbikes.co.uk/articles.asp?article=...
If you must go cheap, pick up one of the simpler bikes (ie. front suspension only, or better no suspension at all) from Decathlon. They're still on the heavy side, still have some components that will wear prematurely but will be far better to ride and have some degree of longevity.
They use lots of cheap and nasty components, frame will likely be made of heavy low-grade steel, poorly coated and will rust nicely if it's shown water. Suspension will either be undamped coil springs or (if you're lucky) elastomers, which are both pretty awful - the former meaning you'll bounce along like Zebedee. Brakes, wheels, geartrain will be made of the softest, cheapest metal they can find and just won't last given any use. They're just a false economy.
Explained more here: http://southcoastbikes.co.uk/articles.asp?article=...
If you must go cheap, pick up one of the simpler bikes (ie. front suspension only, or better no suspension at all) from Decathlon. They're still on the heavy side, still have some components that will wear prematurely but will be far better to ride and have some degree of longevity.
Nasty nasty nasty.
These represent everything I hate about the modern attitudes towards consumerism.
They are absolute rubbish but they look flashy. The frames are junk, heavy, bad angles, horrible suspension. But worse than that they have crappy disk brakes that warp, seize up, wheels that collapse bearings and go out of true, basically there isn't one component that you would reuse on another bike build.
Far better to take your £70 and go and buy an old bike with good basic components, even an old raleigh, the old ones go on for ever, sure it won't look flashy, but after a week in the rain neither will the china special.
These represent everything I hate about the modern attitudes towards consumerism.
They are absolute rubbish but they look flashy. The frames are junk, heavy, bad angles, horrible suspension. But worse than that they have crappy disk brakes that warp, seize up, wheels that collapse bearings and go out of true, basically there isn't one component that you would reuse on another bike build.
Far better to take your £70 and go and buy an old bike with good basic components, even an old raleigh, the old ones go on for ever, sure it won't look flashy, but after a week in the rain neither will the china special.
Both of the above.
The main thing you shoudl remember is what was said just above me.. Not one piece of that bike could be re-used to make a decent bike.
Within minutes of any demanding trail that bike will start to break..
Utter s
t, and I detest them and people that buy them because they look good.
My back brake cost twice the amount of that whole bike. And my back brake is far from the best of the best..
The main thing you shoudl remember is what was said just above me.. Not one piece of that bike could be re-used to make a decent bike.
Within minutes of any demanding trail that bike will start to break..
Utter s
t, and I detest them and people that buy them because they look good.My back brake cost twice the amount of that whole bike. And my back brake is far from the best of the best..
My cousin has an el-cheapo hardtail mtb with single disk brake.
it weighs more than i do!
but his riding ability is soo low that the bike survived the ride with only one incident... the rear calipers fell off...
he spent the rest of the trip being scared of bloody nettles. not riding with him again.
talks the talk but cant ride for st lol
it weighs more than i do!
but his riding ability is soo low that the bike survived the ride with only one incident... the rear calipers fell off...
he spent the rest of the trip being scared of bloody nettles. not riding with him again.
talks the talk but cant ride for s
t lolWhat everybody is saying above..
Also how many times have I seen a bike like that with saddel all the way down (so the little cherub can grow into it) rendering the rear suspension void or worse, a back wheel slamming the post up your rump.
Also these bikes typically get put together by totally unqualifie d muppets risking you and your families health when something fails.
Also how many times have I seen a bike like that with saddel all the way down (so the little cherub can grow into it) rendering the rear suspension void or worse, a back wheel slamming the post up your rump.
Also these bikes typically get put together by totally unqualifie d muppets risking you and your families health when something fails.
My mate bought a $200 full sus bike from warehouse, eauive of say 70quid
Its a nightmare. heavy, seat feels like its going to split your arse, totaly uncomfortable riding position, shimano hardware but poor, gotta peddle it like a bd to get it to go and it stops as soon as you do. Suspension doesnt seem to work build out of paper mache too by the looks of it, with a big 'not for ofroad' sticker on it.
It would have killed me if I'd had done some of the things I've done on my bike and I havnt done much in the way of extreem stuff yet either.
Its a nightmare. heavy, seat feels like its going to split your arse, totaly uncomfortable riding position, shimano hardware but poor, gotta peddle it like a b
d to get it to go and it stops as soon as you do. Suspension doesnt seem to work build out of paper mache too by the looks of it, with a big 'not for ofroad' sticker on it.It would have killed me if I'd had done some of the things I've done on my bike and I havnt done much in the way of extreem stuff yet either.
Many years ago I bought one, thinking if it got stolen it was no problem I could just buy another.
Well it had plastic pedals that broke into bits just from being used, plastic brake levers that got chewed up by their own bolts and span on the levers, so they needed replacing. I think the saddle might have needed replacing too as it sort of collapsed. The thing weighed a ton and it was basically crap. It did have bottom-end shimano gears though. the only brand name parts on the whole bike.
Buy a second hand bike with a decent frame and hardware for similar money - a Raleigh or Saracen from when they were British made - something like that will do a much better job
Well it had plastic pedals that broke into bits just from being used, plastic brake levers that got chewed up by their own bolts and span on the levers, so they needed replacing. I think the saddle might have needed replacing too as it sort of collapsed. The thing weighed a ton and it was basically crap. It did have bottom-end shimano gears though. the only brand name parts on the whole bike.
Buy a second hand bike with a decent frame and hardware for similar money - a Raleigh or Saracen from when they were British made - something like that will do a much better job
My Mother-in-law bought a cheap bike - not as bad as the above but still sub-£100.
Tyres perished in six months, bottom bracket lockring - it has one of those - won't stay tight and in attempting to adjust the headset I discovered that the lockring for that was made of cheese; when it split in half.
Tyres perished in six months, bottom bracket lockring - it has one of those - won't stay tight and in attempting to adjust the headset I discovered that the lockring for that was made of cheese; when it split in half.
Bike snobs the lot of ya 
I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
I did use to find it ironic, however, when PDI'ing the cheaper bikes (we used to sell a particular brand at the shop worked at) that they actually had the best indexing and shifting gears you could buy.
The Shimano cheap gear systems were agricultural but never ever failed and shifted sweetly, and was super easy to get indexed, Only time they broke was when some monkey swung off a bolt.
Everything else, however, was ste.
We used to sell them based on the following patter: We'd suggest the (at that time) Trek 800 which was priced at £200 - probably the cheapest better quality bike.
We'd then step down if they sniffed at it, and then explainened the differences between the two.
If a customer had the money, they usually then changed their little scrimping minds, and went for the Trek. If they really couldn't bring themselves to spend £200 on something that would last, or they simply didn't have the money, they'd get the £110 bike.
The big problems we saw were cracking tyres, invaribly ste tubes, and the bolts and things that required tightening were usually made of the softest metal known to man.
HOWEVER I must point out that I still see some of these bikes riding around now 15 years on - some people did really take care of their stuff, and they religiously maintained the bikes, like all bikes should be, and they lasted for years. We did have a few Triggers Brooms coming through, but mainly, they would last pretty well (hence why we sold the slightly better cheap bikes).
The super cheap £70 jobs were terrible on all accounts - even worse if full suspension.
The Shimano cheap gear systems were agricultural but never ever failed and shifted sweetly, and was super easy to get indexed, Only time they broke was when some monkey swung off a bolt.
Everything else, however, was s
te.We used to sell them based on the following patter: We'd suggest the (at that time) Trek 800 which was priced at £200 - probably the cheapest better quality bike.
We'd then step down if they sniffed at it, and then explainened the differences between the two.
If a customer had the money, they usually then changed their little scrimping minds, and went for the Trek. If they really couldn't bring themselves to spend £200 on something that would last, or they simply didn't have the money, they'd get the £110 bike.
The big problems we saw were cracking tyres, invaribly s
te tubes, and the bolts and things that required tightening were usually made of the softest metal known to man.HOWEVER I must point out that I still see some of these bikes riding around now 15 years on - some people did really take care of their stuff, and they religiously maintained the bikes, like all bikes should be, and they lasted for years. We did have a few Triggers Brooms coming through, but mainly, they would last pretty well (hence why we sold the slightly better cheap bikes).
The super cheap £70 jobs were terrible on all accounts - even worse if full suspension.
Construction - they're so bloody weak (a friend who should have known better found that out first hand!)
Weight - pretty self explanatory.
Brake technology - your pretend full-susser has to have pretend disc brakes manufactured for 27p.
Shock technology - as above, but worse.
Geometry and general design - what happens when you let a bunch of Malasian toy designers try and create a mountain bike.
In short, you'd be hard pushed to make a decent rigid bike for that price. Factor in the cost of springs and dampers plus brakes, then account for the extra frame complexity... The corners all have to be cut somewhere.
I wrote a beginner's guide to mountain biking for a local magazine recently and I tried to state (in the strongest possible terms that wouldn't get me sued) why people should avoid these Halfrauds specials.
Weight - pretty self explanatory.
Brake technology - your pretend full-susser has to have pretend disc brakes manufactured for 27p.
Shock technology - as above, but worse.
Geometry and general design - what happens when you let a bunch of Malasian toy designers try and create a mountain bike.
In short, you'd be hard pushed to make a decent rigid bike for that price. Factor in the cost of springs and dampers plus brakes, then account for the extra frame complexity... The corners all have to be cut somewhere.
I wrote a beginner's guide to mountain biking for a local magazine recently and I tried to state (in the strongest possible terms that wouldn't get me sued) why people should avoid these Halfrauds specials.
To me they're as much of a con an e-mail from Nigeria promising 250k ugandan dollars for you bank details.
They call them mountainbikes but if you show them even the slightest whiff of off-road cycling they'll fall to bits at best and really hurt you at worse. So if you want a cheap bike that you can't take off road. Buy a cheap bike without suspension that wont work and disk brakes that wont work.
They're totally disposable as well. Where the hell does anyone buy brake pads for a set of mech disk brake off a Stealth Bandit?
They call them mountainbikes but if you show them even the slightest whiff of off-road cycling they'll fall to bits at best and really hurt you at worse. So if you want a cheap bike that you can't take off road. Buy a cheap bike without suspension that wont work and disk brakes that wont work.
They're totally disposable as well. Where the hell does anyone buy brake pads for a set of mech disk brake off a Stealth Bandit?
Tampon said:
Bike snobs the lot of ya
I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
Yes, but you have a hybrid that it sounds like you mainly ride on road. That's fine and I applaud that, I would not want anything expensive nicked either.I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
But these Shockwaves and other s
te are marketed as off road bikes and people will think that they can actually ride them off road. The experience will at best be deeply unpleasant and at worst dangerous.Far, far better to scour the classifieds, pick up something cheap and second hand, ride it, and upgrade parts as and when.
neil_bolton said:
I did use to find it ironic, however, when PDI'ing the cheaper bikes (we used to sell a particular brand at the shop worked at) that they actually had the best indexing and shifting gears you could buy.
The Shimano cheap gear systems were agricultural but never ever failed and shifted sweetly, and was super easy to get indexed, Only time they broke was when some monkey swung off a bolt.
Everything else, however, was ste.
We used to sell them based on the following patter: We'd suggest the (at that time) Trek 800 which was priced at £200 - probably the cheapest better quality bike.
We'd then step down if they sniffed at it, and then explainened the differences between the two.
We would be better of with some of them shifters if we dont mind the extra weight, And i bet they are stronger than the lighter ones too.The Shimano cheap gear systems were agricultural but never ever failed and shifted sweetly, and was super easy to get indexed, Only time they broke was when some monkey swung off a bolt.
Everything else, however, was s
te.We used to sell them based on the following patter: We'd suggest the (at that time) Trek 800 which was priced at £200 - probably the cheapest better quality bike.
We'd then step down if they sniffed at it, and then explainened the differences between the two.
How many people think you are trying to make more money out of them rather than getting them a better bike that would last longer and give them better value for money. My LBS has problems like that, Not just with bikes but with bike parts too...
Hard-Drive said:
Tampon said:
Bike snobs the lot of ya
I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
Yes, but you have a hybrid that it sounds like you mainly ride on road. That's fine and I applaud that, I would not want anything expensive nicked either.I bought a new £95 hybrid, front suspension bike off ebay for pottering around on, did the London to Brighton on it, it stays out in the rain, has done for getting on for 3 years, tyres are getting thin now, brakes work, bit of rust nothing much, adjusted the brakes and mud guard, wire brush some of the surface rust off the chain twice, good spray of wd40 everywhere.
It has been perfect, if it gets nicked I have had my 50p's worth out of it.
Cheap bikes have their place definitely.
You don't like them fine, but to hate me for having it is a bit strong, says more about you than me or the choice of bike I have.
Oh I also have a A bike copy which cost £40, folds up into my back pack and is perfect for scooting round london. Love it.
But these Shockwaves and other s
te are marketed as off road bikes and people will think that they can actually ride them off road. The experience will at best be deeply unpleasant and at worst dangerous.Far, far better to scour the classifieds, pick up something cheap and second hand, ride it, and upgrade parts as and when.
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