Walmart bike-shaped-objects don't do the job
Never buy a department store bike. Even if it's not going to be ridden that way. The way that the various parts fail -- brakes, handlebars, forks -- means that you're going to spend an inordinate amount of time -- weekly if not daily -- futzing around with adjustments. And if you don't, things get dangerous.
I wouldn't be surprised if the wheels on that bike were already out-of-true, and if the seatpost was slipping. The gears are probably ready to get jammed in the frame too.
I have a couple of Cannondales that need adjustments every couple thousand miles.
It is reasonable to expect that department stored bikes be rugged and safe. It is not reasonable to expect the average person to buy a Trek or Cannondale bike. When I was a kid, our bikes were tough and could handle reasonable usage like being ridden down stairs without issue.
pmartinezv said:
That is like expecting your "SUV" will really go off road!
My Land Rover did, and did it quite well. Would I take a Honda through even half of what I took my Disco through? Not on your life.
tjohn said:
It is reasonable to expect that department stored bikes be rugged and safe. It is not reasonable to expect the after person to buy a Trek or Cannondale bike. When I was a kid, our bikes were tough and could handle reasonable usage like being ridden down stairs without issue.
My kids always rode Specialized bikes, from the smallest on up. I could have bought a bike from Target, but didn't for much the same reason I wouldn't think of buying a used car seat to save a few bucks.
ctrzaska said:
tjohn said:
It is reasonable to expect that department stored bikes be rugged and safe. It is not reasonable to expect the after person to buy a Trek or Cannondale bike. When I was a kid, our bikes were tough and could handle reasonable usage like being ridden down stairs without issue.
My kids always rode Specialized bikes, from the smallest on up. I could have bought a bike from Target, but didn't for much the same reason I wouldn't think of buying a used car seat to save a few bucks.
That's great when you can afford them. To me, the difference between a Target bike and a high end bike should be things like the weight and number of gears. There should be no reduction in basic safety.
tjohn said:
ctrzaska said:
tjohn said:
It is reasonable to expect that department stored bikes be rugged and safe. It is not reasonable to expect the after person to buy a Trek or Cannondale bike. When I was a kid, our bikes were tough and could handle reasonable usage like being ridden down stairs without issue.
My kids always rode Specialized bikes, from the smallest on up. I could have bought a bike from Target, but didn't for much the same reason I wouldn't think of buying a used car seat to save a few bucks.
That's great when you can afford them. To me, the difference between a Target bike and a high end bike should be things like the weight and number of gears. There should be no reduction in basic safety.
Unfortunately that's not the case anymore. But remember that back in the day we all had coaster brakes and just a single speed.
p.s. once you're using a derailleur additional gears don't really add to the cost in any significant way.
After watching the video, it seems that the bike is generally OK but is not a mountain bike for insane riders.
omg, who rides like that? obviously the Huffy needed more maintenance and TLC and is not a serious riders bicycle, but if your just riding on your local streets it looks more then up for the job to me.
the biggest thing to me with biking is to get a bike that fits your own style and comfort of riding.
He set out to make a viral video of him destroying a bike. He succeeded.
Throw in Wal-Mart hate for extra clicks.
The guy who made the video is a professional mountain bike rider, and yes, he rode it in an extreme way, but this was the bike's second ride. Perhaps the test was too extreme, but that bike would not stand up to NORMAL use. I've worked on many of these bike-shaped-objects, and some of the brakes don't work and CAN'T WORK no matter how much I work to adjust them. He wore out the brake pads before the end of the ride. This is unconscionable. There weren't enough bolts to hold the handlebars on! That's unconscionable, too. A handlebar coming loose often causes a bad accident.
@tjohn, bikes cost what they cost, and when people disagree that they should cost that much, they spend too little. They get less than they need and end up having mechanical problems or not riding as much as they might.
Tom_Reingold said:
@tjohn, bikes cost what they cost, and when people disagree that they should cost that much, they spend too little. They get less than they need and end up having mechanical problems or not riding as much as they might.
Right, but I can't sell an unsafe car. I can sell an unreliable car, but not an unsafe car.
I could easily see a teenage boy hammering everyday New Jersey potholes stripping his steering tube.
He gave that bike abuse, sure; but only ten minutes' worth. Maybe it would take a local kid a few weeks, but it'll happen.
That was a very scary video, even without the cheap bike. I don't think most people would put a bike into that kind of situation. I wonder if they keep statistics about bike accident root causes? Probably not, but that would tell us more about the price-value of different bikes than this crazy video.
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This guy really damn the product adequately. It is dangerous. Bikes you get at department stores don't do the job people expect them to do.
Pro Mountain Biker Rides A Walmart Bike Down Serious Trails, Barely Survives