Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1079771735801

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

Cam

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

cam wrote:
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the
attractive price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a
durable bike? Are there any other (better known) bikes with these
features in this price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...UCT%3C%3Eprd_i
d=845524443250630&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=253437430 2209441&FOLDER%3C%3Ebrowse
Path=2534374302432155&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=25343 74302741447&FOLDER%3C%3Efo
lder_id=2534374302741447&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=14 08474395348027&bmUID=10797
71735801

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and
full suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to
recommend an online store or forum for buying discounted or second
hand mountain bikes in Canada?

Cam

Oh boy! I'm closing my eyes and ears on this one. Let 'em rip folks!

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

"cam" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

I think he's joking...

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

In article , cam wrote:

Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...T%3C%3Eprd_id=
845524443250630&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=25343743022 09441&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath
=2534374302432155&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=253437430 2741447&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_i
d=2534374302741447&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=14084743 95348027&bmUID=1079771735801

http://tinyurl.com/3bvan

Pictu

http://images.canadiantire.ca/media/...ies/BikesAdult
/0711284_450_CC_2c8f7.jpg

http://tinyurl.com/2qnha

Okay, for the price, I'm sure it's great. The fork is a brand nobody
here has ever heard of, the componentry is low-end Shimano, probably
Acera from the looks and the 8-speed rear end, and I'm fascinated by the
provenance of that rear shock. The front disc looks like it might be the
very respectable Avid Ball Bearing design.

Is it a durable bike? Depends on what you want to do with it. It's
clearly the worst of all worlds: as a bike-path bike, it would suffer
from high weight and inefficient pedaling caused by the suspension (I'm
thinking they didn't put in a stable platform valve...). As a true
off-road and freeride bike, it's likely to suffer from too little
suspension travel (just a guess from looking at the fork), bad or
nonexistent suspension damping, and probable fragility.

If you know exactly what you are doing, you might be able to get the
wheels nice and true, and ride it some. I doubt the experience would
ever be pleasant.

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

For C$300, your best value is probably a nice used hardtail, V-brakes
front and rear, with a half-decent front fork. Locally, I'd recommend
Sports Junkies or The Buy & Sell, but in either case you have to know
what you're looking at.

But since you're already starting at Canadian Tire, I'm assuming you're
not a sophisticated consumer of mountain bikes. In which case I'd go to
a local bike shop, and see if they can set you up with a low-end
hardtail for about $300. It will be similar in spec to the SuperCycle,
but you will get the advantage of a proper fit on the bike, and proper
assembly of the bicycle, two things which are just about nonexistent for
department-store bicycles.

Bikes without rear suspension are great to ride on mildly bumpy trails:
they absorb some of the bumps with their front suspension, but don't
suffer from the inefficient pedaling of full-suspension bicycles. There
are bikes that have rear suspension and pretty good pedaling, but they
sell for at least four times your budget.

If you actually intend to ride this SuperCycle down serious trails, I'd
be very afraid. Even before the bike simply fell apart because its rear
suspension is made cheaply (hint: suspension pivots are very hard to get
right) and it was never assembled properly, I'd bet that the marginal
suspension system would make the ride a chore. It probably has a
virtually undamped rear shock, which means that every time the
suspension gets compressed by a bump, it will hop back into place much
too quickly, potentially lifting the rear wheel and generally making a
mess of serious bike dynamics. Again, better to be on a hardtail than
fighting that all the way down the hill.

This seems like a long posting to tell you "department store bikes suck.
Get a Norco/Kona/Specialized/Brodie/whatever," but I hope by
articulating the problems in detail, you'll understand why most people
who respond to this thread are going to encourage you to raise your
budget and lower your expectations.

For my part, faced with a similar budget and a desire for a serious
mountain bike, I bought a used Kona Kilauea, a 1997-vintage bike with XT
(pretty high end) components and a Marzocchi Z.2, a short-travel fork by
today's standards, but one of the first really serious, properly damped
forks made. I paid $400, and at that price had to put in some more money
to change the fork seals and oil. I also upgraded the wheels, though
that was more because I got a good deal on some nice rims and hubs (cost
me less than C$100 plus my labour to get together a WTB front disc hub,
XT rear hub, two Syncros Lil' Snapper double-wall rims, and enough
spokes to assemble it all).

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 13:38:25 GMT, "TBF" wrote:

"cam" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

I think he's joking...

Ok he has to be joking... I hope. Canadian Tire was known for their
national ad campaign with a fork installed backwards on one of their
bikes . I had the link to that picture, if I ever locate it I will
post it here for a laugh.

Mudhead

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

cam wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1079771735801

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

Cam

At $300cnd you'll only be out about $35 usd, so yeah, it's worth it.

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

"cam" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1079771735801

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

Cam

I bought a bike from them about 4 yrs ago. its a 21 spd front susspension
ccm. Paid $150 for it. it has over 8000km on it. Replaced cables, tubes,
front derailer, both tires, grips, shifters, and soon replacing brakes.

the old saying -- you get what you pay for.

If all you can afford is $300, and this is the best that you can find for
what u want, then go for it.

What part of Canada do you live in?

You may want to ask them when it will be going on sale next.... you may save
even more $$$

Micheal

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

"Chris Phillipo" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
says...
cam wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the
attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1079771735801

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and
full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

Cam

At $300cnd you'll only be out about $35 usd, so yeah, it's worth it.


Until you realize a real bike from a shop is only $5 USD more.

And once converted to CAD you get about $400-$500, right, plus s&h and taxes
and .....

Micheal

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

I live in Regina. I used to have a few god bikes in the past, all bought cheap at pawn shops and such. Then when I saw one of my own stolen bikes there, I decided to either buy new bikes, or to buy direct from the authors, so as not to encourage theft.

I am on a budget, but don't want something that breaks every once in a while.

Cam

Micheal Artindale wrote:

"cam" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444325 0630&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=2534374302209441&FOLDE R%3C%3EbrowsePath=2534374302432155&FOLDER%3C%3Ebro wsePath=2534374302741447&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=253 4374302741447&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395348 027&bmUID=1079771
I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

Cam

I bought a bike from them about 4 yrs ago. its a 21 spd front susspension
ccm. Paid $150 for it. it has over 8000km on it. Replaced cables, tubes,
front derailer, both tires, grips, shifters, and soon replacing brakes.

the old saying -- you get what you pay for.

If all you can afford is $300, and this is the best that you can find for
what u want, then go for it.

What part of Canada do you live in?

You may want to ask them when it will be going on sale next.... you may save
even more $$$

Micheal

Canadian Tire bike: Super Cycle Gravity
 

Thank you Ryan for your informative answer. I am new to performance bikes, and
honestly some of the prices make me wonder how a bike can be so expensive. My
current bike is a hardtail from Wallmart, so Canadian Tire will be an upgrade for
me. I drive mostly on paved road, sometimes up and down the hills, and a few days
per year in the mountains.

Here is my problem: My wallmart bike (Cnd $170 + tax) is falling apart. I have to
tighten up or adjust something often. I know this is partly because of the quality
of the bike. But I weight around 220 lb, so the bike is under pressure. As an
example, if I put too much air in the tires, I have to change a spoke or two every
week. So I reduce the air pressure, which causes the tire to act like a shock
absorber and save the spokes. However, then pedaling becomes harder. I am thinking
maybe having a full suspension bike will save me from this trouble. But then I don't
want to be forced to change a busted (and expensive) rear shock absorber instead of
spokes.

What should I look for in a hardtail bike that makes the spokes less prone to
breaking?

My interest in disc brakes is because I am tired of adjusting the brakes on my bike
every few weeks, and I've heard that disc brakes are more powerful than normal
brakes.

Would it be more cost effective if I buy parts separately and assemble them myself?
Constantly fixing my own bike has made me a good bike mechanic :-)

Cam

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

In article , cam wrote:

Hi all,

Candian Tire stores are offering SuperCycle Gravity bikes, which have
features such as front disc brake and full suspension at the attractive
price of Cnd $300. Has anyone tried these bikes? Is it a durable bike?
Are there any other (better known) bikes with these features in this
price range?

Here is the link (hope it works):
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...T%3C%3Eprd_id=
845524443250630&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=25343743022 09441&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath
=2534374302432155&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=253437430 2741447&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_i
d=2534374302741447&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=14084743 95348027&bmUID=1079771735801

http://tinyurl.com/3bvan

Pictu

http://images.canadiantire.ca/media/...ies/BikesAdult
/0711284_450_CC_2c8f7.jpg

http://tinyurl.com/2qnha

Okay, for the price, I'm sure it's great. The fork is a brand nobody
here has ever heard of, the componentry is low-end Shimano, probably
Acera from the looks and the 8-speed rear end, and I'm fascinated by the
provenance of that rear shock. The front disc looks like it might be the
very respectable Avid Ball Bearing design.

Is it a durable bike? Depends on what you want to do with it. It's
clearly the worst of all worlds: as a bike-path bike, it would suffer
from high weight and inefficient pedaling caused by the suspension (I'm
thinking they didn't put in a stable platform valve...). As a true
off-road and freeride bike, it's likely to suffer from too little
suspension travel (just a guess from looking at the fork), bad or
nonexistent suspension damping, and probable fragility.

If you know exactly what you are doing, you might be able to get the
wheels nice and true, and ride it some. I doubt the experience would
ever be pleasant.

I am also wondering if one can get a bike with dual disc brakes and full
suspension in this price range. Would someone be able to recommend an
online store or forum for buying discounted or second hand mountain
bikes in Canada?

For C$300, your best value is probably a nice used hardtail, V-brakes
front and rear, with a half-decent front fork. Locally, I'd recommend
Sports Junkies or The Buy & Sell, but in either case you have to know
what you're looking at.

But since you're already starting at Canadian Tire, I'm assuming you're
not a sophisticated consumer of mountain bikes. In which case I'd go to
a local bike shop, and see if they can set you up with a low-end
hardtail for about $300. It will be similar in spec to the SuperCycle,
but you will get the advantage of a proper fit on the bike, and proper
assembly of the bicycle, two things which are just about nonexistent for
department-store bicycles.

Bikes without rear suspension are great to ride on mildly bumpy trails:
they absorb some of the bumps with their front suspension, but don't
suffer from the inefficient pedaling of full-suspension bicycles. There
are bikes that have rear suspension and pretty good pedaling, but they
sell for at least four times your budget.

If you actually intend to ride this SuperCycle down serious trails, I'd
be very afraid. Even before the bike simply fell apart because its rear
suspension is made cheaply (hint: suspension pivots are very hard to get
right) and it was never assembled properly, I'd bet that the marginal
suspension system would make the ride a chore. It probably has a
virtually undamped rear shock, which means that every time the
suspension gets compressed by a bump, it will hop back into place much
too quickly, potentially lifting the rear wheel and generally making a
mess of serious bike dynamics. Again, better to be on a hardtail than
fighting that all the way down the hill.

This seems like a long posting to tell you "department store bikes suck.
Get a Norco/Kona/Specialized/Brodie/whatever," but I hope by
articulating the problems in detail, you'll understand why most people
who respond to this thread are going to encourage you to raise your
budget and lower your expectations.

For my part, faced with a similar budget and a desire for a serious
mountain bike, I bought a used Kona Kilauea, a 1997-vintage bike with XT
(pretty high end) components and a Marzocchi Z.2, a short-travel fork by
today's standards, but one of the first really serious, properly damped
forks made. I paid $400, and at that price had to put in some more money
to change the fork seals and oil. I also upgraded the wheels, though
that was more because I got a good deal on some nice rims and hubs (cost
me less than C$100 plus my labour to get together a WTB front disc hub,
XT rear hub, two Syncros Lil' Snapper double-wall rims, and enough
spokes to assemble it all).

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club