First ride review: Schwinn Sidewinder from Walmart 20.6 mile ride.

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 04:37:31 GMT, "Phil, Squid-in-Training"
wrote:

But the one thing I noticed, people who actually ride department store
bikes on this group have little problems with them.

There are basically three types that ride these bikes:
1. People who buy and never ever ride.
2. People who buy and ride the **** out of them commuting.
3. People (teenage boys) who buy and ride the **** out of them doing things
the bikes were never intended to do.

We get lots of #3. #2 come in once in a long time. #1 come in to have
their bikes fixed after sitting for a couple of years, usually scoffing at
the cost of repair. And then proceed to never ride them again.

So generally, I'd agree.

And after about 8 to 10 years, the folks in the first categry donate
the bike to Goodwill or dump it at a garage sale or foist it off one
someone else because they are tired of paying to put the thing back
into immediately ride-worthy shape...and have finally realized that
they really aren't going to ride it anyway.

That's when people like me get hold of them, and either ride the ****
out of them or pass them along to someone else who must be sorted into
one of the categories themselves.

I also get some pretty nice bikes through that same process. You'd be
amazed at how many people buy a decent lbs-level bike and proceed to
leave it in a corner the same way that your category-one folks do.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

PSB wrote:

...
Shows your bike to be a road bike. While you would kick my ass on a
paved road, let's take your bike vs my bike on a dirt sandy road here in
South Carolina. You won't make it half a mile. See, I bought my bike
for the roads I ride on. A road bike don't cut it....

Troll bait for Jobst Brandt?

Ride one of the mountain bike shaped objects on single-track and it will
soon fall apart. Note that Carl Fogel's so far reliable Roadmaster Mt.
Fury has the appearance of a mountain bike, but Mr. Fogel (to judge by
his posts to rec.bicycles.tech) has not used it for any serious off-road
duty.

--
Tom Sherman - Near Rock Island

But the one thing I noticed, people who actually ride department store
bikes on this group have little problems with them.

Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
There are basically three types that ride these bikes:
1. People who buy and never ever ride.
2. People who buy and ride the **** out of them commuting.
3. People (teenage boys) who buy and ride the **** out of them doing things
the bikes were never intended to do.
We get lots of #3. #2 come in once in a long time. #1 come in to have
their bikes fixed after sitting for a couple of years, usually scoffing at
the cost of repair. And then proceed to never ride them again.
So generally, I'd agree.

Agreed.
And group #2 is bigger than you might think. Even when the
bike's badly worn (loose bearings, bent wheels, pads worn to
the metal) they plod to work every day without complaint.

[After repairing flat] "I see your front brake pads are worn
out. Only $7.95 for a new pair"
"I don't use that one"

And Ron's front changer from the other day.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"Werehatrack" wrote


And for purposes of comparison, I will note that a whole lot of the
price-leader name-brand lbs bikes today are using precisely the same
level of componentry that is present on the higher-level Mall-Wart
bikes. My daughter's Trek 800 is equipped with kit very little
different from the Mongoose that it's generally locked to

And the price difference was?
The Walmart bike was ~$150, and the Trek at around $200?

For that price diff, you get different sizes in the Trek, better initial
assembly, better service, better advice.

IMHO, once you move off the bottom end Walmart price point ($60-70), the
extras you get at a bike shop more than make up the small price difference.

(the bottom end bikes are merely garage wall decorations)

Pete

"Luke" wrote in message
...
Concerning the maintenance requirements of a bicycle, it's
a mystery to
me why more cyclists don't take the chore upon themselves.
Adjusting
derailleurs and brakes; chain, chainring and cassette
replacement;
trueing wheels; adjusting cones; etc.; these can be
accomplished with a
minimal investment in tools and learning. A beauty of the
bicycle is
its sympathy to the backyard mechanic.

Mike Kruger wrote:
Time and money are limited resources. Sometimes one resource
is more limited than another.
I don't change the oil in my car any more, either.

Good point.
I can't efficiently change the oil in my cars either.
I pay someone else to make me an espresso a few times a day.

Each of us gets to choose what we'll undertake ourselves and
what we'll pay someone else to do.

After teaching bicycle maintenance classes for many years I
notice that few students actually do their own serious
repairs. But they are much better informed and frequently
comment on how much they enjoyed the class even years later.

Many of my service customers could probably change their own
flats. But we're quick and cheap so why dirty one's hands?
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"PSB" wrote in message
...
Gooserider wrote:


My $300 Ibex Corrida is about a hundred times more well built and
performs
better than a $150 Wal - Schwinn.

So I assume you have owned a Schwinn from Walmart for quite some time
then to make such a statement? I didn't think so. We'll see if my
Schwinn holds up to the test of time. Maybe it won't. I'll keep posting
reports on the progress just like others have on their store bought bikes.

http://www.ibexbikes.com/Stacks/Series_Corrida.html

Shows your bike to be a road bike. While you would kick my ass on a
paved road, let's take your bike vs my bike on a dirt sandy road here in
South Carolina. You won't make it half a mile. See, I bought my bike
for the roads I ride on. A road bike don't cut it.

Seriously, man, you need to relax. You're not taking your Wal-Schwinn off
road for long---and my Ibex has 700x28 tires, which work just fine off road.
It's my curb hopping commuter with fenders and a rack. Does your Schwinn
have rack and fender mounts? Again, for not much more money you could have
bought a quality used bike which would hold up better and perform better
than the department store bike. I have experience with the Wal Schwinn, and
the Sidewinder in particular. A friend of mine bought one because he had to
have a bike RIGHT NOW. It must have weighed 40 pounds, the shifting was
clunky, the brakes were fear inspiring, and it didn't fit him at all(one
size fits all I guess). eBay or your LBS would be a much better option.

In article , A Muzi
wrote:

Mike Kruger wrote:
Time and money are limited resources. Sometimes one resource
is more limited than another.
I don't change the oil in my car any more, either.

Good point.
I can't efficiently change the oil in my cars either.
I pay someone else to make me an espresso a few times a day.


All apt analogies. I suppose I'm the odd man out: For me, working on
the bikes is not strictly an exercise in efficiency*I don't flatter
myself that I qualify as a top mechanic*or frugality; it's one of
leisure*to a point, of course. That a pleasurable task yields practical
benefits credits it further.

Each of us gets to choose what we'll undertake ourselves and
what we'll pay someone else to do.


Conceded. My upthread musings were ill-considered.

snip

luke

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 00:33:19 -0600, A Muzi wrote:

Many of my service customers could probably change their own
flats. But we're quick and cheap so why dirty one's hands?

I can fix a flat in less time than it takes me to floss. I carry latex
gloves to avoid the dirty hands.

I don't understand when people come into a bike shop with a flat. How did
they get home or back to their car in the first place?

Not being able to fix a flat or do minor maintenance in the field is a
huge time waster.

Also doing minor repairs like adjusting derailleur stops or alignment
usually take less time than strapping the the bike to the car carrier.

Doing your own wrenching if you can is a huge time saver.

It would be interesting to see the dealer prices for both of those
bicycles - my guess is that they're close to the same. I can recall
reading in some trade industry rag (don't know which one) about LBS
guys going to big box stores to buy the new stingrays (still in boxes)
at full retail price, and then assembling them and selling them for a
markup.

SYJ

Gooserider wrote:


Seriously, man, you need to relax. You're not taking your Wal-Schwinn off
road for long---and my Ibex has 700x28 tires, which work just fine off road.
It's my curb hopping commuter with fenders and a rack. Does your Schwinn
have rack and fender mounts?

Yes it does. Has the eyelets right on the frame where i installed my
back rack yesterday. Thank you for playing. I also say out of my two 20
miles rides, 10 of them miles were offroad. No, I am not going to do 30
foot jumps on the bike or curb hop (there are no curbs within 10 miles
of my house) but I didn't buy the bike to do that.

It must have weighed 40 pounds, the shifting was
clunky, the brakes were fear inspiring,

Just got back from another 20 miler. My shifting is working perfectly
and the brakes are working great. Maybe he bought a clunker. I've heard
of people buying expensive road bikes only to have to return them the
next day because something didn't work right. My Mt Fury I bought was
one. It happens dude. Maybe if you spend 10 minutes on your friends bike
doing a simple adjustment for him, this wouldn't be a problem anymore.

And your 700x28c will be no match for the dirt & rock roads here. The
mud that is so often on the roads here will get your bike stuck or
wheels spinning. You'll need a 700x38c for the ones around here. Trust
me on this one. I've done it before.

And I look at this way, I still got 23 days to return my bike to Walmart
if it has a major failure. Just say you are happy with your bike and I
am happy with mine. ANd if I want to get a true road bike, I 'll
consider the Ibex. I'll give an honest report when I reach 100 miles
which will be early next week.