Banging my head against the wall....

[legrandefromage]

My GF mate wanted a bike for her friend's son, so, I had those Treks waiting, did one up (nice new bits) and said £70.

''naa.... he wants front suspension. Tesco do them cheaper''

how can people buy this dross and think they're getting a 'bargain'??

http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=200-0525

£60 from Tesco.


My forhead is sore... :evil: :evil:

 

[Serge bike junky]

you could always let a bit or air out the front tyre & tell her that's better (& more) suspension than the chod you get on a "blue & white special" :roll:

 

[stevet1]

I'd be banging my head too mate, some folk just don't understand the difference between cheaply made new crap and good quality older parts.

 

[Pickle]

Mmmm, that Tesco special is nice!! Although, they seem to have forgot to put the Value sticker on it......

 

[clockworkgazz]

pearls before swine as the saying goes....

 

[Geoff]

I know this is a cyclist's view rather than an everybloke's view, but what the hell is it with people wanting suspension on every cheap piece of crap? The bikes don't go offroad, the shocks are heavy and flexy, work like crap to start with and are shagged shortly thereafter. WHAT IS THE APPEAL?

Any new bike that costs £60 is gonna be a heap of crap, but I fail to see how cutting the budget for all the rest of the stuff is helpful. My ideal cheap bike would be rigid and have only one other want- a bottom bracket/crank that doesn't flex like buggery and pedals that are actually aligned rather than the axles all off at weird angles stuffing my knees.

Oh yeah, one other want. The saddle adjusted to the right height...

EDIT: I'm more of a picky bugger than I thought- I have one more want. Brakes that actually work.

 

[messiah]

Those £60 bikes put people of cycling... they are that sh!t.

 

[awaycaboose]

Used to get exactly this problem when I worked in a LBS. Guy comes in to the shop wanting a proper MTB to ride off road..."Certainly sir you'll get a great bike which'll stand up to off road abuse for around X pounds"...to which the reply was usually "Nah mate that's far more than I want to spend, I can get two bikes for £99 out of the paper."

1 week later said customer returns with his busted piece of crap..."How much to fix this mate?"...the reply being "Probably around X pounds, were you aware that you could've bought a good bike for that?"

Idiots. :roll:

Still though the Treks are looking great considering how they were when you found them. I'm sure you'll find someone who'll appreciate what they're getting.

 

[cornholio's RC200]

Not just that. A lot of the time these things aren't set up properly at all and end up putting the rider (often a child) at a real risk.

A few years ago, I went to visit my mother and she had just bought my brother a new bike for his birthday from Argos (and not the paint shop) for £99. :roll:

Only once I had spent a couple of hours setting it up (wheels needed trueing, headset and wheel bearings loose, brake blocks set up to rub the tyre, cables seizing and more) was it safe to ride :evil:

Even then I probably wouldn't let it onto a towpath, let alone seriously offroad. At least this bike didn't have any suspension so it deterred him from doing so.

Rubbish

 

[Geoff]

It always amazes me, given how increasingly regulated our society is, that there is no onus on sellers of these 'bikes' to make sure they can go and stop safely when they leave their shop. Flat packs are obviously going to put some onus on the buyer, but if all the owner has to do is spin the stem, then the brakes should leave the shop setup correctly.

It amuses me that in Australia they passed a law making it mandatory to wear a helmet yet nothing doing regarding selling a bike in a roadworthy condition. Surely it would be better to allow somebody to avoid an accident than put a helmet on them and hope for the best? Not to mention that since they HAVE to wear a helmet but want to spend no money and have no instruction from a shop, many people run round in whatever helmet they can find, usually too small so it rests on the top of their heads, not where it will actually do any good!

O/T slightly, but flat packs scare me sometimes- seen quite a few bikes being ridden around brisbane with the 'awesome suspension forks' installed backwards. :shock: