[TheThinkTank] bicycle shaped objects

Wed May 28 09:56:50 PDT 2008

arguably dept. store bikes suck.
but just change your thinking a little.
they are not a performance machine.

as long as the cones are tight enough, and the wheel straight enough to
avoid
touching pads, then whomever rides it will appreciate it.

its a step up from a bus pass.

and some people ride roadmasters for years. they are around. you have seen
them.

i just keep them rolling and spend more time with better equipment.

noah

On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 9:50 AM, Gern Blanston <getgern at gmail.com> wrote:

> That's why when I bought my wife a COSTCO Magna, threw it on the stand to
> build/tune up, met those low quality parts I returned it, and bought a $300
> trek.  10 years ago, and the trek is still in GREAT condition!!
>
>
> On 5/28/08, Sherief <sgaber at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I think the whole department store bike issue is a real obstacle to
>> cycling.  On the one hand, prices of decent entry level bikes have gone up
>> up up in recent years, making the 149.95 price point on a lot of those
>> wal-mart beasts seem reasonable.  However, as has been our experience at the
>> Austin Yellow Bike, and one that I'm sure others have noticed, those bikes
>> are effectively disposable.  All of the parts within them are near
>> irreparable.  Hubs that you can never quite adjust because the cones start
>> pitting from the box, bad springs, rust, etc.  You pay less but if you
>> actually intend to ride then you end up paying more for a replacement or
>> futile service.  This more often than not puts a sour taste in people's
>> mouths for cycling and the gateway never happens.
>>
>> I've thought about some way we can get the knowledge out about the virtues
>> of used/older bikes, etc. and the pitfalls of those tantalizingly cheap
>> department store bikes, combined with the refurbishing and sale of (better)
>> used bikes.  A lot of people don't realize that a bike *should* last you 20,
>> 30, even 100 years. I've almost wanted to stand around in the department
>> store bicycle section and hand people leaflets, perhaps shouting "It's a
>> trap!".   When people come into our shop to work on those bikes the
>> difference is made clear enough to them, but something broader could be
>> interesting...
>>
>> Snobbery towards department store bikes, and more importantly those who
>> ride them, is counter-productive and doesn't help anyone, but department
>> store bikes must nonetheless be stopped.  Their disposability and hassle is
>> arguable anti-bicycle.
>>
>> -sherief
>>
>> On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 9:17 PM, Gern Blanston <getgern at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> When people ask me what the best bike to get is...I answer, "The best
>>> bike is which ever one you will get on AND RIDE!, not just have it sit in
>>> storage."
>>>
>>>
>>> On 5/19/08, Cuper <cuper at neighborhoodbikeworks.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> And what about for the people are won't to come into your coop for all
>>>> of the perceived social, racial, economic, and other barriers we all know
>>>> way too well?  By telling folks *who are already intimidated by you* that
>>>> those bikes are garbage, and implying that anyone who buys one is stupid,
>>>> you are alienating potential shop users and customers.
>>>>
>>>> Those department store monsters aren't great, but can be "gateway
>>>> bikes."  If you find a more positive way to pitch your product (instead
>>>> slamming what many people feel is the best they can do), the folks who are
>>>> riding department store bikes now are light years more likely to come to you
>>>> in a year or two or five.
>>>>
>>>> jimmie
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Neighborhood Bike Works		tel: 215.386.0316
>>>> 3916 Locust Walk		fax: 215.386.7288
>>>> Philadelphia, PA  19104		www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
>>>>
>>>> Providing opportunities to youth through bicycling.
>>>>
>>>> NBw has a listserv! To stay in touch, subscribe to BikeStreetJounral at NeighborhoodBikeWorks.org at www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org/mailman/listinfo/bikestreetjournal.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> veganboyjosh at gmail.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, May 11, 2008 at 8:17 AM, Bruce Lien <bikedadlien at yahoo.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> how do low income families who can only stretch their budgets far
>>>>> enough to buy their kid a bike for under $100, $70, or $40 do so? While some
>>>>> might advocate they buy used bikes, check out the junk sitting at the
>>>>> Goodwill with exorbitant prices on them, sold as is and you can see why that
>>>>> is not a viable option. Garage sales are great alternatives, but again the
>>>>> bikes are sold "as is" which often leaves a bike in need of some TLC from a
>>>>> good mechanic.    Bruce
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> several things the people on this list have or have access to:
>>>>
>>>> volunteer power/time/energy.
>>>> bike knowledge.
>>>> decent--better than dept store bikes.
>>>>
>>>> this is just a brainstorm that just came to me after reading gary,
>>>> rafael, and bruce's emails....but what if we could somehow get the word out
>>>> to these low income families with no LBS that the coops are the place to go.
>>>> some kind of mailorder thing...i'm not sure how it would work, but if we're
>>>> operating on a national level, then shouldn't we be able to address at least
>>>> some of the basic needs of everyone in the country?
>>>>  just an idea, i've been thinking about for all of 30 seconds. unlike
>>>> gary's and rafaels, which both sound awesome and doable...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
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>>>>
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www.renobikeproject.com
in the alley between ralston and bell
S.E. corner
250 bell st,
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