[TheThinkTank] low end bikes, Invisible riders

Thu May 29 11:16:38 PDT 2008

I wanted to jump back in here, perhaps because I think there's a lot of
discussion going on and although the singlespeed v. geared debate may be a
good one, I wanted to comment on what Kyle said.  Sure, a NEXT or Magna can
last a long time when you overhaul it right out of the store, etc.  and i've
seen people riding 10-20 year old department store bikes (irrespective of
the fact that their quality keeps going down).  Nonetheless there is no
intent by the "people" designing, marketing, and selling these bikes to do
anything else than pocket a smug margin off a cheap bicycle that *will* end
up in the trash pretty quick.  This is theft and exploitation.

We need to work towards increasing the visibility and demand for inexpensive
commuters.  Some solution can and should be made to provide an alternative
within the price range of a department store bike that would clearly be
better, and a way to make that difference accessible and known to the people
who would be riding them.  Sure geared bikes are good, but Singlespeeds that
hold up are better than a geared bike that will fail and won't be fixable.
We've had day laborers come into our shop before to do an earn-a-bike, and
for everyone who tries to pick up an unservicable department store bike,
we'll sit with them and talk to them and demonstrate the differences between
that and a perhaps less shiny but sustainable alternative.

Current environmentalism and bicycle greenwashing have proven to be a joke
in this regard.  Shimano's *Coasting *initiative with Trek and whoever else
is pumping out 'commuters' that fit only the gentrifying or suburban
middle-class; Austin's recently witnessed the joke coffee-shop/shower
facility/bike store called Mellow Johnny's where Mr. Armstrong's
commuter-focus seems to include only one or two expensive commuters and some
$6,000 road bikes.  I know bike collectives do a good job getting real
commuters on real bicycles, but maybe there's something else that can be
done with shops and manufacturers to provide bikes that fit the needs and
income of those who most use them... The "invisible riders" and the rest of
us.

-sherief

On Thu, May 29, 2008 at 1:00 PM, Chris Wells <re-cycles at rogers.com> wrote:

> I am always surprised by the number of customers requesting a single
> speed here in Ottawa. We aren't exactly mountainous but it is by no
> means flat and personally I can't even get around on a 3spd. However
> many seem to prefer and be perfectly happy with a 20-50 year old single
> speed. As long as they are happy and riding then who are we to complain
> or criticize?
>
> Chris
>
> PS I imagine most vintage single speeds stick to the downtown core and
> avoid hills while I tend to commute 20+km and often don't have time to
> explore ways around the hills.
>
> --- Michael Wolfe <gzuphoesdown at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > the only "crime" i see here is converting a bike into a single speed.
> >  While
> > such a ridiculous notion might be fine for bike messengers of days
> > past
> > who did see the benefit of it being cheap and stupid such that no one
> > would
> > ever consider stealing one, it's out of place for ordinary civilians.
> >  Isn't
> > the point to get bikes to ordinary people?  Most people, as children
> > learned
> > to ride bikes with gears which begs that even a child can see the
> > benefit.
> > Even as this discussion was going on yesterday a neighbor pulled up
> > to his
> > home with a 30 pack on the top tube of his Magna and then proceeded
> > to
> > shuttle a child off to another destination in the same manner.  The
> > notion
> > of a one gear bike to suffice for his daily activities would seem
> > ludicrous
> > to him for sure.   The bikes they have stay outside all night and
> > never seem
> > to disappear which seems to support the theory suggested yesterday.
> > hmmmf.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 5/29/08, kyle mckinley <bicirider at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > the biggest problems with the walmart bikes seem to be related to
> > (a)
> > > shifting and (b) weight. both of these are mitigated by turning the
> > bike
> > > into a single speed. The safest way to do this on the cheap is to
> > take apart
> > > the freewheel and only leave one gear (so that it won't shift up
> > and break
> > > the axel) and use just the middle chainring in front.
> > > The shocks on magnas and the like usually don't have much travel,
> > so it
> > > seems to work pretty well to pull it off and replace it with an old
> > rigid
> > > fork from the boneyard (as opposed to "real" modern mountain bikes
> > that
> > > require a problemsolver rigid fork to not result in a dangerously
> > steep
> > > headtube angle).
> > > I agree that it is a good idea to rehad these bikes. The problem
> > for a lot
> > > of orgs is that there isn't the room to store both the walmart
> > bikes and the
> > > older, nicer, communters and mountain bikes. And those old bikes
> > are better
> > > for the rider, and less of a nightmare to fix up.
> > > Moreover, regarding this whole thread; I can appreciate the general
> > sense
> > > that it is important to help everyone feel good about zer
> > bike--even if it
> > > is from walmart--but I would still contend that by purposefully
> > > manufacturing bikes that break immediately, and are super difficult
> > to fix
> > > when they break, these companies are perpetuating a crime against
> > the
> > > bicycle... a crime so vast that the only point of comparison is the
> > > dasterdly deed of "carbon fiber".
> > > Surely there is a way that we can learn to articulate a rejection
> > of the
> > > continued manufacture of these bikes (most of which, despite our
> > best
> > > efforts, head quickly to the landfill) without blaming our patrons
> > for
> > > buying them. How exactly we do that depends on the individual
> > > interaction--and how busted the roadmaster actually is.
> > > thanks-
> > > kyle
> > > On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 1:38 PM, james blesdoe
> > <jamesbleds0e at yahoo.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >> At the Bicycle Kitchen we have started making the Wall Mart bikes
> > work and
> > >> placing them on the street.  We use we  them for training our
> > volunteers
> > >> and even though they are only fact similes of a real  bicycle i
> > use a Murry
> > >> for polo.
> > >>
> > >> One poor fellow, who's bike feel off the bus bike rack and front
> > wheel
> > >> mangled dragged his single speed coaster brake pin striped
> > be-fendered Huffy
> > >> to  our shop.  He said, "i have had (when offered a modern bike)
> > those and
> > >> they get stolen. I ride this everywhere. I have never had problems
> > with it.
> > >> i like it  and just want to keep it."  he lost the front fender
> > and we found
> > >> a new front wheel. cost him twenty bucks and he is back on the
> > road.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Happy rollin
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Jim
> > >>
> > >> *Michael Wolfe <gzuphoesdown at gmail.com>* wrote:
> > >>
> > >>  I like where the discussion is going on Low End Walmart bikes. To
> > >> provide an interesting prospective, check out this article in
> > Bicycling
> > >> Magazine. It highlights a part of the cycling population that we
> > not only
> > >> fail to recognize, but often are oblivious to.  It's kind of long
> > but a
> > >> worthy read.
> > >>
> > >> http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-3-12-13639-1-P,00.html
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > If an Easyrider rides easy, then a bicirider rides bicis
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