On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 14:29:37 -0600, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Thank you, Bill, for replying. Well, I buy brand name skis because I am
a ski instructor. However, I really can not justify (to myself)
spending a bundle on a bike. If I were Lance Armstrong, I would. I
guess, I would not, because I would get a free bike in that case. :-)
I believe that dual suspended bike for $200 is not a bad deal. If I use
it lot and if I see that I need a better bike, I will buy a brand name
bike... maybe even from a local shop.
If you are planning on riding on the street or even non-technical
off-road, suspension is not needed.
True. But what's interesting to me is how this post illustrates how
deptstore bike lure people into a purchase.
They put one (1) 'name' component on a bike - as soon as you see Shimano,
you go 'wow, Shimano components - this is a steal'. However it's not 'full
Shimano' components - usually it's just the rear der. The pedals and front
chainring and bottom bracket and the brakes are 'no-name', and they're
bottom of the line, not upgradeable. It's easy to see why the layperson
gets fooled.
They name the bike a technical name - Cephas Fever 7.7 TG mountain bike. If
this is a formerly decent bike manufacturer (like Mongoose), all the
better.
They name the wheels or the fork suspension something that -sounds- like a
well-known high quality component - 'FormulaAero spoke wheels'.
Finally they put as much technical jargon on the 'sales card' as possible,
much of it meaningless. You don't see the true specs, such as weight or the
inches of play in the shocks. You essentially have a 'look-alike' to some
$2,000 - $4000 bikes you see on TV; and, of course the layman isn't aware
of why these bikes cost so much - they have to be light and strong and have
superior materials in the shocks - often you're paying for R&D to get
cutting edge stuff, who knows. Still 10 years ago you couldn't -buy- a bike
that does what these babies do.
They realize the average person isn't going to ride this bike that much so
the lack of true functionality in the frame and they won't discover that
the joint where the rear suspension has the most stress is weak, or that
the chain comes off easily on some bikes (often they're not set up right).
Quoted message said:In addition, many cross-country
racers still ride hardtail mountain bikes due to their lighter weight
and lack of "pogo" from pedaling forces. The suspension components on a
$200 bicycle are not going to be of high enough quality for the
conditions that require full suspension, so they are best avoided.
I think even for casual riding, you would be better off getting an
entry-level hybrid from a competent bike shop that can assemble and
service it properly, and even more importantly obtain proper fit for
you. If you can stretch your budget to $300, you should be able to find
something. And $300 is less than 10% of the cost of the high end Trek
bicycles that Lance Armstrong races.
People just don't realize you can get a good bike in an LBS, and it's
partly the LBS's fault. I had to visit three or four LBS and scan past all
the loaded, flashy MTBs to find a Trek 7200FX for $325 bucks with all
Shimano components (though bottom of the line they include pedals, breaks,
BB, and rear and front der). They don't realize it's almost twenty (20)
pounds lighter. Yep that's no typo. Typical Dept Store Double susp. bike -
45lbs. Trek 7200FX non-suspended - 26lbs.
IMO, if LBS are going to load up on heavy mid-priced full-susp. bikes, they
should also offer the alternative - a lighter, no-susp. bike, and explain
the whole paradox of 'flash' vs 'utility'. They should ask the buyer 'what
kind of riding are you really going to do?' It may be they feel there needs
to be some kind of 'buyer's flashy hypnosis' and they don't want to break
the spell? <g> It's bizarre, because, imo, bikes today are so much bang for
the buck that the bike almost sells itself if the salesperson explains it
right.
Finally I think the typical layperson thinks there's some kind of
'built-in' fun on a bike with weird pneumatic tubes and giant springs and a
'pogo effect' as you say. There may be...But...they also have no idea that
the 'pogo slightly dampens the forward motion component when pedalling'.
I won't even go into the silly giant knobby tires (which makes you think of
a monster truck), and the low-spoke count wheels on some (which make them
too fragile for a true double-suspended bike's normal use) and so on. ;-)
Good point on the depreciation.
jj
