buying a cheap road bike

Rex said:

Anyone have any experience with the cheapest Cell bike, or the
Shimano S2200 groupset? How long do the parts last? Is the quality
good enough to do the job?

I bought a Cell SS100 this time last year.

Aluminium frame, flat bar road bike with Alex rims on Quando hubs,
Chinese Shimano BB, cranks and 7 speed spin on cluster.

OK, the Seat was a joke only exceeded by the pedals, both were in the
bin 15 minutes after I assembled it - the pedals never actually being
fitted, they went straight from box to bin.

An Avocet seat I already owned was joined by a cheap set (around $25)
of Wellgo SPD pedals.

The bike has been reliable, but rides harshly, I'm told that this is a
"feature" of alloy frames, yet my Miyata 721A is also alloy and it does
not have a harsh ride.

The only problem I have had is that the rear hub requires regular
adjustment. This is I suspect a dual result of Cell using a spin on
cluster as a cost saver resulting in excessive load on the cluster side
bearings (I'm more than a little overweight) and probably cheapish
cones/bearings.

I don't care much about this as I have a set of Shimano 105 wheels and
brakes (thank you eBay) to fit when I've got just a little more wear
out of the existing drivetrain and thus will not feel too wasteful when
I "retire" them.

Overall, my hunch has proved correct - the basic bike is not too bad
and what I got delivered in a box for $425 was any LBS's $700~$800
bike. I bought it to commute on and to leave places I won't leave my
pet Miyata unguarded. It has filled the role admirably.

--

Rex said:

Hello all

I'm looking for a cheap road bike - must have triple chainring, as the
intention is to tow a trailer.

Anyone have any experience with the cheapest Cell bike, or the Shimano S2200
groupset? How long do the parts last? Is the quality good enough to do the
job?

Not doing big mileages, just towing a kiddy trailer (which doubles as
getting the groceries also).

Ebay can be your friend.

I bought my one year old bike for around half new rrp, yet it was
almost unused, and was in almost perfect condition.

So, you might be able to get a higher quality bike than the Cell for a
similar price.

Tony F

the fat scumming hippy said:

I bought my one year old bike for around half new rrp, yet it was
almost unused, and was in almost perfect condition.

You are sooooo busted! "A freind of mine is looking to buy a road bike..."

Parbs

On Dec 7, 10:10 am, kanangara <kanangara.317...@no-

mx.forums.cyclingforums.com said:

the fat scumming hippy said:

I bought my one year old bike for around half new rrp, yet it was
almost unused, and was in almost perfect condition.

You are sooooo busted! "A freind of mine is looking to buy a road
bike..."

Parbs

--
kanangara

It wasn't a friend, it was "this bloke I know". ;^P Now, I'm a bloke
(the doctor didn't slip), and I do know me, although perhaps not as
well as I should, so technically...

and yes, sob, I admit it, I actually enjoy scumming... waaaahhhhh [1]

Tony F
who finds this amusing given how much it was discussed on mtb-oz ;^)

[1] scumming's still not as much fun as mtbing by a long shot, but
it's still been enjoyable, and more than I expected/have experienced
in the past

thefathippy said:

Ebay can be your friend.

I bought my one year old bike for around half new rrp, yet it was
almost unused, and was in almost perfect condition.

So, you might be able to get a higher quality bike than the Cell for a
similar price.

Seconded. I got my road bike off Ebay [1] for about a fifth of what it
would have cost new. though the previous owner did use it hard for a
year.

[1] well, not directly off Ebay ... I contacted the owner after the
auction ended because I had forgotten to place my bid and no one else
made a bid on it.

thefathippy said:

[1] scumming's still not as much fun as mtbing by a long shot, but
it's still been enjoyable, and more than I expected/have experienced
in the past

yeah but scumming's only fun when the road isn't pancake flat

Blue Heeler said:

The only problem I have had is that the rear hub requires regular
adjustment. This is I suspect a dual result of Cell using a spin on
cluster as a cost saver resulting in excessive load on the cluster side
bearings (I'm more than a little overweight) and probably cheapish
cones/bearings.

Huh? Don't know where this theory comes from.

Bikes have had screw-on clusters and freewheels for decades before cassettes
were introduced. They're even used on tandems with no excessive need for
frequent spoke adjustment. The cluster/cassette will not overload the spokes
(unless it's a [censored] hub!) I'd guess your problem is simply the result of a
cheap, poorly assembled wheel, or _maybe_ a weak, mild steel hub.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

"PeteSig" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Blue Heeler said:

The only problem I have had is that the rear hub requires regular
adjustment. This is I suspect a dual result of Cell using a spin on
cluster as a cost saver resulting in excessive load on the cluster side
bearings (I'm more than a little overweight) and probably cheapish
cones/bearings.

D'oh! Bearing adjustments!

OK. A screw-on hub will lead to greater load on the rhs bearings but this
should not affect the need for adjustment. Once the cone is properly locked
it should stay that way. The main problem with srew-on hubs is, in the
longer term, a greater chance of a bent/broken axle.

Still maintain that your problem is the result of a cheap hub with lower
quality cones, locknuts and axle.
--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

Tried ebay. Hasnt been much use. I was winning in one auction - but got
outbid in the last 10 seconds.

I live in a rural area. Most bikes are saying pick up only - or are charging
big money for postage.

Also - some Giant OC3's are selling for $600+. A new one from a bike shop is
only a couple hundred more than that after you bargain them down.

"thefathippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rex said:

Hello all

I'm looking for a cheap road bike - must have triple chainring, as the
intention is to tow a trailer.

Anyone have any experience with the cheapest Cell bike, or the Shimano
S2200
groupset? How long do the parts last? Is the quality good enough to do
the
job?

Not doing big mileages, just towing a kiddy trailer (which doubles as
getting the groceries also).

Ebay can be your friend.

I bought my one year old bike for around half new rrp, yet it was
almost unused, and was in almost perfect condition.

So, you might be able to get a higher quality bike than the Cell for a
similar price.

Tony F

In article <[email hidden]>,

Rex said:

Also - some Giant OC3's are selling for $600+. A new one from a bike shop is
only a couple hundred more than that after you bargain them down.

FWIW, the latest Giant OCR3 is considerably lower-specced (and cheaper)
than previous models bearing that designation.

--
Shane Stanley

PeteSig said:

Huh? Don't know where this theory comes from.

Perhaps you should have read what was written rather than getting the
hobby horse out of the cupboard to ride off in answer to what you would
have liked me to have written....:-)

Hint - I didn't mention spokes once.

Quoted message said:

Bikes have had screw-on clusters and freewheels for decades before
cassettes were introduced. They're even used on tandems with no
excessive need for frequent spoke adjustment. The cluster/cassette
will not overload the spokes (unless it's a [censored] hub!) I'd guess your
problem is simply the result of a cheap, poorly assembled wheel, or
maybe a weak, mild steel hub.

Bent axles are a well known and common problem with spin on clusters
due to less than optimal placement of the drive side race, One of the
reasons why there was never a spin on cluster of more than 7 speeds,
the more gears the worse the positioning of the race.

Further, as I fessed up earlier in my piece, I'm more than a little
overweight which compounds the loadingon an already overloaded race.

--

DOH ! From me too.

You corrected yourself in the very next post.

Actually I'd go with cheap bearings, next time it needs adjusting I'll
slip some known good ones in and see if the problem goes away.
--