First ride review: Schwinn Sidewinder from Walmart 20.6 mile ride.

[Donald Gillies]

Ravi <[email protected]> writes:

> (bought schwinn sidewinder, used it for 500 miles, derailleurs
> starting to do weird things) ...

Ahh, you've found out about the usefulness of a 30-day checkup,
offered at most bike shops. I'm not sure you needed to buy an LBS
bicycle - you might have been able to simply purchase a 30-day checkup
at the LBS and be on your way ...

Cables stretch, pads wear, parts "settle in", and need to be tightened
after the first 30 days or 500 miles. Its for the same reason that a
car maker will recommend no highway driving for the first 500 miles on
any car.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

 

[Pat]

:
: After teaching bicycle maintenance classes for many years I
: notice that few students actually do their own serious
: repairs. But they are much better informed and frequently
: comment on how much they enjoyed the class even years later.
:
: Many of my service customers could probably change their own
: flats. But we're quick and cheap so why dirty one's hands?
: --
: Andrew Muzi
:
My bike needs new cables and cable housing. Also, the LBS guys tell me I
should have the bottom bracket overhauled "just in case" water got in there
when I rode in the rain for an hour and a half last July. I don't feel any
noise or chatter or whatever from the bottom bracket, so I am skeptical.
They say it would be prophylactic. But, I would like to do the cables and
cable housing myself. Am I being overly optimistic on my chances of
success? Can I just buy the cables and a length of housing and go at it?

Pat in TX

 

[Luke]

In article <[email protected]>, maxo
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 00:33:19 -0600, A Muzi wrote:
>
> > Many of my service customers could probably change their own
> > flats. But we're quick and cheap so why dirty one's hands?
>
> I can fix a flat in less time than it takes me to floss. I carry latex
> gloves to avoid the dirty hands.
>
> I don't understand when people come into a bike shop with a flat. How did
> they get home or back to their car in the first place?

The hard and slow way.
>
> Not being able to fix a flat or do minor maintenance in the field is a
> huge time waster.
>
> Also doing minor repairs like adjusting derailleur stops or alignment
> usually take less time than strapping the the bike to the car carrier.
>

> Doing your own wrenching if you can is a huge time saver.
>

I agree with your sentiments; I put them into practice also. But
others....well, different strokes for different folks. Would a cyclist
expend a fraction of the effort exerted in riding the bike toward
mastering the rudiments of its maintenance and repair, the overall
experience would be less troublesome, expensive and more enjoyable!

But that logic can apply to almost any endeavour. And we're not the
most logical of creatures. No doubt, some of those that eschew bicycle
mechanics must wonder why I head out the door for take-out Chinese
instead of quickly whipping up a meal for less in my own kitchen.

luke

 

[maxo]

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 18:43:53 -0500, Luke wrote:

> No doubt, some of those that eschew bicycle
> mechanics must wonder why I head out the door for take-out Chinese
> instead of quickly whipping up a meal for less in my own kitchen.

You know when it comes to some things it seems more expensive to make it
yourself. It takes me a twenty dollar bag of groceries to make some wanna
be Chinese food, I can go down to the corner and get some for five bucks.
Tastes better than anything I could make. Defies logic. I give the man in
the window a fiver and he hands me back three pounds of food. I think its
a magic window to be honest.

Then there's me trying to apply the bike maintenance thing to the
VW--damned if I'll let the dealer charge me 250 dollars for new rear
brakes. So I spend ten hours doing them myself (frozen bolts) and a
hundred bucks on parts. Then the local mechanic has a special: brakes 80
dollars per axle plus 40 extra for my rotors. I effectively paid myself
$2/hr to sweat under a car...

Yeah, sometimes it's more cost effective to let the pros do it.

 

[Mike Kruger]

StaceyJ wrote:
> It would be interesting to see the dealer prices for both
of those
> bicycles - my guess is that they're close to the same. I
can recall
> reading in some trade industry rag (don't know which one)
about LBS
> guys going to big box stores to buy the new stingrays
(still in boxes)
> at full retail price, and then assembling them and selling
them for a
> markup.
>
That new Schwinn Stingray --
http://www.schwinnstingray.com/bike-street.html
I've seen this at Galyan's -- and at an LBS where the owner
was quick to inform me that he was only assembling it, not
carrying it. It's hard to imagine a bike more poorly
designed for kids. It's heavy, it pretends it isn't a bike,
and you can't carry squat on it. It looks cool, but I guess
there will be a lot of "mint" ones of these available in
later years because it's hard to imagine a child riding it.

 

[Mike Kruger]

Pat wrote:

> My bike needs new cables and cable housing. Also, the LBS
guys tell
> me I should have the bottom bracket overhauled "just in
case" water
> got in there when I rode in the rain for an hour and a
half last
> July. I don't feel any noise or chatter or whatever from
the bottom
> bracket, so I am skeptical. They say it would be
prophylactic. But,
> I would like to do the cables and cable housing myself.
Am I being
> overly optimistic on my chances of success? Can I just buy
the cables
> and a length of housing and go at it?
>
Cable and housing replacement isn't a complicated repair.
The only thing tricky is cutting the cable off cleanly,
without fraying, so that it can be threaded into the housing
easily.

Bottom brackets do benefit from being occasionally
overhauled, but I wouldn't expect to do it just because I
rode in the rain once. Those guys in Seattle and Vancouver
would need a weekly overhaul

 

[Mike Kruger]

Donald Gillies wrote:
> Ravi <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> (bought schwinn sidewinder, used it for 500 miles,
derailleurs
>> starting to do weird things) ...
>
> Ahh, you've found out about the usefulness of a 30-day
checkup,
> offered at most bike shops. I'm not sure you needed to
buy an LBS
> bicycle - you might have been able to simply purchase a
30-day checkup
> at the LBS and be on your way ...
>
> Cables stretch, pads wear, parts "settle in", and need to
be tightened
> after the first 30 days or 500 miles. Its for the same
reason that a
> car maker will recommend no highway driving for the first
500 miles on
> any car.
>
Sure, but the bike shop you bought your bike at will do this
for free if you bought the bike there a month ago. They will
charge for a bike not bought there. This undercuts the cost
savings.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <1105059871.fe1acdc85cddfb3532308792207d2c71@teranews>,
"Mike Kruger" <[email protected]> writes:

> That new Schwinn Stingray --
> http://www.schwinnstingray.com/bike-street.html
> I've seen this at Galyan's -- and at an LBS where the owner
> was quick to inform me that he was only assembling it, not
> carrying it. It's hard to imagine a bike more poorly
> designed for kids. It's heavy, it pretends it isn't a bike,
> and you can't carry squat on it. It looks cool, but I guess
> there will be a lot of "mint" ones of these available in
> later years because it's hard to imagine a child riding it.

I remember when the originals hit the market. The big deal
was, you could pop wheelies with 'em.

As for nowadays, the lowrider folx (and maybe the chopper
artists) seem to like them, although I'd expect an original
would have more aesthetic appeal.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[A Muzi]

> On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 00:33:19 -0600, A Muzi wrote:
>>Many of my service customers could probably change their own
>>flats. But we're quick and cheap so why dirty one's hands?

maxo wrote:
> I can fix a flat in less time than it takes me to floss. I carry latex
> gloves to avoid the dirty hands.
> I don't understand when people come into a bike shop with a flat. How did
> they get home or back to their car in the first place?
> Not being able to fix a flat or do minor maintenance in the field is a
> huge time waster.
> Also doing minor repairs like adjusting derailleur stops or alignment
> usually take less time than strapping the the bike to the car carrier.
> Doing your own wrenching if you can is a huge time saver.

Yes, we agree. I think we've established there's a personal
'comfort level' about service.
In my neighborhood, with a high density of cyclists, walking
a few blocks and enjoying a coffee next door while your
bike's repaired is quick enough and cheap enough to tempt
30-40 riders per day.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[A Muzi]

GPSBlake wrote:

> Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?
$4 while you wait.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[maxo]

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 19:35:08 -0600, Pat wrote:

> That's why you see parents hauling their little
> kids
> : in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.
>
> Wow! I actually saw this in a local park: the mother was walking slowly
> behind a 3 year old boy who was driving a battery-powered "jeep" over the
> grass. He was getting NO exercise at all!
>
> Pat in TX

It's the norm here in Nashville. Morbidly obese kids practicing on these
toys until the day they turn 20 and get a real scooter because their feet
got amputated because of diabetic complications.

Sad and disturbing.

 

[maxo]

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 21:52:13 -0600, A Muzi wrote:

> GPSBlake wrote:
>
>> Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?
> $4 while you wait.

Is that plus materials? Or are you guys the velo-saints of Madison?

BTW, do y'all stock those groovy slot cleats for Look drilled shoes up
there at Yellow Jersey? I heard a rumour on the internets...

 

[Werehatrack]

On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 18:02:56 -0800, [email protected] (Tom Keats)
wrote:

>In article <1105059871.fe1acdc85cddfb3532308792207d2c71@teranews>,
> "Mike Kruger" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> That new Schwinn Stingray --
>... It looks cool, but I guess
>> there will be a lot of "mint" ones of these available in
>> later years because it's hard to imagine a child riding it.
>
>I remember when the originals hit the market. The big deal
>was, you could pop wheelies with 'em.

And that was their downfall as well, when kids started getting hurt
doing it. In fact, it was *too* easy to do a wheelie on them, so that
sometimes kids would do one when they didn't mean to...and often went
all the way over backwards and did a head-bash.

>As for nowadays, the lowrider folx (and maybe the chopper
>artists) seem to like them, although I'd expect an original
>would have more aesthetic appeal.

I briefly wondered if one of them might make a good base for brewing a
'bent, but that overly fat rear tire just looks like a stunningly good
way to waste effort dragging a bunch of extra weight around.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Thu, 6 Jan 2005 19:18:38 -0600,
<1105060485.3b8bb0eb24e5f3413ca64318c1377dce@teranews>,
"Mike Kruger" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Those guys in Seattle and Vancouver
>would need a weekly overhaul

That's the spouse's job.
--
zk

 

[Zoot Katz]

Fri, 07 Jan 2005 00:37:04 GMT,
<[email protected]>, maxo
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Then there's me trying to apply the bike maintenance thing to the
>VW--damned if I'll let the dealer charge me 250 dollars for new rear
>brakes. So I spend ten hours doing them myself (frozen bolts) and a
>hundred bucks on parts. Then the local mechanic has a special: brakes 80
>dollars per axle plus 40 extra for my rotors. I effectively paid myself
>$2/hr to sweat under a car...
>
>Yeah, sometimes it's more cost effective to let the pros do it.

With automobile brakes, there ought to be a law specifying that
qualified and certified pros do it.
--
zk

 

[Peter]

Zoot Katz wrote:

> Fri, 07 Jan 2005 00:37:04 GMT,
> <[email protected]>, maxo
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Then there's me trying to apply the bike maintenance thing to the
>>VW--damned if I'll let the dealer charge me 250 dollars for new rear
>>brakes. So I spend ten hours doing them myself (frozen bolts) and a
>>hundred bucks on parts. Then the local mechanic has a special: brakes 80
>>dollars per axle plus 40 extra for my rotors. I effectively paid myself
>>$2/hr to sweat under a car...
>>
>>Yeah, sometimes it's more cost effective to let the pros do it.
>
>
> With automobile brakes, there ought to be a law specifying that
> qualified and certified pros do it.

Do you have any evidence that poor brake repair jobs by
car owners are resulting in any significant number of
accidents. I don't remember ever seeing this being
mentioned as the cause of an accident.

There would also be a downside risk in that the person
who would otherwise fix his own brakes may otherwise
defer the repair instead of paying what he regards as
an exhorbitant amount for a certified pro. Waiting
(and waiting ...) for the local mechanic to have a
special isn't likely to make his car safer.

I also don't have much confidence that the work done by
the certified pro would be any more reliable. He may
have better training, but the car owner has a pretty
strong incentive to do it right knowing that he and his
family will be depending on those brakes.

 

[maxo]

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 22:43:40 -0800, Peter wrote:

> I also don't have much confidence that the work done by
> the certified pro would be any more reliable. He may
> have better training, but the car owner has a pretty
> strong incentive to do it right knowing that he and his
> family will be depending on those brakes.

Brakes are easy on cars as well as bicycles. With cars, replacing the pads
is easier than bikes, and there is no issue with having to "toe in" and
all that, it's just the removal/installation part that's tricky. My VW
pads had some very contrary securing springs. [insert fave expletive] LOL

 

[A Muzi]

> StaceyJ wrote:
>> It would be interesting to see the dealer prices for both of those
>> bicycles - my guess is that they're close to the same. I can recall
>> reading in some trade industry rag (don't know which one) about LBS
>> guys going to big box stores to buy the new stingrays (still in boxes)
>> at full retail price, and then assembling them and selling them for a
>> markup.

Mark Janeba wrote:
> I doubt it, but I don't have figures at hand. 25 years ago, some brands
> of bicycles (and I assume many) in LBSs were priced so that 70% of
> retail was dealer cost. That's about 43% markup. The money in a
> typical LBS is in repair and aftermarket add-ons, not in new bike sales,
> as far as I can tell.

When you talk about 'The Money" in an LBS you probably mean
'Rate of Flow'. The direction is "Out".

Yes average bikes are 30-33% off list. There are programs
and specials beyond that, just like motorcycles and cars.
Freight credits can be significant for example. As the
price climbs, the margin drops, which is logical. I say
logical as the costs of freight and assembly don't vary too
much. $40 from a $199 bike is more significant than $40 from
a $2000 bike.

As any retail trade, inexpensive items usually bear full
margin. A $2 cup of espresso is certainly made for less than
a dollar. Strong brands can clip that margin to nearly zip -
as with CocaCola where 11 or 12 cents on a can belongs to
the retailer.

The only rule I've found is that there are no rules where
margin is concerned. Retailers apply as much margin as we
can and still get the stuff out the door. Limits to that
are often complex.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[A Muzi]

> StaceyJ wrote:
-snip-
>>the new stingrays

Mike Kruger wrote:
> That new Schwinn Stingray --
-snip-
> It looks cool
-snip-

I can't think of anything uglier. Yeccchhhhh.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[A Muzi]

>>GPSBlake wrote:
>>>Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

(am)>>$4 while you wait.

maxo wrote:
> Is that plus materials? Or are you guys the velo-saints of Madison?
> BTW, do y'all stock those groovy slot cleats for Look drilled shoes up
> there at Yellow Jersey? I heard a rumour on the internets...

yes, plus tube. Plus tire, plus rim liner, plus the broken
spoke, plus plus plus.

http://www.yellowjersey.org/tocleat.html

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971