Hi everyone, I'm new here and looking for a cheap bike. My local Kmart is selling fully assembled bikes but not my Big W, which has better brands. Does anyone know of any Big W stores that are selling assembled bikes?
I know you can order one for later delivery, but their display-only bikes all have at least pedals missing, so it sort of kills the experience.
How much more is a branded bike? Coz big w bikes I think are fine for short distance irregular rides. In fact, I know friends living less than 10 mins from work, they ride a non branded bike. I can't see it being worthwhile to buy a branded bike for that purpose.
Not much more if you scour Gumtree etc for second hand branded bikes which often are still in pretty good nick.. you can score great bikes for less than $200 easily.
I can't see it being worthwhile to buy a branded bike for that purpose.
I thought the same way until i rode around on a bike that had been tuned properly and wasnt a cheap-ass bike. Functionally they're the same, but they handle better, feel better, and are lighter. Parts are also easier to replace. It's your choice really.
It reminds me of toasters. You can buy a cheapo that has a sketchy spring and you have to dig your fork in to get the toast out. Or you buy one for a bit more and can skip the hassle.
Ask your store if you can pay to have it assembled. You can do this at my local store.
They are almost fully assembled in the box. Usually just have to attach pedals, turn handlebars and stick the front wheel on. Its not that hard to put one together which is why it only costs around $25 in store, it only takes about 10min.
However, knowing bikes quite well even an assembled bike from kmart or big w might not run very well. They often come from the factory lacking grease in the bearings or have poorly adjusted bearings, gears and brakes making it an unpleasant ride. Adjusting them up to run the best possible would take at least an hour with skills above the level of the average big-w storeman.
are a heap of rubbish —————one of my pedals undone its self as i was accelerating sending me on to the road
rust over 30% of it & plastic warped rims …. hate it!!
I previously bought a bike from Super cheap auto - it is only for short trips and is in quite good condition.
There is a place for cheap bikes, especially if you have to park them poorly secured.
The biggest issue is they are poorly adjusted - gears to stiff, brakes that rub or don't grip tight enough, inadequately tightened seat posts etc.
If you buy a bike from a bike shop you won't have these issues, but it costs at least twice as much.
Better to go to YouTube and learn how to assemble and adjust things properly yourself.
learn how to assemble and adjust things properly yourself.
+1 so much.
Nothing more painful than watching peeps riding a bike that isn't adjusted correctly for their body… riding position matters, yo.
+1000 I do a fair bit of riding and nothing drives me up the wall more than seeing folks riding on poorly fitted bikes, I want to stop them and do a quick bike fit for them! Normally it is women on hybrid bikes with the saddle set way too low, the setting where their heels are lower than the pedals the whole way around!!
Just one of the many cycling things that rub me up the wrong way like:
people on road bikes with Camelbacks…seriously!! Stick a waterbottle or 2 on your bikeframe
people on roadbikes with a MTB helmet with a visor? Get a cycling cap to wear underneath your helmet. Ever hit 80Km/Hr going down a hill? Lets see how your neck enjoys being forced back by the wind force under the visor.
people on roadbikes that wear baggy clothing. Nobody cares that you don't look good in Lycra, it isnt a fashion show it's all about comfort. My perineum matters more to me than whatever somebody else thinks about my rolls of fat stretching the Lycra!! When footy players start playing in jeans and ski jackets I'll start cycling in baggy clothes!
Really if they are riding who cares if the 'rules' say they are doing it wrong.
Camelbaks are for more than water, it's easier to switch spares between bikes if you have a back pack and it's easier to get a drink from one to boot.
One helmet, several bikes. What's wrong with a little visor on your helmet anyway. More sun shade?
Who cares what they are wearing if they are out riding? I hate tight fitting clothes, I wear the same baggy gear on all my bikes, fixie, roadie, MTB, cruiser. It's about comfort for ME. Yes, I wear padded shorts from time to time, but not always.
Really if they are riding who cares if the 'rules' say they are doing it wrong.
I agree.
Another problem with many of the cheap bikes is that they don't use standard parts. Instead of common things like Bottom Bracket size or headtube diameter they often have strange proprietary sized parts. This means it hard to get replacements if anything goes wrong but then again I guess that when you wear out a Bottom Bracket you just toss the bike and go back to Big W for another one.
Why would the cheapest bike not use proprietary parts? They are standard, just old well-past-patent standards. The BB you refer to is a standard (Ashtabula), just not one used in high end gear it was developed for BMX and is cheaper as the crank is one piece. You'd probably find it easier to replace one of those (if you could be bothred) than some of the latest press fit ones which haven't settled on a new standard yet.
It's not the standard that is the issue but the quality. I'll bet that anything (other than the BB and cranks) I could source a replacement for off a bike from decades ago. modern cheap parts are built to lesser standards with inferior materials so they bend, break, rust or don't fit very well.
There's a sign near the bikes at Big W that tells you the fee to have it assembled.
There's also a sign on the mountain bikes that says "please don't ride these off road or anything, OK?". Check the fine print, it's there.
Thanks everyone, I was looking for a bike this weekend, and thought a Repco would look better hanging on my garage wall, after I get over it next week.
Repco is not a better brand, anymore.
My Local Bike Shop owner told me that in the week leadup to XMas he had loads of people coming in asking for help to assemble the bikes they had bought at KMart, BigW etc. Obviously they are the competition for him and although they are cheaper they aren't assembled and setup the way he sets up his customer's bikes. He told me his standard charge was $100 to setup the BigW bikes. He said that some of the folks that enquired got angry with him for asking for $100 as they just wanted help to set up the bike but his point was that these were sales lost to the competition and why should he help to fix the very thing that made them so cheap in the 1st place (ie not assembled or setup properly).
And there is one of the significant differences in cost for a bike shop bike. Yes, they use better parts bu mass produced they don't cost that much more for basic stuff, but the care in assembly is there to get it running efficiently once out the door. I've built bikes from a pile of bits and also tuned up a kmart bike. It was quicker to build from parts, than to tune the cheap bike.
AFAIK they do it for an additional fee. $25??
What do you intend on doing with this bike? I strongly suggest buying a branded bike (giant, trek etc). It will be tuned and wont rust after a year..