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Bicycles are something that you need to be careful buying. Don't buy a BSO - a Bicycle Shaped Object. Just because it looks like a bike, doesn't mean you can co

Bicycles are something that you need to be careful buying. Don't buy a BSO - a Bicycle Shaped Object. Just because it looks like a bike, doesn't mean you can comfortably ride it. An entry level bike is about $1200. You can comfortably ride it for hours, or up hills, carry a heavy load, it won't easily break, and it'll have a smooth ride. I feel bad for people that go out and buy a BSO; BSOs ruin cycling. We need to have laws in place to prevent crap from reaching the market.

nihonde 7y ago
I have to laugh at this. In Japan, my Chinese-made bicycle is bulletproof and entirely functional. It cost $150, shipped to my front door. It’s a folding bike with 9 speeds and disc brakes. I’ve ridden it day after day for years. It spent two years without shelter in the elements. It won’t win the Tour but it is a winner in every other way. You can tell me the environmental impact was horrendous and I would believe you, but the quality of this bicycle can’t be denied.
- davidw 7y ago
  Sounds like it's a decent commuter-ish bike? You don't see many of those in the US compared to places like Europe or in your case Japan. Probably because there's less of a market for them in the US. What the OP is probably thinking of is the crappy bikes you get at supermarkets, where the quality is really not very good, and they're assembled by someone who is not paying attention. Sometimes they try and look like a more expensive bike: front shocks, lots of gears and so on. The commuter bikes in Europe were, on the other hand, built with that in mind - big fenders, more upright position, and fairly rugged if not lightweight construction. You wouldn't mistake them for a bike you'd want to go on a long ride with.
- jwong_ 7y ago
  What's the bike you got? I am in the market for one in China, and have a hard time filtering for quality.
  - nihonde 7y ago
    They get rebranded in Japan, so I’m not sure about the original maker. Try looking at bikes on Rakuten’s japan site, and maybe you can trace some of those bikes back to their source in China?
    - jwong_ 7y ago
      Still remember the brand? I'm seeing a few different ones at that price point, MyPallas, Graphis, Airbike.
baroffoos 7y ago
An entry level bike is not $1200. Thats a mid range high quality bike. If you trips are short you can be totally fine on a $400 road bike. I would just avoid department store bikes that are typically under $300 but are built to look like high end mountain bikes. The suspension on them is totally useless and makes it ride worse than a bike with no suspension.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- saltcured 7y ago
  Yeah, there are lots of basic, good quality bikes in the $400-500 range. People just need to go to a real bike shop or a place like REI with a good bike department and helpful staff. It is true that once you drop to the $200-300 range, there is a lot of junk to avoid. My current bike is 10 years old. I bought a $500 hard-tail Marin mountain bike to use for commuting, expecting that it would be able to take some abuse. My wife has a similar vintage bike from the REI house brand at the time (Novara) and it seems of similar quality. I am pretty sure both have Giant frames under their paint. These aluminum frames and disc brakes are a revelation compared to my previous long-term bike which was a lugged-steel Bridgestone with cantilever and cam rim brakes. I have been almost negligent with maintenance, mainly just oiling the chain and replacing tires and tubes. I don't miss re-packing the bearings and freewheel like my old bike. I am not sure how much that is due to modern tech versus changes in my riding habits. I haven't left the asphalt with the current bike. I did have to have a wheel re-spoked once after I pounded it in a deep pot-hole with narrow street tires mounted. My Shimano trigger shifters are near the point of needing some kind of major tune-up. I think I would have preferred to keep the simpler indexed levers from the 1990s, as they required a little more operator skill but were less finicky.
jdietrich 7y ago
>We need to have laws in place to prevent crap from reaching the market. We already do, they're just weakly enforced and (in the US in particular) archaic and badly drafted.
Tiktaalik 7y ago
nah. Buy a used old 1980s era Japanese bike from craigslist for ~$300. It'll be fine and good.
- analog31 7y ago
  In addition, being self sufficient for maintenance can turn practically any bike into a good working bike. I ride old bikes, but have tuned them to perfection.

nihonde 7y ago

I have to laugh at this. In Japan, my Chinese-made bicycle is bulletproof and entirely functional. It cost $150, shipped to my front door. It’s a folding bike with 9 speeds and disc brakes. I’ve ridden it day after day for years. It spent two years without shelter in the elements. It won’t win the Tour but it is a winner in every other way. You can tell me the environmental impact was horrendous and I would believe you, but the quality of this bicycle can’t be denied.

davidw 7y ago
Sounds like it's a decent commuter-ish bike? You don't see many of those in the US compared to places like Europe or in your case Japan. Probably because there's less of a market for them in the US. What the OP is probably thinking of is the crappy bikes you get at supermarkets, where the quality is really not very good, and they're assembled by someone who is not paying attention. Sometimes they try and look like a more expensive bike: front shocks, lots of gears and so on. The commuter bikes in Europe were, on the other hand, built with that in mind - big fenders, more upright position, and fairly rugged if not lightweight construction. You wouldn't mistake them for a bike you'd want to go on a long ride with.
jwong_ 7y ago
What's the bike you got? I am in the market for one in China, and have a hard time filtering for quality.
- nihonde 7y ago
  They get rebranded in Japan, so I’m not sure about the original maker. Try looking at bikes on Rakuten’s japan site, and maybe you can trace some of those bikes back to their source in China?
  - jwong_ 7y ago
    Still remember the brand? I'm seeing a few different ones at that price point, MyPallas, Graphis, Airbike.

baroffoos 7y ago

An entry level bike is not $1200. Thats a mid range high quality bike. If you trips are short you can be totally fine on a $400 road bike. I would just avoid department store bikes that are typically under $300 but are built to look like high end mountain bikes. The suspension on them is totally useless and makes it ride worse than a bike with no suspension.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
saltcured 7y ago
Yeah, there are lots of basic, good quality bikes in the $400-500 range. People just need to go to a real bike shop or a place like REI with a good bike department and helpful staff. It is true that once you drop to the $200-300 range, there is a lot of junk to avoid. My current bike is 10 years old. I bought a $500 hard-tail Marin mountain bike to use for commuting, expecting that it would be able to take some abuse. My wife has a similar vintage bike from the REI house brand at the time (Novara) and it seems of similar quality. I am pretty sure both have Giant frames under their paint. These aluminum frames and disc brakes are a revelation compared to my previous long-term bike which was a lugged-steel Bridgestone with cantilever and cam rim brakes. I have been almost negligent with maintenance, mainly just oiling the chain and replacing tires and tubes. I don't miss re-packing the bearings and freewheel like my old bike. I am not sure how much that is due to modern tech versus changes in my riding habits. I haven't left the asphalt with the current bike. I did have to have a wheel re-spoked once after I pounded it in a deep pot-hole with narrow street tires mounted. My Shimano trigger shifters are near the point of needing some kind of major tune-up. I think I would have preferred to keep the simpler indexed levers from the 1990s, as they required a little more operator skill but were less finicky.

jdietrich 7y ago

>We need to have laws in place to prevent crap from reaching the market. We already do, they're just weakly enforced and (in the US in particular) archaic and badly drafted.

Tiktaalik 7y ago

nah. Buy a used old 1980s era Japanese bike from craigslist for ~$300. It'll be fine and good.

analog31 7y ago
In addition, being self sufficient for maintenance can turn practically any bike into a good working bike. I ride old bikes, but have tuned them to perfection.