400bhp
Guru
Where Potsy is from, the term "off road riding" could refer to all manner of things.
Quick getaway through some alleways for example.
BSO?
- Thread starter potsy
- Start date
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Where Potsy is from, the term "off road riding" could refer to all manner of things.
Quick getaway through some alleways for example.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Define "proper off-road"!
Having looked at the bike in question, it has undamped rear spring, undamped front forks and V-brakes. Hit a steep bumpy downhill section in the wet and mud and you're more or less guaranteed to part company with t he bike.
I'd trust it on a towpath, just.
mightyquin
Active Member
Proper off-road - I mean on muck/rocks/woodland, not roads or bridle paths and purpose made cycle trails.
downfader
extimus uero philosophus
- Location
- 'ampsheeeer
They had some of these BSOs in the local SD store - should be BDTs.. I'll explain:
Went in with my Brother for some sports underwear, he does martial arts so its helpfulnot to chaff, haha! I stood by the door and had a nosey at their bikes. Not good. Steel fork was orange with rust around the hub nuts and the steerer shaft.
Who uses steel rims too thesedays? Looked like a bl**dy death trap (BDT)
Went in with my Brother for some sports underwear, he does martial arts so its helpfulnot to chaff, haha! I stood by the door and had a nosey at their bikes. Not good. Steel fork was orange with rust around the hub nuts and the steerer shaft.
Who uses steel rims too thesedays? Looked like a bl**dy death trap (BDT)
OP
OP
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
Hey!! I am from a nice part of a Stockport ghetto.Where Potsy is from, the term "off road riding" could refer to all manner of things.
Quick getaway through some alleways for example.
kishin
Über Member
- Location
- RCT, South Wales
They even put the crank on upside-down! (see 4th picture).
Won't it be the right way up when it rotates half a turn?
e-rider
Banned member
- Location
- South West
you don't need to break it to him - just simply end the friendship!
e-rider
Banned member
- Location
- South West
yes, there is nothing wrong with the orientation - everything else is wrong though!
I like the way it says: size - 26"
So that's the wheels - what size is the frame?
Everything about this bike is terrible, especially that some poor guy got paid about £0.75p to assemble it in a sweat shop in Cambodia
chugsy
Senior Member
- Location
- Nottingham
IME they won't. One in every hundred might, but that 1% are already seriously committed to give cycling a go, for whatever reason, and learn within a very short time that sub £100 bikes are just not up to the job. Every single person I know that's bought a piece of crap like that has used it for a fortnight then stopped. Excuses I've personally heard are:
1) Cycling is hard work and uncomfortable. Sure it is if you buy 40lbs of knobbly tyred, full suspension gas pipe with sub standard parts to cycle to work on the road. Cheap useable bikes are available if you do your homework.
2) That bikes are dangerous. Plastic brake levers/arms and cheap brake blocks are never going to slow down 40lbs of gas pipe safely. Not to mention the fact they've probably been put together by some supermarket saturday boy who can barely stack shelves let alone has the knowledge to put a bike together. They'd scare the hell out of me too.
3) That they're always breaking down and are costly to fix. Of course it's going to break, it cost £70. Even with chinese manufacturing are you really that stupid that you honestly think that a useable full suspension bike is possible at that price. And of course a replacement spoke and wheel truing, or a new cassette, is going to seem expensive if you bought a whole bike for just £70.
It always amazes me that people still view bikes like toys. It's a shame that for the majority of people, BSO's like this will be their first adult experience of cycling. It's enough to put anyone off. Nobody in their right mind would buy, say, a brand spanking new washing machine from a major retailer for £50 and expect it to last more than a few weeks. Yet, £70 for a full suspension bike, bargain! Then they get all disappointed/give up when things go wrong.
mr_hippo
Living Legend & Old Fart
If some poor guy was paid about 75p to to assemble one bike in Cambodia, he would not be poor for long!
People hear about South East Asian workers on £X/day and compare that with the UK - it just can't be done that way! I cannot speak about Cambodian workers but Thailand will be about the same. Minimum wage here in Bangkok is about £4/day for a 10 hour day - less in the provinces. Most Thais work a 6 day week so that's £24/week and to your ears that does not sound a lot; it's about 5200 Baht/month but most Thais are on at least double that.
So, instead of trying to compare wages, try using hours worked to pay for X item. I could rent a nice 3 bed semi in a decent part of Bangkok for about £140/month, try seeing what £140/month will get you about 10kms from the centre of London.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
IME they won't. One in every hundred might, but that 1% are already seriously committed to give cycling a go, for whatever reason, and learn within a very short time that sub £100 bikes are just not up to the job. Every single person I know that's bought a piece of crap like that has used it for a fortnight then stopped. Excuses I've personally heard are:
1) Cycling is hard work and uncomfortable. Sure it is if you buy 40lbs of knobbly tyred, full suspension gas pipe with sub standard parts to cycle to work on the road. Cheap useable bikes are available if you do your homework.
2) That bikes are dangerous. Plastic brake levers/arms and cheap brake blocks are never going to slow down 40lbs of gas pipe safely. Not to mention the fact they've probably been put together by some supermarket saturday boy who can barely stack shelves let alone has the knowledge to put a bike together. They'd scare the hell out of me too.
3) That they're always breaking down and are costly to fix. Of course it's going to break, it cost £70. Even with chinese manufacturing are you really that stupid that you honestly think that a useable full suspension bike is possible at that price. And of course a replacement spoke and wheel truing, or a new cassette, is going to seem expensive if you bought a whole bike for just £70.
It always amazes me that people still view bikes like toys. It's a shame that for the majority of people, BSO's like this will be their first adult experience of cycling. It's enough to put anyone off. Nobody in their right mind would buy, say, a brand spanking new washing machine from a major retailer for £50 and expect it to last more than a few weeks. Yet, £70 for a full suspension bike, bargain! Then they get all disappointed/give up when things go wrong.
Whilst I agree with all of your comments ... and I absolutely hate BSO's especially kids BSO's, I am one of those who as an adult rode a Toys'r'us bike which opened my eyes to enjoying being on a bike and ended up purchasing other bikes (and disposing of that one to a bike reclaim scheme - though I doubt it is much use other than for someone to practise on).
e-rider
Banned member
- Location
- South West
OK, maybe he got paid 30p. You are missing the point though. To produce these cheap bikes, workers in the far east are being exploited and not being paid a fair wage.
mr_hippo
Living Legend & Old Fart
I am not missing the point - you are! What is a fair wage for a worker in S.E.Asia? The cost of living is low here and what will happen if you put the wages up? £400/month here in Thailand will give you a decent standard of living but let's assume we double everyone's wages, who is paying for it? Everyone will be.
I don't know food prices in the UK but let's say a bag of Thai scented rice in a UK supermarket is £2. We will double the rice workers wages to £8/day; will the farmer sell his rice to the mill for the same pre-wage increase price? Of course not, he will want increased wages in line with his workers ansd so it goes on down the line until it hits the UK supermarket shelves so how much is your £2 bag of rice now? You now can't afford it so what do you do? You don't buy it so what happens to the rice workers here?
Most bike frames and components are produced in Asia but how do you know that the workers were paid a 'fair wage'? You don't! Look carefully at your bike, how many components were not made in a 'sweat shop'?
Clandy
Well-Known Member
IME they won't. One in every hundred might, but that 1% are already seriously committed to give cycling a go, for whatever reason, and learn within a very short time that sub £100 bikes are just not up to the job. Every single person I know that's bought a piece of crap like that has used it for a fortnight then stopped. Excuses I've personally heard are:
1) Cycling is hard work and uncomfortable. Sure it is if you buy 40lbs of knobbly tyred, full suspension gas pipe with sub standard parts to cycle to work on the road. Cheap useable bikes are available if you do your homework.
2) That bikes are dangerous. Plastic brake levers/arms and cheap brake blocks are never going to slow down 40lbs of gas pipe safely. Not to mention the fact they've probably been put together by some supermarket saturday boy who can barely stack shelves let alone has the knowledge to put a bike together. They'd scare the hell out of me too.
3) That they're always breaking down and are costly to fix. Of course it's going to break, it cost £70. Even with chinese manufacturing are you really that stupid that you honestly think that a useable full suspension bike is possible at that price. And of course a replacement spoke and wheel truing, or a new cassette, is going to seem expensive if you bought a whole bike for just £70.
It always amazes me that people still view bikes like toys. It's a shame that for the majority of people, BSO's like this will be their first adult experience of cycling. It's enough to put anyone off. Nobody in their right mind would buy, say, a brand spanking new washing machine from a major retailer for £50 and expect it to last more than a few weeks. Yet, £70 for a full suspension bike, bargain! Then they get all disappointed/give up when things go wrong.
In my experience it does. I see it almost every day along the local seafront ride. The majority are on BSOs, then a few months later you see the same people on better built bikes. Perhaps locale is an influence.