BSO

[Angelfishsolo]

Have you watched it ?
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=ZnMlxWL8ttQ

Yes.

 

[apollo179]

Agreed. The point is that the program was not flawed because of the choice of assemblers.

The point is that the program was flawed because of the choice of assemblers.
If the point the programme was trying to make was that an incompetent person cant build a bike then it made that point - not much of a point though.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

The point is that the program was flawed because of the choice of assemblers.

Why?

 

[apollo179]

Why?

Because if the assembler is incapable / incompetent then the task is doomed from the outset , irrespective of the bike.
For an analogy - you give someone who is hopeless at cooking a cake mix and he creates an inedible mess. In the hands of a good cook its a lovely cake.
Its not the fault of the cake mix.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Because if the assembler is incapable / incompetent then the task is doomed from the outset , irrespective of the bike.
For an analogy - you give someone who is hopeless at cooking a cake mix and he creates an inedible mess. In the hands of a good cook its a lovely cake.
Its not the fault of the cake mix.

I agree that you can not ascertain directly from the program that the bikes are BSO's but you can ascertain that they are almost certainly in a dangerous state after assembly. It also highlights that you don't always get what you think you are buying.

 

[apollo179]

The programme does serve to warn people about the perils attendant in buying flat pack bikes but beyongd that it is alarmist rubbish lacking any real credibility.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

The programme does serve to warn people about the perils attendant in buying flat pack bikes but beyongd that it is alarmist rubbish lacking any real credibility.

I ask again have you seen, worked on or ridden one of the bikes they sell?

 

[abo]

The point is that the program was flawed because of the choice of assemblers.
If the point the programme was trying to make was that an incompetent person cant build a bike then it made that point - not much of a point though.

That's not the point they were making though. They took several 'ordinary', random members of the public and got them to build the bikes using the tools and instructions provided with the bikes. The bikes were difficult to build and adjust into working order through several factors: builder inexperience, poor tools, poor instructions, poor quality product. They eventually managed to put together bikes which could be sat on and ridden, but it took a bloke with proper bike knowledge and tools to make them work properly, and then only *just* due to the overall quality of the bikes.

The programme was asking, could you pile bikes high and sell them super-cheap to Joe Public, and expect them to put them together properly without the help of an expert. The answer was 'no'.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

That's not the point they were making though. They took several 'ordinary', random members of the public and got them to build the bikes using the tools and instructions provided with the bikes. The bikes were difficult to build and adjust into working order through several factors: builder inexperience, poor tools, poor instructions, poor quality product. They eventually managed to put together bikes which could be sat on and ridden, but it took a bloke with proper bike knowledge and tools to make them work properly, and then only *just* due to the overall quality of the bikes.

The programme was asking, could you pile bikes high and sell them super-cheap to Joe Public, and expect them to put them together properly without the help of an expert. The answer was 'no'.

Thank you. I couldn't be bothered to type what was so obvious. Glad you have more patience than me

 

[chillyuk]

I went into ASDA this morning and there it was on their bike display, a bike with forks on backwards. Upon closer inspection I realised that nothing had been done up, the handlebars were loose and that it had just been taken out of the box and stuck on the stand. Personally, if I wanted to sell one I would make sure it looked right even if I wasn't fully assembling it. You would also think that after all the adverse hilarity that ASDA have caused with their wrong way round forks that the shops would at least try and get it right.

 

[John the Monkey]

FWIW, Cycling Plus bought a supermarket bike for one of their £100 bike challenges.

They are, I would assume, pretty competent at putting bikes together.

IIRC, the wheels needed truing (and didn't stay true) and one of the crankarms sheared off within ten minutes or so.

I've not seen parts break in normal use on the ones I've worked on[1] - but I've seen stuff that should stay adjusted drift to the point that it needs adjusting again quicker than it should. (Do you want to index your gears every week? I don't). I've seen kids bikes (a "Rhino" full suspension bike, from Toys R Us) that weighed more than my (adult size) Raleigh Pioneer.

I'll say again, if you want to buy a supermarket bike, what the hey, it's your money. But the balance of evidence suggests to me that making it out to be a shrewd choice is folly.

[1] Although I have seen a seized pedal - the axle & bearings seemed to have been assembled sans grease - the parts were not user serviceable, so new pedals required.

 

[apollo179]

I ask again have you seen, worked on or ridden one of the bikes they sell?

No - I have no personal knowledge of these bikes so cannot condone or condemn.
My issue is with the legitimacy of the programme.
You could give the winning bike of the tdf to these people in flat pack form and you would get the same result.
This programme amounts to no bonafide evidence against the quality of these bikes.

 

[apollo179]

That's not the point they were making though. They took several 'ordinary', random members of the public and got them to build the bikes using the tools and instructions provided with the bikes. The bikes were difficult to build and adjust into working order through several factors: builder inexperience, poor tools, poor instructions, poor quality product. They eventually managed to put together bikes which could be sat on and ridden, but it took a bloke with proper bike knowledge and tools to make them work properly, and then only *just* due to the overall quality of the bikes.

The programme was asking, could you pile bikes high and sell them super-cheap to Joe Public, and expect them to put them together properly without the help of an expert. The answer was 'no'.

Exactly - the only point the programme conveys is that someone incapable of assembling a bike will not be able to assemble a bike. Its nonsense.

 

[apollo179]

Thank you. I couldn't be bothered to type what was so obvious. Glad you have more patience than me

Glad you finally got it.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Glad you finally got it.

You mean the bits about even an expert needing additional tools and even then only just managing to get the bike into a roadworthy condition. Yes I got it. I wonder if would have struggled so much with a bike from CRC, Wiggle, Ribble et al.