Watchdog

[2Loose]

The piece on cheap bikes from AsdaTescoToysRusHalfords....

I know many already know or suspect this, but I was quite shocked how buckled the wheels were, let alone how generally unsafe these cheap bikes are...

Quote: To sell at this price they really are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

 

[gaz]

some wheels cost twice as much as those bikes. you have to wonder what they are spending on these parts to make money from them.

 

[wafflycat]

Online article on the Watchdog piece at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/11/flat_pack_bikes.html

It's a nice extra to add on to the article I often refer to about bicycle-shaped-objects

http://southcoastbikes.co.uk/articles.asp?article=NO_BSO

There can be a lot of difference between 'good value for the money' and 'cheap' when it comes to bikes.

 

[wafflycat]

some wheels cost twice as much as those bikes. you have to wonder what they are spending on these parts to make money from them.

*chortle*

My offspring has one wheel that costs more than ten times one of those bikes.. Mind you, you don't have to go to that extreme to get a decent wheel

 

[PatrickPending]

from the watchdog website

Not confident about plastic brake levers which flex - our mechanic believes these items are of inadequate quality for purpose

plastic brake levers - scary

mind you the brakes themselves looked ropey

would be nice to see how someone got on with one after riding it foir a week. a friend had one in the us - he was only there for a few months and wanted something cheap to get around on - the frame fell to bits