Glacier Point Magna 26" Bike Repair Question

[sandy]

I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
up for much less then this. If that is the case am I just better off
buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
Thanks.

[Penny S.]

sandy scribbled :
> I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
> well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
> to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
> tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
> beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
> not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
> up for much less then this.


If that is the case am I just better off
> buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
> Thanks.

yes, get a real bike next time.

Penny

[Jon Bond]

"Penny S." > wrote in message
...
> sandy scribbled :
> > I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> > and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
> > well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
> > to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
> > tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
> > beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
> > not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
> > up for much less then this.
>
>
> If that is the case am I just better off
> > buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
> > Thanks.
>
> yes, get a real bike next time.
>
> Penny

No kidding.

We see tons of almost new wallyworld bikes brought into the shop for tuneups
because they plain don't work. Just last week we had one brought in that
was so dangerously put together we decided to not even touch it, told them
to contact the BBB, and to return the bike. It was disgusting how badly put
together it was.

Jon Bond

[Super Slinky]

sandy said...

> I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
> well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
> to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
> tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
> beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
> not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
> up for much less then this. If that is the case am I just better off
> buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
> Thanks.

All you really need to change tires is a tire lever and whatever it
takes to get the wheel off the bike. An adjustable wrench would do if
the wheels are fastened with regular nuts. Some bikes have quick
releases that don't require a wrench at all. You need to let the air out
of the tires first and it may take quite a bit of muscle, possibly more
than you have. You may be able to get everything you need at Wal-Mart,
but if WallyWorld doesn't have the tire levers you can get these cheap
at the bike shop. Two are better than one for removing the tire.

Having said that, I'll repeat what the others said in a nicer way. These
department store bikes aren't the bargain that they appear to be. The
quality is so bad that they can be downright unsafe. If you are serious
about doing some biking, then scrape together the $250 or so you need to
get a good quality bike at a bike shop. They will help you with
maintenance and service, but with a good quality bike you won't need
that much. It may seem like you are paying too much at a bike shop, but
we aren't talking about batteries or duct tape. Only bike shops get high
quality bikes and bike parts. Period. Nobody is getting rich owning a
local bike shop. If you feel you must keep the Wal-Mart bike, then
spring for the tune-up. They will get it as roadworthy as possible.
Don't just dismiss what they tell you as a ploy to get more money out of
you, because it probably isn't.

[JD]

(sandy) wrote in message >...
> I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
> well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
> to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
> tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
> beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
> not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
> up for much less then this. If that is the case am I just better off
> buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
> Thanks.

Sell it to another sucker and get a real bicycle.

JD

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

"sandy" > wrote in message
om...
> I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as

Sandy, if you do light riding around the neighborhood and never go off the
road or sidewalk (which is usually illegal), then this bike is probably just
fine for you. The toolkit you mention probably will do the trick, but to be
sure, ask someone in the sports department in your walmart. There are also
a few cycling repair books.. do a search on amazon.com.

If you have a Sports Authority of other sporting goods store nearby, they
also sell low-cost bikes like this and probably have a service department,
so if you go there, you will definitely get a better deal than if you go to
a dedicated bike shop.

All the people on this newsgroup are usually too enamored by their
super-duper bicycles (including me), and thus they advocate an expensive
bike. But for the vast majority of people who just want to go for a
leisurely ride, these bicycles are fine.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

[Jon Bond]

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" > wrote in message
m...
> > We see tons of almost new wallyworld bikes brought into the shop for
> tuneups
> > because they plain don't work. Just last week we had one brought in
that
> > was so dangerously put together we decided to not even touch it, told
them
> > to contact the BBB, and to return the bike. It was disgusting how badly
> put
> > together it was.
>
> More detail please... for my entertainment.

I didn't check over the bike personally, but from a quick glance:

fork was on backwards, was missing one pad, was missing one noodle (same
break, and no, thats not really a typo), left crank was really loose, one of
the pedals stripped out, and I believe that the stem was not tightened up...
at all. Every once in a while one of our mechs will forget to tighten a
bolt or two, but we always test ride everything and doublecheck everything,
so its our ass if it breaks, quite literally.

Did I mention this bike was brand new?

Jon Bond

> --
> Phil, Squid-in-Training
>
>

[M&M]

"Jon Bond" > wrote in message >...
> "Penny S." > wrote in message
> ...
> > sandy scribbled :
> > > I got htis second hand and I beleive that both tires need replacing
> > > and that probably a shop will talk me into some kind of "tune up" as
> > > well. Is there a place online that I can get a repair manual or a how
> > > to on replacing tires for this bike. Also will a generic $15 dollar
> > > tool kit from Walmart be all I need to get the job done. Finally I
> > > beleive that the purchase price of this bike is about $60 new. I can
> > > not imagine I can get out of the bike shop with new tires and a tune
> > > up for much less then this.
> >
> >
> > If that is the case am I just better off
> > > buying new and forgetting about trying to replace the tires etc.
> > > Thanks.
> >
> > yes, get a real bike next time.
> >
> > Penny
>
> No kidding.
>
> We see tons of almost new wallyworld bikes brought into the shop for tuneups
> because they plain don't work. Just last week we had one brought in that
> was so dangerously put together we decided to not even touch it, told them
> to contact the BBB, and to return the bike. It was disgusting how badly put
> together it was.
>
> Jon Bond

My neighbor bought one of those ( Full suspension )for his young
daughter . I just happen to do a fast go over and found the brakes
severely out of adjustment , the front shock had tons of stiction ,
and the rear shock wasn't properly assembled . I'll try to adjust and
fix everything properly and replace the front shock with an old
working RS I have laying around ( the kid can ride like the wind ). It
should be illegal the way these are put together . But then again , a
lot of my neighbors are NOW riding because of me sort of setting the
example .


M&M

[Super Slinky]

Jon Bond said...

> The 50 or so you're saving by going to the big box stores is often directly
> spent at a bike shop to put it together right. I can't tell you how many
> brand new bikes we've seen. Granted, our bikes start at about 210, so its
> going to be more than a 60 huffy, no matter what, but there's a reason we
> don't go cheaper. Any cheaper than that, and you're sacrificing something -
> usually safety. There's a reason why the majority of bike recalls are on
> huffy/magna/pacific bikes - they're just not built safe. More than that,
> they only give their builder (who usually has no idea how bikes work, and is
> rarely a biker themselves) about 15 minutes per bike. We take at LEAST 30,
> usually closer to 45, or even an hour for more complex bikes (disc brakes,
> etc, or super high end bikes where we basically strip the bike down and then
> rebuild). And we know what we're doing, and have the right tools to put it
> together. I can't tell you how many broken bikes I've seen on sale at
> walmart, not to mention adjustment problems (IE: no brakes). Even more than
> bike quality, the big difference between a bike shop and a big box store is
> knowledge, assembly, and service.
>
> Jon Bond

Exactly. The OP didn't even know how to change a tire. She needs the
support of a bike shop, regardless of where she buys the bike. Even if
she gets lucky and gets a more or less roadworthy bike from WallyWorld,
it won't stay that way for long without maintenance. Hell, I have
problems keeping my stupidly expensive bikes running and I have been
tinkering with bikes for 30 years. Snapped the frame on a $1500 bike 3
weeks ago and now I find the Bontrager rims on my new Loco-Moto eats
tubes like penny candy. Four flats in one week. Ouch. I have a set of
wheels built with Mavic rims on order, but I have to suffer with these
for another week or so. I still want to get them sorted before I put
them on eBay though.