On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 16:55:11 -0800, (Tom Keats) wrote:

In article ,
RonSonic writes:
On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 13:45:12 -0800, LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m
wrote:

Learning toward one or the other for buying a new dept store bicycle.

Buy a much better used bike for the same amount of money, out of the
local newpaper ads.

A couple months ago I bought a Haro MTB for $30 at a flea market. Rusted but
hardly riden. Some clean up and lubrication and it runs great.

Good score.

You won't beat
that deal at a department store.

I've noticed most $100-$200 department store bikes
have hi-tens steel frames. Ugh. What's worse is
the poor-grade steel componentry (usually painted
black,) where alu-alloy would be, on a 'good' bike.
Like handlebars & stems welded together into one
piece. And in the course of my scavenger hunts,
I've noticed more than a few discards where the
welded joins had dramatically failed. Department
store bikes get thrown away a lot.

They've gotten better, or at least the screws don't strip as bad as they used
to. Still I considered the time scouting pawn shops and flea markets to avoid
buying a department store bike worthwhile. If I hadn't landed that, I would've
gone back to the Trek that one pawn shop had at $125.

Ron