So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Elvisidal
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Elvisidal » Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:42 am

Mububban wrote:This guy has done a few videos on his Walmart Mongoose dual suspension MTB:
quick bump but what level are the Mongoose bikes we get here?

koshari
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby koshari » Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:45 am

Elvisidal wrote:
Mububban wrote:This guy has done a few videos on his Walmart Mongoose dual suspension MTB:

quick bump but what level are the Mongoose bikes we get here?
mongoose seem to have a 2 tier selection.
entry level(crappy department store models)
Image

and

mid (pro models)
Image
Image

Elvisidal
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Elvisidal » Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:02 pm

Yeah I gathered that I meant what's available here in Australian stores?
I have a Fireball and 29 meteore 'sport' but both were gumtree buys 2-300 suit my needs

koshari
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby koshari » Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:08 am

Elvisidal wrote:Yeah I gathered that I meant what's available here in Australian stores?
I have a Fireball and 29 meteore 'sport' but both were gumtree buys 2-300 suit my needs
its hard to state because the lines in the big box stores tend to chop and change pretty frequently, it would appear that mobs like Big W tend to alternate between repco, probike, mongoose, haro etc. they dont seem to consistently stock the same lines,

googling the models can sometimes score a hit on a back catalog which advertised the said bike but specs and details are generally rare.

I would say the fireball and meteore would have been a bike shop bought models going by the images google returns, 3 piece crank, discs double walled wheels and ally frame,middle range sram,shimano components etc where as the department store models are generally are steel stems, cranks, frames, rims with tourney complementary.

The meteore is pretty much a 29er version of a 26" tyax i have.

i know that historically the mongoose mid/pro range have been imported by the same mob that imports GT and sold through "Bicycle Center" outlets, wouldnt suprise me if your models have a sticker on the frame indicating it was sold by a LBS.

http://monzaimports.com.au/cycling/?page_id=24

So in summary, no it looks like you have missed out on a "genuine" Big W bike and scored quality appointed "real" bikes instead :-)


Having said that some of their recent "progear" branded bikes appear to be approaching acceptable quality, however their pricing looks exxy to me for tourney equipped bikes, Reid and others sell similar pricepoints with claris and altus level complementary.
Image

Elvisidal
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Elvisidal » Fri Jan 27, 2017 4:20 am

I was just curious as I've been looking at making the fireball single speed and seen a lot of stuff about Walmart versions in the USA
I'm riding a diamond back bmx I liberated from a footpath garbage dump the other day :lol: aside from needing a critically bigger seat and wider handlebars being back on 20s after 30 years was fun ....

koshari
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby koshari » Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:05 am

good find with the DB BMX, i been looking out for a 21" bmx frame and just nothing about....
Image

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby klr_rider1 » Fri May 05, 2017 7:04 pm

The current Big W Mothers Day catalogue has two womens bicycles for sale.

Repco Haven MTB $99

Repco Traveller Cruiser $159

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ldrcycles
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:27 pm

It's been a while since I last worked on a Big W bike, but this week a work colleague bought a Diamondback Viper BMX for his daughter for christmas, and so it came to my bench for a proper going over.

What an ordeal! As usual, very little to no grease on the bearings, and they were barely able to turn they were so mal-adjusted, but the big shock was how tight everything had been done up. They must have had an impact driver or something along those lines at the factory, as every single fitting was ludicrously tight. While very heavy, the parts are of serviceable quality, and the dark green metallic paint on the frame looks fantastic.

Aside from the sheer effort of releasing the incredibly tight nuts and bolts, the main obstacle was the rear hub, it's the first time I've worked on one of these BMX hubs with the freewheel integrated inside the hub (microdrive I think they're called?) and getting it adjusted properly was a frustrating exercise, not helped by the axle being very slightly bent straight out of the box.
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uart
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby uart » Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:08 am

ldrcycles wrote: What an ordeal! As usual, very little to no grease on the bearings, and they were barely able to turn they were so mal-adjusted,
It sounds like every cheap supermarket bike I've ever worked on. It drives me crazy how they have all the bearings so tight that literally everything, pedals, cranks, hubs, all feel so notchy and clunky right from new.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby bychosis » Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:09 pm

uart wrote:
ldrcycles wrote: What an ordeal! As usual, very little to no grease on the bearings, and they were barely able to turn they were so mal-adjusted,
It sounds like every cheap supermarket bike I've ever worked on. It drives me crazy how they have all the bearings so tight that literally everything, pedals, cranks, hubs, all feel so notchy and clunky right from new.
It's a conspiracy by car makers and oil companies to keep people off bicycles.
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ldrcycles
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:01 pm

Cheaper to get someone with an air wrench to ham fist it together than to adjust things properly, and cheap is the only priority. The shame is that once properly adjusted they're actually reasonable quality. I'll grab a photo of the BMX tomorrow, it's a very nice looking little thing.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:09 pm

Finally got around to getting photos, my workmate has destickered it and ordered Hutch stickers as that was the holy grail when he was growing up :)



Image


Image


Image
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby bychosis » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:15 pm

I assembled a couple of bikes from online yesterday. Was surprised to see both had cartridge bottom brackets, was not surprised at some other features. One was a Reid and fairly decent overall except for the suspension forks. Went together easily. The other was some unknown brand and pretty ordinary, sure it looked shiny but stamped steel v brake arms and plastic coated steel cranks showed it was fairly budget. The worst part was when I clamped up the front wheel (with QR) it actually twisted the fork lower around to mate up with the hub.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:21 pm

bychosis wrote:.....The worst part was when I clamped up the front wheel (with QR) it actually twisted the fork lower around to mate up with the hub.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby fishwop » Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:57 am

You get what you pay for. That's the long and short of it. The streets are full of these bikes. They have their place as introductory bikes, station bikes, and particularly kids bikes. You pay $100 and they are good enough to last until they're outgrown, or you pay $400 for a quality item and have to sell it after a couple of years. Bargains can be had in second hand brand name kids bikes.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby find_bruce » Sun Dec 06, 2020 11:15 am

I was giving a mate a lecture sage advice about the lack of quality of his purchase & his response was it doesn't matter what the quality is when you ride it for a couple of months & then park it.

On a similar vein my sister & her husband bought 2 that they leave at Mums because they were cheaper than hiring bikes for a day. I took one for a ride & rather than trying to fix the setup issues, replace the cranks etc I am sorely tempted to swap them out for a couple of old MTBs - Shogun Trailbreaker or such like.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby bychosis » Sun Dec 06, 2020 12:51 pm

Agree. You could spend $100 on a big W BSO or you could spend $100 on a 20-30yo decent mountain bike and both will need a similar amount of service and adjustment to work.

New tyres and grips is often all it takes to make an old bike perfectly serviceable. More than a couple of times I’ve collected kerbside Kmart bikes and nabbed the cheap tyres and put them back out for pickup. Those cheap tyres, but still in good condition then go onto decent old bikes.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:31 pm

Thread dig! It's been a long time, but I'm about to jump into the world of hysterically cheap bikes again, having been seduced by the siren call of K Mart's current offerings.
But which one?

The "sporty" $179 Roadtech road bike, complete with steel triple cranks and forks fitted backwards for the advertising photos?


Image



Or the $149 "Copenhagen Urban Bike", with oh-so-trendy 1x gearing (again, steel cranks) and even a disc brake on the front?


Image



I have already answered that question though, given I'm a farmer living in the scrub, an "urban bike" is well and truly out of place, so it's the Roadtech I'll be grabbing the next time I'm within cooee of civilisation.


ldrcycles wrote:
Thu Dec 27, 2012 10:10 pm
Bought another Big W bike, this time a Diamondback Bronco 26" MTB for my father in law for Christmas.


Believe it or not, 9 years later the Bronco is still going strong! My father in law made a beautiful steel cargo box for the rear rack, and rides it a few kms to the beach every week or so. The total mileage would be pretty small, but it's performing exactly as it was intended. Proof that if they're assembled properly, cheap bikes can provide good service.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby AUbicycles » Tue Feb 16, 2021 11:52 pm

That kmart roadtech is not seductive... the gap between the wheel and frame gives me the creeps... and the geometry is all wrong.

Don’t let the dark side seduce you... resist (and may the force be with you).
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby rkelsen » Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:01 am

I'd like to see the roadtech with the fork around the right way. It might be OK.

That disc brake on the $149 bike makes me shudder.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby rkelsen » Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:13 am

Just looked at the Roadtech on the Kmart website.

It's got stem shifters! I thought they had gone the way of cassette tapes.

Apart from that, it looks like someone knowledgeable could assemble it into something which goes OK.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby MattyK » Wed Feb 17, 2021 3:28 pm

rkelsen wrote:
Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:13 am
Just looked at the Roadtech on the Kmart website.

It's got stem shifters! I thought they had gone the way of cassette tapes.
they have, as have quill stems, 36-spoke wheels, fat saddles, horizontal dropouts, 3x7 gearing, nutted axles, separate seatpost clamps, oh wait...
Apart from that, it looks like someone knowledgeable could assemble it into something which goes OK.
I reckon that's possible, if you could change the frame and literally everything attached to it.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Feb 18, 2021 8:47 am

For someone with decent bike knowledge, I am sure the kmart bikes could be salvaged and perform... but this will be reliant on willing to do what is necessary to fix, improve, update it.

A starting point however will always be a careful frame inspection. I am appalled by the welding on these frames - sloppy welding with gaps, serious rust already visible inside the tubing of these new bikes. Even if the welds are fine, at this price do you think they are taking the time to ensure the tubes are clean before welding?

But shifting over to the ecological side, these bikes are cheaply constructed and the tight margins would not leave much room for environmentally considerate manufacturing. As bikes really only sold for shorter active lifespan (before they are put out on the curb), they are also fairly wasteful.

Decent bikes are not that cheap... but on a budget the smartest option is second-hand and I would argue that we need more community services and community orientated businesses to support bike recycling.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby rkelsen » Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:35 am

MattyK wrote:
Wed Feb 17, 2021 3:28 pm
they have, as have quill stems, 36-spoke wheels, fat saddles, horizontal dropouts, 3x7 gearing, nutted axles, separate seatpost clamps, oh wait...
I know you're joking, but threaded headsets, quill stems, 36 spoke wheels and nutted axles are still used (required!) in Japanese Keirin racing...

Thinking about the 7 speed gears: Those 7 speed Shimano freewheels are ubiquitous at the low end of the market. They've been making them for nigh on 30 years. They're cheap, very easy to find and with 14 to 28 teeth give a range of gears which is quite practical. You may not want to race with such a low top gear, but it will certainly serve you well for most other purposes. If you were building a "doomsday" bike, they'd surely be a sensible choice.

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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby MattyK » Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:58 pm

Ah yes, keirin, the home of up to date technology. They'd get along well with the penny-farthing racers.

Pretty sure my doomsday bike will have something more robust than a bottom end 7 speed freewheel too.

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