So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

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

Postby ldrcycles » Sun Dec 20, 2015 6:58 pm

Dunlop Armour on scumtree for "only" $30 more than new!

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/carindal ... 1097531257" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Sun Dec 20, 2015 10:43 pm

And another one in "unused condition" for $20 more than brand new- http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ferny-hi ... 1094460732" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Mulger bill » Mon Dec 21, 2015 8:51 pm

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

Postby find_bruce » Tue Dec 22, 2015 4:39 am

ldrcycles wrote:Progear are a very small step up from the usual Repco/Diamondback offerings
Sad news for Progear as it usually signals the beginning of the end of any quality. Repco & diamondback used to make good bikes

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

Postby ldrcycles » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:36 pm

find_bruce wrote:
ldrcycles wrote:Progear are a very small step up from the usual Repco/Diamondback offerings
Sad news for Progear as it usually signals the beginning of the end of any quality. Repco & diamondback used to make good bikes
Diamondback still do make good bikes, i think some even have the same frames as the junkers sold in Big W. I remember a MTB mag article from a couple of years ago where a PR bloke from the good Diamondback bemoaned how hard it was to get people to take them seriously. I can't see the Progear thing lasting too long unless they only sell them online, they are a fair jump in price from the Repcos.
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koshari
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby koshari » Tue Dec 22, 2015 8:01 pm

mongoose tend to play the 2 tier game a bit as well, i think mongoose and GT are actually imported into Oz by the same entity these days.
Image

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

Postby bychosis » Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:20 pm

:oops: Well, it happened. Big W hyper, mammoth for the 'right price'.
Brought it home in all its kickstanded, chain guarded, 23kg glory. Nearly had to ask for help to lift it into the car. I've put a few old school steeliness in before, and first thing I noticed about the mammoth was it was really heavy (not really surprised :)).

Once home gave it a short test around the drive, got the kids onto it with a bit of help by way of a push start for Mr8, he's not small for age, just small for bike! Both kids mentioned it was really heavy and hard to push around. I agreed, it really does take some effort to get rolling but once there wasn't too bad.

Tomorrow morning, assuming I rise early enough, will be a longer test. Not off road yet though :oops:
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby cray- » Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:30 pm

Ooooo how much? I found this page and put my postcode in but got: PRODUCT NOT AVAILABLE We're sorry, this product is currently unavailable. =[

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

Postby Mike Ayling » Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:09 pm

bychosis wrote::oops: Well, it happened. Big W hyper, mammoth for the 'right price'.
Brought it home in all its kickstanded, chain guarded, 23kg glory. Nearly had to ask for help to lift it into the car. I've put a few old school steeliness in before, and first thing I noticed about the mammoth was it was really heavy (not really surprised :)).

Once home gave it a short test around the drive, got the kids onto it with a bit of help by way of a push start for Mr8, he's not small for age, just small for bike! Both kids mentioned it was really heavy and hard to push around. I agreed, it really does take some effort to get rolling but once there wasn't too bad.

Tomorrow morning, assuming I rise early enough, will be a longer test. Not off road yet though :oops:
Crikey 23kg! Our Thorn touring tandem weighs about 25kg.

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

Postby bychosis » Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:20 pm

Got it locally off the tree of gums. $150, seller was having an oz-day sale and dropped it from the $200 it was a few weeks ago. I was considering offering $150 before the 'sale' since I knew he had owned it from at least last August when I bought an old scooter from him and it was out the front of his garage.

It is almost as new, described as 10 km ridden and looks like it too.
Image
I haven't weight it yet, 23kg was quoted back a few pages and I believe it. I remeber picking one up in big w a while back and then one of their 26" MTBSOs and the other heavy bike felt pretty light :shock:
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:57 pm

Nice buy! At $150 i'd be all over that. What's the rear spacing, would a sturmey hub fit?
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby trailgumby » Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:29 pm

There's a South Effrican couple selling fatbike BSOs from an industrial unit near me, and the local newspaper has been promoting them with advertorial as they've hooked up with an ageing local surf life saving star to endorse it.I suppose the novelty of the fatbike and the association with the (ex) sports star got them some column inches. I wonder how much they paid him.

Anyway, I stopped by on the way home from a 60km loop through Cascades, St Ives an Terrey HIlls on my Scalpel 29er one Sunday when I noticed the bikes in the carpark. I almost slipped a disc trying to lift one of them, it was that heavy. :shock:

The lady sized me up and helpfully suggested I should try the 26" model. I thought "erm, they're sized by the wheel size?"

Took it for a spin around the car park. The seatpost was about 100mm too low, even with the post only about 2" in the frame (no max extension marks on the post). A request for a longer seatpost was met with a confused look and a negative answer. It looks like the idea of multiple frame sizes to fit riders of differing heights hasn't occurred to them. A case of one size fits very few.

Oh, and the brakes ... massive cable drag. I thought the brakes on my roadie were bad in wet weather. :? The gears? Yes, there were some. Single front chainring. Not enough range to cope with local trails. My hands were too tired from trying to slow down and I didn't want to risk my knees by riding further. I politely thanked her and left quickly. So you won't be seeing a detailed review on this bike from me. Names redacted to avoid embarassing the guilty.

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

Postby bychosis » Tue Jan 26, 2016 11:49 am

Started a separate thread for my fatty
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby brumby33 » Tue Jan 26, 2016 7:50 pm

find_bruce wrote:
ldrcycles wrote:Progear are a very small step up from the usual Repco/Diamondback offerings
Sad news for Progear as it usually signals the beginning of the end of any quality. Repco & diamondback used to make good bikes

Tell me about it, in 2003 I bought a Diamondback Sorrento Sport MTB for a tad under $800 and this bike was 2nd down from top of the line just before disc brakes started to come out.
Mine has the rear frame slots to fit discs as well as the snaked chainstays apparently to strenghthen that area for discs....i've still got this awesome bike and it still goes great...was using it as my commute before buying the VWR.

Was walking through Big Slobber U a few months back to buy a bag of heatbeads for the Weber when i spotted a Diamondback that looked more like a Huffy and said out loud..." What the Hell have they done" !! I was in shock.....might keep mine forever now...the good ones might be collectable retros one day. :lol:

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

Postby Elvisidal » Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:39 pm

ok I've hit this site a few times via google and the current question hit me to this thread.

Hi.My name is Elvisidal and I am a Big W bike owner :D

for about 18 months or so?
I picked up the DB Peak 27.5 for the princely sum of $100 via a few random gift cards I got from work.
I wanted a bike to ride while my car was in the shop.I like cars.A lot.Way more than bikes.
As a kid I used to jump Toronas & Kingswoods on my Speedwell BMX.Pancakes,Peaceys,Pedals around the block holding a chocolate moove and I could bunnyhop a garbage can.Them green ones with do the right thing on them.
Anywho let's kickstart it 30 years to nowadays and I'm screaming around town usually around 1 or 2 am along the beach and boardwalk and various places.It's about a 20km round trip from my house when I wanna get out and remove the cobwebs.
I'm pretty good on the tools and gears nuts bolts wheels are second nature so this iron horse has served me well so far.
I bought for the simple reason I'm too big for a BMX and my back hurts hunched over on a 10 speed.I like how I can sit upright on them.

Anyway I need a new crankset for it.Ideas?What bottom bracket can I replace it with?

Pls approve post Mr Mod
taa
thanks
:lol:

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

Postby outnabike » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:42 pm

Elvisidal wrote:ok I've hit this site a few times via google and the current question hit me to this thread.

Hi.My name is Elvisidal and I am a Big W bike owner :D

for about 18 months or so?


Anyway I need a new crankset for it.Ideas?What bottom bracket can I replace it with?

Pls approve post Mr Mod
taa
thanks
:lol:
Hi Elvisidal,
Good on you for joining the forum an welcome .
But there you go, 18 months and its stuffed.
As a kid i had a Healing for 6 years and no problems. So i take the bike question as answered in the negative.... :)
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So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby yugyug » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:58 pm

Elvisidal wrote:ok I've hit this site a few times via google and the current question hit me to this thread.

Hi.My name is Elvisidal and I am a Big W bike owner :D

for about 18 months or so?
I picked up the DB Peak 27.5 for the princely sum of $100 via a few random gift cards I got from work.
I wanted a bike to ride while my car was in the shop.I like cars.A lot.Way more than bikes.
As a kid I used to jump Toronas & Kingswoods on my Speedwell BMX.Pancakes,Peaceys,Pedals around the block holding a chocolate moove and I could bunnyhop a garbage can.Them green ones with do the right thing on them.
Anywho let's kickstart it 30 years to nowadays and I'm screaming around town usually around 1 or 2 am along the beach and boardwalk and various places.It's about a 20km round trip from my house when I wanna get out and remove the cobwebs.
I'm pretty good on the tools and gears nuts bolts wheels are second nature so this iron horse has served me well so far.
I bought for the simple reason I'm too big for a BMX and my back hurts hunched over on a 10 speed.I like how I can sit upright on them.

Anyway I need a new crankset for it.Ideas?What bottom bracket can I replace it with?

Pls approve post Mr Mod
taa
thanks
:lol:
Mods - can we not only approve this post, but make it Post of the Month?.

Can't really answer your question without seeing pictures, but probably a common shimano ISO square taper bottom bracket like a un26 would work, but you would need to measure the axle to keep the right chain line.

what's wrong with the crankset?

Ask in the Shed subsforum perhaps.

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

Postby silentbutdeadly » Wed Feb 10, 2016 10:20 pm

A good old Shimano Deore triple ring crankset will fit...should be around $90 from c r c.

Failing that I think it's actually an shimano octolink cartridge BB in those things...
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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

Postby Elvisidal » Thu Feb 11, 2016 10:10 am

Actually after some more reading,some youtube videos and actually looking closely at the thing I found out what I can replace it with.I really wanted to get away from the square taper cause from memory it actually fell off the left side even though it was assembled in the box.
I've also found this crazy idea of different frame sizes :shock: So I'm now tending to think I might double my parts budget + skip a few coffees for a a whole brand new/used bike/frame of the correct size.Generalising I think I'd be more comfortable on a 'medium' whereas this is a 'large'.

Negative on the octolink its some square taper nonsense that slips cracks pops wiggles and giggles.Something like an octo was what I was looking to switch too.
outnabike wrote:
Elvisidal wrote:ok I've hit this site a few times via google and the current question hit me to this thread.

Hi.My name is Elvisidal and I am a Big W bike owner :D

for about 18 months or so?


Anyway I need a new crankset for it.Ideas?What bottom bracket can I replace it with?

Pls approve post Mr Mod
taa
thanks
:lol:
Hi Elvisidal,
Good on you for joining the forum an welcome .
But there you go, 18 months and its stuffed.
As a kid i had a Healing for 6 years and no problems. So i take the bike question as answered in the negative.... :)
Stuffed is an overstatement? I think I should have said "want" rather than "need"? I'm giving the bike a positive actually given it's price point and intended use.

Never heard of Healing but my Speedwell serviced me from 1982 till 1997 as a daily and it got flogged harder than the gearbox of a P platers commodore :D

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

Postby ldrcycles » Thu Feb 11, 2016 12:27 pm

Going from square taper to octalink would be a BIG backwards step in my opinion, what you're describing is the result of a crank arm that hasn't been installed correctly. With either square taper or octalink (or ISIS, or Power Spline etc), if the crank arm isn't tightened enough it allows some movement, and in a very short space of time the crank arm will get flogged out so it will never sit correctly. Sometimes the BB axle can get damaged too.

Octalink is generally lighter, but they died out years ago because the bearings didn't last as long as those in square taper BBs. I would get a UN26 BB like yugyug suggested, and your local bike shop will likely have a second hand square taper crankset for next to nothing.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby cray- » Mon Jul 25, 2016 2:55 pm

It's finally happened, $150 Huffy Moose at BigW: Image

https://www.bigw.com.au/bigw-catalogues ... 73&page=23
Offer valid Thu 21 Jul - Wed 27 Jul 2016

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

Postby bychosis » Mon Jul 25, 2016 2:58 pm

cray- wrote:It's finally happened, $150 Huffy Moose at BigW: Image

https://www.bigw.com.au/bigw-catalogues ... 73&page=23
Offer valid Thu 21 Jul - Wed 27 Jul 2016
Dammit! I bought my Mammoth fatty 2nd hand for $150
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Mububban » Tue Jul 26, 2016 2:57 pm

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

Last edited by Mububban on Tue Jul 26, 2016 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: So how bad is a Big W bike, really?

Postby Mububban » Tue Jul 26, 2016 2:59 pm

"Torture test" video:

When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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

Postby Mububban » Tue Jul 26, 2016 3:03 pm

I felt genuine fear for the rider watching this one :D

When you are driving your car, you are not stuck IN traffic - you ARE the traffic!!!

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