The problem with cheap bikes | Bikefix Port Macquarie

With Christmas not far away (at the time of writing) I feel it’s appropriate to talk about cheap bicycles. In particular, the type sold by department stores, some outdoor stores and the two major car accessory chains. In this short essay we’ll look at what’s wrong with these types of bikes and what alternatives there are for families who want to buy their kids good bikes. Not just at Christmas, but any time of the year.

So every year without fail, around the end of January to somewhere in the first couple of weeks of March, I get a bunch of very similar phone calls. On the other end of the line is a parent who purchased a cheap bike for one or more of their kids as a Christmas present and now it needs fixing. The issues range from brakes not working, gears not changing or the old “can you just check it for us, it doesn’t seem right…”. Once I’ve looked at the offending bicycle, the issues include, but are not limited to: brake pads installed upside down, chains too long, handlebars back to front, wrong size tube installed, brake levers at too odd an angle for the child to use, and the list goes on.

Now I get it. They look good when they’re on display, the kids are really taken with them, they’ve got Shimano components and the price is right. So what’s not to like? OK, lets look at the major things first:

Looks – most bikes will look great when they are new. The paintwork is clean and shiny, and that chrome looks awesome. Unfortunately not all is as it seems. The chrome plating is very thin and susceptible to rusting in a very short space of time. This includes the handlebars, seat post, nuts and the upper portion of the suspension (stanchions). The spokes are very rarely stainless steel so they’ll be rusted within 18 months and even the spoke nipples are of such poor quality that they will rust out as well.

Components – Shimano make most of the components found on today’s bicycles. They have been in the business for many years and hold the largest market share across the board. They make top quality components found on some of the worlds most expensive bikes. At the other end they also make mass produced crap. Some of their front derailleurs bend out of shape just from regular use. The bike manufacturer will sometimes pair these components with imperfect shifters which means they’ll never change gears perfectly and will always be a pain. Some of the cheaper, non Shimano shifters are so rubbish, it’s very easy to damage them when installing a new cable – a relatively simple task with other shifters. These shifters often become stiff and difficult for young hands to change them. I’ve had parents bring a bike in complaining that the child no longer rides because they can’t change gears. Getting back to wheels, the rims themselves are often very light material and as such will buckle easily. The hubs on these wheels are seldom one piece, instead they are lightly welded 3 piece disasters-waiting-to-happen. Bottom brackets are often the loose bearing type and from what I’ve seen, don’t always come out of the correctly tightened and are either loose or too tight. Lastly, the brake arms are not solid. Instead they are pressed metal and on the poorer examples, they have a lot of flex in them. Too much sometimes to be considered safe.

Assembly – if the bike you’ve purchased is already assembled, there is almost no chance is was assembled by a qualified bike mechanic. Instead, a sales person will have been given the task. A sales person with no training. Consider this when you are planning to put your child on this bike.

So what’s the alternative? If money is tight, and let’s face it the current cost of living is affecting just about everyone, you have a couple of options that I’d recommend chasing. Firstly, consider a second hand brand-name bike. There are a lot out there. It might take a while to find what you want, but if you start your search ahead of time, you’ll likely find what you’re looking for. Educate yourself in what to check when viewing a bike and don’t be afraid to say “no thanks” if you think it looks dodgey. Ask at your local bike shop, they sometimes have customers bikes in on consignment. Also, you may be lucky enough to live in an area where there is a community recycling initiative that includes bikes. These bikes are often safety checked and sold off for very low prices.
Secondly, buy online through a reputable business such as Bikes Online. You can find mountain bikes for the same, or sometimes less, cost as those at the big department stores. It’s worth considering when you add in the fact that a higher quality bike will last many more years than a cheapie. For the record, I’m not affiliated with Bikes Online in any way. I do however have a lot of customers who have purchased bikes from them and are very happy with their purchases.

Finally, if your child desperately wants a bike for Christmas and the only option is a cheap bike, think about this. If it’s not looked after it will deteriorate very quickly. So learning a bit of bicycle maintenance will help. Perhaps your kids would like to learn with you. At least this way, you can keep an eye on the bike and address any issues that show up straight away and you’ll be all over preventative maintenance.

Finally, getting back to the subject of used bikes, if you live in Port Macquarie or the surrounding LGA, I can recommend Recycle Bicycle. This is a business that specializes in giving used bikes a new lease on life and it won’t cost you an arm or a leg. Find them on FaceBook, get in touch with Cameron and let him know what you are after. It’s a safe bet he can find what you are looking for, at a fraction of the price of a new bike.

Good luck!

Update 22/2/24: The Micro Mobility web site just published a great article on this subject. They took 4 affordable bikes and put them to the test to see what the overall cost of buying such a bike would be. It makes for interesting reading so check it out here.