I bought a brand new schwinn mountain bike (a ranger) and it has held up like a champ in all aspects. If yours fell apart I can only imagine you are using an older used bike. I don't know why so many people here are infatuated with used bikes, if you can afford a hudred bucks for a kit, you should at least save up a hundred or so more for a new bike...
i take offense to that statement.
i am "infatuated with used bikes."
my 54 year old bike will outlast any bike sold at walmart, or made in china. it was built entirely in the usa, out of heavy-duty parts, and designed by people who cared about bicycles, and the people that bought them. they also look a heck of a lot cooler, and not like a cookie-cutter, mass-produced, piece of junk that ends up with flat tires, selling for 25 bucks at the thrift store 2 years later.
that's the reason these "used bikes" cost more (sometimes thousands more) than your "new schwinn ranger."
granted, not everyone here has a classic, well made bike, but almost all of the people who've bought a bike from walmart know exactly what they're getting. a cheaply made bike, for cheap. they're popular, they get the job done, they're easy to acquire, and it suits their purpose. a lot of people can't afford (in money or time) to restore an old bike, and a lot of people just don't care, they just want something to ride.
and there's nothing wrong with that. people can ride whatever they want. or whatever they can.
i admit, buying a cheaply made used bike that someone else has already broken in, and broken down, isn't the smartest idea either, but don't lump all the "used bikes" in one generalized category.
and all parts can, and will, fail. just look at 99 percent of the threads on this forum. it's all about breakin' stuff, and finding a way to fix it.
note. this is MY opinion. i'm entitled to it as much as you are your's. just try be a little more knowledgeable about yours, before you make a blanket statement about "used bikes."
that's it. i'm trading in my soapbox for a barstool...