bairdco
a guy who makes cool bikes
I've always had a strong dislike for cheap, dept. store bikes, and voiced my disapproval many times on this forum, and now I have some experience to add to this "argument."
First off, I believe it's a good idea to start with a cheaper bike when you first get into this whole motorized bike thing, and I feel the best way is to buy a used 70-80's cruiser off craigslist, like an old schwinn, or other "quality" cruiser, with american, japanese, or even older Taiwan parts.
Fix that up as a bike first, learn how it works, then upgrade parts as needed, and graduate to a better bike for your second build as you learn more about how this stuff works.
For the past few months, I've been working as a bike assembler at various big box stores. The pay is great, paid by the bike, and I can assemble 25-40 a day. The hardest part is unpacking the darn things.
The brands I deal with are Kent, Huffy, Schwinn, Dynacraft, BCA, Next, Mongoose, and a few others.
All made in China, and all have similar parts.
So, based on my experiences assembling them, here's my observations.
Kent bicycles are the worst. Nothing fits, mismatched parts for the same models, bent wheels, brakes that don't work, horrible welds, and the cheapest parts.
Some of their bikes have marks and scratches on them that look like they were previously assembled. Nuts and bolts that have already been marred by wrenches, dropouts with previous scratches, as if they were bought, returned, and refurbished.
Wheels that don't align properly in the forks, and stems that don't hold the bars or stay tight in the forks.
Kent bikes make up the most of my defective pile, which are bikes that I can't complete and can't be sold, and I rob parts off them to finish other bikes.
Huffy bikes like the Cranbrook are arguably the most popular bike for beginners here. Without being biased, here's the pros and cons as I see them.
Their wheelsets have improved, many come with 12g spokes, and are usually straight out of the box (most assemblers true the bent ones with a large rubber mallet, or by wedging the wheel between something and tweaking it back into shape.
But the coaster brake is garbage. there's no other way to say this. These bikes routinely come back within days or weeks with clicking noises, no stopping power, or blown completely apart. And these come from your casual rider, not your thrashers. The rest of the bike will look brand new, but it goes in the graveyard to be returned.
Grease it up all you want. They're junk.
Overall, the huffy could make a decent starter bike, with an upgrade rear wheel, but don't expect any of these to last with a motor on it.
Mongoose bikes are a little better. Mostly I build bmx, fat tires, and mountain bikes, and not really any cruisers, but they still suffer from chinese parts. Poor quality brakes, low budget hubs, and cheap parts.
Dynacraft makes Next bikes. These aren't too bad. Weld quality "looks" good, parts fit together right, and overall, not a bad budget bike. Would I motorize one? No. But that's just me.
Schwinns, I gotta say, are looking better. They seem to have a higher standard of quality control. Finish, welds, usually look good, wheels are usually straight, and parts fit well. Their cruisers are my least favorite to assemble. That and huffy, with fenders, baskets, cup holders, etc, take time and time is money.
To generalize, on ALL bikes, no matter the maker, the fenders are junk. Flimsy mounts, always crooked, and should be removed, or heavily reinforced before adding a motor.
If you plan on using ANY bike from a big box store, DO NOT ride it without completely regreasing every part, and checking every single nut and bolt for tightness.
I like to think I take a little more time and effort when I assemble a bike, but the facts are, these bikes come over seas in a container, are thrown around during transport, are NEVER stacked upright as the box suggests, were partially assembled in china, and completed at the store by someone in a hurry to build it and get their money.
Bike assemblers get paid by quantity, not quality. If you can't build 25+ bikes in a 5-6 hour day, you won't make any money.
No one takes the time to double check what the chinese assemblers have already put together, unless it's obvious (except me. I adjust gears, brakes, etc, but only to a point. The average customer isn't buying a quality bike, and they know it.)
And a final word about grease. There is none. I can build 50 bikes in a day and not get dirty. The only oily part on every bike is on the pedal threads, which use a clear, light oil that seems to evaporate once it gets on your hands.
Even the chains are dry (and usually too tight.)
So, there ya go. Buy and ride at your own risk.
First off, I believe it's a good idea to start with a cheaper bike when you first get into this whole motorized bike thing, and I feel the best way is to buy a used 70-80's cruiser off craigslist, like an old schwinn, or other "quality" cruiser, with american, japanese, or even older Taiwan parts.
Fix that up as a bike first, learn how it works, then upgrade parts as needed, and graduate to a better bike for your second build as you learn more about how this stuff works.
For the past few months, I've been working as a bike assembler at various big box stores. The pay is great, paid by the bike, and I can assemble 25-40 a day. The hardest part is unpacking the darn things.
The brands I deal with are Kent, Huffy, Schwinn, Dynacraft, BCA, Next, Mongoose, and a few others.
All made in China, and all have similar parts.
So, based on my experiences assembling them, here's my observations.
Kent bicycles are the worst. Nothing fits, mismatched parts for the same models, bent wheels, brakes that don't work, horrible welds, and the cheapest parts.
Some of their bikes have marks and scratches on them that look like they were previously assembled. Nuts and bolts that have already been marred by wrenches, dropouts with previous scratches, as if they were bought, returned, and refurbished.
Wheels that don't align properly in the forks, and stems that don't hold the bars or stay tight in the forks.
Kent bikes make up the most of my defective pile, which are bikes that I can't complete and can't be sold, and I rob parts off them to finish other bikes.
Huffy bikes like the Cranbrook are arguably the most popular bike for beginners here. Without being biased, here's the pros and cons as I see them.
Their wheelsets have improved, many come with 12g spokes, and are usually straight out of the box (most assemblers true the bent ones with a large rubber mallet, or by wedging the wheel between something and tweaking it back into shape.
But the coaster brake is garbage. there's no other way to say this. These bikes routinely come back within days or weeks with clicking noises, no stopping power, or blown completely apart. And these come from your casual rider, not your thrashers. The rest of the bike will look brand new, but it goes in the graveyard to be returned.
Grease it up all you want. They're junk.
Overall, the huffy could make a decent starter bike, with an upgrade rear wheel, but don't expect any of these to last with a motor on it.
Mongoose bikes are a little better. Mostly I build bmx, fat tires, and mountain bikes, and not really any cruisers, but they still suffer from chinese parts. Poor quality brakes, low budget hubs, and cheap parts.
Dynacraft makes Next bikes. These aren't too bad. Weld quality "looks" good, parts fit together right, and overall, not a bad budget bike. Would I motorize one? No. But that's just me.
Schwinns, I gotta say, are looking better. They seem to have a higher standard of quality control. Finish, welds, usually look good, wheels are usually straight, and parts fit well. Their cruisers are my least favorite to assemble. That and huffy, with fenders, baskets, cup holders, etc, take time and time is money.
To generalize, on ALL bikes, no matter the maker, the fenders are junk. Flimsy mounts, always crooked, and should be removed, or heavily reinforced before adding a motor.
If you plan on using ANY bike from a big box store, DO NOT ride it without completely regreasing every part, and checking every single nut and bolt for tightness.
I like to think I take a little more time and effort when I assemble a bike, but the facts are, these bikes come over seas in a container, are thrown around during transport, are NEVER stacked upright as the box suggests, were partially assembled in china, and completed at the store by someone in a hurry to build it and get their money.
Bike assemblers get paid by quantity, not quality. If you can't build 25+ bikes in a 5-6 hour day, you won't make any money.
No one takes the time to double check what the chinese assemblers have already put together, unless it's obvious (except me. I adjust gears, brakes, etc, but only to a point. The average customer isn't buying a quality bike, and they know it.)
And a final word about grease. There is none. I can build 50 bikes in a day and not get dirty. The only oily part on every bike is on the pedal threads, which use a clear, light oil that seems to evaporate once it gets on your hands.
Even the chains are dry (and usually too tight.)
So, there ya go. Buy and ride at your own risk.
