Beware of Big Box Bikes!

A $100 bicycle is too cheap!
Bikes purchased in big-box chain stores such as Target, War-mart, K-Mart, and Dick’s are much different from the bikes we sell. While I’ve never purchased one of them, I’ve learned something while fixing hundreds of these bikes. They are horrible! The store that sold you the bike should be ashamed, and you are missing out on a great experience that is bicycling. Can’t afford a $300 bike? An ATB may be cheaper in the long run, plus I guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride, receive the health benefits, and continue with regular exercise.
 
Our thoughts on department store bicycles.
  • Quality – I am amazed how low the quality of these bikes is and even more surprised that someone would create a bike part (like steel rims with erasure-strength brake pads), that is so poor it will never work. Can I fix it? No, because the materials used to make the bike are so sub-standard that it will never work right.
  • Durability – I have found the average life span of these bikes is 6 months, and the average repairs are between $20-45. That’s like buying a car for $5000 and getting it fixed for $2000 each time you take it to the shop.
  • Assembly – The average assembly time for Wal-Mart is 7 minutes. ATB takes 20 minutes to 1 hour to assemble, tune, and test ride the bike for safety and comfort. With virtually no tuning or adjusting to the Target model, you are guaranteed to have problems like brakes rubbing, wobbly wheels, terrible shifting, and a loose seat or handlebar which can be dangerous.
  • Maintenance/Warranty – There is none. You can only return the bike or exchange it for another bike. The next bike is the same quality and no store will repair the bike.
  • Comfort – Every Mega-store bike that comes in has the handlebar twisted around and the brake levers straight up in the air making for a ridiculously uncomfortable brake position. The seat is often 2-3 inches too low and tilted way down or way up. The rider could not possibly be comfortable and will never continue to ride that bike even if the moving parts are working correctly. Also, these stores all adhere to the “one-size fits all” approach. Each model is only available in one size.
  • Weight – The department store bike is usually 5-10 pounds heavier than a comparable style we sell.
Is your friend selling his bike? He probably got it at a department store. Here are some model names to avoid.
  • Roadmaster
  • Kent
  • Mongoose
  • Dyno
  • Schwinn
  • Huffy
  • Next
  • Power Climber
  • Pacific

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