I love drivetrain upgrades (I have more cranksets than bicycles) but I can find a fully appointed bicycle of much higher quality (made with cro-mo steel instead of hi tensile steel/ name brand parts/ made in Taiwan instead of China) on Craigslist in my area for $80-$100.
I figured I was the only one here with this bike! I’ve put ~ 1,000 miles on mine so far and it’s still going well. I have cleaned and greased the bb and rear bearings a few times, occasionally clean and dry wax the chain. So long as your do your own maintenance, this can last a while; one shop visit would likely exceed retail.
I enjoy how quiet and smooth it is and the colored wheels make this cheapo bike POP! I removed the stickers, reflectors, chain and chainring guard, swapped the saddle and installed riser handlebars; It’s not much but has given me many hours of great scenic cruises, totally worth all $98 and I want nothing more out of my bike.
Enjoy the ride!
nickN42 on
Bruce Chastain on youtube has a few nice videos about this bike an its upgrades.
I wouldn’t touch the drivetrain unless you either want different gear ratio or putting out some serious Watts. What I would change, in order of importance:
* Saddle. This is personal, but current one doesn’t look good for ass to me.
* Brakes. I think I’ve very similar ones on my friend’s cheap «MTB». Even with brand new BBB pads they barely stopped — arms flexed way too much. Someone recommended Avid SD brakes — if they are good enough for trials riders, they surely will be good enough for city commuting. Also Avid comes with pretty good pads out of the box. In general having good brakes are wise investment — brakes are single most expensive thing on my bike aside from the frame.
* Tires. Good tires can make night and day difference. Grip, rolling resistance, puncture protection — those will make real difference.
* Pedals. Even if you are don’t want clipless, something with wider platform and better grip wouldn’t hurt.
[deleted] on
Im thinking about getting a new bike and seen lots of these, are they good at anything other than being aesthetically pleasing? Are there any benefits of getting one of these instead of a regular bike with multiple gears?
4 Comments
I love drivetrain upgrades (I have more cranksets than bicycles) but I can find a fully appointed bicycle of much higher quality (made with cro-mo steel instead of hi tensile steel/ name brand parts/ made in Taiwan instead of China) on Craigslist in my area for $80-$100.
https://i.imgur.com/OiB5UDB.jpg
I figured I was the only one here with this bike! I’ve put ~ 1,000 miles on mine so far and it’s still going well. I have cleaned and greased the bb and rear bearings a few times, occasionally clean and dry wax the chain. So long as your do your own maintenance, this can last a while; one shop visit would likely exceed retail.
I enjoy how quiet and smooth it is and the colored wheels make this cheapo bike POP! I removed the stickers, reflectors, chain and chainring guard, swapped the saddle and installed riser handlebars; It’s not much but has given me many hours of great scenic cruises, totally worth all $98 and I want nothing more out of my bike.
Enjoy the ride!
Bruce Chastain on youtube has a few nice videos about this bike an its upgrades.
I wouldn’t touch the drivetrain unless you either want different gear ratio or putting out some serious Watts. What I would change, in order of importance:
* Saddle. This is personal, but current one doesn’t look good for ass to me.
* Brakes. I think I’ve very similar ones on my friend’s cheap «MTB». Even with brand new BBB pads they barely stopped — arms flexed way too much. Someone recommended Avid SD brakes — if they are good enough for trials riders, they surely will be good enough for city commuting. Also Avid comes with pretty good pads out of the box. In general having good brakes are wise investment — brakes are single most expensive thing on my bike aside from the frame.
* Tires. Good tires can make night and day difference. Grip, rolling resistance, puncture protection — those will make real difference.
* Pedals. Even if you are don’t want clipless, something with wider platform and better grip wouldn’t hurt.
Im thinking about getting a new bike and seen lots of these, are they good at anything other than being aesthetically pleasing? Are there any benefits of getting one of these instead of a regular bike with multiple gears?