Well, this one came from Dick Sporting goods and is in good enough shape that I don’t feel like a total slimeball for taking $100 to tune it up. I barely think this is worth it, but that ethical dilemma that every bike shop faces has come up again. Please STOP buying department store bikes!
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49 Comments
Just wanted to add my perspective here, Im the bike department lead at Dick's while I go to school. Anything Schwinn like this out of the box is a nightmare to assemble, there's a non-zero chance there will be a failed weld somewhere, I've seen it twice. And you're right there is a mechanic university for the company, but it only teaches you very basic stuff. I take pride in what I do and learned a lot of extra stuff outside of work to make the bikes more rideable/more serviceable but they definitely don't expect you to even know how to do stuff like hub adjustments. Had to learn that on my own time. I'd like to say the bikes you buy from my department are as well adjusted as you'd get from an LBS, but the material condition of the bikes can make that difficult or impossible. Anyways, thanks for the great content bike farmer
Wich i still had my old 90s Diamond Back mountain bike
13:18 spilling oil on the brake pad?
I guess the best to do here is to service the bike reasonably minimally but road safe and apply cross-subsidization to the best of your judgement. Your customers with $3000 bikes won't mind to pay $25 more.
If I understand correctly, Schwinn from the 1970s is like Boeing from the 1970s, but a more recent bicycle Schwinn is like a Boeing 737 Max.
That big pickup truck bit is ignorant man. I have been a blue collar guy towing a trailer and wearing down my body building and fixing things my whole life. Its hard work and it has to be done. Former bike shop employee, current mtber here. Howevet his big truck guy does agree about about walmart bikes. They were the bikes that no mechanics wanted to put on their stand.
In a lot of places, bike theft and vandalism is a big problem. In those places, bikes are expendables. You buy a bike that, when you walk out and see that it is missing parts (or just missing), you can just walk away.
I remember the first time when the wife and I went cycling. That was about 10+ years ago. We went to the store and got two $100 Walmart bikes. That was a bad choice. We ended up with the worst bike ride ever. Sore legs and butt. We also got mountain bikes and we're going on pavement trails. After spending about $400-$500 per bike, we started enjoying cycling. We also got flat bar road bikes, so they were better on pavements. They shifted better and were much lighter. Going from a 40 lbs bike to a 25 lbs bike is a big difference. Now we both ride road bikes.
31:42 OMG, that bottom bracket.
I just cant believe people pay 450 for this. I bought a brodie baku. Mid 2000s full suspension xc bike with disc brakes. It was completly fine with quality shimano components, fox suspension and new tires. Paid 220 bucks.
You ever hear somebody start a story with… You know this might sound a little racist, but I promise you I'm not a racist.? When you start a story with this might sound like I'm an elitist snob. But I promise you I'm not an elitist snob. It's hard to change my bias away from what you just started the story with. If it weren't for the condescending overtones I would probably listen to this video longer, but I can only take 6 and 1/2 minutes.
Hey- a %00 buck bike from Walmart beats a $3000 trek that lasts longer, because its frigging CHEAP and disposable. Of course with the Trump Tariffs, maybe a return to quality US made bikes will ascend. OK lets get real. What are the components ??
Powder-coating is NOT a bearing!
Lol
Should I be lubing my cables? I've actually never done that before but also never had issues as far as I know.
Bike shop mechanics are ridiculous. these days if you're not riding a $3000 bike they look down their nose at you. Department store bikes are fine. Yes you have to re-adjust everything because they don't assemble them correctly but there is nothing wrong with knowing how everything works. Only stupid people with no knowledge go to bike shops. I believe that whether you drive a car or ride a bike you need to learn to fix certain things yourself. People are just lazy these days and rely on others to do what they can do themselves. Your a bike snob 😂😂😂😂
I've flipped hundreds of bikes but avoid these Walmart ones like the plague. The components are so cheap, you spend hours trying to adjust brakes, shifters, truing wheels. Test ride it around the block and then start over because everything is again out of whack!
Not into bikes, love BikeFarmer chanel name.
I think you need to be picky & choosey as to what big box bikes you take on as work. You have the knowledge to guess what ones are more of a nightmare than others but in the end you are guessing. Not all box store bikes should be turned away but just have a disclaimer to them about your concerns & maybe have them sign a waiver.
How do you feel about SixthreeZero bikes?
I live in Canada and ride all year through snow,rain and everything else I would never buy a department store bike it likely would die in 6 months but I do own higher end bikes,easy to fix great quality parts and easy maintenance,most people that buy the department store bikes do not ride everyday,where it's my main transportation and I need reliable transportation .
May I ask your opinion on e-bikes ?
You come across as very off-putting.
Need to build the wall of shame and just have a visual to show people who buys these, have some busted new looking bikes on hand and just say, look, super nice looking right, it took one twist of this bolt to break it.
Doesn’t matter if it used parts of the same dimensions and how they are used on better bikes, if the metal they use breaks with minimal effort there isn’t much you can do about it. They throw paint on trash, you can indeed make trash look good, but don’t expect it to perform good.
So you don't like truck people? Or think less of them lol!
Ten years ago I bought my wife a trek 6000 wsd from 2000 for £100.
The thing is a tank! Completely bulletproof, only ever basic maintenance required.
Second hand quality over a supermarket bike made of 'chineseium' is absolutely the way forward 👍
Great vid as always.
I take it. The production manager was out sick the day the design was approved. Who did QA who was this bike designed four the stem is way too close to the neck and that riser is way too low for that neck
Can you say my neck my mid and lower back oh my hips oh God, my shoulders. I feel like I was hit by a car yesterday
its better to buy a used quality bike, and have it serviced by good bike mach.
YOU'RE NOT A SNOB!
ALWAYS BE HONEST AND TRANSPARENT HOW THAT'S RECEIVED IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 😊🇺🇸
What kind of bike
I'm 4 months late but decided to offer my perspective as a dad in a bike riding family with no co-op and one bike shop selling new hybrids to boomers. "Buy once cry once" is true advice but in order to know that something is worth it, most people are convinced only through their own painful experiences!
Awareness and Empathy are two attitudes that I think would help. First through your demeanor as a LBS, and second as an offer to help! What about a well publicized bike buy-back program? You know- like a dentist after Halloween? You can't make the candy go away, but you can offer a solid discount on a used bike if they push, pull or tow their Huffy! Maybe find a local bike club to help raise funds for the discount to help with the reduced profit?
Bring awareness to the problem and offer to help. I enjoy wrenching on our 2 Huffy's and the Roadmaster, but I REALLY enjoy working on my wife's LBS bought Trek and my inherited Fiji and Raleigh bikes. I had to get there first.
WOW! You just failed the first rule in Retail. "Rule 1: The customer is always right. Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, re-read Rule 1."….. I have fixed every bicycle Known to man kind. I fixed up junk bicycles for kids for yrs so they would have a bike to ride during the summer… I think you suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder When my Niece was 30yrs old 9yrs ago she bought a NEW Schwinn 21speed mountain bicycle type. And I made it better, gave her a complete tune-up Re-creased it. I told her that there are better bikes out there, didn't talk down to her about it, get the hint. I have a 1993 Vtg ROSS Mountain Bicycle and a HUFFY Mountain Bicycle; I up-graded both Carriages, push button shifters, butterfly handlebars. And when you are talking about cheap, its called price point for any retailers what the market bares. Any of your customer witness this on YOUTUBE they may not bring it back. You are a snob LOL!I drive a pickup 1999 F150 with over 229,000 miles, what does that say. I have been in Retail & Wholesale for 48yrs.
Former bike mechanic and bike enthusiast for 45 years, my experience with cheep bikes is exactly the same as yours, they are hard to adjust, they don't hold the adjustment and the hardware breaks easily. I would refuse the work and politely state why….
. You Should do a video showing how much the bike changes after a day of riding. After properly adjusting.
Instead of sounding like a Complete Ass. For 45min complaining. You just bashed these products with proving your rant. You need to Show the product being used. To show your concerns. Not your opinions
Bro, youre whats wrong with biking… training wheels are hard to put on?😂 stop calling yourself a mechanic, youre just a clown that happens to own a shop.
8:46. That was a smooth transition
Lead tech at LBS here. We'll inspect these bikes for issues, and the estimate for repair is usually the same or more than a "new" one at big box.
Customers choice….new or repair, their money.
We call them "dumpster bikes".
You are NOT a bike snob. I am and recognize my own. I also dont think you are responsible for what happens miles down the road. You do the best you can with what they want. No more you can do. Happy trails gentle friend.
My schwinn gave me 10 yrs of faithful riding. As my daily ride to work. My giant mtb was for the weekend fun. Still have it 17 yrs later
While I can appreciate the bitterness that comes from trying / failing to do the best in your profession — partially or fully through no fault of your own — I don't think that the blame game with the customer is all that valid in the era of "disposable manufacturing" .
You didn't choose to live in the "disposable" era, but neither did your customers .
And how are people supposed to know ?
The thriving bike culture if the 1910-1990's is no longer there for kids .
I've ridden obsessively for about 1/3 of my life, and all I know is that the 70-80's kid bikes with that long seat atop the back wheel were a fucking hazard to ride on .
That's it .
I've had a Commie made kids bike that took a shit ton of abuse and came out shining with minimal maintenance .
I've purchased a second hand (likely stolen) 90's mountain bike for another 15 years that I had a shop change break rubbers twice & wheel external rubber once, and internal rubber twice .
And then I had a … "Made in China" electric bike for a couple of years that kept loosening it's disk breaks and then one day literally broke in two mid ride, and kinda ended my biking , but did get me to have surgery .
And apart from learning from my dad to lube the bike once/twice a year more or less — that's all I know , with the exception of "there are bikes out there right now that are really expensive" .
Am I a good biker ?
Bad biker ?
I dunno .
It is mind-boggling how imperfect all bicycles are these days. Can you imagine spending 29, 000$ on a base specialized & you still get grief from the damn thing.
I used to build these when I worked for Walmart, and I never liked the quality of them, but every bike I built I made sure was as tuned as reasonably possible. And I completely agree that these need to go the way of the dodo, they're not worth the money or the headache.
Yea you should hate on all the stores they are putting y’all out of business all years of y’all ripping people off is over. Love how you have to spend big money or you call it junk. We all can’t afford your high end bikes so you hate all you want.
I like you I watched two videos now but I put my kids training wheels on in a few minutes and they worked so well he learned to ride without them. You dont invest a ton in a bike your kid will ride for one year, do you have kids its seems like now to me.
Like when you couldn't pump your own gas! Or the hub caps required a special tool. The farmers and their john deere tractors. $6.50 for a big mac $1500 for rent. Glad the proferables spandex wearing presta valve suckers can't jack bicycles up past $200- 300 for the cheap bikes. unless your rich for various reasons most of them nauseating.
It's sad that Schwinn has become the low-end, garbage bike. When I was a kid, my first two mountain bikes were Schwinns (from a Schwinn bike shop). This was pre-walmart Schwinn, before Huffy purchased them. They were great bikes. I still have and ride one of them on a regular basis, 30 years later. Breaks my heart to see that a name that used to be known for decent quality is now synonymous with crap.
One question I do have, though, is about the shift components. The box store bikes still use Shimano just like the higher-end bikes, so shouldn't they be the same quality as the shop-level bikes, or does Shimano manufacture a lower-quality line for these cheap bike makers? Always wondered that.
I understand most of what you recommend about tuning and adjusting a bike, but in my case you are wrong about adjustment of the handlebars and brake levers at least for me. I have mild cerebral palsy resulting in a partially paralyzed left hand. If the handlebars are set straight up and the left lever is straight down it is extremely hard for me to operate. You shouldnt assume that everybodys nodies operate the same. Each person needs to have their equipment adjusted individually so it works best for them.
Also not everybody can afford to own a $1500 regular bike or a $5000 ebike. We need to make do with what we can afford in order to have something that we can use for exercise or transportation.
I've seen people throw away older, good quality bike(no suspension + v brakes) because nobody wants it anymore, then go and buy one of these 'supermarket' full suspension bikes that weigh a ton and ride like a marshmallow. I have saved a few of those older bikes and would happily throw the fancy looking full susser in the scrap.