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Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

ikea.com

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Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#21

Post by antfarm »

mtdewcmu wrote: post #12

Can anyone figure out why it's so expensive? Here's a fancier-looking 26" bicycle on walmart.com for $79.97 - $249.00. [1] [1] https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Roadmaster-Granite-Peak-Men-s-...

The IKEA bike has a belt drive, disk brakes, aluminum frame, automatic 2-gear system, etc.

The one from walmart.com is just plain cheap and low quality, nothing fancy about it.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#22

Post by woodruffw »

mtdewcmu wrote: post #12

Can anyone figure out why it's so expensive? Here's a fancier-looking 26" bicycle on walmart.com for $79.97 - $249.00. [1] [1] https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Roadmaster-Granite-Peak-Men-s-...

Walmart and other big-box store bicycles are infamous in the cycling community for their poor quality and assembly, often to the point of being completely unsafe to ride at any speed (Nader reference intended).

They often use the cheapest high-tensile steel they can find, off-brand rims, mix-and-match groupsets, low-quality brakes, and so forth. The bike you linked exemplifies that - mixed Shimano/SRAM components and "alloy wheels" are in its description. Box-store bikes are also never put together correctly - flipped forks, pinched inner tubes, and sheared screws/bolts abound when they come in for repairs.

Comparing these two bicycles directly, the big things that stand out as pros are the Sladda's aluminum frame and disc brakes. An internal gear hub is also a nice low-maintenance touch. It remains to be be seen how well the Sladda holds up, but $400-500 isn't too unreasonable for a aluminum city-cruiser that's been ruggedized.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#23

Post by legodt »

mrfusion wrote: post #18

I have a 30yeae old bike and I've never done anything special with the chain. Should I be worried?

Take it in to your local bike shop if you are really worried. The biggest factor in your chain's health (assuming you have kept it in a nice dry place over the years) is how much you ride it. It's a mechanical part, so it shouldn't simply go bad in an inert state. If you are riding it regularly though take it to your local shop and have it looked over. A new chain w/ installation should only run you about 20 or so bucks for a low end chain.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#24

Post by doikor »

tyingq wrote: post #14

Zooming in, the belt says "Conti Drive System" on it. More info on that here: http://www.conti-drive-system.com/ They seem to be competing with the "Gates Carbon Drive", here: http://www.gatescarbondrive.com/ I know nothing of bicycles, but I do recall when automakers started replacing timing chains with timing belts. The results weren't always great, especially with interference engines where misaligned timing means…

This is more like the belt drives we have had available in motorcycles for a long time just a smaller/lightweight version of it (due to much less power involved)

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#26

Post by yupyupp »

tyingq wrote: post #14

Zooming in, the belt says "Conti Drive System" on it. More info on that here: http://www.conti-drive-system.com/ They seem to be competing with the "Gates Carbon Drive", here: http://www.gatescarbondrive.com/ I know nothing of bicycles, but I do recall when automakers started replacing timing chains with timing belts. The results weren't always great, especially with interference engines where misaligned timing means…

Belt driven bikes have actually been around for quite a while. They aren't nearly as common as chained bikes but are generally less greasy/dirty. They are also usually good for people who don't do a ton of bike maintenance because (unlike a chain) a belt will never rust.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#28

Post by legodt »

mrfusion wrote: post #20

What means flat pack?

Ikea's primary brand tenant is their ability to ship and store all of their goods very efficiently because they break down to pack into very flat boxes with little wasted space. For example, a big bookshelf is sold in only flat pieces so the package you leave the store with is the size of a box of cereal. This is how Ikea makes money over their competitors and is able to warehouse huge inventory at their retail locations. Customers also love it because it means you can buy a couch and load it into the back of your small car since it isn't assembled.

In this case I assume it means the bike is disassembled in key places to maintain an extremely low profile and densely packed box.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#29

Post by woodruffw »

I've been keeping an eye on this bike's development for a while, and I'm not disappointed with the outcome. It's still more expensive than a box-store bike, but I hope that availability at IKEA will make it more appealing to college students. Internal gears and a belt drive will make for more interesting maintenance, but anything beats the hi-ten 18-speed monstrosities that currently dominate college campuses.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#30

Post by yupyupp »

mrfusion wrote: post #18

I have a 30yeae old bike and I've never done anything special with the chain. Should I be worried?

Simply spraying some lubricant (like Teflon spray for example) onto the chain, running through all the gear combinations, and wiping the excess lubricant off the chain every couple months goes a long way. It helps your bike make less noise, extends the life of your chain, and helps keep your chain from turning totally black with grease. (Which means you're less likely to get grease stains on your pants when you ride.)
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