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Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

ikea.com

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Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#91

Post by xapata »

geon wrote: post #67
bane wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up with a slew of craptastic second hand, thrift store and K-Mart level bikes since it was all we could afford (and as I grew, the bikes grew). We used to beat the living snot out of those bikes and I don't remember any of them costing more than $150 new and they either never broke or were easy to repair. I would expect to pay no more than around $300 for a similar quality of bike these days. The last time I w…

It feels quite obvious that a specialized bike store would focus on the more hard core end of the spectrum, since otherwise they would need to compete with wallmart and costco.

That may be your intuition, but I wouldn't describe riding a few miles in the city at a casual pace as "hard core" (my typical ride).

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#92

Post by collyw »

thekevan wrote: post #70
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-...

I am actually a fan of sub $100 bikes but I can also mess and tinker with them. I think here's a big part of the difference: "It’s a belt driven automatic 2 speed integrated into the rear hub. The belt drive eliminates need for chain maintenance meaning it’s open to people who know little about bikes or people who do not have the time to do so. Amazingly the belt itself is guaranteed for 10 years which is exceptional…

I have been riding bikes since I was a kid and still do. Seen one case of frame failure (or a fairly expensive enduro mountain bike that was used for downhill).

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#93

Post by woodruffw »

owenversteeg wrote: post #88
woodruffw wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Boy would you love the Netherlands. Here, almost everyone rides a used bike that's had many owners, each of which changed it in some "improper" way. Wheels the wrong size for the bike, duct tape holding the bike together, half of the spokes broken, etc., etc. But you know what? That's what the whole country uses for transportation, every day, and it works fine. It turns out that, in your day-to-day usage of a bike (a…

I've talked to people in the Netherlands before, and they've mentioned the ubiquity of slapped-together bikes.

I think that the difference over here is that we pretend that our cheap new bikes are safe ;)

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#94

Post by collyw »

fulafel wrote: post #54
brndnmtthws wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

90% of your braking 'power' comes from the front brake. Under hard braking in ideal conditions, this is closer to 100%. You can safely remove the rear brake from most bikes. This is a common misconception [1]. The same is true for motorcycles. [1]: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

You want to cover the non-ideal circumstances too. Wet leaves, gravel, snow/ice will make the front wheel slip out from under you if you only have a front brake. (This bike does have a rear brake too, so it's fine) Edit: About winter biking, cables tend to freeze in the winter if you're not meticulous about maintenance. So automatic gears and coaster rear brake are good for this reason too.

Its also a good way to go over the handlebars if you only use a front brake.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#95

Post by tehwalrus »

bane wrote: post #63
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-...

I grew up with a slew of craptastic second hand, thrift store and K-Mart level bikes since it was all we could afford (and as I grew, the bikes grew). We used to beat the living snot out of those bikes and I don't remember any of them costing more than $150 new and they either never broke or were easy to repair. I would expect to pay no more than around $300 for a similar quality of bike these days. The last time I w…

I used to work in Halfords in the UK and they sold adult bikes in the apollo range for £75. They do still have one for £80 on their website.

The apollo outrider (as it was then called) was always pretty shoddy, but mostly just for the look and feel of the components, a bit heavy etc. We didn't get that many of them back in for repair.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#96

Post by Eric_WVGG »

Matthias247 wrote: post #68
crazygringo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not a misconception at all, at least not for bicycles, and it's highly dangerous to suggest so. Have you ever tried braking while going down a steep hill? (e.g. San Fran hills?) You know, to stay at a safe speed? Front brake will flip you over in an instant, I know because I've done it, even at slow speeds, when my rear brake cable snapped. After a couple tries I walked home, since bicycling without a rear br…

Brakes are not digital - they can be modulated. Front flips happen only to people that are not used to their brake or fully pull the brake lever out of some shock reaction. I'm riding downhill with my bikes, and I can safely do that with front brake only as long as that thing doesn't overhead. Even things like front-only braking on steep stairs is no problem with the correct body position (not over the front wheel) a…

Yup. Same principle for older pre-anti lock brakes on cars, if you lived in a place with regular snowfall, learning not to lock the brakes was considered a basic part of learning to drive.

I have been riding for 15 years without a rear brake and have never come close to going over the front. Not that I would recommend it to other folks, the redundancy argument is valid, but it is not unsafe at all.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#97

Post by xapata »

tritosomal wrote: post #77
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-...

I bought a bike from Target over the summer for $100. It has: broken one chain suffered multiple rear brake failures unfastened the handle bars so they dangle from the fork All of these things happened while miles from home, and required tools for repair. When one thing was fixed, another thing broke. The brakes failed repeatedly, and warranted full replacement. The handle bars are especially treacherous, because put…

Go get something cheap (but a real brand) off Craigslist. Watch some YouTube videos on how to tune it up. Buy some lube for the chain ($4).

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#98

Post by collyw »

bluedino wrote: post #34
mrfusion wrote: post #18

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

You must not ride it much. Chains and gears are wear items on bicycles. They should be cleaned and lubricated regularly.

The gears and chain generally wear at the same rate. If you put a new chain on a worn out old set of gears they will likely slip.

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#99

Post by sleavey »

legodt wrote: post #69
crazygringo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not a misconception at all, at least not for bicycles, and it's highly dangerous to suggest so. Have you ever tried braking while going down a steep hill? (e.g. San Fran hills?) You know, to stay at a safe speed? Front brake will flip you over in an instant, I know because I've done it, even at slow speeds, when my rear brake cable snapped. After a couple tries I walked home, since bicycling without a rear br…

Sounds like your brakes had no modulation or you weren't using them safely. Modern disc brakes eliminate the modulation issue. Bike brakes aren't a binary system. You can adjust your touch on the brake levers to apply varying levels of friction against the braking surface to shave off speed.

Maybe I just don't know what modulation means, but I figure it's when you pump the brakes to prevent skidding. How do disk brakes eliminate the need for it?

Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA

#100

Post by xapata »

collyw wrote: post #94
fulafel wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You want to cover the non-ideal circumstances too. Wet leaves, gravel, snow/ice will make the front wheel slip out from under you if you only have a front brake. (This bike does have a rear brake too, so it's fine) Edit: About winter biking, cables tend to freeze in the winter if you're not meticulous about maintenance. So automatic gears and coaster rear brake are good for this reason too.

Its also a good way to go over the handlebars if you only use a front brake.

Breaking at similar speed on the rear brakes will cause a fishtail and slide rather than brake. I'd rather endo (flip over my handlebars) than ride in front of a car.
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