43 lbs, ouch.
33, although that's still quite hefty by modern standards ;)
Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
31–40 of 298 posts
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#32It is me or there's no rear brake? Without suspension at the front, this asks for front flips whenever I touch the brakes too hard..
The product description says front disc brake plus rear coaster brake.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#33Like all their other stuff, this is useless to me unless the local store happens to choose to stock it. Ikea's distribution/delivery system is super annoying.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#34I 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.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#35It is me or there's no rear brake? Without suspension at the front, this asks for front flips whenever I touch the brakes too hard..
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.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#36Can 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…
>completely unsafe to ride at any speed
I can attest this is not the case. All I,and everyone who are not cyclists,have ever rode are cheap Wal-Mart bikes. Even when I used to do stupid stuff like jump them and fly down hills, I've never had a structural failure occur.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#37It's two gear, so it's not great for inclines, and the belt and frame are less durable. I'm not sure it's worth the money once you learn bicycle maintenance (but you could say that about a lot of IKEA furniture and woodworking/metalworking)
25 year warranty on the frame
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#38I have a 30yeae old bike and I've never done anything special with the chain. Should I be worried?
The chains stretch over time, and teeth of the cassette get worn. The more you ride the quicker this happens. If you take it to a shop, they can quickly measure the chain to make sure you're good. Chains are pretty common to replace and shouldn't be too expensive. Cassettes as well, they're often changed at the same time as the chain. Otherwise, regular cleaning and lubing will help extend the life.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#39Can 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-...
Like others said, the frame material is a huge part of the cost/value difference. But I'll also point out the fact that the IKEA bike is powder coated, has a belt drive, a coaster break, a disk break, and an internal gear hub. That combination of components makes this bike basically maintenance free. If this bike was left on a bike rack outside a college dorm for a school year it would be perfectly fine; the same can't be said about the Walmart bike. Glace at any bike rack at a college campus and you'll know what I mean.
Re: Flat Pack Chainless Bicycle from IKEA
#40Zooming 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…
More interesting is the fact that it's a 2-speed automatic. I've seen previous attempts at adding automatic transmissions to bikes but much of the reviews out there seem to mostly complain about the shift points and inability to control them. E.g. they shift at a fixed speed and there's no way to "kickdown" unlike an automotive automatic, which also takes into account engine speed and throttle position. I suppose the analogous indication for a bike would be the force being applied to the pedals.