I've just bought a cheap bike..tell me I haven't made a mistake.

xmaslolly76

There was a programme on not long ago about the quality of the bikes the likes of tesco & asda sell (might have been watchdog but cant remember now). Apparently they aren't very safe (dodgy brakes & gears) unless you get them set up professionally which can then cancel out the saving you make buying them.

aliasojo

Thanks for all the replies. :beer:

I knew I had cause to feel worried, I just didn't know what the cause was, iyswim.

Not sure what to do know tbh, cancel the order or hope for the best.

elektra-2007

Dont cancel the order, does your daughter do serious bike riding everyday or is it just to knock around with?
Ive brought my sons bikes from, asda, tesco, jjb ect and they have always been fine.
Flat pack bikes are not hard to assemble if you like that sort of thing.
You will need to put the front wheel on and do the brakes and gears, Its Not hard!!! If you are unsure get a book from the libary or look online for information, check out You tube for videos showing you how. If you kids have always had bikes, im sure you have had to take off wheels for punctures or new tyres, and will have adjusted the brakes, changed the brake blocks, adjusted the gears when the chain keeps falling off or when you have put on a new chain, its just the same.
It should come with instructions. If when you get it, you really feel its bad then send it back.

meritaten

For gods sake - it isnt rocket science! if you can assemble flat pack furniture you can assemble a bike. just be methodical and careful. bearing in mind its your childs safety here.
Raleigh isnt all its cracked up to be and clarkes shoes are in my view only as good as the dimwit fitting them!
Relax - make sure you follow the instructions and test it yourself before allowing your child on it. Just because it is cheap doesnt mean its carp! they do have a standard to adhere to you know to allow sales in this country.

aliasojo

No she's not a serious rider, it's just for mucking about with really. I'm a practical sort so I'm not worried about putting it together, but I am worried if the brakes etc are below par.

I'll leave it for now and see what it's like when it arrives.

Savvy_Sue

It'll make a change from digging the patio foundations. :rotfl:

Running_Horse

Pay Halfords to assemble it, but expect to be adjusting gears and brakes etc. I fancy myself pretty good at bike DIY and repairs, but would never attempt to assemble one. Someone told me that you can expect roughly one year of service for every £100 spent. I bought a cheapie last year and rode it hard for work, then bought the identical model in the sales this year, keeping the first one for spares.

paulwf

meritaten wrote: »

For gods sake - it isnt rocket science! if you can assemble flat pack furniture you can assemble a bike. just be methodical and careful. bearing in mind its your childs safety here.

I've helped run cycle maintenance courses before. After spending 3 hours showing regular cyclists how to adjust their gears and brakes some still struggle. It isn't rocket science but it does take a reasonable amount of skill and a large amount of practice, the average "man in the street" would struggle to do an acceptable job to be honest.

Relax - make sure you follow the instructions and test it yourself before allowing your child on it. Just because it is cheap doesnt mean its carp! they do have a standard to adhere to you know to allow sales in this country.

The BS (British Standards) for bikes are more or less meaningless in the real world. They ensure that a bike comes with a bell, a full set of reflectors and must have front and rear brakes. Whether those brakes actually work is another thing...it's very much box ticking rather than setting safe performance standards.

As an example cheap kids bikes come with plastic brake levers designed for adults. The first problem is little hands can't reach the levers properly and certainly can't apply enough leverage. The second problem is that plastic levers flex so even someone with gorilla hands like me can't get them to work effectively. But hey the bike has brakes so as far as British Standards are concerned it's good to go.

Sorry if I've posted too much on this topic...I believe that bikes should be fun so they need to be designed properly, and more importantly they need to be safe, kids can be riding these bikes at high speed near cars and people. A decent bike is less than a PS3, I know which is more important to spend money on from a safety perspective

Mupette

If it's just for knocking around on it should be fine.

I doubt if these bikes would be allowed to be sold if they were death traps.

Check the t'internet for help with putting a bike together.. good luck

aliasojo

Thought I'd let you all know the bike arrived yesterday. Her Dad put it together quite easily, the only small issue was that the brakes were stuck on and he adjusted everything that the instructions said to adjust, but it didn't help. He then loosened the cable slightly and that sorted things.

The bike is fine for the money, it's obviously not going to be in the same league quality wise as a dearer branded bike (the 'chrome' trim at the front is coloured plastic rather than chrome for example) but for the 60 quid I ended up paying, it's certainly ok and I don't regret opting for a cheaper one at this time. For playing around with in the Summer, it's just the job.