VARIETY STORE BIKE – real transport, or glorified shopping trolley?
Leon Arundell dreamt of buying cheap practical transport from a variety store.
The reality was a little different.
Buying a variety store bike is a good idea if you’re a short, mechanically-minded person
with energy to burn, want a mountain bike lookalike to ride in fine weather and on well-lit
roads, and have plenty of spare time to spend fitting accessories and travelling to and from
the store and your local bike shop.
In five variety stores, I found many bikes that looked like mountain bikes. The displays
also included one hybrid and one bedraggled road bike. Looking more closely, most bikes
were labelled “not for off-road use.”
Most bicycle manufacturers make each of their adult models in three or four sizes, to
accommodate different sized people. In contrast, each variety store model seems to come
in only one size.
Bike sizing advice in variety stores dates back to the days when bikes had horizontal top
frame tubes: an adult bike is supposedly the correct size if:
1.
it has 26 inch or 700C wheels; or
2.
there is at least 25-50mm clearance between your crotch and the top frame
tube, when you straddle the bike.
Every adult bike that I found had 26 inch or 700C wheels, and hence (according to the first
criterion above) was the right size for me. Every bike on display – even children’s bikes –
met the second criteria for me. Yet almost all were too small for my average-height 173cm
frame.
I will not be surprised if, in our increasingly litigious society, someone sues a variety store
for skeleto-muscular problems resulting from riding a wrong-sized bike.
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VARIETY STORE BIKE – real transport, or glorified shopping trolley?
I found one bike – the Dunlop Badlands – that had an acceptable-sized frame, but its
seatpost was too short. As Big W didn't offer a range of seatposts, I had to go to a bike
shop to find one that was long enough.
Having bought the bike, I had to pay an extra $16 and wait a week to have it assembled.
After my second trip to Big W, I wheeled the bike out of the store and rode home.
First impressions were mixed – a handsome bike with a comfortable and upright riding
position, hard to push, misaligned handlebars, hard handgrips, ride comfortable at the front
but hard at the rear, excellent brakes, and uneven gear changing.
Closer inspection, with kind assistance from Maladjusted of Dickson, revealed a truly
appalling and potentially dangerous standard of assembly: over-tightened wheel bearings,
a brake disc rubbing against its brake housing, a brake lever that could pull right in to the
handlebar, badly adjusted derailleurs, loose crank bolts and bottom bracket lock-ring,
under-inflated tyres and a reflector pointing vertically towards the bottom of the seat.
Badly adjusted and dangerous front brake and reflector.
When ridden no-hands, the bike leans a little to one side, indicating an out-of-line frame.
After spending a few hours fitting accessories, a third trip to Big W, explaining that a
refund was not a substitute for a properly assembled bike, explaining to the department
manager that a maladjusted brake lever is NOT a safety feature, another week waiting for
the bike to be properly assembled and a fourth trip to Big W, I finally had a functioning
bike.
How a $148 bike can cost $500
Buying from Big W is like entering a lottery. Big W items can have advertised prices,
shelf prices and scanned prices. The scanned prices on three of the twelve items I brought
to the checkout were different from the shelf prices. One scanned 25% cheaper, and one
almost double.
The pricing policy displayed above Big W’s checkouts is that if the scanned price is
greater than the correct price, you can purchase the product at a discount of up to $3 off
the correct price. I phoned Big W’s “Instant Response” number and spent more than ten
minutes waiting on hold to ask how to determine the “correct” price.
As far as I can make out, after discussing this with the “instant response” team, the correct
price is determined by the department manager.
The bike was priced at $148 after allowing for an advertised 25% discount. This increased
to $194 after assembly and purchasing a long-enough seatpost (not available from Big W),
and $400 after also purchasing a seat bag, pump, repair kit, spare tube, lights, lock, rear
carrier, water bottle, bicycle computer and another seat bag (because the Big W seat bag
mounting prevented correct fore-and-aft adjustment of the saddle). Add mudguards (also
unavailable at Big W) and a helmet, and the total cost would be around $500.
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VARIETY STORE BIKE – real transport, or glorified shopping trolley?
Gears
Twistgrip shifts levers permit the gear cables to run close to the handlebars, keeping the
cockpit (below) relatively uncluttered.
The bike has non-indexed Falcon
gears at the front (right), and Shimano
Index gears at the rear (left).
The left twistgrip needs about seven
clicks to change one ratio, and another
handful to change the next.
The
right
twistgrip
changes
accurately, with one click per gearchange. After 30 km it stopped working, until I found a
very small Allen key to tighten its friction screw.
The twistgrips rotate in opposite directions. The left grip changes up when you rotate it
towards you, while the right grip changes up if you rotate it away from you. Changes
didn’t come naturally, even after 900km of practice.
The bike has a wide gear range from 26 inches (1:1) up to 89. The six gears have
increments of 13% to 15%, in three ratios. Finer gear changes are technically possible, but
they require complex gearchange sequences.
Up hills the bike feels surprisingly hard to push, even in the low bottom gear. The bike's
high rolling resistance means that top gear is only needed when travelling downhill or with
a tailwind.
Performance and handling
The bike’s performance is dominated by superb
brakes (right), appalling assembly, and big squidgy
tyres.
Wide handlebars and a rounded tyre profile help to
bring the steering under control, but in fast cornering
the front wheel seems to want to run wide.
The disc brakes are light, progressive and powerful.
The braking ability of a bicycle is limited by its short
wheelbase and high centre of gravity. With its upright
riding position and the significant rotational inertia of
its big tyres, the Badland managed to stop from
20 km/h in an average of 3.45 metres – a deceleration of 0.46g. This is about half the
braking performance of an average car.
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VARIETY STORE BIKE – real transport, or glorified shopping trolley?
If over-applied on a hard surface, the brakes can pitch the rider over the handlebars
(below).
There’s a 3km section of bike path that takes me 8½
minutes on my old 15 kg five-speed commuter. The first
time I rode it on the Badlands, with over-tightened hubs,
rubbing brakes and under-inflated tyres, it took me twelve
minutes. That’s forty per cent more time, and forty per
cent of unnecessary effort, for the same trip.
That first ride gave me a new appreciation of why only
six to ten out of every hundred Australian adults ride
bikes, and why the average bike is used only once every
two to three weeks.
The assembly problems alone accounted for a twenty-five per cent loss of speed. After
fixing up the assembly problems, my trip time improved to 9½ minutes. This is still more
than ten per cent longer – and at least ten per cent more effort – than on my old commuter.
The Badlands’ speed is ultimately limited by the rolling resistance of the big knobbly
tyres, with their relatively low 50 psi maximum inflation pressure.
Accessories and practicality
Big W offered a spare tube and patch kit that can fit neatly into a seat bag. The seat bag
mount prevented me from adjusting the seat to a comfortable position. So for a suitable
seat bag I had to make a third trip to the local bike shop.
The water bottle cage and Repco mini pump bolted neatly together onto the frame.
The bike offered no means of securing the helmet when you are not riding. So a shopping
trip is likely to require juggling a helmet as well as your purchases. You’ll probably also
need a backpack, as the seatpost-mounted rear carrier can’t carry more than a large book.
The carrier provided some protection from the dreaded muddy-stripe-up-the-back that can
occur when riding on wet roads. This was just as well, as Big W didn’t offer mudguards.
For night riding, there is a good seatpost-mounted LED taillight. On Canberra’s unlit bike
paths the a Repco halogen/LED headlight is in adequate for more than 15 km/h.
The Repco cycle computer offered a good range of functions, but had no internal light and
thus was practically useless at night. It stopped functioning just after 900 km.
A sprung saddle greatly improved comfort, and I rounded off the accessories package with
a cable lock designed to clip onto the bike frame when not in use. The clip mount was too
short to fit around Badlands’ oversized frame tubes.
The longer seat post had an unanticipated benefit. As the rear carrier had its own reflector,
I was able to remove the original reflector from the seat post. That made enough space on
the seat post to fit the cable lock clip, seat bag, taillight and rear carrier. Short riders may
need to forego some accessories!
Reliability and Servicing
After its initial problems, the bike did more than 800 km with no maintenance other than
adjusting the brakes. The well-designed brake levers allowed the cables to be adjusted
even while riding. With more than 800 puncture-free kilometres, the tyres were clearly
above average in this regard.
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VARIETY STORE BIKE – real transport, or glorified shopping trolley?
After nine months in Canberra’s dry and salt-free climate, the black-painted front
derailleur and chainring were beginning to show signs of rust.
Dunlop recommends a monthly 20-point service that includes rebuilding the gearshift
levers, a six-monthly service and an annual full service. This adds up to an annual
servicing cost in the region of $200 to $300.
Overall impressions
$200 is exceptional value for a complete bike frame with wheels, tyres, derailleurs and
disc brakes.
The package starts to look less attractive when you factor in the extra cost and time
required to buy and fit practical accessories and to get all these parts to work properly,
high service costs, and a bike that isn’t practical on dark bike paths or in wet weather, that
can’t safely carry even one full supermarket shopping bag, and that requires ten per cent
more travel time and ten per cent more effort than a commuter bike.
Whenever I buy an apple, I have to peel off an annoying plastic sticker. But that sticker
allows the original apple grower to trace his apple right through the supply chain, to ensure
that it reaches me in good condition.
The other night I dreamt that variety stores and their bike wholesalers put stickers on all
their bikes, to ensure that they reached their customers in proper working order, and that
they met their customers' expectations. Repeat business and personal recommendations
sent their sales skyrocketing, and many more Australians rode their bikes instead of
leaving them to gather dust in the back corners of the garages.
If my dream ever becomes reality, I’ll recommend a variety store bike. Until then I’ll stick
with my local bike shop. I advise you to do the same.
Dunlop Badlands Specs
Cassette: 6 speed 14/16/18/21/24/28.
Frame: oversize all alloy / aluminium.
Optional accessories: seat bag (prevented
full range of saddle adjustment),
Size: 43cm.
sprung saddle, cycle computer,
Forks: Endura Zoom, 40mm travel.
cable lock, bidon and cage,
Tyres: WD 53-559 (26 x 1.95) knobby,
compact pump, patch kit, tyre
50 psi.
levers, spare tube, rear carrier,
halogen/LED
headlight,
LED
Weight: 15 kg.
taillight.
Colour: black/grey.
Accessories not available at the variety
Hubs: Quando.
store: longer seatpost, mudguards,
Saddle: Repco.
sturdy rear carrier, helmet lock.
Shifters: Falcon twistgrip.
Price:around $215 assembled.
Front derailleur: Falcon non-indexed.
Price as tested: approx. $430.
Rear derailleur: Shimano SIS.
Brakes: Unique cable-operated disc.
Warranty: Frame 1 year; forks 3 months;
remainder 1 month.
Crankset: 48/38/28.
Annual service costs: $200-$300 (est.)
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