Yes, that is my leg.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A high end bike review
I love high end bikes. They are things of beauty. There is nothing I love more than staring at photo after photo of carbon beauty. Not that I dislike steel, but I'm like a monkey with shiny things when it comes to carbon.
I could stare at the stuff for hours. I think it's because I also have a love for high end cars. But forget about this monkey stuff, I'm here to review a high end bike, damnit!
So here is the problem, I don't have one of those fancy bikes to stare at. If you have one, I'll stare at yours. But what I do have are my kids bikes, a Huffy Rock-It! Oh, and a Huffy Sea Star. One for each gender. If you can't figure out which is which, stop reading now, please.
Both bikes are available at Wal-Mart for a few cents under $40.00. These are 12" bikes, and do not look huge next to my new 29er. But if you are 36" tall, this might be the bike for you!
Yes, they both look that badass.
FRAME: Some sort of Chinese steel
REAR SHOCK: LegsFORK/SHOCK: Arms. Fork is steelHEADSET: Uh?STEM: Same as HeadsetHANDLEBARS: IncludedGRIPS: RubberFRONT BRAKE: Face?REAR BRAKE: CoasterBRAKE LEVERS: Legs
CASSETTE: Single speed, not fixed.CHAIN: YesCRANKSET: Custom
PEDALS: Keep falling off
FRONT TIRES: 12", rubberREAR TIRES: Also rubber
NOTES: Protective pad on handlebars. Chain Guard. Sweet paint schemes!
Lets start by saying, these bikes are amazing. My sons bike should have included wheelie bars, but I guess that's an additional cost? I haven't even seen it as an option yet.
Tire wear has been an issue. I showed my son that if he goes fast, and slams on the brakes, he leaves a black spot on the sidewalk. My daughters bike
doesn't do this, and we assume it is defective.
Pedals have had a hard time staying on. At first we thought it was because our son was a complete badass, but it turns out that the bike is an issue. I'm 6'4", 200 lbs, I know how to tighten things. I believe some thread locker might be in order. It will cause a few problems when we convert to clipless, but that's a few weeks away.
The paint seems to be rather tough actually. And the chain guard is a nice touch. It stops my kids from getting chain tattoo's at such a young age. I only wish it came with a road guard, to thwart off road rash. That might also be an additional option. I'll call the company for that info, if anyone needs it.
All in all, these are good bikes. The training wheels have only fallen off 4 times now, and that's respectable, considering my $2000 road bike didn't even include them! Helmets are a must if your kids plan on doing backflips on their bikes. Also, consider a rear light for those midnight rides.
I could stare at the stuff for hours. I think it's because I also have a love for high end cars. But forget about this monkey stuff, I'm here to review a high end bike, damnit!
So here is the problem, I don't have one of those fancy bikes to stare at. If you have one, I'll stare at yours. But what I do have are my kids bikes, a Huffy Rock-It! Oh, and a Huffy Sea Star. One for each gender. If you can't figure out which is which, stop reading now, please.
Both bikes are available at Wal-Mart for a few cents under $40.00. These are 12" bikes, and do not look huge next to my new 29er. But if you are 36" tall, this might be the bike for you!
Yes, they both look that badass.
FRAME: Some sort of Chinese steel
REAR SHOCK: LegsFORK/SHOCK: Arms. Fork is steelHEADSET: Uh?STEM: Same as HeadsetHANDLEBARS: IncludedGRIPS: RubberFRONT BRAKE: Face?REAR BRAKE: CoasterBRAKE LEVERS: Legs
Lets start by saying, these bikes are amazing. My sons bike should have included wheelie bars, but I guess that's an additional cost? I haven't even seen it as an option yet.
Tire wear has been an issue. I showed my son that if he goes fast, and slams on the brakes, he leaves a black spot on the sidewalk. My daughters bike
doesn't do this, and we assume it is defective.
Pedals have had a hard time staying on. At first we thought it was because our son was a complete badass, but it turns out that the bike is an issue. I'm 6'4", 200 lbs, I know how to tighten things. I believe some thread locker might be in order. It will cause a few problems when we convert to clipless, but that's a few weeks away.
The paint seems to be rather tough actually. And the chain guard is a nice touch. It stops my kids from getting chain tattoo's at such a young age. I only wish it came with a road guard, to thwart off road rash. That might also be an additional option. I'll call the company for that info, if anyone needs it.
All in all, these are good bikes. The training wheels have only fallen off 4 times now, and that's respectable, considering my $2000 road bike didn't even include them! Helmets are a must if your kids plan on doing backflips on their bikes. Also, consider a rear light for those midnight rides.
Well...
I'm giving this blogging thing a shot. I think I might be about 14 years behind the curve. However, I figure I should let other people work the kinks out of things before I give it a shot. I don't want to look like an idiot, do I?
Disregard that. I WILL look like an idiot at some point before I give up on this. It's something I do. I've been being an idiot for 32 years now. I only hope that my children can keep up with my tradition.
My son, Silas, who is 4, is already living up to my expectations. Abby, who is also 4, is an over-achiever. She put a lego in her nose, at 3 years old. We figured a 3 year old would know better. Both kids are very advanced, but that is a biased opinion. Apparently, it is an incorrect assumption. She made it easy to decide who I was going to put through college.
Plans for this blog?
I enjoy cycling. I like my road bike, and I like my mountain bike. Odd combo? That's how it goes. Both machines have their points. I'll get into that some other time. I also enjoy other peoples bikes. I recently enjoyed someone else's bike in Colorado. We were at a ski resort for Warrior Dash. There was an unattended bicycle, and I had been drinking. So I took it for a spin. I quickly took it right back, but I did enjoy it.
This blog should be taken... lightly? I don't take many things seriously. I don't have time to be serious. My job demands I be serious all the time, so in my off time, I like to breathe a little. And no, I'm not telling you my job, thanks for asking.
So, this is only the start. I will update this as regular as possible. I have a lot of things to say. I believe the first will be a bike review. I have a few things to get in order, then it will be posted.
trey
Disregard that. I WILL look like an idiot at some point before I give up on this. It's something I do. I've been being an idiot for 32 years now. I only hope that my children can keep up with my tradition.
My son, Silas, who is 4, is already living up to my expectations. Abby, who is also 4, is an over-achiever. She put a lego in her nose, at 3 years old. We figured a 3 year old would know better. Both kids are very advanced, but that is a biased opinion. Apparently, it is an incorrect assumption. She made it easy to decide who I was going to put through college.
Plans for this blog?
I enjoy cycling. I like my road bike, and I like my mountain bike. Odd combo? That's how it goes. Both machines have their points. I'll get into that some other time. I also enjoy other peoples bikes. I recently enjoyed someone else's bike in Colorado. We were at a ski resort for Warrior Dash. There was an unattended bicycle, and I had been drinking. So I took it for a spin. I quickly took it right back, but I did enjoy it.
This blog should be taken... lightly? I don't take many things seriously. I don't have time to be serious. My job demands I be serious all the time, so in my off time, I like to breathe a little. And no, I'm not telling you my job, thanks for asking.
So, this is only the start. I will update this as regular as possible. I have a lot of things to say. I believe the first will be a bike review. I have a few things to get in order, then it will be posted.
trey
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