Free Professional Assembly

August 6th, 2008

Sometimes I am asked what is wrong with department store bikes.  I give a whole list of reasons, but I just came across a great illustration of the problem…

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401233

In case the picture is gone, I’ve included it here…    of course this bike is mail-order (assemble it yourself), but I often see assembly work just like this at departments stores that offer “free professional assembly.”

Professional Assembly Included

Quickly off the top of my head:

  • Fork installed backwards! (Yikes!)
  • Handlebars not flipped up correctly.
  • Cables all tangled, not of proper length
  • Nose of saddle pointing up too much (ouch!)
  • Reflectors not properly aligned (won’t provide proper visibility)
  • Plastic piece meant to keep the axle from poking through the box not removed
  • Sold as a “26 inch frame”, trust me, it’s NOT a 26″ frame… it’s a one-size-fits-few frame

And that’s just what I can see!  Were the bearings properly adjusted? Were the wheels properly tensioned?  Is the stem binder properly torqued?  Is the saddle binding bolt tight? Are the shifters adjusted correctly?  I doubt it.

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A *BIG* bike!

August 1st, 2008

1981 Schwinn Voyageur S/P, 68 cm
I’ve been looking for a bike that fits me for some time… and I think I’ve found it…

A 68 cm, 1982 Schwinn Voyageur S/P!!  It needs a bit of work before I can ride it:

  • new stem (en route)
  • headset adjustment
  • overhaul all bearings
  • re-tension and true the wheels
  • clean and touch up paint some rust spots
  • polish the aluminum
  • put wider handlebars on it (I dislike the older narrow bars) and put on some barend shifters that I have sitting in my parts box.  The downtube shifters would be fine, if they weren’t so far away!!

The picture is the picture that the seller put on Craigslist…

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