The Bike Saga Continues

Well the next chapter in the struggle to get a good biking experience continues as I borrowed a bike, which was also made in China, and rode my customary 8.25 mile trip. This bike seemed worlds apart from the previous bike, despite the fact that it was purchased at a lower price and used.

For starters, the new bike had solid metal on the entirety of the pedals and on the gears. As a result, I could ride it uphill offroad without fear of the pedals breaking off. Secondly, it was built much heavier and was a much easier bike to ride offroad as a result because it got a lot of momentum from the weight. Finally, the wheels kept the air better than the other bike, which is nice because I am a big rider so I pump them up every couple of runs.

In conclusion, the difference between the two bikes is most likely due to very different specifications between factories. This is one of my theories as to why there are so many recalls of Chinese products, since many American companies likely will not put total effort into product specification as they figure it is cheaper to have a few recalled than to increase the labor costs by having more training for the workers.

As far as the bike is concerned, I found a local bike repair place, so I shall just get the parts changed out for better quality Western components. The good part of the story is that I have a greater appreciation for the differences in bicycles and have gotten into the habit of casual bike riding.