New $99 700C Tire Road Bike

[jamesbenedict]

I noticed few new bike options in Australia. Canada with same population as Australia has many more buying options. Cheapest new bike in Australia is $150 ($100 US) thus one cheap bike option does exist. Anyways, how can a manufacture sell a 27 inch road bike for just $99 US? My Ecarpat for $99 even has disc brakes. Two for dinner out can cost $99 and nothing is left once you leave.

[Mr Purple]

I once walked into a bike shop looking for some cheap padded casual riding shorts so I could go riding on my road bike with my wife, and walked out with a new mountain bike instead because it was cheaper.

I believe it was $40 at the time, 2008 or so.

The answer is at that price point they vaguely look like a bike and that's it. This one even had Shimano components and lasted a total if two short rides before ending up in hard rubbish. The front brake mount was so far out of alignment that you couldn't adjust it to both simultaneously clear the brake track and actually work.

I assume they exist as bait to lure you into the shop and buy something actually functional.

[jamesbenedict]

My $99 bike operates flawlessly.

[bychosis]

Canada is next door to a much larger market and is within easy road shipping distance of that market.

When your customers cannot easily get to nearby larger markets, especially for larger items like bicycles you can charge a lot more.

[fat and old]

Anyways, how can a manufacture sell a 27 inch road bike for just $99 US?

I don't know. I can sell you a bridge for $99 US though

[MichaelB]

… Cheapest new bike in Australia is $150 ($100 US) thus one cheap bike option does exist. Anyways, how can a manufacture sell a 27 inch road bike for just $99 US? …

That’s because it is made of cheap and nasty components

[jamesbenedict]

I only see quality components. Ecarpat bikes are rated at 4.2 Stars. That is a high rating.

[g-boaf]

Rated by who, or what?

Internet is full of fake reviews by bots or human bots paid to write them.

[Derny Driver 2]

Rated by who, or what?

Internet is full of fake reviews by bots or human bots paid to write them.

here is one such 5 star review from their site

i returned it i wasnt lucky, it was damaged i used it just one day, but i gonna give 5 stars because its really a beautiful bike , not heavy, nice looking. this thing can happened to every item . i just do not need a bike anymore but maybe i will buy it again.

[Andy01]

I only see quality components. Ecarpat bikes are rated at 4.2 Stars. That is a high rating.

James, when I looked at the Amazon link when you first posted it, I actually couldn't see much detail at all regarding things like drivetrain & brakes. Are these components Shimano, SRAM etc (which groupset), are the brakes Tektro or similar (or better), or are they unknown (probably Chinese) brands that have tried to copy the quality brands ?

Generally if a budget bike has "quality" components from a big brand like Shimano, it is a "headline" feature like "Shimano drivetrain" - even though it is the most most basic 6 or 7 speed Shimano setup that is staill available since it was launched 25 years ago - budget bikes shout it from the rooftops. Where there is no reference at all to component brands (like yours), it always raises my "antenna" because my reaction (rightly or wrongly) is that if they were any good it would be mentioned in the advert

I don't think anyone on here is actually familiar with the bike you bought (or even the brand) because it seems like an unknown brand (at least in Australia).

In Australia we have plenty of bikes (or as some call them, BSO - Bicycle Shaped Object) that are available for similarly low (ridiculously low) prices from big department stores like KMart (similar to WalMart) - some have basic entry level components from brands like Shimano, but the biggest problem is the way they are put together - many (most) are assembled very poorly with loose screws or bolts, components incorrectly (sometimes dangerously so) assembled etc etc. Those bikes are truly only worth it for people who either only actually ride it very occasionally, or want it as a "beater" that they can ride to the beach or shops without needing to lock it up (because no-one really wants it) or worrying that it will rust from salty air etc. Many would still rather buy an older (but originally quality) second hand bike than a new "cheapie".

As regards Amazon ratings, I personally take them with a dump-truck full of salt (never-mind a pinch). I think that many people (if they are, in fact, real) seem to rate the items when the unpack the parcel and see that it look like the picture - without ever having used it. I never read the 4 & 5 star reviews but rather focus on the poor ratings because they are far more likely to be truthful. I have seen Amazon items rated 4.7 stars, but when you read the poor reviews you find out that it actually doesn't do what it is supposed to do at the most basic level (like a "Floating GoPro camera handle" - that doesn't float because the handle leaks and fills up with water), so it is a real head-scratcher how it gets 4.7 stars.

This forum tends to be used mostly by cycling enthusiasts who rightly or wrongly, buy quality (and often extremely costly) bikes or components, so many users look at the BSOs with complete disdain (again, rightly or wrongly). These ultra-cheap bikes do serve a purpose, but are generally not a great idea for a person who actually wants to ride regularly and places some value on things like trouble-free gear changes, and reliable effective braking - over a longer term, not just for the first few rides.

It is great that you are happy with your bike and think it is a quality purchase, and I really hope that it is, and you get lots of enjoyable rides on it. I think that you have your work cut out for you if you are trying to convince others on this forum to buy BSOs though. My Giant Roam 1 (Shimano Deore 10spd, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, front air shocks, Giant alloy frame etc) is probably regarded as a "budget" bike on this forum and it costs today around AU$1400.

[jamesbenedict]

I have had no issues with the bike. No loose bolts, etc. Smooth gear shifting. It works flawlessly.

[Bunged Knee]

I have had no issues with the bike. No loose bolts, etc. Smooth gear shifting. It works flawlessly.

Yeah, but how many times did you ride it and for how many miles?????

Whynot ride up to 50 miles everyday for a month to see if it got problems that you might find?????

I don't trust reviews in Amazon and there's no over 100+ glowing reviews.....

[warthog1]

^^Well said. We have all ridden Bicycle shaped objects from department stores or similar.
They simply dont compare favourably to a decent bike with good componentry even in the short term, let alone over the long term.
Want to buy a good ride cheaply? Quality stuff second hand is the easiest way.

[CmdrBiggles]

I only see quality components. Ecarpat bikes are rated at 4.2 Stars. That is a high rating.

It's a bit difficult to make sense of US-centric things, but...um... who is rating it?? If it is below 8 stars in my book, it's a fail!
Even a bare-bones Shimano basement bargain wouldn't cost so little.

My $99 bike operates flawlessly.

Holy carp! A flawlessly working $99 velo: tell you what, that would have been very high up on my budgeted "must have" list...albeit, 47 years ago! when I first clipped in!!

Yep, Spring (Australian) of '77, as a consolation prize to losing the great Elvis a cuppla months before...
That's when I bought my first bike — a Peugeot Verace, all 21kg of steel and metal, 10 speeds, decent brakes, for all of $230 (1977 prices!). I was pleased as punch. My parents — not so.

Miracles happened. I completed my first 38km "touring cyclist induction ride" from Gisborne to Bacchus Marsh, luckily for the tour leader that ride is all downhill! , and kept the bike for two years before saving enough money for a touring bicycle that cost all of 12x the Peugeot! Even then almost 50 years back, $99 bikes were something you just did not look at.

Please do not fall into the trap that a cheap bike will last the distance for you, reliably and free of trouble and importantly, requiring minimal effort. Such bikes in that price range might be good for a burble to the corner store, but not really road-going, or even open road going (the preserve of proper, and definitely not cheap, road bikes).

Here's something to remember: Economics. Economics, James, forbids you paying a little and getting a lot.

[jamesbenedict]

Bikes are not cars. Not complicated.

[2wheels_mond]

Might as well pack up the forum and go home everyone - jamesbenedict has found the perfect bike. Makes me feel like a dummy for spending more on mine!

[Mr Purple]

I think this is the bike in question.




3x8 LTwoo drivetrain, cable discs with a bit of a scary looking bolt in thru axle (I think).

Agree it's not awful for the price. But I reckon i could break it on the first climb. Maybe even with the 7 broken bones I currently have.

Different market.

[Duck!]

3x8 LTwoo drivetrain, cable discs with a bit of a scary looking bolt in thru axle (I think).

Nah, just a standard old-school nutted axle. Looks like the same on the rear, which will mean a basic freewheel cluster and almost guaranteed axle breakage somewhere down the line.

[CmdrBiggles]

Bikes are not cars. Not complicated.

Oh, James!

[Mr Purple]

3x8 LTwoo drivetrain, cable discs with a bit of a scary looking bolt in thru axle (I think).

Nah, just a standard old-school nutted axle. Looks like the same on the rear, which will mean a basic freewheel cluster and almost guaranteed axle breakage somewhere down the line.

You’d know, thanks!

I’ve ridden rubbish bikes for years and that technology is before even my time.

[jamesbenedict]

QUOTE: 'Might as well pack up the forum and go home everyone - jamesbenedict has found the perfect bike. Makes me feel like a dummy for spending more on mine!'

Not the perfect bike but it works without breaking and is only for exercise, not competition. No failures reported on reviews unlike other cheap bikes. The perfect bike costs thousands of dollars. This bike is a 32lb ''slug'', but only $99. And, $99 is significant.

[bychosis]

If its good for ypu to ride, don't listen to the others. Keep tmriding it. It's more important that YOU think its good to ride.

Having said that, I've ridden really cheap bikes and while they are serviceable if adjusted as well as possible they don't tend to stay in adjustment very well and the difference in ride quality is quickly apparent if you ride a more expensive bike.

I dont think I'm a full on bike snob, but I really appreciate the difference between a big box store bike and an entey level bike shop bike. After you get two or three models up the range it really is a diminishing return on investment.

[jamesbenedict]

The closest equivalent 70cm tire (27.5 inch) road bike in Australia is the 70cm Copenhagen Urban Bike for $189 ($128 US) available at Kmart. Or, 66cm tire (26.5 inch) road bike Tourex Bike for $119 ($82 US) available at Kmart.

Cheapest Kmart road bike in USA is $280.

[JPB]

An analogy:
If the last car you drove was an average 1980's car then a current budget model car will be a stellar jump and feel great, and will do all the things you want a car to do.
But if you take a Lexus, Merc, BMW etc. for a test drive the lack of refinement in the budget car will be apparent. And then if you take a full on sports car for a drive the extra performance will become apparent but depending on what you chose some of the comfort factor may be compromised.

Bikes are the same. When I upgraded from my budget bike to a Claris equipped road bike I was loving it, but then as I did more Ks at faster speeds the clunky shifting of the Claris got to me and I traded up to an older but better equipped bike with Ultegra. Chalk and Cheese.

James, if you are enjoying your bike, that is all that matters. And when you wear it out, have a look around and treat yourself to a nice second hand bike in a higher spec level and then you will be really grinning.

[jamesbenedict]

No doubt a used high-end bike will perform better, but the new bike is for exercise only and at my 70s age it would make little difference to me.