(09-04-2022, 01:12 PM)ichitan Wrote: The quality of some modern less-expensive bikes is becoming ridiculous. Here is one which broke in 2 hours. It had serious problems way before that.
I know, going off jumps is harsh on the bike. If he did not go off jumps, it would last longer.
The truth is, if it was just ridden on off road tracks, it would last longer, but still not very long.
It would not be difficult for manufacturers to strengthen the weaker parts of the bike. But don't expect them to.
So be aware when buying cheap bikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLJxJfELsOc
If you don't read the owner's manual, warning decals, and have a bike improperly assembled you can damage the bike (or yourself) regardless of quality. My road bikes are not designed for stunts; and many "mountain" bikes are not designed for it either. Do not go by looks (radical suspensions, disc brakes, etc.) when buying these cheaper (or any) bikes. I have read warning labels on "mtb's" that specifically state that jumping, stunts, and off-road riding is not what the bike is designed for and can void the warranty.
Most low piced bikes are designed for minimal light use. They were never designed for serious riding whether on or off-road.
I have only cracked one frame in all my decades of riding, and why did it happen on a bike that was quality built? It broke because I was riding a 25 year (at the time) old balloon tire bike in mtb conditions and definitely not using it as it was intended. Of course with an old bike built like a tank; a simple weld job and I was back to using that bike for more off-roading. Fun to be a kid and not care about my bike or body, but I would not think about what I did with that kids bike on a fake mtb produced in mind boggling quantities welded by machines that don't do QC on every frame. Old bikes were more properly inspected per piece; new bikes may be inspected every 100 or 1000 pieces as they come off the line, but only in a cursory manner.
My oldest brother just found what appeared to he a nearly unused "mtb" (department store type). At first I thought he bought a nice mtb, but found out that it was a roadside pick up and he had no clue as to its viability. Full susp. and disc brakes. After inspecting it I found it to be a heavy cheaply built frame with probably the cheapest disc brakeset I have ever seen. I refused to ride test ride it.
Best component on the bike were the tires. I only warned him (he's 65, but still rides trails) not the use it until a full inspection was done by a knowledgeable mechanic, and that he not use it for anything other than flat trails (no jumps, rocks, or roots) if he wants it to perform safely for some period of time, and this bike had no warning decals about not using it off-road. He very well might have found a real mtb (albeit low a cost one), but I would never ride it for any type of off-road use other than casual gravel trail rides given its overall build quality.
That being said; all new bikes and components provided for sale in the US still need to pass CPSC standards to be put on the market so even cheap bikes must meet minimum safety design standards for their intended use.
I watched the video related to a folding "mtb". No information was provided about the bike's spec's or intended designed use other than the price (£250) and where it was purchased from (Amazon). I was curious about the weight, frame material, and other info never disclosed.
The bike certainly did not look like much of an mtb regardless of having full suspension.
I can only thank the guy for putting his lfe on the line using a bike well beyond (I believe) its intended use; and continuing to ride even with it being in an unsafe rideable condition given evident frame damage which had already occurred before the catastrophic breakdown.
Unfortunately, all that was really shown was how a product will breakdown when being used for a purpose not in harmony with its design and intended use.
If the bike was advertised as being able to be utilized in the same manner as the rider had shown then I would probably be suing the bike company; but if it was never intended for the use shown then the video is meaningless in determining the actual quality of the bike based on its design, intended use, and price range.
I guarantee that someone has bought that bike and is happy with it just because it folds and doesn't care how, or if it will handle "big air". Its like using a plastic beach sand shovel to do gardening with instead of a full size steel bladed shovel (wait for my video!). Both can essentially do the same thing, but one will do the job horribly for a short period of time. Of course, that cheap kids sand shovel will last just fine when used according to its intended purpose and design; and I hate packing that garden shovel to bring to the beach even though I could do essentially the same job with it.
I doubt folks who are buying a folding bike plan do much of anything other than some basic casual light recreational cycling, commuting, etc. Something to carry on vacations that you can pull out of the car and ride up the trail to see the sights.
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