Posts Tagged ‘bike’
Great Choice …. I use Topeak JoeBlow Max II Floor Bike Pump for my commuter bike … some mornings just a few strokes and I am done filling in the air in my cycle tires. Both valves are excellent fit and pressure gauge is accurate.
Good for learning about bicycles…. … because you have to learn all about them to get Pacific Grays Peak Mens Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike working.
Shipping was fairly fast, taking a couple weeks to get to my semi-minor town.
Firstly I notice the tires were twisted funny on the wheels. Very cheap. I had to adjust the tires to get everything roughly symmetrical while gradually putting air in. This took half an hour.
From here I followed the instructions and put on the front tire, seat and handlebars. No problems here. Took another half hour because I’d never done it before. Well, just be sure to tighten the handlebars REALLY well. I fell the first rut I hit because I lost my steering.
The next unofficial thing needed is truing the wheels while gradually tightening the brakes. The included instructions make no mention of how to do this, and you’ll have to find out via google. I found it’s important to adjust the brakes while truing, or else you’ll go nuts trying to figure out why the brakes don’t work right. I lost probably 3 hours on this.
Next goes on to derailleur adjustment… this is where my nightmare truly began. The instructions tell you what to do, but leave out a critical step: NOTICE THE ORIENTATION OF THE ADJUSTMENT WIRES AND FLIP THEM AROUND AS NECESSARY TO MAKE SHIFTING EASIER!! I found I couldn’t operate the front shifter at all with all the strength I had. Then I just unbolted the adjustment wire and spun it around the other way on the bolt. Suddenly shifting took less than half the oomph of before! Too bad the derailleur actually BENT in this experience. I torqued the shifter so hard it ripped and bent a metal part. I emailled the company and they got me a new one in a couple weeks.
Then I realized I couldn’t install the new derailleur without using a chain tool to temporarily break the chain — a tool I did not have. So I ordered a $20 tool to do the job. That was another week of delay. I think I spent upwards of 8 hours just on the derailleurs.
So over approximately 5 weeks and 12 hours of active effort, I now have a finished bicycle I don’t really trust so much. If I hit a bump or shift gears fast, the chain pops right off. But hey, at least it was cheap and looks nice. I do like the shock system too — it is a fairly cushioned ride.
Ouch!. When I first purchased this product for my son he was enthusiastic. Once we got GMC Topkick Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike home, assembled it, and started riding, the enthusiasim quickly wore off.
The derailers shift very sloppily, Had to replace them in week 2, the “shock” is a cheap spring that has little or no adjustment (replacement ~$ 200.00), the handle bar neck (2 bolt clasp) comes loose during every ride, replaced that neck in week 2 with a 4 bolt version, the front shocks started sticking in the 2nd week, I’m looking for new ones (avg cost ~$200.00).
Save your money and buy a more high end bike that already has these quality components, otherwise you will be spending lots of time at your local bikestore upgrading like I am.
LId me. Good helmet for down town runs and light riding near the house. Comfy and good fit.
Good bike, bad shipping . The bike is great now that I have all the parts. The box that Razor MX650 Dirt Rocket Electric Motocross Bike was shipped in was in bad shape and parts were missing. I guess that’s what you get with free shipping.
Excellent light. I purchased this light for an electric SLX scooter with relatively small diameter handle bars. Regarding mounting the bracket to the handle bars, the instructions are very clear. The mounting strap has ratchets that allow 3 clicks. When I clicked Planet Bike 3044 Blaze 1-Watt LED Headlight to the tightest position and then used the cam lock for the final adjustment it was fairly snug, but since the handle bars of the scooter were just over 3/4″ dia and a regular bike handle bar diameter is 1″ I found that using a rubber shim strap that I have from previous Cat Eye light made for a more secure fit. For a regular bike handle bar the built in rubber shim that only covers part of the strap should be more than adequate. I doubt it was designed for the very narrow handlebars of scooters.
As to the light itself it definitely lives up to its name, having a much brighter and whiter spectrum than the Cat Eye incadescents which take 4 AA’s. The Blaze is very bright easily lighting up refective signs and this from only 2 AA’s and at a very reasonable price. Another useful safety feature is the “cutouts” around the sides of the lens that help make you more visible to motorists from the sides. The power switch has 3 settings first steady light, second a noticeably brighter constant on and lastly the flashing setting with a brighter flasher every 6th flash.
I have been very impressed with several Planet Bike products and this is no exception. Hope this review helps.
A brief update. Having received a similar model – the 1/2 watt Blaze and mounting it to a regular bike handle bar, I have come to conclusion that if you want a really secure fit it requires using a rubber shim – these are widely available – that fits between the bracket and the handle bar itself. The small included shim, which is permanently attached to the mounting strap, does not cover enough area to really allow the bracket not to slip. Most lights come with these rubber shims and their Protege 9.0 computer comes with several of differing thicknesses.
Still a great light and still would give it 5 stars, but does require a little modification for a really slip free mounting.
good beginner to intermediate road bike at a great price. I provided this same review for the Schwinn Seneca, as they are nearly identical bike. The neck is the most noticable difference.
This is my first road bike. I’m 5′6″ w/inseam of 30″ and bought the Medium size (18″/54cm). I just started doing triathlons and Boys’ Magna 20 Invader BMX Bike is a good match for my level. After 2 months of research from various websites (triathlon gears, bikes direct, eBay, Amazon, and many others) this is my top choice for a bike under $350 that has all that I need. I got it shipped to me from sports authority (.com) and it arrived in 7 days. My price was $335 total. My local sports authority store offered to put it together for free. I brought the boxed bike down & it literally took them 20 minutes. You can do it yourself w/an Allen wrench and pair of pliers. I did a triathlon w/it the next day and it was a good performing bike. I would suggest in getting the derailleur professionally tuned as mine has some instances to stay between gears. This bike does NOT have paddle shifter. The gear shifter is on top of the handle bars vs. on the brake shifters. This makes it a little inconvience during racing. Add paddle shifter if you plan to race. It is a light bike at 26 lbs. I added a bottle holder for the triathlon. I plan to use it as a commuter & training bike also. Overall I’m happy w/the bike for the performance and price. Especially the price and how sharp it looks compared to all the other intro bikes. There’s a thick frame arm (like the $1000s bikes and the forks don’t look cheap, plus I like the paint. I’ll know more with more miles.
GiGi-Hannah’s grandmother. Love it, love Mongoose ShowTime Boys Bike and love it. Super fast shipping. I bought this for my granddaughter who just turned 3 years old. Easy to assemble and great quality for a tricycle. She not only loves the tricycle, but has a blast with the bell. This tricyle is made like the bike of yester years. Super price on Amazon along with the free shipping. I would recommend this product to all who are considering the first tricyles. A+A+A+
good decent bike. This bike is not a mountain bike but for the flat off road trails where I live Kent Trail Machine Mens Dual Suspension Mountain Bike is most suitable, I found the initial build quality to be excellent. The wheels were true and everything has worked as to be expected. I paid the $179 with free shipping, overall for the money a good deal.
Good product — poor packaging. My sister absolutely loves the bike. The only problem I had is that the box had a hole in Huffy Cranbrook 24-Inch Cruiser Bike and some of the parts(seat bolt and fender bolts and nuts) were missing and the frame was scratched from all the loose parts. It was not packaged very well.