BBC Watchdog program to look at BSO's

[summerdays]

Saw this on Bike Radar:

BBC consumer affairs programme Watchdog will investigate bargain basement bikes this week, with help from BikeRadar's editor-in-chief John Stevenson.

The show on Thursday (5 November) will examine the growing trend for superstores to sell cut-price flat-pack bicycles.

It will follow five people as they try to build and ride self-assembly bikes bought from Argos, Asda, Halfords, Tesco and Toys R Us.

Host John Humphrys will be joined by South Coast Bikes' Paul Topham and our own John Stevenson as he looks at the rise of the 'Bicycle Shaped Object' (BSO).

"It's easy for us bike geeks to be snotty about cheap bikes," said John Stevenson. "But I'd be amazed if anyone watching this show isn't convinced that they really are a bad way to spend your money."

Hopefully I will remember to watch it.

 

[TheDoctor]

I wonder if it'll put anyone off buying the latest one I saw in Sports Direct earlier.
18 speed, full boingy-boingy, disk brakes both ends, £99.
Rear mech was a Shimano Tourney clone made largely of plastic.
That's going to be so good...

 

[alecstilleyedye]

wafflycat will be along shortly with an excellent link to one of mr topham's articles on the bso…

 

[PaulB]

I wonder if it'll put anyone off buying the latest one I saw in Sports Direct earlier.
18 speed, full boingy-boingy, disk brakes both ends, £99.

Just saw several similar in Tescos where they'd just had a delivery and were getting them out in time for christmas.

 

[Mr Pig]

Ahhh, wondered what a BSO was! ;0) Should be a fun program. When is it on?

 

[sheddy]

8pm ish I guess, but the actual item will be on the iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/

 

[Steve Austin]

I saw a bright green kawasaki bso the other day, and i know it will be awful, but it was a rather pretty green