BSO

[abo]

Are the Decathlon £100 mtb's considered BSO's as I was going to get my daughter one for her nearly 2 mile commute? Seems to have shimano bits on it?

Don't be distracted by the fact something has 'Shimano' in it. There is Shimano, and then there is Shimano if you see what I mean.

Best bet would be to look for some (independant) reviews on it or *ask in here*, you'll get an honest answer as to whether something is worth buying or not.

Though, the Decathlon bikes do have a good reputation.

 

[chillyuk]

I have an early model Ridgeback Adventure hybrid that I do a lot of miles on. The groupset on it is the same as found on most BSO's, ie, basic Shimano SIS and it has a steel frame and is fairly heavy. It does have indexed front and rear shifters but apart from that it fulfills the definition of a BSO, yet because it has the name Ridgeback on the frame that somehow makes it not a BSO.

I can see where Rowan 46 is coming from and I think that we tend not to differentiate those who want a bike to pop to the shops or half a mile to work but apart from that have very little interest in cycling and those who take cycling seriously. A £100 BSO will meet the needs of the former and a very fat wallet will meet the needs of the latter.

 

[tyred]

I own what would probably be termed a BSO, a 1990s Townsend MTB, very heavy with the cheapest available Shimano groupset from the time and plastic brakes. It works, I covered a few thousand miles on it (With slick tyres, rack and mudguards) without problems. I tend to keep it for the snow now and don't really ride it much but that's only because I've grown to love the old steel road bikes I seem to have collected and this or any other MTB is not really what I want to ride.

I see many people riding BSOs up and down the cycle path in this town everyday after work. They seem to be enjoying themselves. Should I go and tell them they can't possibly be enjoying their cycling as their bikes are heaps of cheap shoot? For this type of low intensity leisure cycling, I would personally recommend an old roadster but it down to personal preference and some like to have new things. MTBS also tend to have low gearing which can be a benefit to the unfit, something not really available on a rod-braked Raleigh.

Not everybody wants or needs (or can afford) a high end road bike and for someone who only wants to cycle a few miles at a time at a leisurely pace, these bikes are usually perfectly adequate. Yes, some of these, especially the ones with suspension are a total load of shoot but many of the more basic ones like my Townsend are perfectly serviceable.

 

[StuartG]

The question is whether these are bikes or imitation of a bike.

They usually boast what looks like impressive specification - and if you think that x+1 gears must be better than x (and if you know nothing about bikes why not?) which, as said here, means complicated components unable to withstand the stress. Result broken or unreliable and uncomfortable to ride. Likely to send a potential convert to cycling back to the bus or car. That's why we hate BSOs with avengeance.

You just can't make a £1000 27 gear suspension bike for £100. And I would NOT put a new or utility cyclist on a £1000 spec bike anyway.

The problem is that few retailers of any sort sell good basic bikes for city riding. Basic bike? - well no gears unless you need them (more areas than not are flat and no gears are easier for novices and give the most reliable cycling). Then hub gears if you do need them. Again requires almost no care and are easy to adjust. Takes cost right out. A simple reliable bike is possible for £100. Tescos just don't sell them. That's because few would choose them.

That's the crux of the problem - US. How we pre-educate ourselves to what's best before we buy and then have them available is an issue. Till then the best I can do is use the BSO moniker & abuse to all those £70 'great deals' that appear on Hotukdeals.com et al. I get abuse back but a few might get the message.

 

[abo]

Found this on Gumtree, description says it all really

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Case closed m'lord

Found this on Gumtree, description says it all really

 

[Paulus]

I think it says more about his son than the bike.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

You could be right.

I think it says more about his son than the bike.

 

[abo]

I think it says more about his son than the bike.

Heh yeah maybe

 

[exbfb]

My wife recently learnt to cycle (at the age of 48) on a BSO.

She loves her BSO because of that.

She still struggles with hills and the gears cause a bit of consternation at this early stage. No matter, she can now cycle without falling off. I am not aware of when she will need more from a bike than the BSO currently provides. I will be more likely to work that out before she does, maybe not. This was a Gumtree purchase.

My daughter's bike which is older than here (she's 9) is possibly a BSO as well, but she also loves here bike. It fits her, goes well and does what's required of it. It cost me £25 off gumtree, it's a Raleigh Shugo from some time last century. Between that and the wife's bike, I think I'm in to a total of about £50 at this point.

Yes, I have my new road bike, but with C2W, I could hardly say no. I'm just as attached to my gifted Diamondback which, being a gift, cost the square root of diddly squat. Not sure if this qualifies as a BSO these days, care even less.

A BSO is for life, not just for Christmas. As long as you feed it and oil it as required.

 

[benb]

My wife recently learnt to cycle (at the age of 48) on a BSO.

She loves her BSO because of that.

She still struggles with hills and the gears cause a bit of consternation at this early stage. No matter, she can now cycle without falling off. I am not aware of when she will need more from a bike than the BSO currently provides. I will be more likely to work that out before she does, maybe not. This was a Gumtree purchase.

My daughter's bike which is older than here (she's 9) is possibly a BSO as well, but she also loves here bike. It fits her, goes well and does what's required of it. It cost me £25 off gumtree, it's a Raleigh Shugo from some time last century. Between that and the wife's bike, I think I'm in to a total of about £50 at this point.

Yes, I have my new road bike, but with C2W, I could hardly say no. I'm just as attached to my gifted Diamondback which, being a gift, cost the square root of diddly squat. Not sure if this qualifies as a BSO these days, care even less.

A BSO is for life, not just for Christmas. As long as you feed it and oil it as required.

Therefore it's not a BSO.

 

[abo]

Therefore it's not a BSO.

+1 they sound like they've never needed anything but regular maintenance; they are fit for purpose (being ridden without falling to bits) so they aren't BSOs

 

[HLaB]

I think I would categorise my first bike when I got back into cycling as a near BSO; it weighed a ton and was very cheap (about £150 punt/ 220euro iirc), no bosses, grip shift but other than the usual new chain/ cassette break pads, cables and tyres it never needed, much except for a new brake lever. Picked it up and when I dropped it p1$$ed I decided to walk home

 

[ianrauk]

BSO's are bikes from supermarkets that cost next to nothing, more often then not full suss bikes with crap components made out of cheese ie plastic brake levers, wrong way round front forks, untrue wheels, nasty saddles.

It's nothing to do with the person who rides one, it's the bike itself.
There's very little wrong if someone wants to buy/ride a BSO. But as long as people don't expect the bike to last. Some people are quite happy riding them. Handy for pub/shop hacks etc. And if they help get more people on bikes then that is a good thing.

It's nothing to do with snobbery.

 

[mightyquin]

If someone doesn't 'know' about bikes, then it's easy to see why they might not understand what the difference is between a BSO and a proper bike. I'm not being a snob because I don't know that much myself, but I'm learning.

If that someone wants a bike, probably thinking about using it for a bit of running about on sunny weekends, and sees a 'mountain' bike for £99 in the supermarket, or something that looks very similar in the LBS shop window for £500, they'll probably think "why pay more" and buy the BSO.

Of course, you do get what you pay for, but to a novice it's not immediately obvious where the extra £'s have gone. Wheels are wheels, brakes are brakes etc. etc.

Someone gave me a Decathlon 'mountain' bike recently. It's pretty much new, abandoned in their communal garage. Stuck some new tyres on it and gave it a clean and it's my beater bike, to take out when I don't want to worry about where I leave it. Bloody heavy and clunky though!