The problem with "entry-level"

[GarthW]

"Entry-level." I hate that term! Before Bicycling magazine foolishly shut down its forum and dumped tons of great posts from a few super knowledgeable members, new people often came in asking for advice on what to buy for $xxx (some ridiculously low price), saying, "I don't want to spend much until I find out if I'm really going to like cycling and stick with it." Then they'd ignore our advice and go buy something cheap, usually from a department store, something that was sluggish, didn't handle well, parts didn't work well, and it was hard to maintain.

What usually happens then is that they get discouraged, and two years later when the bike is hanging in their garage with two flat tires and a thick layer of dust and you ask, "Hey, how's the cycling going?", they usually answer, "Oh, I guess cycling just wasn't for me," not realizing that almost anyone would conclude the same thing if they start with such junk. At the time (probably around 2012), the bottom of the line of real road bikes from most major manufacturers (Trek, Specialized, Giant, BMC, etc.), sold in bike shops, cost about $700 IIRC; and since the competition there was pretty stiff, you'd get approximately the same thing from all of them, meaning one was not not really any better than another, as long as you bought from one of the major manufacturers of real road bikes, not imitation junk.

We also strongly recommended against buying online, since the newbie needs the support of a real bike shop for proper assembly, fit, maintenance, and other things, and online sellers like Bikes Direct had tons of bad reviews for problems that had no excuse to exist. Invariably, someone would chime in with, "I bought a bike from Bikes Direct, and it has been fine," and I would respond with, "All that proves is that the failure rate is not 100%. That's not very useful information."

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Some people just can't afford to spend much on a bike hence the low budget. The major bike companies have price gouged consumers to such an extent that budget bikes (or "entry level") no longer exist for most major brands, your starting point in the UK is likely to be well in excess of £1000, probably closer to £2k.

Shops like Halfords and Decathlon do offer some decent looking starter options under their own brands for around £500.

For UK based riders you are better off going second hand, the bottom has fallen out of the market and you would easily find a decent brand name bike for £200-300 now (bikes that retailed for £800-1200 new). I sold a barely used Spesh tarmac last year. Was £1250 new (I paid £850 on sale). I got about £200 on ebay.

 

[GarthW]

I do wish there were a way to find good used bikes that match one's needs and desires. There are used-car lots, and you can also buy lots of used cars from private parties, but not so with bicycles. Most people keep their old bicycles when they get new ones, whether because they don't know how to sell them, or have more emotional attachment to something that doesn't take nearly as much space to store as a car does, or they want to keep it as a backup, or whatever.

The band teacher at the elementary school where my wife used to teach told of times where for example a child would come in one morning just beaming, with a brand-new flute, and he sees it, and his heart sinks, because it's a cheap Chinese one, and it will be hard to play and ever get a good sound out of, and the child will get discouraged and give up and never pick up an instrument again. "And what do you say to the parent standing at the door smiling?" he says. He wished they would just keep renting and hold off until they could save up enough for a much better flute, dramatically improving the child's chance of success. Same thing with bikes.

 

[Punkawallah]

The nice boys at Cade media consider £4-500 as ‘entry level’, and are pleasantly surprised at the standard for the price. For second hand bikes you could do worse than your local bike charity. If it’s anything like mine was their bikes will be serviced and road ready, and they can at least set up your choice for you on buying.
You might pay a bit more buying from a shop-front, but you should find after-sales more convenient.

 

[AndyRM]

What a weird term to hate.

 

[Chief Broom]

Oh no! ive been riding an entry level bike for 4 years now, the shame of it 🥵, pardon me while i set myself on fire and ride off a cliff! *

*unless it breaks down

 

[fossyant]

I do wish there were a way to find good used bikes that match one's needs and desires.

ebay, faceache marketplace...?

 

[All uphill]

I'm an entry level person.

I do the job, but if you are status conscious you'll want something flashier.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

I too have an entry level bike, 2010 Claude Butler Roubaix with Sora. It has been upgraded all round over the years, wheels, brakes, derailleurs, brifters etc. It is still an entry level bike but so what ? A bike is whatever you want it to be and disregard any snobbery. I also have a 10 speed Tiagra and a 11speed carbon for summer. When it comes to winter, out comes the entry level Claude Butler, complete with mudguards. At the end of the day manufacturers start somewhere for pricing and bikes are more expensive than they were a few years back. A Chris Froome in this world would be nearly as fast on an entry level whilst average Joe public would not be proportionately faster on the lightest carbon. Don`t be put off by entry level. My thoughts anyway.

 

[GarthW]

Ok, I probably should have picked a different title. I had written,

Before Bicycling magazine foolishly shut down its forum and dumped tons of great posts from a few super knowledgeable members, new people often came in asking for advice on what to buy for $xxx (some ridiculously low price), saying, "I don't want to spend much until I find out if I'm really going to like cycling and stick with it." Then they'd ignore our advice and go buy something cheap, usually from a department store, something that was sluggish, didn't handle well, parts didn't work well, and it was hard to maintain.

and then went on to tell what happens. The problem is not the "entry level" from major, respectable manufacturers. It's when people don't want to step up to even that legitimate entry level, and they buy something from a department store or online seller that's cheap and does not give the support that a newbie needs.

 

[Oldhippy]

Entry level to what? Would be professional racers, cycling in general or just a decent bike that doesn't weigh a ton? I'd look at second hand if I really thought I needed more than one decent bike, so many (imo) get sucked into the marketing guff. My tourer is built like a tank, goes anywhere at a pace and does it all for me. It would never occur to me to have a separate bike for every 'style' of riding. I just get on my bike go for an adventure and enjoy it.

 

[Alex321]

Ok, I probably should have picked a different title. I had written,

and then went on to tell what happens. The problem is not the "entry level" from major, respectable manufacturers. It's when people don't want to step up to even that legitimate entry level, and they buy something from a department store or online seller that's cheap and does not give the support that a newbie needs.

Although this is an international forum, it ids quite heavily UK biased, and the market here in the UK is a bit different to what you have in the US.

You have the likes of the Boardman range from Halfords, or the Triban range from Decathlon, which are £200-300 cheaper than the entry level Trek or Giant or other "known" brand, but are a similar level of quality. And you don't usually see bikes in supermarkets at all.

 

[AlBaker]

"Entry-level." I hate that term! Before Bicycling magazine foolishly shut down its forum and dumped tons of great posts from a few super knowledgeable members, new people often came in asking for advice on what to buy for $xxx (some ridiculously low price), saying, "I don't want to spend much until I find out if I'm really going to like cycling and stick with it." Then they'd ignore our advice and go buy something cheap, usually from a department store, something that was sluggish, didn't handle well, parts didn't work well, and it was hard to maintain.

When I got back into cycling about nine years ago, I started buying bikes from a bike shop which had been in business for 29 years. Three new bikes in three years, and every one of them defective because whoever their mechanic was, had no idea what he was doing. Because of that, I stopped dealing with them, and learned to work on my own bikes.
I bought a cheap bike online ($199) [£149), and spent a few bucks fixing it up. By time I was done it was a really good bike. I had no trouble selling it. It was a hybrid, and was a great bike to ride. Never had a problem with it.

Box store bikes are not as bad as you make out. For the occasional rider, they're good. For a serious pro I certainly wouldn't recommend them. And if someone has an issue with a box store bike, bike shops do repair them. I wouldn't recommend a new rider to lay out big cash for a bike.

 

[GarthW]

Although this is an international forum, it ids quite heavily UK biased, and the market here in the UK is a bit different to what you have in the US.

I noticed that after I signed up last week. Why is it so UK-based? There's nothing wrong with that of course, but it's interesting that it would be that way if it started out on the internet which is generally world-wide.

I bought a cheap bike online ($199) [£149), and spent a few bucks fixing it up. By time I was done it was a really good bike. I had no trouble selling it. It was a hybrid, and was a great bike to ride. Never had a problem with it.

Box store bikes are not as bad as you make out. For the occasional rider, they're good. For a serious pro I certainly wouldn't recommend them. And if someone has an issue with a box store bike, bike shops do repair them. I wouldn't recommend a new rider to lay out big cash for a bike.

Someone in racing definitely won't go for "entry level." As for the "occasional rider," I would hope we can interest them in progressing to more than "occasional" and make it a major part of life, primarily for health. The clientele we had when I worked at the bike shop in the late 1970's was low-end. The bikes we sold were definitely a bit above what you'd get in a department store like Sears, Wards, JC Penney, Kmart, etc.; but we got a lot of those department-store bikes in for repair, sometimes even after they'd been left out in the rain and were all rusty, cables were kinked, etc.. It was rather satisfying to take in such a piece of junk and make everything work right. If the owner would subsequently take care of it, things would keep working; but that doesn't mean the bike would be motivating to ride like a better bike would be.

And sure, any bike shop will service these bikes; but they'll give better service for one they sold, giving extra time to make sure the fit is adjusted to the owner, and doing most work for free for the first year, when for example cables would stretch and settle in and need slight adjustment.

 

[AlBaker]

Someone in racing definitely won't go for "entry level." As for the "occasional rider," I would hope we can interest them in progressing to more than "occasional" and make it a major part of life, primarily for health.

I'm talking about people just starting to get into cycling, not racing cyclists. They wouldn't know the difference between an entry-level bike and an expensive one unless someone explained it to them. Not all beginners are going to get expert advice. They have to start somewhere, usually with bikes from the big box stores. And considering how 'bad' entry-level bikes are, the stores are doing a lot of business selling them.