It's all based on how much you ride. I rode 50 -70 miles a week on a cheap 200 dollar bike and it started having problems after about 8 months of use. If I had bought a 500 dollar bike it prob would have lasted me many years. So it's cheap in the short term but if you ride often your gonna have to spend a lot of money to fix up the cheap bike.
See a single speed/fixie is a great target for a walmart/big box bike. there is really nothing there to mess up, low component count. So what is there can be better than 'LOOK AT ALL THESE FEATURES ON THIS BIKE YAAAAAA!' Replace the cranks, seat, better brakes, and maybe replace the single speed cog with something you like better along with tires... and you've about replaced everything. it's a great thing to learn on.
i bought the unbranded walmart variant in 2012, beat the shit out of it for a few years, swapped on some commuter slicks that were super wide and comfortable, gave it to my brother in law, he got a year out of it beating it way harder and like basically camping/being homeless, and then he gave it to another homeless guy when he was moving out of the town he was in. it's not great, shit, it's not even ok, but for commuting in areas with shit rail infrastructure(north america), it's a million times nicer than walking.
New to cycling? Do NOT be discouraged by this video, Zach and people like Zach! I rarely ever comment on UA-cam videos but I had to on this one. Zach and purist like Zach are the reason why so many people are afraid to even begin their cycling journey. I have bikes that range up to $3k and MOST of the time I ride my Wal-Mart Fixie, the exact same bike he rides in this video. I've now had it for less than a year and have put 1k miles on it. Other than regular maintenance, this bike holds up! He wants to like it but moreover wants to be super cool by dogging the bike. I used to look to Zach's videos for guidance but this will be the last for me. Things I noticed and spent way too much time breaking down so you don't have to and yes I live in my mom's basement, and all other funny and harsh things to say about people who spend this much time on a review: @ 0:03 "growing up all I rode..." remember where you came from, Zach, and understand that we all take similar yet different paths to cycling. @ 0:34 snobs are what makes barrier of cycling not fun for new riders @ 0:57 has a good way to weigh a bike but then does not use it to weigh Wal-Mart Fixie.. @ 1:17 activating negative and condescending attitude while bike is still in box!! @ 2:49 he "smacks" a metal seat post into a metal frame then it just "falls in" @ 2:53 @ 3:32 compliments spacing of rear wheel, in a condescending attitude. @ 4:04 "I don't want to just be negative about this bike," yet has shown preconceived displeasure in bike BEFORE unboxing! @4:36 "bummed" out because bike may exceed his expectations. @5:05 "Doing my best to stay positive..." Really though? @ 5:40 the chain slipping incident can probably be traced back to user error due to a lack of mechanical skills @ 3:09 but then also rode for the next 60 miles without this happening again... @ 6:12 admits bike is not "actually all bad" but then tries to finds a way to contradict himself @ 6:23 @ 6:30 mentions sore legs @ 6 miles of riding but then [SPOILER] @ 13:40 - 13:50 after riding another 50+ miles states he's ok and nothing hurts. So which one is it really? @ 7:00 states "every single centimeter counts" for comfort but then states how uncomfortable he is on a bike that's not his size @ 7:25. Wouldn't this be any bike that's not your size? @ 7:30 mile 17 lower back pain....sounds like a reference to @ 6:30..... @ 8:18 two miles of gravel and chain didn't fall off....wait!! what happened?! @ 8:30 saddened by his own statement of commending bike Hurt ego @ 8:56 and continues to demean "this lady" stating that she could only be "cool" if she did "drugs in college" Hurt ego @ 9:30 and has to "Swallow my pride" @ 9:36 @10:40 "good thing that this bike is slow." Is the bike slow or are did you state you would be riding a "steady and conservative rate of 10 miles per hour" during this ride @ 5:24 Hurt ego @ 11:53 Hurt ego @ 12:07 Hurt ego @ 12:13 Hurt ego @ 12:17 Hurt ego @ 12:20 Hurt ego @ 12:23, "I want to blame the bike but it's holding up.'" @12:28 now he's "disappointed" that it's worth $100. @ 13:31 If you finished the next 40 miles you would have accomplished the goal you set for yourself @13:39 "not having fun anymore" but doesn't state why other than "there's no point." @ 13:43 "nothing is sore." Why are you flip-flopping now on your earlier ailments? @ 14:30 wait....what?! "surprisingly adequate"? But you spent so much negative energy! How will you ever get that negative energy back?! @ 14:42 "long term reliability of the bike is questionable." Maybe that was the point of the next 40 miles you abandoned? @ 15:13 "as poorly as the bike fit me, it was surprisingly comfortable." another flip flop? NO! @ 15:23 " after 6 hours of riding this thing, I wasn't sore at all" Amnesia much? @ 15:28 now bike isn't worth the money?! ahhhhh!!! Enter paid advertisement @ 16:05
Remember where we came from and how we came to cycling.. Good point. I started cycling as a kid in the late 1960s, and became more interested in my teens in the 70s. I remember when single speeds were common, not as a fashion, but because they were what the shops sold. I remember when a 3 speed hub gear was a Good Thing, and derailleurs were new-fangled, with 5 speeds (1 x 5) being the maximum, and the blocks were about 13t to 24t, so the range was about the same as for the 3 speed anyway. I remember all steel wheels with chrome rims, and the time when they introduced textured rims for better braking - but they just held the water and made the brakes work less well. I remember heavy solid steel cottered cranks, and the new "cotterless" (square taper) being impossibly sophisticated. I remember chainwheels, before detachable chain rings were available. I could go on, and frequently do. The point is, we rode those bikes for miles and had enormous fun on them. I normally like Zach's videos, but this one lacks both objectivity and humour and it promotes an elitist attitude that may confuse or discourage new cyclists. Of course a cheap bike from Walmart is not going to be as light, attractive, responsive or durable as a bike sold for 5 times as much in a specialist shop. It is designed to do a job at a price and should be assessed on those terms. Disappointing, Zach.
@@victorlwd Absolutely, the valuable item is the bike not all that nonsense packaging. If I can get a discount for an item that is delivered directly in my hands then I would gladly buy it. The less clutter the better.
@@lucalucente3797 In the video it doesn't say why there's a problem with paper. I honestly wouldn't have much problem with it either but I think they're thinking of like foam or some cushion to protect the frame and other parts. For when in delivery and such.
@@JM-vu7fr ok but I think you can protect the frame with some paper padding too. I can understand that is more convenient but there is really no need for plastic. At least not in this case.
Not only that, seriously try riding one if you ever get a chance. It's an amazing bike, and not just for the price. Just replace your brakes and you'll be fine.
@@zigfaust my brother has had one for 3 years. The only thing changed was it has retrospec wheels and some other handle bars, its held up. But he did have some of the same issues when he first got it
As a bike mechanic that’s worked on these one thing that might’ve helped make it not so slow is if the hubs and bottom bracket were adjusted as best as possible. Most of those parts can’t even be turned by hand because they’re so tight from the factory.
@@eman2537 Keep an eye out on craigslist. I got a pristine wabi classic with the sub 15 wheels for $300. Guy got a last second opportunity overseas and he needed to unload it fast.
@The TacomaKid Yes, the cost of things is relative to how much money you have, and bragging about having expensive things - especially after someone else balked at a pricetag - just makes you look like a rude ass.
Seeing through the Snobbery, I bought a $100 Walmart Kent 700c "Fixie" after watching this video. I Love it, it's awesome. Can't wait for my next ride. Thanks Whining Snob. I genuinely appreciate the video.
Actually, he does come off as spoiled and a snob in the beginning of the video. Maybe the reality is that he is a bit of a spoiled snob. But I could also see he means well. He put my mind at ease, because now I know buying a Walmart bike is a good investment for me. As a very poor person, $100 is a lot of money for me to spend. And when I first thought of buying a bike for commuting, I went to the internet for more info. Well, there are so many people who only own high end bikes and make it sound like Walmart bikes are unreliable at best and a deathtrap at worst. They will make a person too nervous to go out and buy a Walmart bike. At least this guy took the time to expose the truth of big box bikes. They aren't always the most comfortable. They don't always come with the best size options. Sometimes their poor quality is astounding. But they do get the job done. In the end, this guy was down to earth in his assessment of the bike. And someone wound up getting a free bike that day.
Go watch kevcentral instead. Dude isn't going to say 'walmart bikes are the end all be all' but he offers advise for beginners, and encouragment. He doens't exclusivly look at the low end either so he knows what 'better' bikes look like. also look up seth's bike hacks. Guy's pretty unimpressed by walmart bikes, but at the same time? 'Any bike you can get out and ride' plus the guy's a lot of fun to watch do his thing.
@@heyyall9378 exactly that, I want to start cycling to lose weight and save on petrol , and I can't afford a $1000 bike, hell my car only cost me a grand so why would I spend that on a bicycle
Had a walmart bike for 5 or so years as a kid, and then last summer I saved up some money and bought a Specialized Sirrus. Loving ever bit of it so far, and want to upgrade again at some point in the future.
Dang man. This was my first fixie and was how I fell in love with biking. Im actually kinda offended how badly you're talking about something that is sooooo sentimental to me. I saw your review on starter bikes and you suggested ones in the $500 range. For some of us, that is all we can or want to spend on a bike. This amount of insulting of my bike makes me not want to continue watching your channel.
I understand where you are coming from, but think about this: This is a bike review by doing a century ride. Just because it is the bike that YOU like doesn't mean it is a great bike. I grew up riding walmart bikes and have many fond memories of them, but I also know that they are not good bikes by any stretch of the imagination. The second thing is, his opinion on that bike after riding many other bikes of higher quality is going to be much different than someone who attached sentimental value to this bike as their first fixie. My fiancée is new to cycling and she is using a relatively cheap bike from a sports and outdoors store. She also rode one of my restored vintage bikes as well as my trek hybrid bike that I pull my kid's bike trailer with. Those 2 bikes are much better quality than the rode bike she started with and now that she has ridden all 3 of them, much prefers the 2 that aren't the cheaper ones. Bikes are priced at those points by quality. While we can't all afford $500 bikes (myself included since the pandemic started), then we need bikes like this. But don't take this review too personally. Zach has a higher standard for the bikes he rides because he likes the specifics and has ridden many miles. If you disagree, that's fine, but this is his opinion in his video. So just move on.
Some of my best memories on a bike are on cheap, Walmart/target bikes It’s not the bike, it’s the ride/experience itself BUT If you can ride the same places on a better bike, why not 💁♂️ I thought my first ever Car was a race car, it had 135hp to the wheels No less than a few years later And I knew very differently that whilst I enjoyed My time with the car, it wasn’t a very good car
Dude's coming from years of riding expensive bikes to having a preconceived notion of what he's gonna get out of a low end bike. Also dude outright admitted he isn't sore or hurting 'he's just not having fun anymore' and called daddy to pick him up... and left the thing on the side of the road. Not bothering to return it not at all concerned for money he threw away. He's a spoiled rich brat that leans into the ultra snobbish hipster thing as if he's daring people to pick fights with him.
I call "foul". 1) You're a serious bike rider, but only have a large adjustable wrench? 2) Riding that far in jeans/chinos? 3) How did you keep your camera/phone/go-pro charged? 4) What or where did you eat?
I've rode that far in jeans if not further very uncomfortable but it is doable and he's phone would be OK with charge if he was only using it to vid every now and then
I've ridden five centuries on a road bike and a mountain bike as for a fixtie not yet and if I do the bike will have to go for $500 or more! Wal-Mart is not a cycling expert when it comes to the bikes those are recreational bikes for people who don't usually ride long distances! A local bike shop or a major cycling company is the best way to go if you're serious about a bike that can perform and go for those long rides and races! Even a single year bike can travel long distances but it should be a bike from a cycling company or a bike store that has experts who know a thing or two about bikes! Remember always do your homework and research first!
Brother, those walmart bikes, if nothing else, are dreadfully durable. They are overbuilt as hell to make the welding easier. I got hit by a car on one of these, and it busted me up. The bike itself, tho? Perfectly fine.
I agree that the frames do tend to be pretty solid. Although if they bend, they stay bent. There's no real spring to them. The biggest issues that I found are the Wheels and any bearings. The wheels are straight up cheese
wasfun22 anything that goes under a 3000 vehicle probably won’t make it out in good shape. But if the have a nice meat shield between the car and themselves and fly forward they’re just fine.
We have Kmart down hear but it's the same thing just without all the gun's & weapon's & yeah the one good bike I had from Kmart was shit but I crashed it a lot it was a chopper big heavy steel beast fun to cruse around on with a back wheel the size of a normal car tire & no I'm not making that up & it looked badass too but any slope would kill you Scramjet if you want to look it up it's pretty old probably just over 10Year's probably more so u migh'nt get anything !
Well, with my superior experience to yours, I see a great bicycle, with lots of free energy stored in the weight of it. Light weight, extreme geared modern bikes are Brutal aggressive machines. Their brakes are so powerful they throw you over the handle bars. Tune your bicycle for performance and then you'll find out the enormous power current race bikes have.
I used to ride a 700c hybrid that I changed the fork and tires on back to mountain style.... your goal is short dude. Mine easily cost the same and I had no issues shoving 30 lbs much further. A little spoiled if you ask me
I had a lovely 700CC Hybrid (Rapide Motion Ridgeback) and loved it. Fair warning, although "budget" it is still a good bike, although 10 years old and I do not use it now, since in this country (I moved) it is too dangerous to ride on road
I like that at the end he gave a generally positive review for the bike. My friend has one of those, and we’ve been having a lot of fun. She hasn’t had any problems with the chain or anything else.
@@marcosamaral9741 That would be nearly 30,000 miles; I find that difficult to believe as even high quality components would break down with that kind of mileage.
Really feels like he's fishing for any reason to not like that bike. Don't get me wrong he has points about there being no grease and thigns being assembled using an air hammer (meaning too tight to be removed ESPECIALLY when no grease has been applied.) Of course the $800 bike is gonna blow it out of the water, but at the same time? It really came acrss not only like he didn't give it a chance. He didn't WANT to give it a chance.
I’ve ridden one of these and enjoyed it on American river trail for years. Done minor changes. Saddle, handle bars and tires but never have I ever had issues with it other than flats. I’ve owned expensive bikes and tbh it’s all about how good of a rider you are. I’ve had Dogma F8’s trail me during my whole ride trying to catch up. Honestly make the best out of your cycling experience. No excuses.
I'd rather have a bike like this to learn from too. There isn't as much of a fear factor when working on this thing as the $800 offerings this guy considers 'barely good enough.' I'd be utterly f'ing terrified of working on one of those and tear up a part I can't hope to replace at the same quality. This thing? WOOO long term project! I have enough money for a seat this time. Next time new bar. ooo save up for tires that i've been told are good' and pick up a tool here, a tool there where using general purpose tools would either mar things up or technically work but you risk breaking something (see also me taking apart my freewheel to make a single speed freewheel.)
I got an old Walmart fixie off craigslist for $40 recently(though it was the Circuit fixie, not the one he got). The frame was considerably lighter than this guy said his was, and I replaced the cranks and seat. Couldn't be happier now, though at 6'2" I do have the seat adjusted much farther back than on my Cannondale. It's nice for when I don't want to worry about something getting stolen.
I know right? I'm overweight and generally stare at a computer most of the day and I can lug cement bags and drywall around when needing to do home repair (I help with my stepdad on weekend projects.) My dog weighs thirty pounds and it's nothing.
LOL ...for real. Our boy Zach is married to tight hipster pants. I mean, some sort of track pants or any kind of shorts seems like a no-brainer for SIX HOURS of exercise. Hey Zach, be honest ...you even wear those pants to bed don't you?
why does the bike looks like a 26er on you? this video is so good..you are complaining how hard it is riding the bike, but the effort behind getting those shots, setting the cam, riding the bike, going back to the cam, picking it up, riding again, hands down to the effort for this video. best video 11/10
Fr I have the same bike just bought it today and I’m in love with it sounds like u hating bro or the fact that u got money and u down playing the simple Necessities
i have two bikes, one 700€ focus mountainbike and a 1980s puch road bike which i paid 90€ for and i love it equaly as much. its not about what bike you ride, its about riding in general
It's a fantastic bike. The video maker is going though a phase in life he'll regret later on. Life is full of regrets. It's well designed. Don't copy the people who will have great regrets.
I rode 300 km in 3 days on a 65 euro cheap ass secondhand bike that didn't even have breaks on my rear wheel. Wish I had money for a decent bike since I wanna cycle from the Netherlands to Finland next year🤗
I HAVE THIS BIKE. I posted about this on the Strava group!! I rode it on a trip up to a ski resort and back it was like 3500 feet of elevation gain I think? I also painted mine flat black and had a rack with bags on the back so it was closer to 38 pounds when I rode mine. The bike is nearly indestructible however and im comfortable with leaving it outside buildings unlocked because it only cost me 50 dollars on clearance. Overall it's not the best bike obviously but it's really fun and a great beater bike!
I've owned this bike for 8-9 years. Got it on sale for $50. Starting to show it's age but I don't regret buying it. I'm cycling more frequently so I'm looking to upgrade to something in the $500 range.
I would have watched the whole thing if he didn't judge it before he was riding but he already told me his opinion before even putting the bike together so I left
@@CommanderMouse72 Actually, all things considered, his opinion was pretty positive... he actually said if you only had a $100, it was okay. That being said, as he pointed out, he only made it a few miles before his chain derailed, and he was pretty slow on it.
@@BillMcHale That's what I don't get about most comments on here. A lot of them were turned off by his snobbiness at the beginning (justified), but then go on to leave the video a few minutes in and comment heaps without considering the fact that he'd still given praise to the bike's value at least 4 times in the video. It's built like a tank and he mentioned that. I get that plenty of people use this exact bike and have had amazing experiences with it, hence I'm even more purplexed as to why so many don't even bother to realize that he still had made the bike look more appealing than without his video. I'd buy this bike because it's $100 and held up on this ride, in this video. I'd say this video did good justice to show the differences that'd be observed in buying a really cheap but durable bike, and higher quality bikes that are not only likely to be durable, but are more comfortable, etc.
$100 is roughly £80 which is roughly what I paid (£85) for my first fixed gear bike a year ago. It is a 2nd hand 2010 Mongoose Maurice, it came with a seized seatpost and worn out drive train, but after having spent some time, love, and roughly another £40 on it, I now have a fully functional, less than 10kg, steel framed fixie. Sure it's no Cinelli but it's a really comfortable and nippy ride. My point being, depending where you live, you can buy a decent bike that's not stolen, for around $100.
@@paddykelly3095 bargain mate, as long as it's a cromo frame and in right size, they last for decades. Mine has formula hubs and weinmann thunderbird rims, and under my chubby, 18 stone ass they still run true as ever. They often come with silly paintjobs, only a few days ago I removed the anodizing from my alloy cranks and polished them up, they now look quite high end to be fair.
The point was to ride 100 miles not to learn something. Should’ve powered through. I’m not a negative person, but i was disappointed that you didn’t finish.
Considering sight unseen he was complaining before even opening the bo and declaring this the worst use of his money. Nitpicked over non-issues, invented thigns to be mad about, abandoned the bike and called daddy to pick him up rather than have as his century riding fifty then riding back? Boy don't know how good he has it.
I've ridden the American River Trail many many times. I get passed all of the time by people in their 60's. It warms my heart that they are out there getting it.
Built a number of this exact model of bike when I was assembling for Walmart. I'm surprised (but also not) that the build quality out of the box has not changed. Definitely entry level in every respect. We had a run of them with bearing issues, had to pop open every headset for about a month and swap out any that were grinding on the workstand. Fun stuff. Kent bikes are just.... no. No go.
Given dude said he wasn't 'actually' sore, and the chain didn't drop after that first tim? I'm confused on why he didn't beyond 'it's not fun anymore.'
I live near the Bay Area. A few years back, Discovery Park and the American River in that area flooded super bad. I decided to ride through it in my 1985 Murray. Muddy in spots also. Rode on to William Pond park and back to Old Sac. Nowadays, I skip that whole section, ride through Midtown, to Sac State, and beyond. Props for riding that far on a heavy 100 dollar fixed gear bike.
With an out-of-round sprocket or sprockets, you need more slack in the chain, which is the opposite of what you did. That's because out-of-round sprockets make the chain tighter and looser as you pedal, because they're effectively eccentric cams. You need to move the crank arms to a position where the chain is at its tightest and adjust so there's enough slack to prevent binding/resistance in that spot.
@@yaboi1342 Thank you for enlightenment, I really thought he leaves those cameras!!! Now I realised he is picking them up when he comes back the same route!
The cranks have a plastic coating, but inside is metal. I have a Walmart bike with those cranks. I changed the cranks, and cut the plastic coating off to see what's inside. Those cranks are VERY heavy.
I bought that same bike and had the same impressions. It didn’t make sense that it was so exhausting to ride. It checked the bearings and they didn’t have any grease, just a light coat of some kind of oil. I properly greased them and it’s somewhat better but not a lot. I never use a lock on this bike and it never gets stolen. Darn.
I have an older, discontinued Kent model with a flip flop hub, 27" rims and drop bars. I paid $69 on clearance for it and added 700x25 Bontrager tires, cushy gel/cork tape, and a good seat. The thing rocks and I wouldn't be worried about a 100 mile ride outside of getting a sore butt and a crick in my next.
Kudos for taking all the extra time to set up those great shots of you riding. That must've been at least another 2 miles in putting down your camera and having to ride back to it.
I'm actually kind of disappointed it only comes in the one size, for that money I wouldn't hate it for a beater "just a bike" but I'd still want it to fit.
My first bike I feel in love with was a Huffy MTB. I put countless miles on it. Then I saved up for a Diamondback MTB at my LBS. Amazing jump in quality but it cost six times more than the huffy. My only regret was not buying another bike when I out grew the Diamondback. Instead it would be 10 years before buying another bike. My advice, always have a bike and always stay reasonably dangerous!
'Well really you're better off getting a 'real' bike, like from my sponsor at wabi.' UA-cam 'Bruce Chastain kent ridgeland' and you'll get an idea on how to work this thing over.
I’ve put a few thousand miles on this bike as a single speed over the course of around 5 years. I love it, and has been a really solid bike. It’s survived being hit by a car as well. It does feel slow because my friends ride high quality fixed gear, so I struggle to keep up, but I’ll smoke them by just coasting downhill. I’ve had to replace a couple parts as they’ve worn out, but have had zero problem with it as I regularly get it tuned. The brakes do suck though. I’m currently just trying to figure out what pedals I can use to switch out to new ones, and why I even have looked at this video.
I understand it's not the best fixie bike but it looks good value to me. I don't think its $100 wasted and I don't necessarily think it will put people off cycling. It seems a good package to me. I personally don't have a problem with heavier bikes or being over taken by older riders or geared mountain bikes, I would of thought that was expected on a fixed gear bike most of the time. I don't like the single pivot brakes but don't mind the quill stem or chain cover. The Vitesse on the crankset seems to be the company that makes many of these walmart kent bikes. Here in the UK we get Vitesse bikes sold with Vitesse branding but at much higher prices than walmart. This is the one where they saw the handlebars in half so they can install gripshifters on a road bike. As you can see it has the Vittesse branding that is shown on the crankset of the fixie. www.amazon.co.uk/Vitesse-Shimano-handle-bar-rotational-shifters/dp/B0070VZRDC
@@cerberus1981 I think Kent are the importer but Vitesse is the manufacturing brand in China hence they didn't bother changing the Vitesse branding on this $100 fixed gear bike on the crankset it gives away the actual real manufacturer of the walmart bike.
I'm going to comment, even though so many people have about "hating" on the bike. Let's bring up the first thing, I've seen worse looking bikes. Second thing, Walmart sells one size bike - it's usually the wrong one. Third thing, people getting into biking for the first time (since they were kids) and trying out the sport on a Walmart bike, may or may not like it depending on how close the actual fit of the bike comes to their size. All you have to do is look at Craigslist and you'll see just how many bikes fit horribly. "Used a few times and bike riding is not for me." or something close is a pretty good indication the bike fit horribly. "I started on a Walmart bike." is a cop-out... as kid, I didn't give a dam what my bike looked like (I rode my sisters "girl" pink Barbie bike several times when something was wrong with mine) so long as you had one. Walmart with their "wheel-sizing" is horribly wrong and only comes "close" to being near the actual size of the bike and the size the rider should be, obviously the bigger the wheel = the taller you should be - A 4'6" rider on a 29" would be kinda ridiculous and I doubt they would be able to touch the ground without falling down. Bike fitment is one of the most important parts of biking. A bad fit leads to all kinds of problems. Am I saying you can't get a decent fit on a Walmart bike? No, if you just happen to be the right height for the frame. Should you try a bike before you buy it? ABSOLUTELY, and Walmart will only let you buy it before you try it, options will be limited. I understand why people go the cheapest route they can, but that may lead to hating the sport in general, And all the bikes I've ever seen or dealt with from big-box-one-size-fits-all store have a horrible weight problem, and pedaling around a heavy bike will wear you down a lot faster.
And now own 2 of the cheap ones, 1 under going a referb, the other, the first one I got is doing great no service issues other than a puncture and tyres replaced.
What's with all the hate in the comments? Zach is criticizing a THIRTY POUND hunk of "one-size-fits-all" steel and PLASTIC that couldn't even keep its chain. Despite this, Zach gives the bike its share of praise and calls it a, "suprisingly adequate" bargain. "After six hours of riding I wasn't sore at all." A lot of us started on Wal-Mart bikes, but some of you have Stockholm syndrome. You deserve better. Love yourself >^.^
I wouldn't buy something like that unless I didn't have any other choice. But for some people I realize that this may be their only option. If somebody stole it for drug money they probably wouldn't get much.
Personally, I like heavy bikes. I have six bikes; all of them were picked up by the roadside, in my neighborhood, being discarded. The oldest one is a Schwinn Varsity from 1973 and the newest one is a Trek 820 from 1994. I completely restored these bikes, and put large rear baskets on them, for grocery shopping. I think the lightest bike I have is 30 lbs. Some of my bikes are well over 40 lbs. Out of all my bikes, the Schwinn Varsity, which weighs a ton, is my favorite. In fact, it's very fast, and I actually feel that the heavy weight helps when going against the wind.
I've worked on several bikes on this level. They always need to be repacked with grease and retrue the wheels but they will ride and are good betters if nothing else
A good 'lets see if you like it' bike for newbies, and people wnating to learn those basic skills so they don't have to fling money at the LBS for literally Everything. I mean not everyone wants to be their own mechanic, but for a lot of people the 'local' bike shop is an hour away EACH WAY. So effectivly there is no option but to learn.
Ariel C koss porta pro, he has a wireless verion. I have the wired one. Those are good for the price, super comfortable, you can spend hours in them. Sound is great, but for me they feel good more in modern songs where bass is more boosted.
You’re so right. In 2012, a colleague mentioned he and his family biked a lot, so on workday with extended lunch, we went to Wal-Mart to pick out a bike for me. :) We settled on a Next mountain bike ($99) because I liked the color. :). It stayed in my utility building for months until a former student invited me to bike with him on a local biking/walking trail. After three miles up a constant small grade, my student commented that my face was the color of a tomato. I stopped on literal noodle legs. We went up the grade for three miles and luckily coasted back down to his house- 12 miles total. The next day, I rode by myself 18 miles, the next day 24 miles and was hooked. I rode that bike for two months and dropped a noticeable amount of weight. Another friend noticed my weight loss, and when I said I was biking , he invited me to ride with him. He took one look at my bike and said it was too small for me, my knees were popping up like a Hackney pony. (I’m 6’1”).By this time, I was riding close to 30 miles a day-every day. In short order he had me on a friend’s twenty year old Bianchi 7-3 hybrid bike. It cost me $100 (trading the Next to him for his granddaughter to ride) and had less than 200 miles on it. By the end of that summer I had ridden a total of 1280 miles and had lost 43 pounds, all because I’d started with the Next kid’s mountain bike. My legs were very strong and are strong 11 years later.
Zach I rode my crappy Pacific mountain bike, with little to no conditioning before hand, 44 miles to Chicago once before. It was awful. It was painful and it took absolutely way to Long to get there, but I'm glad I did it. I was really proud of myself and accomplished a lot considering how I rode before that day. Although I wanted to quit for most of the journey, I'm glad I didn't. I feel your pain
Loads of negative comments - but you set out to have a poke at a cheap bike, you ended up quite liking it (well, called it adequate), I wouldn't want to be seen dead on it but you had a wry laugh: chapeau for making me smile, I enjoyed it
Me: *can barely finish a fixed century and watching this video from my couch while eating Oreos* You really wimped out man. Jk. A lot of us start on these bikes and make due with what we have. I think it made us stronger riders in the end because of our ability to improvise on crappy machines once we get to a better machine. Job well done.
I did a 120km on Velib, the Parisian bike share service, as a stupid dare with a friend last spring. The rule was doing 3 turns around Paris without paying anything, so we had to pit stop in a station before 30 mins to reset the timer. Honestly it makes a 200km gravel ride looks easy in comparison. But it was fun in a somewhat twisted way.
my friend's grandfather used to ride a Shanghai Phoenix single gear bicycle. he is a LPG gas tank delivery man. he carries at most 6 tanks at a time and never complained. his bicycle only costs equivalent to $60USD.
Of all the Walmart bikes it's not that bad. I had one in 2012 but never had anything happen with it besides my front wheel from another bike I had that was a quick release wheel and I got it to have a secondary bike and it was alright had it for a while until I got in an acident with the front wheel sliding out because it was loose(dang quick releases). You could probably get a better bike for the same or less on: Craigslist, let go or offer up to be honest. I look on all three of them and see some decent bikes for 30-200 that are better brands just depends on the person selling it. But if it's all you have it does a good enough job and you could always upgrade the parts at a later date if you want. Normally not a fan of Walmart bikes since they're so sketchy but I had mine for a few months and it was good enough for me to be my secondary bike if needed. Retired it after I flew over my bars and the right arm of the fork bent outwordly.
I love this video. I grew up riding on the American River bike trail. Thanksgiving 2019 I started at Discovery Park and rode to Mikes Bikes in Folsom and back, almost 60 miles on a fixie. This is the best thing Sac has. Last summer, I rode my first century in the Delta, and my first time on Ryer Island taking the state ferry near Isleton, but this was on my geared bike.
who hurt this comment section, its a satirical and fun video with valid criticisms from someone that loves his fixed gear hobby. zach you've hit the youtube algorithm man you made it :D
OMG the fit part is so spot on. I had a GT Backwoods XL frame before. The difference between that frame and my new frame which is a L is night and day in terms of performance and response. The XL frame I felt a little bit more stable with the higher COB. The drawback was less nimbleness in terms of technical handling. For example roots and small rocks would tend to bounce a bit more. On the L frame though it's more slung back and I have more confidence and I feel better handling on the bike. The drawback is I feel like I have less top speed. The XL crankset was about 10cm longer than the L, so I feel like I get more momentum with the XL frameset so my top speeds are higher and it's easier to maintain them. The L frame has incredible acceleration though. Both are 29" wheel sets. I'll be fixing my Backwoods as soon as I get a new derailleur and derailleur hanger (bad spill), but in the meantime I'm going to be riding this large frame and loving it! Oh, I'm 6'1", so I'm right at the cusp of the L/XL sizing chart for my bike. I'm at the high end for a L and the low end for an XL, so I can be effective on both frames I think.
My Black Label v2 from State Bicycle Co is the nicest bike I've owned. I bought the frame set and assembled the rest with handpicked parts. I really like it, and I've had it for about a year. I ride singlespeed because I live in a hilly area. I know there are better brands but I think State puts out great stuff, especially their full package bikes.
It's my daily ride in Brooklyn. It works well for me. 6 months rain or shine. It's not a glamour bike. It's not a great bike but it works and it's been reliable.
@@zoobenben5875 As an owner of multiple bikes ranging from 1940s coaster to 21 spd Diamond back, I can only say ride what you like. My old bomber is the wrong tool for just about everything, but I enjoy it anyway. If you go to ride on variable steep topography I highly recommend multiple gears. Rough terrain/offroad, add balloon tires. Anyway you do it, happy cycling.👍
The alternative you recommended costs 8-12 times the price. That's like saying don't buy a Civic when a LaFerrari will do...
That's true, but you can get a significantly better used bike for like twice the price.
@@dernils6176 but sometimes people dont have the money for it.
@@Glock-dm5wt save money!
It's all based on how much you ride. I rode 50 -70 miles a week on a cheap 200 dollar bike and it started having problems after about 8 months of use. If I had bought a 500 dollar bike it prob would have lasted me many years. So it's cheap in the short term but if you ride often your gonna have to spend a lot of money to fix up the cheap bike.
@@dernils6176 got any recommendations
I’ve had this bike for 5 years. I love it. I did have to replace the crankset and pedals because they broke but overall I think it’s great.
See a single speed/fixie is a great target for a walmart/big box bike. there is really nothing there to mess up, low component count. So what is there can be better than 'LOOK AT ALL THESE FEATURES ON THIS BIKE YAAAAAA!' Replace the cranks, seat, better brakes, and maybe replace the single speed cog with something you like better along with tires... and you've about replaced everything.
it's a great thing to learn on.
i bought the unbranded walmart variant in 2012, beat the shit out of it for a few years, swapped on some commuter slicks that were super wide and comfortable, gave it to my brother in law, he got a year out of it beating it way harder and like basically camping/being homeless, and then he gave it to another homeless guy when he was moving out of the town he was in. it's not great, shit, it's not even ok, but for commuting in areas with shit rail infrastructure(north america), it's a million times nicer than walking.
New to cycling? Do NOT be discouraged by this video, Zach and people like Zach!
I rarely ever comment on UA-cam videos but I had to on this one. Zach and purist like Zach are the reason why so many people are afraid to even begin their cycling journey. I have bikes that range up to $3k and MOST of the time I ride my Wal-Mart Fixie, the exact same bike he rides in this video. I've now had it for less than a year and have put 1k miles on it. Other than regular maintenance, this bike holds up! He wants to like it but moreover wants to be super cool by dogging the bike. I used to look to Zach's videos for guidance but this will be the last for me.
Things I noticed and spent way too much time breaking down so you don't have to and yes I live in my mom's basement, and all other funny and harsh things to say about people who spend this much time on a review:
@ 0:03 "growing up all I rode..." remember where you came from, Zach, and understand that we all take similar yet different paths to cycling.
@ 0:34 snobs are what makes barrier of cycling not fun for new riders
@ 0:57 has a good way to weigh a bike but then does not use it to weigh Wal-Mart Fixie..
@ 1:17 activating negative and condescending attitude while bike is still in box!!
@ 2:49 he "smacks" a metal seat post into a metal frame then it just "falls in" @ 2:53
@ 3:32 compliments spacing of rear wheel, in a condescending attitude.
@ 4:04 "I don't want to just be negative about this bike," yet has shown preconceived displeasure in bike BEFORE unboxing!
@4:36 "bummed" out because bike may exceed his expectations.
@5:05 "Doing my best to stay positive..." Really though?
@ 5:40 the chain slipping incident can probably be traced back to user error due to a lack of mechanical skills @ 3:09 but then also rode for the next 60 miles without this happening again...
@ 6:12 admits bike is not "actually all bad" but then tries to finds a way to contradict himself @ 6:23
@ 6:30 mentions sore legs @ 6 miles of riding but then [SPOILER] @ 13:40 - 13:50 after riding another 50+ miles states he's ok and nothing hurts. So which one is it really?
@ 7:00 states "every single centimeter counts" for comfort but then states how uncomfortable he is on a bike that's not his size @ 7:25. Wouldn't this be any bike that's not your size?
@ 7:30 mile 17 lower back pain....sounds like a reference to @ 6:30.....
@ 8:18 two miles of gravel and chain didn't fall off....wait!! what happened?!
@ 8:30 saddened by his own statement of commending bike
Hurt ego @ 8:56 and continues to demean "this lady" stating that she could only be "cool" if she did "drugs in college"
Hurt ego @ 9:30 and has to "Swallow my pride" @ 9:36
@10:40 "good thing that this bike is slow." Is the bike slow or are did you state you would be riding a "steady and conservative rate of 10 miles per hour" during this ride @ 5:24
Hurt ego @ 11:53
Hurt ego @ 12:07
Hurt ego @ 12:13
Hurt ego @ 12:17
Hurt ego @ 12:20
Hurt ego @ 12:23, "I want to blame the bike but it's holding up.'"
@12:28 now he's "disappointed" that it's worth $100.
@ 13:31 If you finished the next 40 miles you would have accomplished the goal you set for yourself
@13:39 "not having fun anymore" but doesn't state why other than "there's no point."
@ 13:43 "nothing is sore." Why are you flip-flopping now on your earlier ailments?
@ 14:30 wait....what?! "surprisingly adequate"? But you spent so much negative energy! How will you ever get that negative energy back?!
@ 14:42 "long term reliability of the bike is questionable." Maybe that was the point of the next 40 miles you abandoned?
@ 15:13 "as poorly as the bike fit me, it was surprisingly comfortable." another flip flop? NO!
@ 15:23 " after 6 hours of riding this thing, I wasn't sore at all" Amnesia much?
@ 15:28 now bike isn't worth the money?! ahhhhh!!!
Enter paid advertisement @ 16:05
I stopped watching at around 5-minutes because you can already tell he doesn't want to objectively review this bike because it's from Walmart.
Grant Tobgo at the end of the video he is surprisingly positive and doesn’t seem to rag on it too much more than it deserves
Thanks I recently started cycling. I dont want to feel like I have to have a orbea orca aero to ride.
I like your comment and your effort in calling out fakers.
Remember where we came from and how we came to cycling.. Good point. I started cycling as a kid in the late 1960s, and became more interested in my teens in the 70s. I remember when single speeds were common, not as a fashion, but because they were what the shops sold. I remember when a 3 speed hub gear was a Good Thing, and derailleurs were new-fangled, with 5 speeds (1 x 5) being the maximum, and the blocks were about 13t to 24t, so the range was about the same as for the 3 speed anyway. I remember all steel wheels with chrome rims, and the time when they introduced textured rims for better braking - but they just held the water and made the brakes work less well. I remember heavy solid steel cottered cranks, and the new "cotterless" (square taper) being impossibly sophisticated. I remember chainwheels, before detachable chain rings were available. I could go on, and frequently do. The point is, we rode those bikes for miles and had enormous fun on them. I normally like Zach's videos, but this one lacks both objectivity and humour and it promotes an elitist attitude that may confuse or discourage new cyclists. Of course a cheap bike from Walmart is not going to be as light, attractive, responsive or durable as a bike sold for 5 times as much in a specialist shop. It is designed to do a job at a price and should be assessed on those terms. Disappointing, Zach.
"it's wrapped in paper"...Right! That's the right way to wrap up a bike without wasting a ton of plastic.
Luca Lucente literally 10 seconds later and the cranks are made of plastic
i bet you say the same when ordering a superbike worth 10k and its wrapped in paper aswell
@@victorlwd Absolutely, the valuable item is the bike not all that nonsense packaging. If I can get a discount for an item that is delivered directly in my hands then I would gladly buy it. The less clutter the better.
@@lucalucente3797 In the video it doesn't say why there's a problem with paper. I honestly wouldn't have much problem with it either but I think they're thinking of like foam or some cushion to protect the frame and other parts. For when in delivery and such.
@@JM-vu7fr ok but I think you can protect the frame with some paper padding too. I can understand that is more convenient but there is really no need for plastic. At least not in this case.
I'm imagining the poor guy who took that free fixie, pedalled up to speed and tried to freewheel...
Oh dear, i didn’t even consider this haha!
Yup- was thinking the same thinrg
i almost spit out my cereal when i read this. poor fella
Or by pushed it may be poor but brains are free and if u push a bike n the peddles spin most axes it's fixed
It's worse if you stand up to get it up to speed...that's what I did the first time I got on a fixie...
How can you have a single complaint about a bike that cost a 100 bucks.
Not only that, seriously try riding one if you ever get a chance.
It's an amazing bike, and not just for the price. Just replace your brakes and you'll be fine.
He can because he is a bell end !!!!!!!
@@zigfaust my brother has had one for 3 years. The only thing changed was it has retrospec wheels and some other handle bars, its held up. But he did have some of the same issues when he first got it
Plus he made it pretty freaking far. The bike was clearly well worth the money.
Nah i have a throne phantom and having a bike like a kent wont simply handle me. I like speed and hills
As a bike mechanic that’s worked on these one thing that might’ve helped make it not so slow is if the hubs and bottom bracket were adjusted as best as possible. Most of those parts can’t even be turned by hand because they’re so tight from the factory.
Those light wabi bikes are marking you soft bro lol
Nah once you know quality, you don't really want to go back.
@@dennydiaz5080 lol yeah you're right
@The TacomaKid lol hell I cant afford no Wabi that's to rich for my blood bro
@@eman2537 Keep an eye out on craigslist. I got a pristine wabi classic with the sub 15 wheels for $300. Guy got a last second opportunity overseas and he needed to unload it fast.
@The TacomaKid Yes, the cost of things is relative to how much money you have, and bragging about having expensive things - especially after someone else balked at a pricetag - just makes you look like a rude ass.
Seeing through the Snobbery, I bought a $100 Walmart Kent 700c "Fixie" after watching this video. I Love it, it's awesome. Can't wait for my next ride.
Thanks Whining Snob. I genuinely appreciate the video.
Actually, he does come off as spoiled and a snob in the beginning of the video. Maybe the reality is that he is a bit of a spoiled snob. But I could also see he means well. He put my mind at ease, because now I know buying a Walmart bike is a good investment for me. As a very poor person, $100 is a lot of money for me to spend. And when I first thought of buying a bike for commuting, I went to the internet for more info. Well, there are so many people who only own high end bikes and make it sound like Walmart bikes are unreliable at best and a deathtrap at worst. They will make a person too nervous to go out and buy a Walmart bike. At least this guy took the time to expose the truth of big box bikes. They aren't always the most comfortable. They don't always come with the best size options. Sometimes their poor quality is astounding. But they do get the job done. In the end, this guy was down to earth in his assessment of the bike. And someone wound up getting a free bike that day.
He is a real snob tho :)))
Go watch kevcentral instead. Dude isn't going to say 'walmart bikes are the end all be all' but he offers advise for beginners, and encouragment. He doens't exclusivly look at the low end either so he knows what 'better' bikes look like.
also look up seth's bike hacks. Guy's pretty unimpressed by walmart bikes, but at the same time? 'Any bike you can get out and ride' plus the guy's a lot of fun to watch do his thing.
I'm thinking about getting one, too.
@@heyyall9378 exactly that, I want to start cycling to lose weight and save on petrol , and I can't afford a $1000 bike, hell my car only cost me a grand so why would I spend that on a bicycle
so many of us start out on walmart bikes.
That's what I did.
Only in US
@@Stefan_trekkie Well, what bike did you start out with?
Why? There's hella used shit for cheap on Craiglist. That's just being lazy or ignorant.
Had a walmart bike for 5 or so years as a kid, and then last summer I saved up some money and bought a Specialized Sirrus. Loving ever bit of it so far, and want to upgrade again at some point in the future.
Dang man. This was my first fixie and was how I fell in love with biking. Im actually kinda offended how badly you're talking about something that is sooooo sentimental to me. I saw your review on starter bikes and you suggested ones in the $500 range. For some of us, that is all we can or want to spend on a bike. This amount of insulting of my bike makes me not want to continue watching your channel.
Rich people always do that bro
Lol bro you’re taking it personally for no reason chill
I understand where you are coming from, but think about this:
This is a bike review by doing a century ride. Just because it is the bike that YOU like doesn't mean it is a great bike. I grew up riding walmart bikes and have many fond memories of them, but I also know that they are not good bikes by any stretch of the imagination.
The second thing is, his opinion on that bike after riding many other bikes of higher quality is going to be much different than someone who attached sentimental value to this bike as their first fixie. My fiancée is new to cycling and she is using a relatively cheap bike from a sports and outdoors store. She also rode one of my restored vintage bikes as well as my trek hybrid bike that I pull my kid's bike trailer with. Those 2 bikes are much better quality than the rode bike she started with and now that she has ridden all 3 of them, much prefers the 2 that aren't the cheaper ones.
Bikes are priced at those points by quality. While we can't all afford $500 bikes (myself included since the pandemic started), then we need bikes like this. But don't take this review too personally. Zach has a higher standard for the bikes he rides because he likes the specifics and has ridden many miles. If you disagree, that's fine, but this is his opinion in his video. So just move on.
Some of my best memories on a bike are on cheap, Walmart/target bikes
It’s not the bike, it’s the ride/experience itself
BUT
If you can ride the same places on a better bike, why not 💁♂️
I thought my first ever Car was a race car, it had 135hp to the wheels
No less than a few years later And I knew very differently that whilst I enjoyed
My time with the car, it wasn’t a very good car
Dude's coming from years of riding expensive bikes to having a preconceived notion of what he's gonna get out of a low end bike. Also dude outright admitted he isn't sore or hurting 'he's just not having fun anymore' and called daddy to pick him up... and left the thing on the side of the road. Not bothering to return it not at all concerned for money he threw away.
He's a spoiled rich brat that leans into the ultra snobbish hipster thing as if he's daring people to pick fights with him.
This guy seems so negative like chill out It’s not that serious
He's right though. Any Walmart bike is assembled by animals!
I call "foul". 1) You're a serious bike rider, but only have a large adjustable wrench? 2) Riding that far in jeans/chinos? 3) How did you keep your camera/phone/go-pro charged? 4) What or where did you eat?
I've rode that far in jeans if not further very uncomfortable but it is doable and he's phone would be OK with charge if he was only using it to vid every now and then
Charger banks
I've ridden five centuries on a road bike and a mountain bike as for a fixtie not yet and if I do the bike will have to go for $500 or more! Wal-Mart is not a cycling expert when it comes to the bikes those are recreational bikes for people who don't usually ride long distances!
A local bike shop or a major cycling company is the best way to go if you're serious about a bike that can perform and go for those long rides and races! Even a single year bike can travel long distances but it should be a bike from a cycling company or a bike store that has experts who know a thing or two about bikes! Remember always do your homework and research first!
I had this bike for about 7 years and it's been great. I got some upgrades, but overall I loved the feel overall.
Come on dude, you been bikepacking. 30 lbs is no thing.
mike kunnecke my full suspension CCM SL 2.0 weighs 36 lbs, but it’s easy to wheelie, jump and lift. I only weigh 120
Brother, those walmart bikes, if nothing else, are dreadfully durable.
They are overbuilt as hell to make the welding easier.
I got hit by a car on one of these, and it busted me up.
The bike itself, tho? Perfectly fine.
I agree that the frames do tend to be pretty solid. Although if they bend, they stay bent. There's no real spring to them. The biggest issues that I found are the Wheels and any bearings. The wheels are straight up cheese
I got hit by a car on a Walmart Next bike. I was pretty beat. The bike? Just fine.
Took a hit on an old Walmart mountain bike with no suspension that was $65 new (I got it for $15) but it went under an accord and didn't fair so well
wasfun22 anything that goes under a 3000 vehicle probably won’t make it out in good shape. But if the have a nice meat shield between the car and themselves and fly forward they’re just fine.
We have Kmart down hear but it's the same thing just without all the gun's & weapon's
& yeah the one good bike I had from Kmart was shit but I crashed it a lot it was a chopper big heavy steel beast fun to cruse around on with a back wheel the size of a normal car tire & no I'm not making that up & it looked badass too but any slope would kill you
Scramjet if you want to look it up it's pretty old probably just over 10Year's probably more so u migh'nt get anything !
$100 bike? What do you expect? I feel for all the exploited workers from the factory to the WalMart that made this price even possible.
Chinese
Well, with my superior experience to yours, I see a great bicycle, with lots of free energy stored in the weight of it.
Light weight, extreme geared modern bikes are Brutal aggressive machines.
Their brakes are so powerful they throw you over the handle bars.
Tune your bicycle for performance and then you'll find out the enormous power current race bikes have.
What about all the exploited workers in Cambodia who made your $2000 Trek bike possible?
its the chinese exploiting US ...ripping us right off . . . . . .
@@trevormurphy3457that's just china's proxy as well. Taiwan is where it's at.
I used to ride a 700c hybrid that I changed the fork and tires on back to mountain style.... your goal is short dude. Mine easily cost the same and I had no issues shoving 30 lbs much further. A little spoiled if you ask me
I had a lovely 700CC Hybrid (Rapide Motion Ridgeback) and loved it.
Fair warning, although "budget" it is still a good bike, although 10 years old and I do not use it now, since in this country (I moved) it is too dangerous to ride on road
I bought an $80 fixie from ozone at academy sports. It's been a fantastic bike and got me into cycling! These bikes have their place!
Saw a guy delivering pizzas in DC today on this same bike. He zipped away before I could ask him how many miles he put on it.
Had to pull the pin at 3 minutes. The prospect of 17 minutes of crying was too much.
I like that at the end he gave a generally positive review for the bike. My friend has one of those, and we’ve been having a lot of fun. She hasn’t had any problems with the chain or anything else.
i’ve been riding one for 4 years. no problems 🤣🤣🤣
With a proper maintenance yes you can ride it as long as it takes
Looks like it’s built like a tank. Replace as it breaks and you’ll end up with an indestructible beater bike.
That means nothing; some people ride a bike less in 4 years than some people do in a week. How many miles have you put on it?
Matt Sezer at least 20 miles a day.
@@marcosamaral9741 That would be nearly 30,000 miles; I find that difficult to believe as even high quality components would break down with that kind of mileage.
Zach, “30lbs is too heavy to be called a bike”, me, proceeds to look at my enduro rig, 35lbs
It may be more than that, I’ll still climb anything anyways
@@andrelafond7474 In "The case for Steel Bikes" or something, he mentions that the weight of the bike doesn't really matter lol
My electric cruiser of 47lb is laughing
Really feels like he's fishing for any reason to not like that bike.
Don't get me wrong he has points about there being no grease and thigns being assembled using an air hammer (meaning too tight to be removed ESPECIALLY when no grease has been applied.) Of course the $800 bike is gonna blow it out of the water, but at the same time? It really came acrss not only like he didn't give it a chance. He didn't WANT to give it a chance.
I’ve ridden one of these and enjoyed it on American river trail for years. Done minor changes. Saddle, handle bars and tires but never have I ever had issues with it other than flats. I’ve owned expensive bikes and tbh it’s all about how good of a rider you are. I’ve had Dogma F8’s trail me during my whole ride trying to catch up. Honestly make the best out of your cycling experience. No excuses.
I'd rather have a bike like this to learn from too. There isn't as much of a fear factor when working on this thing as the $800 offerings this guy considers 'barely good enough.' I'd be utterly f'ing terrified of working on one of those and tear up a part I can't hope to replace at the same quality. This thing? WOOO long term project! I have enough money for a seat this time. Next time new bar. ooo save up for tires that i've been told are good' and pick up a tool here, a tool there where using general purpose tools would either mar things up or technically work but you risk breaking something (see also me taking apart my freewheel to make a single speed freewheel.)
3:21 True story: a bunch of Walmarts use impact wrenches for bicycle assembly. Productivity!
that's what i was thinking too. a cordless impact driver.
And not an ounce of lube in sight.
dismantle the whole thing, regrease, and reassemble and the quality actually goes up a surprising amount.
"It beats walking", a ringing endorsement from Zach Gallardo there folks 😅
I got an old Walmart fixie off craigslist for $40 recently(though it was the Circuit fixie, not the one he got). The frame was considerably lighter than this guy said his was, and I replaced the cranks and seat. Couldn't be happier now, though at 6'2" I do have the seat adjusted much farther back than on my Cannondale. It's nice for when I don't want to worry about something getting stolen.
U can’t lift 30 pounds without struggling bra 🤣🤣🤣
I know right? I'm overweight and generally stare at a computer most of the day and I can lug cement bags and drywall around when needing to do home repair (I help with my stepdad on weekend projects.) My dog weighs thirty pounds and it's nothing.
Andrew Singleton fatass
@@nathandu6594 lmao
@@singletona082 that's because u have a large counter weight
😂
Go for a 100 miles and thats what you wear😭😭i dont know how u do it
LOL ...for real. Our boy Zach is married to tight hipster pants. I mean, some sort of track pants or any kind of shorts seems like a no-brainer for SIX HOURS of exercise.
Hey Zach, be honest ...you even wear those pants to bed don't you?
Was thinking the same. Defiantly needs bíke shorts, or you'll be really uncomfortable.
Anything but that!
why does the bike looks like a 26er on you?
this video is so good..you are complaining how hard it is riding the bike, but the effort behind getting those shots, setting the cam, riding the bike, going back to the cam, picking it up, riding again, hands down to the effort for this video. best video 11/10
boss kapadyak Ian pa shout out sa next video mo hhahaha gusto kong mag fixie tsaka urban riding. any tips?
Probably he's a real.tall guy.
Fr I have the same bike just bought it today and I’m in love with it sounds like u hating bro or the fact that u got money and u down playing the simple Necessities
i have two bikes, one 700€ focus mountainbike and a 1980s puch road bike which i paid 90€ for and i love it equaly as much. its not about what bike you ride, its about riding in general
It's a fantastic bike.
The video maker is going though a phase in life he'll regret later on.
Life is full of regrets.
It's well designed.
Don't copy the people who will have great regrets.
I rode 300 km in 3 days on a 65 euro cheap ass secondhand bike that didn't even have breaks on my rear wheel.
Wish I had money for a decent bike since I wanna cycle from the Netherlands to Finland next year🤗
Natalie Kruijen you go girl! 🚴🏻♂️
Yes girl God bless!!
How far is that?
For me no bad bikes as long as it can carry me or take me wherever i wanted to go it delivers its purpose because bike engine is the rider itself.
I HAVE THIS BIKE. I posted about this on the Strava group!! I rode it on a trip up to a ski resort and back it was like 3500 feet of elevation gain I think? I also painted mine flat black and had a rack with bags on the back so it was closer to 38 pounds when I rode mine. The bike is nearly indestructible however and im comfortable with leaving it outside buildings unlocked because it only cost me 50 dollars on clearance. Overall it's not the best bike obviously but it's really fun and a great beater bike!
@ yea but like im not worried if mine gets stolen it was only 50 dollars...
I've owned this bike for 8-9 years. Got it on sale for $50. Starting to show it's age but I don't regret buying it. I'm cycling more frequently so I'm looking to upgrade to something in the $500 range.
So you hate the bike while still unboxed. ok. Bye...
I would have watched the whole thing if he didn't judge it before he was riding but he already told me his opinion before even putting the bike together so I left
Some people get paid to invest $100 in products and review it 🤷🏽♀️
UA-cam thing
@@CommanderMouse72 Actually, all things considered, his opinion was pretty positive... he actually said if you only had a $100, it was okay. That being said, as he pointed out, he only made it a few miles before his chain derailed, and he was pretty slow on it.
@@BillMcHale That's what I don't get about most comments on here. A lot of them were turned off by his snobbiness at the beginning (justified), but then go on to leave the video a few minutes in and comment heaps without considering the fact that he'd still given praise to the bike's value at least 4 times in the video. It's built like a tank and he mentioned that. I get that plenty of people use this exact bike and have had amazing experiences with it, hence I'm even more purplexed as to why so many don't even bother to realize that he still had made the bike look more appealing than without his video. I'd buy this bike because it's $100 and held up on this ride, in this video. I'd say this video did good justice to show the differences that'd be observed in buying a really cheap but durable bike, and higher quality bikes that are not only likely to be durable, but are more comfortable, etc.
$100 is roughly £80 which is roughly what I paid (£85) for my first fixed gear bike a year ago. It is a 2nd hand 2010 Mongoose Maurice, it came with a seized seatpost and worn out drive train, but after having spent some time, love, and roughly another £40 on it, I now have a fully functional, less than 10kg, steel framed fixie. Sure it's no Cinelli but it's a really comfortable and nippy ride. My point being, depending where you live, you can buy a decent bike that's not stolen, for around $100.
I paid £40 off Gumtree for mine a no logo bike great buy
@@paddykelly3095 bargain mate, as long as it's a cromo frame and in right size, they last for decades. Mine has formula hubs and weinmann thunderbird rims, and under my chubby, 18 stone ass they still run true as ever. They often come with silly paintjobs, only a few days ago I removed the anodizing from my alloy cranks and polished them up, they now look quite high end to be fair.
I ride a bad fit, sub $60 cheap bike. I still treasure it. I love it.
The point was to ride 100 miles not to learn something. Should’ve powered through. I’m not a negative person, but i was disappointed that you didn’t finish.
BikeTyson yes
He's a quitter.
Considering sight unseen he was complaining before even opening the bo and declaring this the worst use of his money. Nitpicked over non-issues, invented thigns to be mad about, abandoned the bike and called daddy to pick him up rather than have as his century riding fifty then riding back?
Boy don't know how good he has it.
I mean, no surprise that somebody on a geared bike will pass you up when you're on a fixie.
I've ridden the American River Trail many many times. I get passed all of the time by people in their 60's. It warms my heart that they are out there getting it.
@@alfonsoalmendariz3325 Exactly! Peace and love to every human out there riding their own ride!
When you actively are rooting against your bike, it is hard for me to root for you. I am rooting for Team bike!
;)
The second thing I like about it “Um it’s a bike “ 😹
Built a number of this exact model of bike when I was assembling for Walmart. I'm surprised (but also not) that the build quality out of the box has not changed. Definitely entry level in every respect. We had a run of them with bearing issues, had to pop open every headset for about a month and swap out any that were grinding on the workstand. Fun stuff. Kent bikes are just.... no. No go.
You wussy. I'd have rode right through the river.
Will Hartley hahahahahahahahga
Depends on how deep. You might end up swimming.
r/iamverybadass
@@ayadpolis6860 r/I'mprettyhotandthatriverwouldfeelgoodrightaboutnow
Who cares how deep it is its all part of the journey ;)
“Dad can you pick me up” 😂😂😂 bike your ass back boi
Given dude said he wasn't 'actually' sore, and the chain didn't drop after that first tim? I'm confused on why he didn't beyond 'it's not fun anymore.'
Best 99 bucks I ever spent! I have done thousands of miles on this bike and its still going.
I live near the Bay Area. A few years back, Discovery Park and the American River in that area flooded super bad. I decided to ride through it in my 1985 Murray. Muddy in spots also. Rode on to William Pond park and back to Old Sac. Nowadays, I skip that whole section, ride through Midtown, to Sac State, and beyond. Props for riding that far on a heavy 100 dollar fixed gear bike.
Complain much? You are out riding all day, sounds awesome.
lol
With an out-of-round sprocket or sprockets, you need more slack in the chain, which is the opposite of what you did. That's because out-of-round sprockets make the chain tighter and looser as you pedal, because they're effectively eccentric cams. You need to move the crank arms to a position where the chain is at its tightest and adjust so there's enough slack to prevent binding/resistance in that spot.
Hi zach,
How many cameras do you need to buy before a ride so you can just leave them behind as you do?
Too much dispensable income, not enough responsibility.
@@yaboi1342 Thank you for enlightenment, I really thought he leaves those cameras!!! Now I realised he is picking them up when he comes back the same route!
The cranks have a plastic coating, but inside is metal. I have a Walmart bike with those cranks. I changed the cranks, and cut the plastic coating off to see what's inside. Those cranks are VERY heavy.
Thanks for the video, you inspire me to ride my fixed gear every day. I will try to do a 100km after my finals.
I bought that same bike and had the same impressions. It didn’t make sense that it was so exhausting to ride. It checked the bearings and they didn’t have any grease, just a light coat of some kind of oil. I properly greased them and it’s somewhat better but not a lot. I never use a lock on this bike and it never gets stolen. Darn.
i’m starting out my cycling journey this summer on a costco bike... i’m 65 miles in!
I have an older, discontinued Kent model with a flip flop hub, 27" rims and drop bars. I paid $69 on clearance for it and added 700x25 Bontrager tires, cushy gel/cork tape, and a good seat. The thing rocks and I wouldn't be worried about a 100 mile ride outside of getting a sore butt and a crick in my next.
Kudos for taking all the extra time to set up those great shots of you riding. That must've been at least another 2 miles in putting down your camera and having to ride back to it.
Adding a better seat and a new crankset/bottom bracket does wonders for cheap Walmart bikes
I'm actually kind of disappointed it only comes in the one size, for that money I wouldn't hate it for a beater "just a bike" but I'd still want it to fit.
Welp, off to Walmart I go..
My first bike I feel in love with was a Huffy MTB. I put countless miles on it. Then I saved up for a Diamondback MTB at my LBS. Amazing jump in quality but it cost six times more than the huffy. My only regret was not buying another bike when I out grew the Diamondback. Instead it would be 10 years before buying another bike. My advice, always have a bike and always stay reasonably dangerous!
So if the frame size was the problem, wouldn't that be the same issue no matter how much the bike costs?
Why does this guy have to complain the whole intro and build. Can't even make it past.
OMG. He complains ALOT. Lol.
Pain builds character...
DCM SR but we don’t want to build
Character... we just want to ride a bike dude
@@matthewdemello LOL🤪🤪🚴♂️🚴♂️
I have one from back in 2013 , what would you recommend ? Upgrade almost everything besides the frame or get a new one ?
'Well really you're better off getting a 'real' bike, like from my sponsor at wabi.'
UA-cam 'Bruce Chastain kent ridgeland' and you'll get an idea on how to work this thing over.
He seemed so angry that the river went over the trail. It’s not the park’s fault man.
😝
@@angelamartin4329 like dude can't understand how rain works
I’ve put a few thousand miles on this bike as a single speed over the course of around 5 years. I love it, and has been a really solid bike. It’s survived being hit by a car as well. It does feel slow because my friends ride high quality fixed gear, so I struggle to keep up, but I’ll smoke them by just coasting downhill. I’ve had to replace a couple parts as they’ve worn out, but have had zero problem with it as I regularly get it tuned. The brakes do suck though. I’m currently just trying to figure out what pedals I can use to switch out to new ones, and why I even have looked at this video.
I understand it's not the best fixie bike but it looks good value to me. I don't think its $100 wasted and I don't necessarily think it will put people off cycling. It seems a good package to me. I personally don't have a problem with heavier bikes or being over taken by older riders or geared mountain bikes, I would of thought that was expected on a fixed gear bike most of the time. I don't like the single pivot brakes but don't mind the quill stem or chain cover. The Vitesse on the crankset seems to be the company that makes many of these walmart kent bikes. Here in the UK we get Vitesse bikes sold with Vitesse branding but at much higher prices than walmart.
This is the one where they saw the handlebars in half so they can install gripshifters on a road bike. As you can see it has the Vittesse branding that is shown on the crankset of the fixie.
www.amazon.co.uk/Vitesse-Shimano-handle-bar-rotational-shifters/dp/B0070VZRDC
That split handlebar setup is used here in the States on the "GMC Denali" road bike… also from Kent! 😂
@@cerberus1981 I think Kent are the importer but Vitesse is the manufacturing brand in China hence they didn't bother changing the Vitesse branding on this $100 fixed gear bike on the crankset it gives away the actual real manufacturer of the walmart bike.
I'm going to comment, even though so many people have about "hating" on the bike. Let's bring up the first thing, I've seen worse looking bikes. Second thing, Walmart sells one size bike - it's usually the wrong one. Third thing, people getting into biking for the first time (since they were kids) and trying out the sport on a Walmart bike, may or may not like it depending on how close the actual fit of the bike comes to their size. All you have to do is look at Craigslist and you'll see just how many bikes fit horribly. "Used a few times and bike riding is not for me." or something close is a pretty good indication the bike fit horribly. "I started on a Walmart bike." is a cop-out... as kid, I didn't give a dam what my bike looked like (I rode my sisters "girl" pink Barbie bike several times when something was wrong with mine) so long as you had one. Walmart with their "wheel-sizing" is horribly wrong and only comes "close" to being near the actual size of the bike and the size the rider should be, obviously the bigger the wheel = the taller you should be - A 4'6" rider on a 29" would be kinda ridiculous and I doubt they would be able to touch the ground without falling down.
Bike fitment is one of the most important parts of biking. A bad fit leads to all kinds of problems.
Am I saying you can't get a decent fit on a Walmart bike? No, if you just happen to be the right height for the frame.
Should you try a bike before you buy it? ABSOLUTELY, and Walmart will only let you buy it before you try it, options will be limited.
I understand why people go the cheapest route they can, but that may lead to hating the sport in general, And all the bikes I've ever seen or dealt with from big-box-one-size-fits-all store have a horrible weight problem, and pedaling around a heavy bike will wear you down a lot faster.
Do it on a $100 CAD 'Canadian Tire' bike, that would be a mission... and on Highway 401!
in january lol
The shifter was bad and uphill, so i only rode that twice.
Picked this up from offerup for 50 bucks and it's better than my 300 dollar fixie. I love this bike.
Poor review sadly, I got a cheap fixie never ridden one know little about them, however I know one thing I love mine.
And now own 2 of the cheap ones, 1 under going a referb, the other, the first one I got is doing great no service issues other than a puncture and tyres replaced.
Done some centuries on geared bikes - doing my first one on a single speed (All-City Nature Boy) in two weeks. Going to be a fun time.
30lbs?!!!!! My aluminium Santa Cruz Nomad is 34!!! That's insane.
What's with all the hate in the comments? Zach is criticizing a THIRTY POUND hunk of "one-size-fits-all" steel and PLASTIC that couldn't even keep its chain. Despite this, Zach gives the bike its share of praise and calls it a, "suprisingly adequate" bargain. "After six hours of riding I wasn't sore at all." A lot of us started on Wal-Mart bikes, but some of you have Stockholm syndrome. You deserve better. Love yourself >^.^
Best said: "It beats walking! "
I bought a $50 fixed bike & rode around 300km on that month,never had a single issue with them.
I wouldn't buy something like that unless I didn't have any other choice. But for some people I realize that this may be their only option. If somebody stole it for drug money they probably wouldn't get much.
Find a local used bike shop. Get an old Peugeot, or a Motobecane and fixie it.
@@georgeb.wolffsohn30 I ride a 33 year Peugeot city bike. It goes and goes.
@@ron623tt my main ride is a Gary Fisher '91 or '92 Sphinx frankenbiked by me.
Personally, I like heavy bikes. I have six bikes; all of them were picked up by the roadside, in my neighborhood, being discarded. The oldest one is a Schwinn Varsity from 1973 and the newest one is a Trek 820 from 1994. I completely restored these bikes, and put large rear baskets on them, for grocery shopping. I think the lightest bike I have is 30 lbs. Some of my bikes are well over 40 lbs. Out of all my bikes, the Schwinn Varsity, which weighs a ton, is my favorite. In fact, it's very fast, and I actually feel that the heavy weight helps when going against the wind.
I've worked on several bikes on this level. They always need to be repacked with grease and retrue the wheels but they will ride and are good betters if nothing else
A good 'lets see if you like it' bike for newbies, and people wnating to learn those basic skills so they don't have to fling money at the LBS for literally Everything. I mean not everyone wants to be their own mechanic, but for a lot of people the 'local' bike shop is an hour away EACH WAY. So effectivly there is no option but to learn.
I want that red tires. Where can I get ones , probably thinner?
What headphones are you using and do you recommend them?
Ariel C koss porta pro, he has a wireless verion. I have the wired one.
Those are good for the price, super comfortable, you can spend hours in them. Sound is great, but for me they feel good more in modern songs where bass is more boosted.
Shouldve renamed this vid as, Me whining for 17 minutes straight
💯
Everyone should start on a wallmart bike push hard then when you upgrade you'll be quick and it won't even tire you
You’re so right. In 2012, a colleague mentioned he and his family biked a lot, so on workday with extended lunch, we went to Wal-Mart to pick out a bike for me. :) We settled on a Next mountain bike ($99) because I liked the color. :). It stayed in my utility building for months until a former student invited me to bike with him on a local biking/walking trail. After three miles up a constant small grade, my student commented that my face was the color of a tomato. I stopped on literal noodle legs. We went up the grade for three miles and luckily coasted back down to his house- 12 miles total. The next day, I rode by myself 18 miles, the next day 24 miles and was hooked. I rode that bike for two months and dropped a noticeable amount of weight. Another friend noticed my weight loss, and when I said I was biking , he invited me to ride with him. He took one look at my bike and said it was too small for me, my knees were popping up like a Hackney pony. (I’m 6’1”).By this time, I was riding close to 30 miles a day-every day. In short order he had me on a friend’s twenty year old Bianchi 7-3 hybrid bike. It cost me $100 (trading the Next to him for his granddaughter to ride) and had less than 200 miles on it. By the end of that summer I had ridden a total of 1280 miles and had lost 43 pounds, all because I’d started with the Next kid’s mountain bike. My legs were very strong and are strong 11 years later.
Zach I rode my crappy Pacific mountain bike, with little to no conditioning before hand, 44 miles to Chicago once before. It was awful. It was painful and it took absolutely way to Long to get there, but I'm glad I did it. I was really proud of myself and accomplished a lot considering how I rode before that day. Although I wanted to quit for most of the journey, I'm glad I didn't. I feel your pain
Loads of negative comments - but you set out to have a poke at a cheap bike, you ended up quite liking it (well, called it adequate), I wouldn't want to be seen dead on it but you had a wry laugh: chapeau for making me smile, I enjoyed it
Me: *can barely finish a fixed century and watching this video from my couch while eating Oreos*
You really wimped out man. Jk. A lot of us start on these bikes and make due with what we have. I think it made us stronger riders in the end because of our ability to improvise on crappy machines once we get to a better machine. Job well done.
I did a 120km on Velib, the Parisian bike share service, as a stupid dare with a friend last spring. The rule was doing 3 turns around Paris without paying anything, so we had to pit stop in a station before 30 mins to reset the timer.
Honestly it makes a 200km gravel ride looks easy in comparison. But it was fun in a somewhat twisted way.
my friend's grandfather used to ride a Shanghai Phoenix single gear bicycle.
he is a LPG gas tank delivery man. he carries at most 6 tanks at a time and never complained.
his bicycle only costs equivalent to $60USD.
Of all the Walmart bikes it's not that bad. I had one in 2012 but never had anything happen with it besides my front wheel from another bike I had that was a quick release wheel and I got it to have a secondary bike and it was alright had it for a while until I got in an acident with the front wheel sliding out because it was loose(dang quick releases). You could probably get a better bike for the same or less on: Craigslist, let go or offer up to be honest. I look on all three of them and see some decent bikes for 30-200 that are better brands just depends on the person selling it. But if it's all you have it does a good enough job and you could always upgrade the parts at a later date if you want.
Normally not a fan of Walmart bikes since they're so sketchy but I had mine for a few months and it was good enough for me to be my secondary bike if needed. Retired it after I flew over my bars and the right arm of the fork bent outwordly.
you sound like gorden ramsay tasting undercooked pasta
For “lightweight”, top tier “STEEL” bikes
I love this video. I grew up riding on the American River bike trail. Thanksgiving 2019 I started at Discovery Park and rode to Mikes Bikes in Folsom and back, almost 60 miles on a fixie. This is the best thing Sac has. Last summer, I rode my first century in the Delta, and my first time on Ryer Island taking the state ferry near Isleton, but this was on my geared bike.
is it just me, or is this the most biased review i've seen online? gotta try to be a little more subtle, man.
who hurt this comment section, its a satirical and fun video with valid criticisms from someone that loves his fixed gear hobby. zach you've hit the youtube algorithm man you made it :D
Why waste money at Walmart? Buy a nice used bike on Craig's List for $100 or less. I've seen some excellent older bikes at $15-20 at garage sales.
Garage sales are great, some sell stuff for cheeseburger price.
OMG the fit part is so spot on. I had a GT Backwoods XL frame before. The difference between that frame and my new frame which is a L is night and day in terms of performance and response. The XL frame I felt a little bit more stable with the higher COB. The drawback was less nimbleness in terms of technical handling. For example roots and small rocks would tend to bounce a bit more. On the L frame though it's more slung back and I have more confidence and I feel better handling on the bike. The drawback is I feel like I have less top speed. The XL crankset was about 10cm longer than the L, so I feel like I get more momentum with the XL frameset so my top speeds are higher and it's easier to maintain them. The L frame has incredible acceleration though. Both are 29" wheel sets. I'll be fixing my Backwoods as soon as I get a new derailleur and derailleur hanger (bad spill), but in the meantime I'm going to be riding this large frame and loving it! Oh, I'm 6'1", so I'm right at the cusp of the L/XL sizing chart for my bike. I'm at the high end for a L and the low end for an XL, so I can be effective on both frames I think.
I'd like to see your century perspectives on other bikes you've reviewed. the Aventon, State, your wabi.
My Black Label v2 from State Bicycle Co is the nicest bike I've owned. I bought the frame set and assembled the rest with handpicked parts. I really like it, and I've had it for about a year. I ride singlespeed because I live in a hilly area. I know there are better brands but I think State puts out great stuff, especially their full package bikes.
Bryan Fellenbaum is it still your favorite? That’s the one I’m considering. Would love to hear an update
It's my daily ride in Brooklyn. It works well for me. 6 months rain or shine. It's not a glamour bike. It's not a great bike but it works and it's been reliable.
Honestly seems pretty darn good for $100
You're not at the velodrome or a circus. Even a good fixed gear bike is the wrong tool.
Deorman Robey
Fixed gears are efficient and fast. I enjoy the amount of control I get while riding one.
@@zoobenben5875 As an owner of multiple bikes ranging from 1940s coaster to 21 spd Diamond back, I can only say ride what you like. My old bomber is the wrong tool for just about everything, but I enjoy it anyway. If you go to ride on variable steep topography I highly recommend multiple gears. Rough terrain/offroad, add balloon tires. Anyway you do it, happy cycling.👍