As this is a forum about bikes, I'll focus on bikes. Most of you will already know of of this and some more. The point of this thread is for anyone with the slightest doubt that a big box store can possibly be a little bit good.
Big Box Store Bikes Suck
You know it can't be good when a shiny but crappy aluminum BMX bike weights more as much as a crappy steel hybrid bike which uses more frame material overall. One particular bike had tags and stickers proclaiming it's aluminum awesomeness. The bike also had a very shiny, metallic paint job. No doubt, that bike's sole (non)selling point was that it was aluminum and shiny. Many customers over a few weeks were interested in that bike but it was unbelievably heavy for such a small bike so taking it down was a pain. That was obvious a sign that the aluminum being used was low quality. The remainder of the bikes were steel (Not the fancy cromoly kind) of unknown grade.
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This beauty weighed a ton probably because of all the love and passion that went into building it
The crap-onents were no better. Usually, the components were no name ones. Other times, they were supposedly Shimano and some of them may have been Deores and Tourneys. Tourneys are usually found only on BBS bikes and are pretty much on the bottom, bottom end of Shimano but at least it's still Shimano.
Also, please don't buy a bike with suspension. It'll only make it heavier and mean an extra crappy part that could fail or do nothing because it has too much travel.
People who assemble Big Box Store bikes have no idea what they are doing
The people who assemble the bike don't do it too well and never bother to make sure the bike is properly functional.
Here is a list of offenses that I've seen first hand
-Fork backward
-Handlebars upside down or backwards
-Brakes angled far too low down to be reached while sitting in a normal, upright position
-Limit screws that beg for a chain to be thrown off sooner or later
-Bolts on the wheel skewers that are too loose and will fall off on a bump
-Brakes that don't even reach the rim
-Many other things that bike parts should not be doing
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The people who sell you bikes don't know much about bikes
They'll say buzz words like suspension, aluminum, gears, etc. But chances are, the people who go to a BBS for a bike don't know how to properly use gears (some people grind away on a single gear, never changing gear simply because they don't know how, the bike is poorly adjusted and can't do it properly, or don't even know that a bike can change gears. I made an effort to at least give people a crash course on shifting while making adjustments at the same time (Now, I won't profess to be great at it but at least I was able to get it working better than it originally did. Sure, the shifting wasn't perfectly clean and crisp but at least it would shift at all.)
A bad bike can be dangerous
A poorly built bike with poor quality parts could potentially fail on you when you need it not to fail which is anytime you are on a bike with feet off the ground. The brakes might not be able to squeeze the rim and you won't be able to stop. The crankset may break while you are grinding away in that one gear (I've never seen this but had read horror stories of such occurrences). Much more may break if you take a BBS mountain bike onto rough trails. The suspension may fail when you land or do nothing to alleviate forces because it has way too much travel or too little. Now, I'm not mountain biker but if I were riding on rough trails I would rather be able to trust my bike to stay strong and function properly under stress. However, chances are, BBS cyclists don't ride to such extremes that this matters all too much. However, a poorly built bike can fail on you even on a commute. Safe yourself medical bills and get a proper bike that is designed, built, and tuned with care.
You don't have to be a bike pro to eventually learn BBS store bikes suck
I'm just a bit better than the average road cyclist newcomer but I know enough to be aware of the cost and dangers of a crappy bike. Sooner or later, your big box store bike will fail on you and hopefully, it won't happen while you're on the road. If you try to take it to a bike shop, chances are, it'll be mostly unserviceable. Even if it isn't broken, tuning such a bad bike up will be an ordeal for the mechanic and even if he does successfully tune it up, it'll probably end up going back "out of tune" sooner than better bikes simply because the entire bike doesn't hold together all that well.
Spend more on a better bike
When I encounter customers who obviously have money, I strongly urge them to raise their budgets and go to a proper bike shop or refer them to consider BikesDirect but get a professional to assemble it for you (A good bike that is poorly assembled is a bad bike). I tell those customers that such suggestions do not benefit me in the slightest and could cost me my job but that it greatly behooves them to spend more.
Some people greatly appreciate my advice about getting a better quality bike elsewhere as well as what they should look for when shopping elsewhere for a better bike. Others think that they should spend no more than $200 or even $100 on a bike and are insistent on this. For such customers, the bike is usually for a kid with parents who have no idea whether or not a kid will ride the bike much anyway. For those people, there is no convincing them to spend $500 on a bike for a kid.
Spend more on a better bike unless it's for a young child
Spending $210 on a bike like the Specialized Hardrock Coaster for children is a bit silly. For young kids, I wouldn't spend much. All a kid bike needs is to be properly assembled so it works properly. As long as the bike rolls when pedal and slows when braked, it's good enough for a young kid who will outgrow the bike soon.
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However, if your kid is obviously the next Eddy Merckx or is prophetically named Fred (or probably Fredda in this case), look no further than the Culprit bike.
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Future Fred and his UCI illegal setup
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Outlandish grimaces, hairless legs, shades, and road cycling go together. These kids do it right.
You've been warned.
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