Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mongoose Montana Men's Mountain Bike

Sometimes being frugal about certain items is not worth in the long run. Take this bike as an example. Took it out of the box and, at first, looks very promising. After placing all the parts together (handle bar, front tire and seat) took it for its first spin. First thing I noticed that it wasn't shifting (rear) correctly. Brake pads (front and back) need adjustments to make them not rub against the rims. Took it back home right away and discovered that the rear derailleur is bent - signs of poor/very cheap quality. With my bare hands, straigthened the rear component and took it for a spin again and after adjusting the brakes. I got the rear gear to the highest number but couldn't make it go to the lowest number - more adjustments. Despite being Shimano components, I was very disappointed of the low quality parts. So just expect to make quite a few adjustments with this bike. If you are not mechanically inclined, try asking your friends or make some new ones who are, otherwise, to the bike shop it goes.$$$

GMC Denali Boy's 24-Inch Road Bike

This bike is a great buy. It is very difficult to find a junior road bike with 21 speed under $200.00 My son was not into the BMX stlye bikes or the Mountain Bikes with shocks. This bike moves realy fast! I took the advice from the previous reviewer and changed the handle bars to a straight bar because my son's reach to the curved handle bars was too far. It took my local bike shop about 1 hour to do and cost less than $60.00 for parts and labor. It needed brake handles and a handle bar and grips. I saw three other bikes in the same size in the bike shop that cost $600.00 and up! After comparing them to the components and weight, I am certain this bike is just as good and a great value!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Bicycle Rear Rack Grocery Baskets by Wald

I purchased these, so I could run more errands using my bike. They attached easily, and I really like the fact that they are securely fixed to my bike rack and that they fold up. I can haul quite a few groceries with them. A gallon of milk and two 2-liter bottles of soda? No problem. The now-popular reusable grocery bags fit as well. My lunch cooler even fits. My only suggestion is to make sure you place them far back enough, so your heels don't catch. Also, they do add some weight, making lifting my bike in and out of my truck a little more of a chore. However, I've had my bike for 16 years, and with these racks, I'm riding more than ever.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack

I don't write many reviews but I was happy enough with this product to spend time giving my feedback.

The Good

* This rack easily accommodated 2 large adult bikes with *big* baby carriers, along with 2 smaller kids bikes (4 total). Because these are large and bulky I doubt we could get another full sized bike installed, but it easily handled our situation.
* I *love* the tilt feature which allows us to open the minivan hatch back without unloading everything on the rack. This is a must-have feature that is worth its weight in gold.
* It's well constructed so it should last many years. The steel is powder-coated so hopefully rust will not be an issue.
* Very easy to install
* It's not very expensive!

The Bad

* I doubt you can fit 5 unless they are all thin racing-style road bikes. But again, it fits 4 "family" bikes without a problem.

The Ugly

* The accessory strap buckle broke after one firm yank. This strap is not an integral part of the design so I simply used my own ratched-style strap in it's place. Not a big deal, but it's something to look out for.

Allen 102S Premium 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack , Allen Tension Bar Bicycle Cross-Bar Adaptor , Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 4-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

Friday, August 8, 2008

Cadillac Escalade 20-Inch Freestyle Bike (White)

My son wanted to get a bike for his 9th birthday, so I decided to check Amazon for it as I always do. To my surprise there was a cool bike with pegs and was exactly what he wanted and for a better price than the local stores. I have a Cadillac Eldorado and he is very pleased to have his own Cadillac. Mine of course is faster except when his bike is in the trunk. The bike was very easy to put together and did not take very long even though I tightened everything twice to make sure it was sturdy. It looks and rides great and the brakes are the same that are on his friends HARO that cost three times as much. Great Deal, thank you Amazon!

Sunlite Toploader 1 Bicycle Rear Rack Bag

I needed a rear rack bag that would not get in the way of my bike seat since it sets somewhat low. This one does a nice job and has plenty of room for just about anything you would need. The main compartment measures about 12x5x5 inside to give you an idea. A good find. Fits on my Sunlite rear rack perfectly. Some report that it does not stay in place,however it does have two straps on the bottom and one on each corner.

Sunlite Bike Bags

Sunlite Traveler 1 Bicycle Saddle Pannier Bag

Have had no problem or issue. Initial concern resulted from a review stating that the SunLite would detach and fall off. This has not happened. True, that there is no "tie-down attachments" included with the SunLite. However, there are so many different bikes that one attachment will not fit all anyway. I simply used two 'black electrical tie straps' and in 90 seconds, I was on my way. The bags look great and are doing all that is advertised. Very pleased with this purchase!

Sunlite Bicycle Bags