I saw this post and wanted to ask the opposite. What are some items that really aren't worth paying the expensive version for? Preferably more extreme or unexpected examples.

  • 7bicycles [he/him]
    ·
    6 months ago

    Most stuff on a bicycle for the average person unless it's carbon, plastics or electronics. Including safety stuff. Some caveat if you wanna huck yourself off a mountain or do like 100kph descents on your roadbikes.

    But for the most stuff? The cheap shit works absolutely fine because at it's core it's bits of formed metal with threads attached connected by steel wires. Very hard to fuck any of that up to the point it becomes dangerous. I keep seeing parts being rated as SAFETY LEVEL 5 E-BIKE READY as if the metal rod that is my handlebar usually disintegrates once I hit the ludicrous speed of [checks notes] 25kph. Your $2 Alibaba Special V-Brakes are, at worst, gonna have garbage springs so it doesn't return to not-braking great, but you're not gonna like snap them in half even if you were a gorilla riding a bicycle.

    • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]
      ·
      6 months ago

      I'll add the caveat that any bicycle sold at Walmart is complete garbage and will probably break on you

      • alcoholicorn [comrade/them, doe/deer]
        ·
        6 months ago

        My walmart bike's downtube failed as I was riding it up a small incline. Not even at a weld, just right in the middle.

        Didn't even know that was a part that could fail.

        Had to replace the tires because the treads wore through once so it probably got more use than walmart bikes are built for.

          • alcoholicorn [comrade/them, doe/deer]
            ·
            6 months ago

            Eh, I can't fault it too much considering tires usually last over a thousand miles and most people buying a walmart bike aren't riding thousands of miles.

            I don't agree with the general sentiment though, riding a well-maintained aluminum frame bike after thousands of miles on a slow ass walmart bike is such a different experience.

    • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]
      ·
      6 months ago

      as if the metal rod that is my handlebar usually disintegrates once I hit the ludicrous speed of [checks notes] 25kph.

      I would agree but I once dated a girl who somehow snapped a whole-ass bike in half riding into a street sign.