The Bike of Doom
by Steve ~ March 14th, 2007. Filed under: Department Store Bikes.
I just bought the Bike of Doom. I paid $99 for it at Canadian Tire. It’s a classic, entry level department store bike. Its real name is the SuperCycle 1800 18 Speed Men’s Mountain Bike. The US/Walmart equivalent would be the Huffy Blackwater 26″ Men’s Mountain Bike. I imagine it’s usually bought by people who won’t do a lot of cycling, perhaps around the block with the kids, once or twice a summer. It’s that kind of bike. The kind of bike a serious cyclist wouldn’t be caught dead riding. On the other hand, I’m a serious cyclist, and I bought it. In fact, I’ve been talking about buying it for some time now.And now I own it. Check out the picture. Note the smart metallic blue paint, the black machine-molded plastic “Anatomic” Saddle, the proprietary FIS components (Falcon Index System). No Shimano components here, no quick release wheels, no front shock absorbers. Just the basics. Do you know how hard it is to find a bike without front shocks these days? I’m actually looking forward to riding the Bike of Doom. I may have to buy a second one for spare parts.
Why buy the Bike of Doom when I’ve already got a very nice bike? Well, I wanted a bike I could commute with in all kinds of weather and not worry about it getting stolen, wheels breaking, or suffering from neglect. I wanted a bike I could ride to the corner store and leave leaning against the window when I went inside, or take grocery shopping, or to the mall, leaving it tied up with a flimsy lock. Each of the wheels on my other bike, without tires, costs more than twice what the Bike of Doom cost. To put it in perspective, a monthly bus pass costs $85, as does my favourite bottle of scotch, as does a movie night out with my wife and kids. In other words, the Bike of Doom was pretty cheap. Losing it, if that happens, won’t hurt. But who would want it?
My plan is to ride it every day to work and back. I’ve got a route worked out that’s about 15 Km there and back, which amounts to about 75 Km a week, or 300 Km month. I could put 2,000 Km into commuting during the summer and fall. Twice that if I keep going through winter. I did that once before, on a better bike. The wear and tear was incredible. Will the Bike of Doom stand up to that? I don’t know. That’s what I’m going to find out. I’m thinking of it as kind of an experiment, and I’ll post my results here, in case any of you has ever looked at one of these el cheapo department store bikes and wondered if you could make use of it.
Stay tuned. The Bike of Doom will return.
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August 20th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
My first bike as an adult was a Canadian Tire special very similar to that one, and I used it for exactly what you’re talking about here — commuting to and from work every day (about 12km each way, so a bit further than what you’re talking about here), all-weather riding, riding downtown and locking up with a $20 flexible lock. You know, it worked out pretty well. I rode it for two or three years that way, including a 144km ride from Toronto to Waterloo. When I finally decided to upgrade, it was still working fine, if you knew its quirks. I gave it away for free to some guy who wanted to ride with his kids but couldn’t afford a bike of his own at that time.
My new bike wasn’t a “nice bike” by bike-person standards, but it was an upgrade: a Giant Yukon (I think?), about $600 at the time, I think. I took it on a couple of short rides to try it out and it was noticably nicer. Then I rode it downtown for my very first real ride. Wonderful ride. Went in to the ROM in the middle of the day in broad daylight, left it locked with the same lock to the bike rack outside where there was a huge line of people. When I came out, it was stolen.
I don’t really have room where I live for multiple bikes, but I sometimes think that if I did, I’d go the route you’re going — a really nice bike and a beater. It’s a great option. Instead, I have another mid-level bike and a really expensive lock.
I won’t say that I miss my Canadian Tire Special, but I will say that it served me really well for the price that I paid. My wife, who rides a lot less than I do, still has hers.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
[...] on [The Bike of Doom] by Irfon-Kim [...]
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I just bought this bike and overall happy with the money spent on this, i do have a question for you however, what do you think about all the bikes that come with front shocks
arent those things just extra maintenance, or do they really add to the bikes life, as far as reducing tire wear?
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:49 pm
In my opinion, front shocks add both weight and complexity, both unnecessary in a commuter bike. I chose the SC1800 a) because it was cheap and b) because it had no front shocks. If it had front shocks, I would have looked for a different cheap bike.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Hey I just pulled a supermarket bike out of the reeds by the river in front of my house ! The wheels, crankset, and deraillier have been kicked bent by the previous owner… but I have old bits in the shed to do the repairs. Cool. LOL.
February 14th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Dude…
I love how you reference it as the Bike of Doom! Rock on!
March 6th, 2008 at 10:42 am
cool site dude. i am about to increase my route from 6 km round trip to 30 km round trip. I have a mountain bike with slicks but I plan to add a rise bar for my handle bars for back relief and some panniers. I’ll do my best to not pay for transit but we shall see.
peace.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
[...] just completed a full year of commuting on The Bike of Doom, Steve George reflects on the cheap bike as theft deterrent and wonders if he should replace it [...]
July 7th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I bought a full suspension equivalent to the bike of doom, and it lasted for 1000 miles before the frame cracked in several different locations. I weighed 240 lbs at the time, but now, due to the large hill I ride up twice a day, I only weigh 220. Progress. Theoretically, I am still seriously obese according to that funny old BMI thing. I smoke as well, which gives all those fit young people a bit of a chance on the hill.
It took about 4 hours to get the brakes and gears adjusted properly and the tyres centred. It was heavy, though lighter than the more expensive FSMTB (now with 4000 miles) that replaced it.
Mostly I ride an old roady to work, and use the MTB when the mood strikes me. I hate parking them in public - most thieves steal first and ask questions later.
P B