Dangers of buying supermarket BSO
Posted on in Cycles News
As reported in CyclingIndustry.News, an Orlando-based news station has run a segment on buying bikes in boxes from supermarkets in the build up to Christmas - warning consumers to make sure the bikes have been properly assembled.
Unfortunately for the independent bike business, supermarkets take the lion share of Christmas business - some 74% or 16 million bikes a year - according to the National Bicycle Dealer's Association in America.
"You should really have the confidence and assurance that the bike you're purchasing has been put together correctly," said Joshua Jiannuzzi. Long before he began working as a mechanic at Kyle's Bike Shop in Orlando, Jiannuzzi assembled bikes at Kmart.
"A lot of times the people assembling it are the people assembling your patio furniture, your barbecues, your grills. The same people who sometimes bag your groceries," said Jiannuzzi.
"Other times the bicycles are assembled by contractors hired by the retailer. Those contractors are often paid for each bike they put together giving them a financial incentive to assemble the bikes quickly."
To see how well bicycles have been assembled at stores, Local 6 reporter Mike DeForest purchased four bikes from popular retailers and took them to Kyle's Bike Shop for a basic safety inspection, where he found that the majority were assembled to a dangerous standard.
The mechanic found bolts that appeared to be hand tightened, as well as poorly installed brakes that hadn't been given any attention prior to leaving the supermarket. Most commonly, it was the stem that had not been tightened, leaving the bike prone to sudden shifts of the handlebar when pressure is applied.
Of the four bikes purchased three failed Jiannuzzi's inspection, leading the mechanic to strongly recommend buyers head to their local specialist bike shop for final assembly by a qualified mechanic, should they choose to buy cheap.
To read the report in full, click here.