Steve Spell II Rides a Walmart Bike at 51 mph

"CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)" (ccpbb)
05/05/2016 at 01:50 • Filed to: None

I’ve gone 40 down hill and then I realized that the descent I was going on had someone die there in the past 1-2 years. I slowed down. I’m a bit scared of those Walmart bikes...I’ve had brake levers snap on them, brake calipers break into pieces, and how the brakes barely can stop someone moving...and this guy is just cruisin’. Damn.

DISCUSSION (23)

Flavien Vidal > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 01:53

I once hit 50mph (GPS checked) on a walmart “longboard”... I had proper wheels and trucks on them, so not sure if that really count :)

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Flavien Vidal
05/05/2016 at 02:02

Semi counts...it must be in stock prestine condition. It’s like a Yugo rally car that has been prepped by Prodrive...

Flavien Vidal > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 02:06

Well new or not, a Walmart longboard is... well, awful lol...

albeit fucking narrow, it was very stiff, making it fairly easy to control. The original wheels it came with on the other hand, holy shit, that was bad and scary. Not even talking about the trucks that bent in less than 2 minutes of use :)

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 02:10

I call walmart bikes BSOs. Or Bike Shaped Objects

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
05/05/2016 at 02:15

Ironically a Walmart bike I was tuning up for my buddy had straighter rotors than quite a few rotors that come with bikes sent from the warehouse...

mattc993 > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 02:18

Not sure what’s going on here but this dude is absolutely not going 52 miles per hour. The surroundings are not moving fast enough and that car absolutely *blasts* by him - he would have been doing 100+ if the bike speed is accurate.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 02:19

Going quickly is fine ... it’s the moment you realize your brakes aren’t up for the task that panic sets in.

I was riding downhill on a cheapo bike (from Target, I think?) and it started raining. The brakes wouldn’t grip at all when wet, and I was fortunate that I landed in some relatively soft bushes after the crash.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > mattc993
05/05/2016 at 02:27

It’s probably in the range of 30 mph. If you don’t do a lot of descending, it can feel like light speed. The tires wouldn’t be able to handle the speed and the wheelbase is pretty small on that bike.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
05/05/2016 at 02:29

The brakes aren’t really good whatsoever with a lot of stock brakes...even if someone buys a 800 dollar mtb with Shimano hydraulic brakes they can still have barely any braking power until you reach the end of the travel of the lever.

Nice brake pads can be left in the sun to rot for 20 years and still work. (tested and tried). Crappy brake pads hard rot and then not work..

Flavien Vidal > mattc993
05/05/2016 at 02:39

He was probably close to 40/45mph when he checked his phone. By the time the car passes him he had slowed down by a lot already... I’ve done lots of downhill skateboard and I like to think I can judge the speeds I see on video fairly well after all these years... Pretty certain he was around 70kph which is not very fast in either downhill skateboarding or bicycling.

David Baker > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 03:20

Kinja'd!!!

I put a 72V 40A (2880W) electric kit on my Montague Paratrooper. I added good road tread tires. Maxxis Hookworms with HD tubes, basically the only thing I changed (excluding electric specific). It does 50 on flat ground and 30+ uphill, takes it like a champ.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
05/05/2016 at 03:46

The scariest part is the build quality., since they’re usually assembled by some one in the back of the store, who has no idea what they are doing.

I’ve seen walmart bikes on display with brakes on the wrong sides(rear on right, front on left) handle bars not clamped down, or stickers for assembly not removed.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 03:52

Not to mention the aero drag with that basket, that frame design, and that big seat, in addition to the rolling resistance of those cheap off road tires, plus that bike probably weighs a good 30lbs. and IDK about you but I don’t know too many people that could/would take their hands off their handle bars at 40mph on a bike like it’s nothing.

Gone > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 06:14

I’ve hit 55.x on my TT bike downhill outside Kerville, TX during a ride vent (they changed the route now I think). It was pretty cool except the realization that lycra and my cycling helmet weren’t going to do crap for me if I had an off.

Would never do that on a WalMart “bike.”

TheRealBicycleBuck > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/05/2016 at 07:03

43 mph is my record and I’ve done it twice. Both times on a properly prepped road bike with good brakes and tires.

This guy is just dumb.

One of my favorite activities is pointing out build errors to Walmart/Target/Dick’s Sporting Goods/etc. employees. Common problems include brake levers mounted at the wrong angle, brake pads misaligned, brake gaps set incorrectly, and forks mounted backwards. Notice that most of the list items are brake problems.

facw > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
05/05/2016 at 09:19

wrong sides(rear on right, front on left)

Wait, why is this wrong? Every bike I’ve ever ridden (in the US) has been set up this way. I did ride one in the UK that was reversed (took some getting used to), though I had another there that still used left for front and right for rear.

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck
05/05/2016 at 09:21

I’ve topped 40 twice (according to a conveniently placed speed limit sign), both on group rides. Even 25 downhill feels way too fast on my own, but when you can see other people in front not dying horribly, it makes that 40 feel great.

facw > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
05/05/2016 at 09:24

I’ve read that average bike sold in the US is ridden a total of (I think) ~6 miles in its life (which doesn’t seem shocking when you consider the number of people who buy bikes and don’t ride them), and those big box bikes are definitely built like it.

yitznewton > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
05/05/2016 at 09:40

OMG yeah, I used my mom’s Caldor bike for a while... the rims were polished chrome-y, had zero brake grip in the wet. I mean, who the hell designed that wheel?!

mattc993 > Flavien Vidal
05/05/2016 at 10:40

Kinja'd!!!

Flavien Vidal > mattc993
05/05/2016 at 10:44

Well, my personnal top speed is 67 mph on cypress road in Vancouver... I have friends who have been over 80 in Colorado. I don’t think I’ve ever spent a day out skateboarding where I didn’t reach at least 45mph. 40/45mph are speeds I’m very confortable at, in tshirt and shorts with a bowl helmet. These speeds are not very fast in downhill skateboarding. Him going 40mph is nothing special... On a bicyle or on a skate.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > facw
05/05/2016 at 11:58

Oh yeah, I must have flip flopped it in my head, or just typed it wrong.

facw > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
05/05/2016 at 12:01

Good, I’m glad to know I’m not a crazy person (at least regarding bicycle brakes).