# Is my friend cheap? or just a total idiot?



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

ok my friend manbir is looking at getting into dj. I found him a norco havoc on pinkbike for about 450 shipped, he informed me today that he is going to go to sportchek and buy a 300 dollar iron horse instead

http://www.sportchek.ca/product_description.jhtml?id=prod3480075&fromSpecificCategory=true

now heres the thing he is a small kid, only about 100 lbs and 5 feet tall-ish, and the frame looks decent (ive seen it live n personal ) it has good welds and a gusseted headtube, the components look decent for the price with the rockshox judy, plus he can always upgrade it. Would this suit him for light to moderate dj, and skatepark?


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Sporting goods store bike? They're barely a step above department store bikes.

That's not a real Ironhorse.


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

yah i know...i told him that but hes pretty light and i dont want to stand in the way of him getting it because his bmx was recently stolen and he hasnt rode since and i think its bout time he got on a bike and rode, im pretty sure it will take him if his cheap bmx did but im not sure about it being able to hold as he progresses...

and yes its an iron horse...the same way schwinn raleigh and mongoose make department store bikes iron horse does the same for sportchek


----------



## standard235 (Jul 23, 2005)

A cheap BMX pwns that in durability. Seriously, talk him into that Norco.


----------



## 907hucker (Jun 26, 2006)

> A cheap BMX pwns that in durability. Seriously, talk him into that Norco.


I agree, try to talk him into the norco.....iv learned that cheep bikes are NOT the way to go


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

eh the dummy made up his mind hes getting the iron horse...im not going to try and pursuade him into spending more money than he wants to


----------



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

ya that bike sucks, i worked at sport check and that bike sucks, and for 399$ + gst it will come close to that norco anyway, convince him to get the norco


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

well its on sale now for 299...i can guess why


----------



## coma13 (Sep 3, 2005)

just buy a bmx.... why would a 100 pound 5 foot tall person want to ride a mtb for dj's anyway?


----------



## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

That bike sucks for anything but light xc and normal road riding around town.


----------



## ihatemybike (Nov 27, 2005)

Your friend is going to kill that bike very quickly if he does anything serious with it. Tell him if he's planning on jumping he should get a bike that is designed for jumping.


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

eh hes made up his mind i tried ahwel i can just hope he finds a crack before it snaps in half...but do you really think a small kid like him could break it? it looks decent for 300 dollars...


----------



## ihatemybike (Nov 27, 2005)

If he's agressive enough, yeah he could break it.


----------



## 907hucker (Jun 26, 2006)

well tell him to check ebay and look for a used bike that will last him alot longer.i saved a but load on my bike by going to ebay..


----------



## rocpyro (Feb 7, 2005)

snaky69 said:


> That bike sucks for anything but light xc and normal road riding around town.


Doesnt look ideal for that either!


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

UPDATE:Ok my friend did infact get the iron horse from sportchek, i was just about to yell at him when i actually took a good look at it, i got to say all the components are complete trash, but the frame is quite nice, nice tig welding, nicely done rear dropouts, open ended gusetted headtube. This frame looks like it can take it. The fork, a rockshox j1 was plush, and seems to serve him well (i wouldnt use it) Thats where the goods end, from there, there are rim brakes, (though the frame has disc mounts) no name wheels, lame trigger shifters with 21 speed capability, some no name "power wheel" crank

Today was his first day of aggresive riding...and all i have to say is i think he proved you all quite wrong(first day though). The bike was fine off small to moderate dirtjumps (the only kind we have) and it handled speed gaps quite well, and tackled the tough stuff quite well. We then went on the downhill and it handled normally there. the cheap rear wheel was bent outa wack (im going to get him to get new wheels) but other then thats seems fine!


----------



## ecgravity (Jul 17, 2006)

That bike is trash and those bikes give IH a bad name. Just like Wal-Mart mongooses and schwinns give GT a bad name......TRASH. I know it seems great right now but just wait.


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

hey im not the one riding it dont tell me

and thank goodness he got an unlimited warranty if it breaks in any way within two years its replaced...i can tell its trash by the shimano tourney deraileur, im saying the fframe is pretty solid and shouldnt break under his weight, if it does within 2 years he gets a new one WHICH IT WONT...ofcourse he is only 100 pounds


----------



## sandyP1 (Jun 20, 2006)

that bike is definitly a wally world special. a waste of money!!!!!!


----------



## taikuodo (Jul 3, 2006)

IF hes doing that stuff i woulda just bought a used BMX.
If its bmx, and used, how many things could go wrong?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/196332064.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/195435927.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/195956157.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/194252349.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/194186537.html

Dont know whats good and bad but they all look the same to me.


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

well im going to guess it will do HIM well due to his size, it seems to jump efortlessly and i wouldnt say its a wally world special its a decent frame but the parts will all break and im sure of it, he bent the rim pretty bad after 3 jumps, the derailleur wll be the next thing to fall off, the cranks will snap, he'll break his balls when they do...he doesnt even use a helmet  but im in the process of convincing him to get a lid


----------



## taikuodo (Jul 3, 2006)

How old is this guy?


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

hes 14

and when we jump we have a rule, when you jump only go high enough so that if you fall you wont die(under 10 feet in height) and if you do fall try and land on you side crunched up(we never get hurt though)

so if the bike were to break while he was doing a drop or jump the most he would get are broken bones(hopefully) ofcourse i dont know dirtjumping im more of an aggresive xcer so im guessing my entire logic is messed up


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

I doubt you can jump 10 feet. A few weeks ago, you couldn't even roll off a curb.


----------



## tozovr (Jul 26, 2006)

potvinwannab said:


> hes 14
> 
> and when we jump we have a rule, when you jump only go high enough so that if you fall you wont die(under 10 feet in height) and if you do fall try and land on you side crunched up(we never get hurt though)
> 
> so if the bike were to break while he was doing a drop or jump the most he would get are broken bones(hopefully) ofcourse i dont know dirtjumping im more of an aggresive xcer so im guessing my entire logic is messed up


[getting box of popcorn]

Munch munch crunch.....

[/gbp]


----------



## trevorh (Jul 31, 2006)

are you sure its not you riding the bike and not some made up friend?


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

hey i have a norco vps i have a bike, my friend manbir has the iron horse and it seems fine but ill see what happens its aluminum which makes me think it is not as sturdy as it looks (it says it 6061 t6, if this is true than there should be nothing to worry about)

ill update after a few more rides


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

i can JUMP alright...its just drops i have trouble with, DEFINITLEY no 10 foot drops for me, but a 8 foot high 15 foot long gap is doable for me


----------



## Tag1 (Mar 17, 2006)

trevorh said:


> are you sure its not you riding the bike and not some made up friend?


:yesnod:

Hilarious.


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

potvinwannab said:


> hey i have a norco vps i have a bike, my friend manbir has the iron horse and it seems fine but ill see what happens its aluminum which makes me think it is not as sturdy as it looks (it says it 6061 t6, if this is true than there should be nothing to worry about)
> 
> ill update after a few more rides


False. Design, quality of tubing, and integrity of welds all contribute to a good frame. Just because it's 6000 series tubing doesn't mean that it's great.

Once again, what happened to you supposed Devinci that you got a screaming deal on?

Let's see some picture of you, your bike, and you riding your bike.

As I said, you couldn't even roll over speedbumps without falling on your a$$.

By the way, how much did you have to pay the guy for getting hit by his car?


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

oh for crying out loud...before this turns into a flamefest im leaving...if you ABSOLUTELY need pics etc. and NEED to know what happened with the devinci then pm or email me but chances are you probably dont give a rats ass...

and my mom gave up and i think shes going to pay...i dont agree with it but ah well

ok im leaving this thread for good pm if you need me 

p.s-i dont care if you dont believe me  ill never see you in my life :thumbsup:


----------



## karpiel666 (Jan 7, 2005)

from pots thingy:

Age:
13 
From 
(City, State or Country):
Woodbridge Ontario 
Year started riding:
2005 
Favorite type of riding 
(can choose more than:
Cross Country 
Favorite Trail:
boyd park,albion hills, freeride park 
Number of bikes owned:
2 
Bike Setup:
Gary fisher joshua frame
Sr suntour duro d 130 mm fork
sram 4.0 derailleur
rock shox deluxe rear shock (soon to be fox rc)
sr suntour 22-32-48 crank
sram 9 speed cassette
All that and a bag of potatoe chips

secondary bike:devinci guzzler

third/beater bike:bmx

I see nothing about a norco vps.


----------



## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

I have bent that frame, I weighed 110lbs at the time. It cannot be bent back. But whatever floats his boat.


----------



## Pimpride (Nov 14, 2005)

*Rule #1 Get Friends Riding*

Rules

#1 Get Friends Riding
#2 They'll usually upgrade in time, as equipment tends to break and they'll want to keep up.
#3 95% is showing up, and biking is fun, don't be a snob.
#4 The MTB community needs to remember when they first started riding & be more welcoming to newbies.
#5 A bike is a toy, no matter which way you look at it....Don't take it so seriously & try to enjoy it


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

You know what you are right i dont even know why i asked, thank you pimpride everyone should think like you!

but i have another update: My friend got in an accident im not sure it had anything to do with the bike but suffice to say handlebar bent, and i suspect the people at sportchek didnt tighten the stem enough because we noiced it was a bit wrigly, we tightened it, and after he crashed it was loose again very loose, i think he was in the air and lost control somehow and hit a tree, he couldnt move his leg for 2 weeks and had bad intenal bruising, but just today we went to the skate park n played around a bit and the bike seemed fine after the safety check h had done from sportchek


----------



## cummings (May 21, 2005)

hey potvin, when you think about it, this thread is gay and pointless. you're just getting internet forum users to come on and help you trash talk your friends bike while you give updates of how it is dieing. retarded. We all know a department store bike is crap. No need to make a thread about it.


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

...yes EXACTLY what im doing 

mods if you get a chance to gander at this close this thread


----------



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

wow...im trying to think what ingury prevents someone from moving thier leg for 2 weeks...i dont know you, guys know?

adn seeing as how i worked assmeling bikes and selling them at sportchek, i know that the stems come pre tightened with the handle bars assmebled, therefore making any problems with a loose stem bs, or you loosed it in one of you know it all rampages that probably youu imposed on your "friend", risking his good health


----------



## free-rider_down-hiller (Jun 1, 2005)

*All of this is a lie every last bit of it because honestly do you realy think potvinwannab has any friends....*


----------



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

free-rider_down-hiller said:


> *All of this is a lie every last bit of it because honestly do you realy think potvinwannab has any friends....*


insert potvinwannab's gay, retarded, schoolgirl lolz here



potvinwannab said:


> lolz.


never mind..i got you covered


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

well he could move his leg but it hurt alot and...hey wait a minute

WHY SHOULD I CARE IF YOU BELIEVE ME OR NOT    :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:     

i dont think it was the bike that caused the accident im just saying there is a minute possibility but it still seems solid and maybe the stem just loosened in the crash, all i know is the robot that tightened it or the human or whatever iron horse does with them didnt do it good the first time and his handlebars started wabling after 2 rides so he tightened the stem and it solved it until after the crash, it was a threadless stem btw bcause i think i know what your getting at but it was indeed a threadless and loose stem, it was the plate that holds the handle bars to the stem that went loose, not where it connects to the headset


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

I've hit a tree and my headset has come loose before. In fact, it's happened several times. And I have a Chris King headset with a Syncros Bearhug stem.

Those bikes are rarely pre-assembled correctly from the factory, and even less likely to be adjusted/assembled correctly by the "knowledgable staff." They call it pre-assembly for a reason.


----------



## 545cu4ch (Aug 11, 2005)

free rider said:


> wow...im trying to think what ingury prevents someone from moving thier leg for 2 weeks...i dont know you, guys know?


He probably bent his knee 90 degreez. Then potvin hucked thah gnarzor, did a 10 foot jump on his hakzor vps, landed on his leg bending it back. lolz


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

the bike isnt a piece of garbage in my opinion, and the headset (believe it or not!) didnt get loose, just the clamp of the stem...and he hit the tree REALLY hard, he was furtunate to fall of the bike before it colided with the tree, possibly making him hit his head (the guy goes helmetless, i make him wear my old helmet when hes with me ) but siffce to say he hit his leg while trying to bail and i wish you could have seen the place because then youd believe me when i say what im about to...he hit his leg on one tree and BARELY (taking maybe an inch or two hard to tell from far away) hit his head on the other tree, but anyways he is ok now (its been about 2 weks bit more) and xsl if you were wondering where your pictures are sorry i keep forgetting to bring my camera on the trail but i have some delightful video of my roadbike trip if you want till tommorow (hopefully)


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

You have little to no credibility until I see those pictures of you, your bike, you on the bike, and you jumping "10 feet" on the bike.


----------



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I've hit a tree and my headset has come loose before. In fact, it's happened several times. And I have a Chris King headset with a Syncros Bearhug stem.
> 
> Those bikes are rarely pre-assembled correctly from the factory, and even less likely to be adjusted/assembled correctly by the "knowledgable staff." They call it pre-assembly for a reason.


umm, actually, the stem/handle bars are pre-assembled when they come out of the box, and the people who work in my sport chek tech shop are knowlegable, and actually ride, but maybe that is just mine

work at sportchek tech, then start complaining

the staff generally know what thier doing, and the bikes are all peices of ****, trust me i know, and come to the west edmotnon mall sportchek if you dont belive me


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

free rider said:


> umm, actually, the stem/handle bars are pre-assembled when they come out of the box, and the people who work in my sport chek tech shop are knowlegable, and actually ride, but maybe that is just mine
> 
> work at sportchek tech, then start complaining
> 
> the staff generally know what thier doing, and the bikes are all peices of ****, trust me i know, and come to the west edmotnon mall sportchek if you dont belive me


I've worked at two shops, the way the bikes ship, there's no way that the stem can be attached to the bars AND the steerer tube. It's one or the other. Either way, the angle is wrong, or the bearings are preloaded incorrectly.


----------



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I've worked at two shops, the way the bikes ship, there's no way that the stem can be attached to the bars AND the steerer tube. It's one or the other. Either way, the angle is wrong, or the bearings are preloaded incorrectly.


it to the bars, not steer tube...i never said the stem was atached to the steer tube during shipping...or did i?


----------



## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

...you very well know there are HUNDREDS of sportcheks across canada why the heck would you talk about it by what you see in your own shop...

but i must say the staff at my sportchek from what i can see is sort of mixed half of them cant fix a tire properly, the other half can true wheels, assemble bikes properly, rebuild forks etc etc. (theres onl;y 4 people working at the tech shop so that makes 2 and 2 )
2 workers basically act as clerks, taking the bikes into the shop, giving it a good long stare and then telling you "the guy who does wheels is in on sunday only" "the guy who does tunesups is in on monday sir take it to us then" etc etc.


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

free rider said:


> it to the bars, not steer tube...i never said the stem was atached to the steer tube during shipping...or did i?


Misunderstood.


----------

