# Repairing Landrider Bikes



## crashedandburned (Jan 9, 2004)

Ok Shop wrenches I gotta ask, Do you just groan and shake your head whenever you see a person unloading a Landrider from their car and bring it into the shop? :madman: I don't wrench on the bikes, but I was watching one guy w/ a LR insisting there was something wrong w/ it because it wouldn't "shift right". He was telling the mechanic that LR said it could be adjusted, but the mechanic put it in the stand, spun the cranks and it worked just as it was suppose to. This guy was upset that he couldn't keep up w/ his friends w/ "regular" bikes because it was "too easy to pedal".  He's apparently under the impression that he should be able to outride Armstrong because he doesn't need to worry about shifting.

I'm sorry, I just laugh every Sunday morning when I see the LR infomercial on TV. 'Specially the part where it shows a couple of guys fumbling around "trying" to find the right gear while the lady just speeds right up the hill grinning like an idiot. Or the one woman who makes the statement that not having to worry about shifting is "such a relief" off of her mind. :skep: I really like the "police officer" endorsement. "It's a safe bike...Yup a really safe bike... Sure is a safe bike" Hmmmm, I wonder just how many of the LR's his dept owns???


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## fred3 (Jan 12, 2004)

I'm sure that the there are people that like them and that's cool. At least they're riding. Don't they have a lifetime warranty? Of course I suppose you have to ship it back to where you bought it for service.

So which is less smart? Buying a LandRider bike or spending $5000 on a dh bike and ending up eating through a straw because you figured you could drop off the roof of the local school?


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## crashedandburned (Jan 9, 2004)

fred3 said:


> I'm sure that the there are people that like them and that's cool. At least they're riding.


I agree w/ ya, but what I hate is that they make it sound like you need a PhD in astrophysics to properly operate a bike. That the normal person doesn't have the motorskills or intelligence to figure out how gearing works. Also that they mislead people into thinking at all bikes in their LBS is going to be priced for "thousands" of dollars when a decent comfort/hybrid, the same thing a LR is, is going to be about the same price or less as their LR.  Most comfort/hybrids I build run between $300 - $600.


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## fred3 (Jan 12, 2004)

*Agreed and....*



crashedandburned said:


> I agree w/ ya, but what I hate is that they make it sound like you need a PhD in astrophysics to properly operate a bike. That the normal person doesn't have the motorskills or intelligence to figure out how gearing works. Also that they mislead people into thinking at all bikes in their LBS is going to be priced for "thousands" of dollars when a decent comfort/hybrid, the same thing a LR is, is going to be about the same price or less as their LR.  Most comfort/hybrids I build run between $300 - $600.


pretty much par for television isn't it? For example how can anyone watch those "reality" shows or King of Queens or 99 percent of tv programming? Isn't the LR specifically targeted at the same group of viewers who think the the previous shows mentioned are actually entertaining? Sure I'm exaggerating, but there is a whole segement of society that want even their "reality" spoon fed" to them and buying a bike that shifts itself falls into that category. So it comes as no surprise to me that the LR is doing an okay business.

To be honest those ads make me laugh and cringe at the same time. There's a guy here at work who rides one and for tooling around town it's fine. They aren't much for group rides unless everyone in the group has one.


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## Drewdane (Dec 19, 2003)

crashedandburned said:


> Ok Shop wrenches I gotta ask, Do you just groan and shake your head whenever you see a person unloading a Landrider from their car and bring it into the shop? :madman: I don't wrench on the bikes, but I was watching one guy w/ a LR insisting there was something wrong w/ it because it wouldn't "shift right". He was telling the mechanic that LR said it could be adjusted, but the mechanic put it in the stand, spun the cranks and it worked just as it was suppose to. This guy was upset that he couldn't keep up w/ his friends w/ "regular" bikes because it was "too easy to pedal".  He's apparently under the impression that he should be able to outride Armstrong because he doesn't need to worry about shifting.
> 
> I'm sorry, I just laugh every Sunday morning when I see the LR infomercial on TV. 'Specially the part where it shows a couple of guys fumbling around "trying" to find the right gear while the lady just speeds right up the hill grinning like an idiot. Or the one woman who makes the statement that not having to worry about shifting is "such a relief" off of her mind. :skep: I really like the "police officer" endorsement. "It's a safe bike...Yup a really safe bike... Sure is a safe bike" Hmmmm, I wonder just how many of the LR's his dept owns???


See, it's a matter of getting what you pay for. If those folks would just spring for the $700.00 "Elite" model, they'd probably never have to bring the bike in to the shop. Plus, they'd be _smokin'_ all comers, on the road and the trails! :thumbsup:

Penny wise, pound foolish, that's what my sainted Granddad used to say. When he wasn't mumbling incoherently into his gruel, that is...


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## Rebus (Jun 11, 2004)

Came up on a dude on a Landrider on the Eagle Wind trail at Rabbit Mountain (Lyons) last summer. He was not having fun. I couldn't believe he took that thing up there. He was having all sorts of issues with the derailleur and the brakes. I took a close look and my first impression is that it was a piece of crap. I didn't want to insult the guy, but I wanted to tell him that bike should stay on the greenway or the bike path. It just wasn't built for MTB'ing.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

I knew a guy who had one. It's basically a $150 45 pound comfort bike with a $250 derailleur. I kept an open mind about it. He was just getting into biking when he bought it, and had (or has) a serious case of too much TeeVee, too much LayZboy, too much fast food, too much computer and not enough outdoors and/or exercise. 

We went for a bike path spin after work, and traded bikes. He rode my 27 speed K2 Razorback wtih RF shifters, and I rode his Landrider. It was kinda cool, in a way. It worked as advertised, but what they don't tell you in the infomercial (but they do in the manual) is that you can't stand and pedal. If you do, it jarrs when it shifts under load, and seriously tweaks the drivetrain. Basically the same if you shifted under heavy load on a regular bike. He had no problems picking up the Rapid Fire shifting. He rode bikes when he was a kid, and had a road bike back in the day, so I have no idea why he bought the LR bike in the first place. I guess he was just a tool for their advertising (among other things). 

The thing is, a lot of people have problems figuring out regular gearing, which is probably left over from old friction shifters. You have to get the friction levers 'just right' or it makes grinding noises. We all know it isn't that hard, but to average middle aged man or lady from Middle America burbs with no idea of how things work, bike gears are really complicated until they use them a few times. Let's face it, they are trying to sell these bikes to couch potatoes who never ride. IMO, anything that gets a fat ass off the couch is a good thing. 

Then again, the thing is like $400 and kinda crappy! Couldn't they do a similar thing wtih a decent alu frame bike?


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## drumbum (Oct 8, 2004)

I love the "testimonial" from a "real bike mechanic":

_"In the 32 years of assembly and instructing assembly, the LandRider is one of the easiest bicycles I have ever assembled. Great job!"_
- Vance Blume, Blume International,
Bicycle Service School


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## Locust (Jan 16, 2004)

Is that the one with the guy who said he rode one across China? Can't remember if thats the LR or the autobike. If I remember right the guy says he doesn't want to have to worry about repairs and things. If I'm heading across any country on a bike I'm gonna know everything about how to fix the bike.


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## Lucky 7 (Oct 20, 2005)

Whoa, whoa WHOA!!!!! First off, lets clear up the first glaring falacy I see here. It just wouldn't be right to continue with such aggregious prevarication hanging over the conversation.

King of Queens is funny. Very, very funny.

Well, now that we have that all cleared up, let's move on shall we? The problem I see with the LandRider isn't in the technology, it's in the idea behind it. An auto-shift bike is never going to please everyone with it's gear selection. Some will find it too easy, some may find it too hard, and without a manual override, there's no way for these people to remedy the situation.

It's pretty obvious on the commercials that they chose to gear it toward the easier rider. If you notice, everyone in the infomercial is spinning like crazy regardless of terrain. Flat, downhill, uphill....they're turning the cranks way faster than most of us would ever want to.

It's like the Segway. It's an ingenious device that will really never find a mass audience because of it's limitations.


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## Beolin (Apr 19, 2006)

fred3 said:


> pretty much par for television isn't it? For example how can anyone watch those "reality" shows or King of Queens or 99 percent of tv programming? QUOTE]
> 
> If find this statement offensive, King of Queens is great and I am entertained by it on a weekly basis
> 
> As for the LR if people want to buy a bike that shifts by itself more power to them. However, they probably shouldn't recommend it as a mountain bike with it's "rugged design" or else someone may get hurt.


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## badlander (Feb 4, 2005)

*My sister has one*

She likes it, she has no mechanical or riding abilities, can't fix a flat, and is ok with that. She just wants to tool around. She has no envy of my 6 bikes, climbing hills or going fast.

Although she is intrigued by my single speed(s).

I have no envy of her LR. We're even.

Rick


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## dir-T (Jan 20, 2004)

Lucky 7 said:


> Whoa, whoa WHOA!!!!! First off, lets clear up the first glaring falacy I see here. It just wouldn't be right to continue with such aggregious prevarication hanging over the conversation.
> 
> King of Queens is funny. Very, very funny.
> 
> .


Yeah, and the wife on that show is H-O-T.

My father-in-law has a LR and like other's have said, it gets him out on a bike. Not that he's a couch potato, he's a competitive amateur body builder and would kick my arse all around the block if he wanted to.

But, never having a good bike before, all he remembers about bikes is that the shifting is usually a pain. Not that the LR is problem free, it doesn't anticipate hills at all so if you get to a short steep one, you're walking. He used to ride the LR a bunch until the rear tire flatted. I didn't want to try to change it for fear of breaking that rubber band pulley doo-dad.


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## fred3 (Jan 12, 2004)

*No matter what is said...*



Beolin said:


> fred3 said:
> 
> 
> > pretty much par for television isn't it? For example how can anyone watch those "reality" shows or King of Queens or 99 percent of tv programming? QUOTE]
> ...


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## fred3 (Jan 12, 2004)

King of Queens is a fat guy making fat jokes with a screaming moron for a father in law with his daughter playing the straight person. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! No imagination. No art. Just loud mouthed performers doing skits that made Lucille Ball famous.


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## dir-T (Jan 20, 2004)

fred3 said:


> King of Queens is a fat guy making fat jokes with a screaming moron for a father in law with his daughter playing the straight person. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! No imagination. No art. Just loud mouthed performers doing skits that made Lucille Ball famous.


Yeah, but aren't all sitcoms (like Raymond, even though he's skinny)? In fact, can you think of one where the husband isn't portrayed as being clueless in some way? And often, the kids are the ones portrayed as being somehow wise beyond their years, usually through their wittiness and sarcasm (Rosanne, Home Improvement).

It's all the same and it's all crap but sometimes, when the weather is bad and you don't feel like reading etc, you need a stupid laugh.

As long as there's a hottie...(Lucy wasn't one and she was whiney too).


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## Lucky 7 (Oct 20, 2005)

Sheesh Fred, you take TV seriously. Are you sure you don't own a LandRider?  

I thought it'd be hilarious to show up at 24 hrs of Moab with a LR and see what reaction I got from my team.:lol:


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## Adirondack Blues (Mar 4, 2004)

crashedandburned said:


> I agree w/ ya, but what I hate is that they make it sound like you need a PhD in astrophysics to properly operate a bike. That the normal person doesn't have the motorskills or intelligence to figure out how gearing works.


That is why I now ride SS :thumbsup:


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## crashedandburned (Jan 9, 2004)

Adirondack Blues said:


> That is why I now ride SS :thumbsup:


So you're working on that PhD right?


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