I did an alarmingly large amount of research before settling on this bicycle. It's rather amusing when you realize I am the first person to review this bicycle. What swayed me? What sways anyone? The price, that's what.
Well, that and every other bike sold on here seems to have half its reviews complain about all the problems people had with it, while the other half talk about how they put it together and took right off on it. To put it bluntly: Buying a bicycle . . . ANY bicycle . . . online is a complete and total crapshoot. The difference with this one is that it was a CHEAP crapshoot. I'm glad I went with it.
I have had Huffy bikes in the past. I like them because they don't try to be something they aren't. They're cheap bikes that get the job done. This one is no different. If anything, it's the best Huffy I've had yet.
This bike's kind of the best of both worlds. It's not a full-on mountain bike, nor a one-speed cruiser. You get a little of both, here. The suspension makes for a comfortable ride but can take some sizable jolts. The run-of-the-mill gears (3 on the left, 7 on the right) gives plenty of variety without being overwhelming. I will say that I almost never touch the left gears, leaving them in 2 pretty much permanently. One of the drawbacks of this bike (and any bike, really) is the stock seat. It feels like sitting on a pair of baseballs. I'm already well on my way to getting a comfier seat.
As far as shipping is concerned . . . Well, it wasn't too bad. There were a couple of scrapes on the right gear selector, but the bike was otherwise unscathed. Putting the bike together was Huffy-simple. Most of it is pre-assembled and remaining assembly was relatively simple with the instructions provided. HOWEVER . . .
A problem I noted time and again with other prospective bicycles was poor alignment and/or assembly of components out of the box. This seems true across the board, and this bike is no different. I think (general) we get used to going to a department store, picking out a bike, and having it pretty well fixed up when we roll it out to the parking lot. It seems like they don't come out of the box like that. Because of that, I will say here and now that if you (or a good friend) are not mechanically inclined, and/or willing to buy a couple extra tools, keep letting the department stores do it for you.
The rear brake was tight enough that it wouldn't spring back properly when the brake handle was released. The front brake was mostly UNassembled, and what little WAS assembled, was assembled WRONG. The derailleurs needed a fair amount of tweaking. Lastly, the front wheel was so far out of true that spinning it by hand, the wheel would stop when it reached the point furthest out of true. Any one of these issues could have easily left a beginner scratching his/her head.
Now that the bike's gremlins have been worked out, I'm left with a remarkably decent product. I've rode about a dozen care-free miles on it thus far. All initial problems aside, I am very happy with my purchase. With a price of just over $100 you really can't go wrong. Get it knowing you are going to have to do some tweaking before you go riding, but then enjoy the incredible deal this bike provides you.
UPDATE: 7/23/11
After one or two hundred miles I am about ready to chuck this bike out to the curb. I've had increasing problems with the gears and gear shift mechanism. I have now had the gear indicator "sucked" into the casing and have to "feel" and count what gear I'm in. This is after a LOT of tinkering with the derailleurs to try to get things right. At this point the bike is still useable but I don't know for how much longer. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I can't help wondering if I should have found something at a higher price point. I will be looking for a new, higher quality bike now. This one's a "winter beater" now.
Well, that and every other bike sold on here seems to have half its reviews complain about all the problems people had with it, while the other half talk about how they put it together and took right off on it. To put it bluntly: Buying a bicycle . . . ANY bicycle . . . online is a complete and total crapshoot. The difference with this one is that it was a CHEAP crapshoot. I'm glad I went with it.
I have had Huffy bikes in the past. I like them because they don't try to be something they aren't. They're cheap bikes that get the job done. This one is no different. If anything, it's the best Huffy I've had yet.
This bike's kind of the best of both worlds. It's not a full-on mountain bike, nor a one-speed cruiser. You get a little of both, here. The suspension makes for a comfortable ride but can take some sizable jolts. The run-of-the-mill gears (3 on the left, 7 on the right) gives plenty of variety without being overwhelming. I will say that I almost never touch the left gears, leaving them in 2 pretty much permanently. One of the drawbacks of this bike (and any bike, really) is the stock seat. It feels like sitting on a pair of baseballs. I'm already well on my way to getting a comfier seat.
As far as shipping is concerned . . . Well, it wasn't too bad. There were a couple of scrapes on the right gear selector, but the bike was otherwise unscathed. Putting the bike together was Huffy-simple. Most of it is pre-assembled and remaining assembly was relatively simple with the instructions provided. HOWEVER . . .
A problem I noted time and again with other prospective bicycles was poor alignment and/or assembly of components out of the box. This seems true across the board, and this bike is no different. I think (general) we get used to going to a department store, picking out a bike, and having it pretty well fixed up when we roll it out to the parking lot. It seems like they don't come out of the box like that. Because of that, I will say here and now that if you (or a good friend) are not mechanically inclined, and/or willing to buy a couple extra tools, keep letting the department stores do it for you.
The rear brake was tight enough that it wouldn't spring back properly when the brake handle was released. The front brake was mostly UNassembled, and what little WAS assembled, was assembled WRONG. The derailleurs needed a fair amount of tweaking. Lastly, the front wheel was so far out of true that spinning it by hand, the wheel would stop when it reached the point furthest out of true. Any one of these issues could have easily left a beginner scratching his/her head.
Now that the bike's gremlins have been worked out, I'm left with a remarkably decent product. I've rode about a dozen care-free miles on it thus far. All initial problems aside, I am very happy with my purchase. With a price of just over $100 you really can't go wrong. Get it knowing you are going to have to do some tweaking before you go riding, but then enjoy the incredible deal this bike provides you.
UPDATE: 7/23/11
After one or two hundred miles I am about ready to chuck this bike out to the curb. I've had increasing problems with the gears and gear shift mechanism. I have now had the gear indicator "sucked" into the casing and have to "feel" and count what gear I'm in. This is after a LOT of tinkering with the derailleurs to try to get things right. At this point the bike is still useable but I don't know for how much longer. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I can't help wondering if I should have found something at a higher price point. I will be looking for a new, higher quality bike now. This one's a "winter beater" now.
Product Description
Huffy DS-3 26 inch bike is Midnight blue in color with hi-ten steel frame, Kolo suspension fork and linear pull brakes. Tires are 26" x 1.95" knobby. Extras are quick seat release and krayton grips.
Features
- Men's seven-speed comfort bicycle; has suspension frame made of lightweight hi-ten steel
- 26-inch wheels; black anodized alloy rims; knobby tires for greater traction
- Linear-pull steel brakes; derailleur gears; quick-release seat; Kraton handlebar grips
- Recommended for ages 12 years old and up
- Huffy products generally include a limited lifetime frame warranty
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