Well my dad wants to get me a kmart bike and i want one from eastern and wanted to let him know some reasons why and if you can tell me a 200 bike form eastern that is good. Thanks
Any bike store quality bike would be superior to a department store bike. Department store bike assemblers are hardly pros at assembly, and many are so old there's no way they can properly torque a bolt. Plus the bikes are LOW quality too. A crappy bike put together crappy = ER visit = more $ in the long run vs. a bike shop quality bike.
See www.danscomp.com for a great selection of quality bikes.
Dude! You get what you pay for!! Your dad should know this! He wants to sell you out to Kmart! Your dad's a cheap ass! What your dad should do is get one of those BMX magazines at a book store and look at the bikes they have advertised in it! You can find a bad azz bike in there for about 300 - 400 bucks!! It will come shipped to you in a box and it's real easy to put together. It will be a fun project for you and your dad to do together! The hardest part will be hooking up the hand brake assemblies but if your pops has a good set of Allen wrenches, it's no problem! You deserve a bike that will last forever and you need to get a brand that none of your friends have! Mongoose, Schwinn, Next, all of that shytt is played out! Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is if you want a new bike, order it through a magazine or on-line. They have tons of different brands!!! Not many kids can say they put their own bike together and like I said, it will be bad-azz!!!!! Tell your dad to look at himself in the mirror and ask himself this question: If he was your age would he want to ride a piece of shytt from Kmart? I don't know Eastern brand, but I bet you could find it in a magazine! Don't buy it from a store. You will pay too much!!!
Bikes from department stores and big boxes are what you call "toolshed" bikes. You ride them for awhile, they fall apart and then end up in your toolshed for the next 20 years.
Getting a cheap POS is money tossed out the window. Your forking over $200+ anyway for the cheapest components, the cheapest tires, etc. Rust is usually a problem in wet climates with cheap cast-iron or chrome plated derailures, chains and rims.
A good solid bike can be your friend for years with minimal maintenance if treated properly. Even a low-end Trek in the $300-$400 range is going to be 10x the bike you'd get at K-Mart (what is it these days? Magna? Low-end Schwinn?"
Sometimes you'll see a top brand at a big box. Different bike. They cheap out on the components once again.
Look it's not just bike snobbery there are real differences in quality. It's like buying a pair of dress shoes. You can get the cheaper 20 dollar shoes from volume and then replace them in 3 months - or get a pair of well crafted 80 dollar shoes that could last a lifetime.
Here's my advice on what to do: Go with Dad to the local bike shop. Not to shop but to talk to the guys. Ask them to explain the difference. Maybe you and Dad go and test ride some models to compare them. Check out the service department. Ask those guys about working on the different bikes. Make it an educational mission but don't pressure the old man. Just let him absorb. Tell him you want to make a sound decision and not toss money out the window on something that's not going to hold up - just be cool and keep an open mind. Show him you're willing to do the legwork and it could pay off.
Really, pump those bike shop guys and don't feel obliged to buy anything - it's their job - and they might see you down the road for service.
Also - once you get familiar with what to look for in a bike you could also look around for a good used bike at about the same cost as a new crappy department store bike!