Hollandia Opa Bike (Made in China)

Hello and Welcome, Once again I am tempted to purchase a "Department Store Bike". The Hollandia bikes style is wonderful but I am sure the quality is everything but. However this is one awesome looking bike! And I would not have to purchase it from Wally Mart. I could even order it from Amazon.com using the Amazon Search on my own blog for a mere 182.19 with free super saver shipping!

Above: I have possible improvements going through my mind already. The vinyl saddle would have to go for sure. And the "brown" grips (their description not mine) I imagine are plastic or pleather. (plastic leather) Cork grips are only 10 bucks and I already have the Shellack. And I just happen to have an extra set or two of block pedals, I am sure one of the sets would be a good fit.

Above: What a profile, absolutely captivating. I can`t find anything in the description that tells me what the chain guard and fenders are made of. I`m not real keen on the idea of plastic chain guards. And nothing listed about the load capacity of the racks. Although the total load capacity is listed at 275 lbs.

Above: The woman's model appears to be right out of the Wizard of Oz. I am not a huge fan of step through frames. But this is a really sweet looking design. Why no luggage rack on the front? From what I have found so far, this model is priced higher than the double horizontal top tube model.

Above: What about the moral issues of buying Chinese products? This is a photo of a Chinese factory with nets allegedly to catch suicidal workers. That is a difficult thing to ignore. By purchasing Chinese products are we endorsing inhumane manufacturing methods? On the other hand, with minimum wages stuck at the same rate in America for longer than I can remember.(Michigan 7.40 per hour) Are these folks expected to fork over big bucks for an American made bicycle? I mean if your knocking down 150 thousand or so a year. Are you gonna tell some poor 7.40 per hour worker He should buy American?

Above: Another issue, one I seldom hear mentioned. What about the pollution caused by the manufacturing practices in China? Are we supporting this way of doing business when we purchase Chinese products?

Above: Can you imagine your morning commute looking like this every morning? This would probably kill me. I am an Asthmatic. Also due to an injury I received in a fall in 2007 I am missing a pretty good chunk of my right lung. So I am not exaggerating when I say living in industrial China would most likely be fatal for me. And I find it impossible to believe that this environment is not fatal to many Chinese people. The key word here being PEOPLE. Do I want to support this?

Above: Yes Chinese products are everywhere? But Mitt Romney has promised He will get tough on China! Why do I have trouble believing that? Click on the picture and read the tag.

Above: Product Description. This comfy, one-size-fits-all, navy blue hat shows you’re a Democrat, with the word ''Democrat'' on the front and the Party’s website on the back. Like all our products, it’s American-Made and union-Printed. Maybe I should be asking myself, What would Barack Obama do?

Above: About the Blogs readers. The posts about the WalMart Thruster Fixed Gear Bike are the most popular (by a huge margin) I have ever written. This makes me ask.. Are these the only "new bikes" many of my readers can afford? If so, is it wrong for me to show them what they can do to improve their department store bikes? This is my dilemma.

Above: UPDATE I am inserting this a few days latter. After doing a little research I have come to the conclusion that rebuilding and upgrading this bike would be too expensive to make it a worth while investment. It appears that the chain guard and fender skirts are plastic. And from what I have read, not very good plastic at that. Also (and I had to read this review twice) the handle bars are welded to the stem. This is something I have seen before, but only on a child's tricycle. Also the saddle is a cheesy looking vinyl p.o.s. that would need a serious upgrade to make this look anything like a real classic. And trying to find, then paint and retro-fit a full metal chain-guard. That sounds like a real costly project in itself. And I would probably have to fabricate the metal skirts. That is if I wanted them at all. And do all this for "from what I have read is" a poorly welded, NOT a lugged frame bicycle. I don't think so. But what really scares me is this.. what about all the "unknowns". If this is how the rest of the bike was built.. What are the headset, hubs, crank and bottom bracket going to look like? I am guessing "not very good". Until I see one of these up close I am not going to risk the money.

Above: Another thought on Chinese made bicycles. I have three bikes that I actually ride. One of them is my Specialized Rock Hopper FS. The Rock Hopper was also Made in China. But it is not a "Department Store Bike" and that seems to make it ok. I have never heard a negative word from anyone about my Rock Hopper. So is it really Chinese bikes people have a problem with? Or is it just "department store Chinese bikes" we have a problem with? Are the workers that build the "better" bikes in China treated better than the workers who build the cheaper bikes? I am guessing probably not. Someone once said "There are 365 ways to look at an Elephant" This seems to apply to the "Made in China" issue as well.

Above: Change of topic. The fork decals decals for the Raleigh Sports have arrived. But as expected the pedals from the UK are going to take a little longer. The weather here has been depressing. Much too cold, way to windy and cloudy all day long. So I have not felt like doing much "bike wise" so far this week. I`ll try to "kick it in gear" as soon as I finish this post.

Above: I have no idea if it looks like the one above. But I heard a rumor that Tim Joe over at "The Trailer Park Cyclist" (Link in the Blogs by Friends and Readers section) recently purchased a Wally Mart bike. From what I have heard it is a Beach Cruiser. No doubt it will be put to good use down there in Fla. I guess now I could make my department store bike purchase and blame it all on T.J. Then I could sleep better at night knowing that I was influenced by one of the better writers on the internet. (He really is an excellent writer) But what kind of person would do something like that? LTMS Seriously I would like to hear your thoughts "pro and con" on the subject of yours truly purchasing the Hollandia Opa bike. And I promise I will wait 24 hours before responding to any negative comments :)

Above: Now that I have the headset and bottom bracket rebuilt I will be moving this project indoors soon. I will do all the nasty stuff out in the shop/garage and do everything else indoors. This will make it much more comfortable for me to work during the colder months ahead. UPDATE: I have taken the L.L. Bean bike in a whole different direction since this photo was taken. I will be doing a blog post about it real soon.. That's about all I have for now. Until next time, Please RIDE SAFELY and Remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!

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