Broken-Record Rant #1: Dynacrap bikes

We mentioned a few weeks ago that Dynacrap has thrown a bunch of money at Bikes Belong, an industry lobby and advocacy group. We're a little surprised that the rest of the bike industry is willing to be in the same room with the company that has littered the country with so many Magnas, Verticals, and Nexts -- the marginal two-wheeled vehicles that Bike Commuter has aptly named "Bike Shaped Objects." Why are we so hard on Dynacrap?

Well, let's look at Bike Belong's mission statement, for starters:

Bikes Belong members are industry leaders who help put more people on bicycles more often.

Just to reiterate our little peeve: Dynacrap products are sold under the conceit that the world needs more "affordable" bikes available at Target and K-Mart stores. That's the more bikes part. Check. But the problem is that no one likes to ride a bike that is badly designed, poorly put together, and quick to break down. The world definitely does not need more bikes like that.

You can buy a Big Wheel for a lot less than a Magna, that doesn't mean you want to ride one around for regular fun and transportation.

By the way, the occasion for this broken-record rant is this: Bikes Belong has used some of their $2 million budget to launch a new website. You can check it here.