>>1044184Its been done before - fine to do it for a laugh if you don't mind squandering some time and cables to build a bike that you'll ride exactly twice and photograph once.
>>1044192carrying people on pegs is a really bad idea, if you want to carry a kid you're better off with a trailer or a child seat that attaches to a rear rack; to carry an adult you really need a tandem or a heavy-duty trailer.
>>1043964A $550 bike plus $100 worth of accessories can give service for 50+ years with maintenance that can be a little as $100 per decade.
Compare that to a $550 car which at that price is probably a used clunker that's going to last maybe 1 year before it requires repair or replacement that costs at least another $500, and then there's the regular purchase of gasoline to consider...
when you factor the attendant costs in, even an expensive $2000 commuting bike is a solid investment because they're extremely inexpensive compared to other kinds of vehicles when you factor in maintenance costs and service life.
>>1043959The downside of Amazon/Walmart bikes is that they're never assembled correctly. That said, they work just fine as commuter vehicles IF you (or someone you pay) checks that all the bearings are correctly lubricated and adjusted, that the wheels are properly tensioned, and that the brakes and shifters are setup correctly. Otherwise, if you just ride the bike the way it comes, you're likely to break things or wear parts out fairly quickly and you'll be spending money on service that would have been better spent on getting a nicer bike in the first place.
