I guess I do not understand what is wrong with a low quality bike. Do they not ride as well? You have to work harder on them? Or will they brake a lot easier? If so what parts break. I was just hoping to get a starter bike where I do not have to spend much.
The lowest end bikes at Walmart have very low end parts, and they are often assembled and serviced very badly before sale. If you are mechanically handy, you can make them work decently (re-greasing headset, hubs and bottom bracket, checking cables and brakes, checking spoke tension) but that sort of defeats the purpose of buying a new bike in the first place.
And, you still have a heavy, slow bike with low quality parts. Low end derailleurs need adjustment frequently and don't shift consistently. Cheap wheels break spokes and go out of true. Crappy brakes don't stop well and drag on your rims, slowing you down and making noise. Low end steel parts rust.
There are several benefits to higher end parts: lighter and stronger is faster for the same effort, and the higher end derailleurs and wheels will need maintenance much less frequently. I have Dura Ace parts that are 20 years old and have been on 3 or 4 frames that still function like new.
All that said, once you get up a rung from the department store bikes, mid level components or components a few years old will do just fine. I love buying quality older steel road bikes and restoring them, and I often pay $30-50 for a complete bike. New tires, tubes, cables, and bar tape (and maybe a seat), clean and re-grease everything else, and you have a bike that'll perform very close to a $2-3k new road bike, for a tiny fraction of the cost.
