bikes shouldn't be bargains

i am a serial bargain hunter. there's nothing i quite enjoy like finding a good deal and it always seems to justify my penchant for shopping. and as a mom, most of that shopping is for good, practical stuff that we actually need.
this spring we decided to use some Christmas money toward the purchase of some bikes (something i haven't had since i was 16). i found a used trailer for the kids to ride in on craigslist and then it was just a matter of dragging matt to the store to pick out some bikes. target had some bikes for just $100 and i thought we just need basic bikes, so why not? we finally got around to carting the bikes home. getting to ride them was so much fun--i felt like a kid again, and our kids loved riding along in the trailer. we have 3 great parks within riding distance, and even a wooded trail that felt almost Pacific Northwest. our little biking excursions were a high point of the summer--i loved them! until one night we were (fortunately) stopped along a nearby creek and we heard a tremendous POP. Matt's bike tire had popped. we began the mile plus trek home, walking our bikes, when MY bike tire also exploded. i won't bore you with the rest of the story, but our bikes have been to target for repairs and they still are inoperable. i miss them. so the lesson learned is that some things really shouldn't be bargains. it may just be worth a little more to get a bike that will last. ;)