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Old 12-28-12, 07:45 AM
  #24  
droy45
tougher than a boiled owl
 
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Rocky Coast of Maine
Posts: 1,125

Bikes: Fetish Cycles Fixation / Fuji S12S / Gary Fisher MTB / Raleigh Grand Prix / Ross Professional / Kent comfort cruiser

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Alot of differing opinions here based on personal experiences I guess. I have two walmart bikes that I still own but haven't used in years because I moved on to better higher performing bikes. My wife still uses her Walmart beach cruiser but very rarely. Its fine for her. Now, here are the deeper details about department store bikes in general ( not just Walmart)

1. The frames are made in China for American companys such as Kent, Huffy, using high tech CNC welding processes and have decent build quality, fit and finish.
2. All the components are the lowest quality available and also sourced out of China, Taiwan etc.
3. The assembly is crude at best especially with the final assembly being done by an untrained Walmart employee.
4. The moving parts such as bearings will wear quickly if used regularly and replacements are generally not available and you have to resort to installing more high end components.
5. They are a good value for someone just trying to get back into cycling and not wanting to invest too much at first.

These bikes will always offer lower performance in braking, shifting and all the general functions of a bike. Marketing is a complicated subject in todays world because our American companies have sourced out Chinese companies to build their products in a predetermined low cost range. It's not that China makes only cheap stuff, as they are perfectly capable of building some very high tech quality items such as electronics etc. Your local bike shop will always have better quality bikes for a higher price of course. They do not have the power of mass marketing and the ability to get large quantities of out sourced bikes like department stores would. Even high quality bikes like Cannondale and Specialized for example have nice frames built in China because they make them so well and so cheaply for these American companies. They control the quality and performance by assembling them at their factories under stricter quality control programs.

It all depends on what you need. Most avid cyclers will move on to better quality bikes after having started on a cheap one or having used one growing up, and I don't think there is anything to be ashamed about that.
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