General Cycling Discussion - What is wrong with Wal Mart bikes?

Originally posted by Inoplanetyanin

Now, I am not talking about classic, expensive bicycles or ones from Europe, but all bikes that are sold at supermarkets, are made either in China, Taiwan, Thailad or other Asian country with low labor rates.



The design and weld set are signifigantly different on most bikes. While they aren't 'european' or 'handmade' (two buzzwords that will never mean anything to me as I have never been convinced hand made is better) they are generally far superior in quality in strength.

I will give you one thing there are crap bikes being sold for too much. And some designs are so old or the r&d has been payed for that the price should be dropped. (single pivot bikes should NOT be so damn expensive arg...) but for the most part if you do some research you do get what you payed for.

But being factory made or even made in china does NOT mean lower quality. Frame materials also cause a difference in strenght as does how the material is shaped. I could go on but don't feel the need and I really don't have the engineering background but the difference in materials, design, weight shape of the tubing all allow for more expensive frames that MAY look similar but aren't. There is a signifigant strenght difference in a lot of cases. But hey who am I to comment I have never OWNED one.

I will also give you another point. Some tubing made is mass produced and sold to multiple companies making some of the lower end frames look the same and some higher end frames look similar...either way I am rambling and I really didn't want to jump into this conversation as I don't think you will actually take anything I say into account anyways. You may not need the higher quality but know a couple of things

a) THERE IS A DIFFERENCE in quality. Sometimes it is less than signifigant but often the different means a stiff stronger material especially when comparing different styles of welding on different materials of aluminum for example. Then we get into carbon fibre and Titanium and there is even more of a difference.

Here is a link with some very basic frame information on material strenghts / costs etc...

http://www.ecmtb.com/frontpage.htm click on "whats in a frame"

b) the components although made by the same company work in very different degrees of smoothness / weight / durability. You may not need the best but the difference is noticable.

Again enjoy the trip the ride across Canada is stunning (flat in some parts. Just let go and coast the praries are pretty dull) but Northern Ontario / quebec and the east coast are sites to behold (I love newfie land ;)). Not to mention BC ;)

Other than fact, I just do not like Wall mart.. Will not buy a bike with no service. Who do you ask technical advice of.? No service.!
They undercut their regular outlets. No bike stores left. Where will we go for service.. This is a rotten thing to do to their regular outlets, which normally have exclusive contracts with bikes such as Trek..
Regular bike stores usually have a small profit on bikes as is. They make their money on accessories.. Wait until the end of the year- You can find deals on quality bikes, as opposed to low end bikes that the likes of Wall Mart carries..

Do you really want to descend at +60kph on a bike put together by a 15 y.o. earning minimum wage at x-mart? Also the cheaper the bike the heavier the bike. I would guess that a cheap MTB will weigh at least 15kg/33pound. That is one heavy, slow bike. I should know, the first bike I bought as an adult weighed that much. It isn't until the first hill that you realise weight makes a difference to the enjoyment of the ride. My current bike is 16.5ponds now that's enjoyment.:D

BTW It is made in Taiwan

CHEERS.

Mark

I have not owned a x-mart bike in ALOT of years, but they definately do serve a purpose. There is alot of members here who first got back into cycling with one. It's easier to spend $70 and pickup one to see if you enjoy rather then the few hundred on a good bike. That is what my brother did, when he realized he enjoyed it he went out and bought a lower end KHS bike for around $300. I can say what he experienced differently, he mainly road on city roads and light trails. Within first month the wheels were out of true, within 1 year the pedals had basicaly fallen apart, and BB was making really bad noises. He has had the KHS about a year now, so far wheels are still true, nothing has broken yet, main thing he noticed different was how much improvent there was with the fork when riding the trails due to better suspension, he could climb the hills better and brake faster.

personally.. I have a home bike shop and I used to do a service to the little kids in my neighborhood by fixing their bikes. I used to constantly get those 'Wal-mart' bikes and well, 95% of the time they would have to replace parts because of the lack of care they take in building components and frames. I could seriously go to the local Ace hardware, buy some 2", 1 1/8", and 7/8" steel tubing, a home welder and make a better bike frame and I have 0% welding experience!
I usually had to be the bearer of bad news to these kids parents who had bought their kids crap bikes by saying things like "you know if your kid continues to ride this bike any longer he can hurt himself", they wouldn't believe me and then when their kid does hurt themself they tell their kids I'm evil or something. I was 14 when I started this shop and am now 21... that makes 7 years experience well... parents really hate it when someone my age knows more about something than they do..

Oh yeah, before I got sidetracked.. what I meant to say is that buying a walmart bike is a bigger pain than it is worth, seriously, don't be like the kids ignorant parents and instead that for a low price tag there is a catch.. Yugo is no longer in business because they made cars like Walmart has bikes... sigh... if you don't listen and your new 'super cool walmart bike' breaks, well, sucks to be you. And if it doesn't break, well congrats, your body fat % must be higher than the weight of your bike due to it not being ridden.

Inoplanetyanen......I looked at the schwinns at walmart today, IMO they are an embarrassment to the schwinn name. My lucky bike break happened in 1989 when I took a schwinn sierra in on a trade, I had planned to sell it but after riding it a couple times found out that biking was fun so I kept it. What a great bike to start on, so I avoided the whole cheap bike thing. My current schwinn, a homegrown, is awesome, I guess one of the last of the great schwinn bikes. Jeez, someone is going to ask me if I bought it at wal-mart! The point of all this? Listen to these guys, they DO know what they are talking about. Get a used bike of good quality and feel the pride of owning a bike that is a notch above the mundane crap that is passed off on folks who don't know better, as always just my .02.....tom

This thread is hilarious... one of the funniest on the whole forum.

You guys have reached a whole new level of snobbery which is so evident with a couple of other gems found dealing with "what is the best type of lock to protect your expensive bike" and "the whole idea of a beater bike" not to mention the "how to uglify your bike"... Why have such awesome bikes if you are afraid to use them :confused:

Geeez the important thing is to get riding... even if all you can get your hands on is a department store bike.

I'd choose any bike over walking :D

Well, I am a mechanical engineer. When you take your required course in "materials processing" (generally a sophmore year course), pay close attention to the concept of how heat effects steel, specifically at weld sites. Most of these ***-mart bikes are made from mild, straight-gauge steel pipe, and absolutely no annealing of the welds is ever done. No wonder, then, that they always break just next to the (usually crappy) weld.


Or maybe Wal Mart would even sponsor my trip as it serves a good advertisement purpose

Why? They already get enough dunderheads to buy their bikes, anyways. How would it look when a cross-threaded pedal breaks off in the middle of a hill climb? Or a crank breaks off while sprinting across a train track? Or worse yet, if the fool who agreed to do such a ridiculous thing decides, halfway through the trip, that he can't stand riding this piece-of-$hit any longer, and throws it off a cliff, with some news photographer watching??

Face it-***-mart doesn't give a d@mn about what people think about their bikes. They sell them for a few bucks less than anybody else, and that's all that matters to them.

Originally posted by NuTz4BiKeZ
This thread is hilarious... one of the funniest on the whole forum.
You guys have reached a whole new level of snobbery

No, Just answering the question "what is wrong with Wal Mart Bikes?"
The answers if you read them all state the expense of
proper maintenance, putting the bike together properly
etc. make in not worth it. Thats not snobbery its
good advice to someone who asked.

I agree that riding any bike is better than not, but
how many potential riders are out there, disgusted
with cheap, heavy, poorly assembled bikes rusting in
garages, basements and storage sheds ?


Inoplanetyanin
I'd check some of the local shops for used bikes.
There are a ton of shops in the LA area aren't there?
you could do much better than one of the mass retailers.
Explain to the shop that you're limited in funds and
don't let them talk you into something more expensive
than you can REALLY afford.

Marty

RegularGuy stumbles across a dead horse, examines the carcass carefully, and decides that a little more flogging won't hurt anything.

Inoplanetyanin:

Wally World bicycles (aka Big Box Bikes) are made to sell at a price point...a cheap price point. The frames are made cheaply and hung with cheap components. They are assembled by trained monkeys and minimum wage stockboys. (OK, maybe not trained monkeys.) They come in sizes determined not by the dimensions of the frame but the diameter of the wheels. They are made mostly for children who will outgrow them quickly. If one happens to fit you comfortably enough for a long ride, it's mostly a matter of luck. X-Mart Schwinns are top of the line X-Mart bikes. They are still X-Mart bikes.

If that is what you want, there is nothing wrong with it.

A bike shop bike, even a cheap one, has been assembled by a professional mechanic. The bike shop can fit the bicycle to you and swap out components. Need a different stem, seatpost, tires or saddle? Your friendly LBS guy will have them in stock or get them for you.

Again it's up to you. Do you want cheap or do you want good? Take your pick, it's no skin off my blue and yellow nose.

ok, there is a big fat gigantic ***** of a line between 'cheap' and 'best value'

cheap = TV products, fast food, toystore bikes

best value = going to the gym, proper diet, and at least a low end mountain bike at a shop (I've seen em for 150 and they are still a ton better than a 150 dollar wallymart bike)

ok, what you are speaking of doing is buying a ford over a mercedes (or other foreign maker). After a year you will have to fix the ford while the better car will not have to be repaired.. than again if you live by the logic that a walmart bike is in fact a good deal, then I guess you live in a trailerhome because it was a good deal and drive a Geo metro because it was a good deal.. sigh... I'd still rather live in my house, have a honda with a yakima rack, and ride wonderful bikes like Haro, Univega, Giant and GT around... women will love you if you don't buy the walmart bike... it's really that embarassing.

Actually, Geo Metros are a decent design. I'd compare ***-mart bikes to something like a Russian car-perhaps a Moskovitch or a Zapho....(???whatever).

Now, back to the original posting: OK, go ahead, and buy your $79 lead-sled. Just don't come crying to us (or asking for repair advice..) when it breaks. It will, and quickly, too.

I'm going to chime in. I really don't have that much of a problem with bikes from Wally World. My wife and I both have $100 Huffy's from Wally World. Mine has about 400 miles on it in the last year. My longest ride on it was about 25 miles. While that isn't much in the way of mileage, it does give me a decent feel for the good and bad points of the bike.

My other two bikes are an early eighties Japanese Lotus, which got about 1,600 miles last year and a Dahon folder for the trunk of the car.

Here is what I liked:

18 speeds, with indexed shifting, that works pretty well.
Pretty decent V brakes, (and I have done 60 Kph decents) on it, although they really weren't that long, and I do weigh about 100 kg.
No flats, (versus about 7 on my Lotus)
Nothing has fallen off, although I haven't exactly thrashed the thing off road much.

What I don't like:

No quick releases.
The frame is a little small for me.
The tires are just ok.

Have I had to adjust some things? Absolutely.
Has anything broken. Nope.

Am I pleased overall. Absolutely. I got back into bicycling because my wife bought it for me. Enough so that I got the Lotus back into riding shape and I bought a Dahon, so that I can always have something to ride.

I have seen some pretty elitist comments on this thread, but quite frankly, both of the LBS that are closest to my house really don't that much to offer for casual cyclists.

Unfortunately, every sale of a ***-mart bike means one less sale for a bike shop. With the market flooded with these sub-$100 junk bikes, more and more bike shops are going out of business. They can't compete on price, so they stock more high-end bikes (where the profits are better), leaving a huge hole in the $200-$800 price bracket. It's not only in bikes, either. The ***-mart phenomena has ruined the market for just about any sort of lower-priced quality merchandise, replacing it with brand-labelled junk. Clothing, shoes, furniture, etc....

I think Wal-Mart is a great company, and my stock portfolio agrees. :)

But back on the bike subject. You all convinced me to take back my wal-mart bike and head to my local LBS.

i know that i'm a newbie, and i am far from an expert. i dont know any of you in real life, so i cant judge, but some of you are very rude. he asked one question, and he got quite a few good answers, but then it got ugly.

this is from another thread, posted by livingood:

Get out and ride what ever you can, whenever you can.


we all know that LBS will be better, but my wife and i have wally world bikes (roadmaster), and we like them for right now. and against some advice of wiser memebers, i too am looking into small upgrades. but these bikes are my training tools, i'm learning how to work on a bike, so if i break it i'm not out of hundreds of dollars.

again, i'm a newbie, so flame away if you like :D

later

Aemon I agree some comments did not come across very well. I think the main concern was that he wanted to use the bike for touring across canada. The most important thing is to enjoy riding, a wall-mart/x-mart bike is a good cheap starting point to see if you enjoy it, but is not designed for long treks like that.

he wanted to use the bike for touring across canada

yeah, i kinda forgot the point of this thread. i can see where that could be a concern.

like i said, maybe with a few upgrades (yes i know, the LBS one would come with the better parts) maybe the machine could handle it?

later

Oh man this keeps getting better...


Most of these ***-mart bikes are made from mild, straight-gauge steel pipe, and absolutely no annealing of the welds is ever done. No wonder, then, that they always break just next to the (usually crappy) weld.

How many threads are there discussing frame fatigue and failure in aluminium, carbon and titanium frames?
I seem to see a reasonable number of equipment failure questions amongst the LBS equipped bikes.

Face it... Bikes and components break and wear out.
Other than the snob angle the only difference between a dept store bike and a LBS bike is a little bit of quality, which is no different than saying that there is a quality difference between an LBS bottom of the heap vs a top of the line bike.

LBS = Lying Buck Snatchers :D

I think that he had made up his mind already, he asks folks here to try to talk him out of it, and everyone tried. I see no rudeness in that. If he wasn't talking about long treks on this bike, I'd say go cheap if you want to, but for his purpose there is no denying which bikes would be preferable.......tom

Aemon yes with some upgrades it could handle it.. probably good set of tires, have a LBS properly retension and true the wheels.. Just by that time you are up to easily $80-100..

Aemon yes with some upgrades it could handle it.. probably good set of tires, have a LBS properly retension and true the wheels.. Just by that time you are up to easily $80-100..

hmm... point taken.

later

I've seen some good used bikes that are the same price range as **-mart bikes... I discourage people from buying them out of their own ignorance for what will happen later on down the road.

Then here is a point that goes against what I say.. my dad has an older huffy that he has been riding for a long time... it handles like it's been rusted over 1,000 times but it still rolls.. one day I decided to try it offroad because of it's weight. I didn't enjoy that at all, the fork kept trying to steer me where I didn't want to go, but anyway, on road it was fine (until a hill), and it has held up for 10 years. Point is, you can make anything last, the bikes I had to repair were kids bikes mostly, my dad is an older man who well.. doesn't really off-road much at all.

Check out the bikes on ebay too. Might be able to get a better quality bike for the same price. Just a thought...

I rode a heavy (musta weighed 50lbs!) no name brand mountain bike from Sears back in college. I wasn't all "into" biking back then -- just getting where I needed to go. It got the job done. And I got some exercise too (especially lifting the bike in and out of the house!).

I'm going to chime in here. I may have found a decent comprise btwn walmart special and the 'I need a cheap bike' debate. Pls let me know what you think seriously....

I too am looking for a $100 low-end bike for my wife. She's not sure she'll get into cycling and we don't want to spend a lot to have it sit in the shed. Been looking for used bikes, but so far nothing.

I found a bike shop in my area that sells a ladies Roadmaster for $120. The shop offers life time adjustments, even on the Roadmaster and will set up and adjust it for her. She only needs it for paved roads and perhaps some easy rail trails.

So, my question is: Why not?? If she loves cycling (I hope, I hope, I hope) we can up grade her to a "real" bike and yard sale the Roadmaster. I mean what am i missing. I know her experience would be enhanced on better cycle, but I doubt any of you would say that if you started on cheap bike you wouldn't be riding today. If like cycling a cheap bike just makes you want to upgrade!!

Sounds like a good way to get your wife into cycling. It is inexpensive and life time adjustments can't ask for better then that. I still would not consider a bike like that for a long tour or riding hard, due to low end components will wear down quicker and break, but to get into cycling sounds great. Then just keep it around afterwards as a beater bike.

Originally posted by Kev
I think the main concern was that he wanted to use the bike for touring across canada. The most important thing is to enjoy riding.

If he's going to be riding across Canada I think the main thing is he doesn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bike that has just broken beyond riding.

Buy something reliable, know how to fix things and have the attitude to hang in there when things don't go well.

Originally posted by NuTz4BiKeZ
LBS = Lying Buck Snatchers :D
I sincerely hope you don't actually believe that. You've got a tirade coming your way if you do. There's a reason you see lots of shops going under, and it's not because we're snatching lots of bucks. :rolleyes:

AHHHHHHhahahhah nope I was just kidding... but then again there does seem to be an attitude that your local LBS guy is just below God... I have met some real dorks that work in bike shops.
Guess you just have to make up your own mind about each separate case huh :D

How many threads are there discussing frame fatigue and failure in aluminium, carbon and titanium frames?

Hey, Einstein-we're talking about steel here!!!

As far as the guy looking at the el-cheapo Roadmaster (Built by Pacific, same as now own the Schwinn name, but slotted at the lower end of the spectrum) for his wife: Have you considered that such a junky machine may actually turn her away from cycling? Also, what does it say about you, buying just the cheapest pile of dreck for his own wife?? Also, what do you suppose the resale value of a Roadmaster is, should she not like it? Then, consider what the resale value of a better bike would be.
Be a cheapskate at your own risk......

Hey, Einstein-we're talking about steel here!!!


Have you considered that such a junky machine may actually turn her away from cycling?

have you ever considered that your sorry attitude and anti-helpful comments may turn people away from this forum? that would be a sad thing, because the people who are actually helping are good teachers. and this forum is a great tool, i have already learned alot the few days i have been a member on here.

thanks for not helping me.

later

NuTz4BiKeZ-I kinda figured you were joking but I wasn't sure. There are a lot of elitists at bike shops, which is really unfortunate. We should all get along better as we are all so passionate about our hobby.
Aemon-
I get some people in my shop that refuse to get on a bike because they had a bad experience with an Xmart bike (or even a poorly assembled bike from another shop-it can happen). It's terrible that people get turned off of cycling because of things like that. Hence, I've got to say that D*Alex raises a valid point, at least in my humble opinion.

good idea

I had a Roadmaster, and a Huffy, and a Free Spirit before I ever got a bike shop bike. They were a blast, I rode those things into the ground, I rode them until the parts started falling off of them....But that was before wally world bikes had suspension forks, and full suspension, and grip shifters, or v- brakes..They were rigid, thumb shifter rigs. A couple of my brothers have the current wally-world specials...Total crap. The dam things won't stay together to save their lives. They are rusted(I thought Aluminum didn't rust??) The cranksets fall off, the BB creaks, the shifters don't work...Plus, they weigh 5 million pounds!!! I'm going to have a premature bad back from trying to lift the monsters up onto my bike stand!!!! Plus, the spokes rust, and the rims rust, bonding somehow to make a creaking, untruable wheel...Did I mention the forks??? Well, I won't go there.

Sounds to me like somebody already has their mind made up, and that certain someone is trying to spite all us bike snobs who fell for the trap.

Wally-world bikes have their place, the dumpster..They aren't meant for cross-country rides. I, nor did anyone else on this forum, come to that conclusion overnight. We didn't come to that conclusion just because.

If you wanna ride a wally world Schwinn across a continent, go ahead, go for it.

I work on wally-world bikeseveryday that don't even hold up for kids riding to school.

D*Alex -- You have got to be F*%$ kidding me. Did you read my post. I mean did you actually read my post. Do you think if you started on a cheap bike you won't be riding right now?? no, of course not. Either like riding or don't. If you believe equipment makes the cyclist then you are sad case in deed.

How old are you: 10? You think a husband and wife make these kinda decisions alone. This not some romantic gift I'm giving my girlfriend, hoping to impress her and get laid. This is my wife. Going the cheap route is actually her idea. Thinking being (in my original post) that if she likes it we could upgrade later, if not we're only out a 100 bucks.

Aemon_
Thanks for coming to my defense. It is sorry _____ like him that drive newbies away. Yes, I'm a newbie to this forum and to MTB. I've ridden a road cycle for most of my life, in the last few years I haven't really be riding. But now I want to get back into it and need advice from folks that have been doing recently.

I've found this forum helpful and truly most have been very helpful, but D*Alex do us all favor and go away. Feel important somewhere else. Maybe you could berate some poor guy or gal on the trail, if you've got the guts to do it in person... humm probably a long shot.

the schwinns at c tire and whatnot are worth the money anyone that tells you different is not really thinking the plain and simple fact is most bikes come from tiwan and are welded by robots mass produced dont get me wrong all you mega gurus your mega buck custom rides stilll rule but if you droped your love for the sport a minute and really thought about it a mass produced bike frame ie gt cannondale schwinn devinchi kona rocky mnt is going to have a better frame weld then some of the one offs by your local welder that has decided to make bikes and sure enough the parts that come on toy store bikes are low end and they do break ....wait a minute so does my xt stuff so is xt crap and well ive broke various frames etc and they have all been high end what it comes down to for what people do on mnt bikes there will never be the perfect bike or part get what you can afford most important ride your bike and about the service at toy stores etc screw your local bike store most of the tossers in the local shop are usless unless your buying there new high end crap and i tell you man if your get a bike at c tire or some other massive toy store your warrenty will be 10 fold better then your l b s c tire for example if you buy that schwinn and you break it in half they give you a new one try that at your local bike store the whole bike is warr. for 1 year and liftime frame you cant beat that so all you techno weenies sit back and shut up man cause plain and simple money makes the world turn and all you high end bikes are going to be for sale at c tire in no time what will your ego do

This is exactly what I was meaning in this thread

Acceptance (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21859)

Is this a cycling forum (people who love bikes), or a forum for those who ride expensive bikes? If the latter, I'm out of here.

I ride two expensive bikes, but my first real bike was the equivalent of a ***mart bike. I loved it because it got me into cycling. It was heavy but all t meant was when I tried a more expensive bike the difference was incredible.

i travelled thousands of miles on it, gradually updating and upgrading then transferred all the good stuff onto a new frame.

i can see why people want to buy a cheaper bike to start. hell, most of my neighbours have bikes and they virtually all hang in the garage. Why pay more for an ornament? I

if you like cycling you'll ride. the bike won't necessarily put you off.

If you don't go offroad or do a lot of distance, anything will do.

people used to do the tdf on fixed wheels for goodness sake.

God I hate snobbery.

Thinking being (in my original post) that if she likes it we could upgrade later, if not we're only out a 100 bucks.
this is the same thing my wife and i are doing. we went riding on tuesday and she loved it. now i am convinced, that when the budget isnt so tight and when we can afford it, we will be getting higher end bikes. so, until then, we will most likely upgrade ours alittle bit.

i agree with you wholeheartedly.

later

i know i'm a newbie, does anyone think this thread can be closed?

later

Originally posted by Aemon_
i know i'm a newbie, does anyone think this thread can be closed?

later
Aemon_
I don't think the thread should be closed, in fact if one
strips away all of the flaming, and gut reactions there
is alot of info to be mined here.
sometimes we get a bit hot under the collar but
it isn't the norm here.

Marty

thats cool.

its just that i've seen good forums go down in flames because of this type of bickering. i dont want to see that, because alot can be learned here.

later

hey guys/gals can we tone this down a bit?
Lets not forget that this is a community which
doesn't tolerate harrassement, vulgarity etc.
we fully support heated discussion but lets keep
it civil ok?

thanks,
Marty

Originally posted by auger
the schwinns at c tire and whatnot are worth the money anyone that tells you different is not really thinking the plain and simple fact is most bikes come from tiwan and are welded by robots mass produced dont get me wrong all you mega gurus your mega buck custom rides stilll rule but if you droped your love for the sport a minute and really thought about it a mass produced bike frame ie gt cannondale schwinn devinchi kona rocky mnt is going to have a better frame weld then some of the one offs by your local welder that has decided to make bikes and sure enough the parts that come on toy store bikes are low end and they do break ....wait a minute so does my xt stuff so is xt crap and well ive broke various frames etc and they have all been high end what it comes down to for what people do on mnt bikes there will never be the perfect bike or part get what you can afford most important ride your bike and about the service at toy stores etc screw your local bike store most of the tossers in the local shop are usless unless your buying there new high end crap and i tell you man if your get a bike at c tire or some other massive toy store your warrenty will be 10 fold better then your l b s c tire for example if you buy that schwinn and you break it in half they give you a new one try that at your local bike store the whole bike is warr. for 1 year and liftime frame you cant beat that so all you techno weenies sit back and shut up man cause plain and simple money makes the world turn and all you high end bikes are going to be for sale at c tire in no time what will your ego do

Oh my God. I think this sets a record.

No reason to close this thread. You guys asked for advice, and you got it. Despite the opinions of cyclist who have been riding for years, ride everyday, and post several thousand miles a year, you guys still hold to your belief that x-mart is a better way to start...Fine, go with it, no problems..If that's what gets you riding, then thats all that matters. Don't get all ticked and start telling longtime members to go away because you don't like their attitude about wally world bikes or about buying a cheap bike. That's his opinion, just like starting with a wally world bike is yours.

Does the Schwinn in question have eyelets for a pannier rack?

Originally posted by auger
the schwinns at c tire and whatnot are worth the money anyone that tells you different is not really thinking the plain and simple fact is most bikes come from tiwan and are welded by robots mass produced dont get me wrong all you mega gurus your mega buck custom rides stilll rule but if you droped your love for the sport a minute and really thought about it a mass produced bike frame ie gt cannondale schwinn devinchi kona rocky mnt is going to have a better frame weld then some of the one offs by your local welder that has decided to make bikes and sure enough the parts that come on toy store bikes are low end and they do break ....wait a minute so does my xt stuff so is xt crap and well ive broke various frames etc and they have all been high end what it comes down to for what people do on mnt bikes there will never be the perfect bike or part get what you can afford most important ride your bike and about the service at toy stores etc screw your local bike store most of the tossers in the local shop are usless unless your buying there new high end crap and i tell you man if your get a bike at c tire or some other massive toy store your warrenty will be 10 fold better then your l b s c tire for example if you buy that schwinn and you break it in half they give you a new one try that at your local bike store the whole bike is warr. for 1 year and liftime frame you cant beat that so all you techno weenies sit back and shut up man cause plain and simple money makes the world turn and all you high end bikes are going to be for sale at c tire in no time what will your ego do

Punctuation please.
I hope you dont really expect to get your point across, when it is written like this?

I agree I don't think the thread should be closed, there is a small bit of flaming in this thread, but on average it has ALOT of good info. I don't believe this forum is made up of a bunch of snobs, who just ride expensive bikes. Yes my bikes are fairly expensive that I own, but I see no problem with starting off with a big box bike, I just like to point out that a low end bike at your LBS will not cost that much more, you could get by with spending $200 if you want to, and when you calculate the warranty/free maintenance/proper fit that easily makes up for the extra $50-100.

Aemon I'm glad you are enjoying cycling if you want to upgrade parts on your current bike, I have no problem with that. I figure anything you upgrade on it, can be moved over to a better bike when you buy one so you have no real loss. Very few things could not be moved over.

I recently talked with a young girl who is going to sell me her Schwinn 3 speed for $50.00! I can't wait to tune it up myself and use it as a beater bike. I was going to buy a Roadmaster but figured a used three speed by Schwinn would be a better value. Why?

One answer. Sturmey Acher.

I commute on a three and seven speed hub gears and have found them to be VERY reliable. I have put thousands of miles on hub gears and they work every time even in bad weather. It's unfortunate I'm having difficulity taking these bikes on the train to work otherwise there would not be a need for a beater bike on the other side. The good thing about the whole situation is that bikes are cheap.

When it comes to gear reliability, the same cannot be said for Roadmaster. I see bike messengers riding all the time in Manhattan with Magna, Murray and Roadmaster cycles and one thing is a constant. I NEVER see them shift gears. We have some hill here in Manhattan but they don't shift gears because the sprockets are rusted or the derailler is broken. I don't understand why toy stores can't sell 3 speeds which are far more reliable than what they currently sell.

I was also thinking of getting the ToysRUS Schwinn to use as the beater but decided against it since I would practically have to reassemble the whole thing all over again and would get hit by crooks.

On a separate subject. I have no ojections against someone buying the ToysRUs Schwinns since Bicycling stated a couple of issues ago that these bikes were almost the same as the ones sold at you local bike shop. But for a little bit more money, you could buy a low end bike at a lbs that is assembled by a professional. Seriously. The Schwinns at ToysRUs were $179.00 plus tax.

I was at a LBS last week and could have bought a Jamis Citizen for $199.00. Sure it was on sale but these kind of deals happen all the time. Plus the Jamis would have been assembled much better saving you time from having to do it yourself on the toy store bike. The free tune-up alone would have been worth the extra $20.00 dollars.

Man, it's warm in here. Would someone turn on the air conditioner?

OK, lets put this all in perspective. Xmart bikes are designed for several markets:

1. Kids to use for a few years until the trash them out or outgrow them. Probably ridden less than a couple hundred miles total average.

2. Adults who haven't ridden a bicycle in years, are way out of shape and think that a few trips around the block will prevent their next heart attack. They ride a few times, then it gets too hot, too cold, or the next episode of Survivor is coming on the Tee Vee and they park the bike in the garage. They like the idea of buying a Schwinn because they had one as a kid and don't know what has happen to the brand name in recent years. Total average riding distance: less than 100 miles.

3. Senior citizens who want something to get around the RV park. I see lots of RVs with two xmart bikes on the back. If I had to park one of those land whales, I'd get a bike to go down to the grocery store too! These folks probably put a hundred miles average on a bike. Nice easy slow miles for the most part. (No intent to disrespect seniors. Some of them are in way better shape then I!)

The xmart bike is not designed for cross continent rides. It's not designed for riding 20 miles per day for 10 years. It's not designed to traverse the Great Divide trail.

That doesn't mean the bike is not good value. Good value means the bike meets the customer's needs at a good price. Not everyone wants to let their darling Junior trash an $800 bike. What need does the average Senior have with a carbon fiber frame and titanium seat rails? If I give my kid a $100 bike and it lasts two years, I figure I've got my money's worth.

I certainly would not want to try to ride an xmart bike across the continent. However, I'll bet at least one person has done it. It would probably be more of a challenge than doing it with a kilobuck touring bike!

It's not that xmart is selling a bad product. It's just not the right product for every cycling need.

Originally posted by Inoplanetyanin
Ok, I am looking for a bicyle.
Of course Wal Mart offers the cheapest one.
There is a Schwinn, for $126 that has good linear pull breaks, good seat, very comfortable to me, shimano gearing, the rims seem to be strong. They are 26'' in diametr but the tires are too thick. It's a mountain bike, while I need one for a long touring. However there are great looking thin road tires next shell for only 10 dollars. The bicycle feels great, looks decent and costs reasonable. A little heavier than those in bike stores, but the price is different too.

Talking from experience, who had problems with quality of Wal Mart Schwinn bikes?

The ones for $59 obviously are unsatisfactory quality.
So, what reasons can you people point at for not buying this bike?

here is the info on the bike (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=1913343&cat=4180&type=5&dept=4125&path=0%3A4125%3A4178%3A4180)

the real question would be wtf is wrong with KMART bikes? :p

Kmart is rumored to be leaving the bike market as part of their restructuring. Apparently making $10 on a bike doesn't excite the people that drafted their bankruptcy recovery plan.