Living Car Free - walmart bikes!

Near a decade of building that crap, 14,000+ and counting....

They're crap. The occasional frame might be upgrade-worthy to about the Deore level (Schwinn Alu Comp, maybe), but they're targeted to the population that thinks bikes are toys, nothing to take seriously.

Good bikes built in China? I know about Taiwan, but....

Near a decade of building that crap, 14,000+ and counting....

They're crap. The occasional frame might be upgrade-worthy to about the Deore level (Schwinn Alu Comp, maybe), but they're targeted to the population that thinks bikes are toys, nothing to take seriously.

Good bikes built in China? I know about Taiwan, but....

Actually the some of the Chinese factories are quite capable of producing things that rival any other country...but it comes at a price. Walmart and others have things made to a price point. That and volume are their only requirements.

"There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey."
John Ruskin, (attributed)
English critic, essayist, & reformer (1819 - 1900)

Aaron:)

Actually the some of the Chinese factories are quite capable of producing things that rival any other country...but it comes at a price. Walmart and others have things made to a price point. That and volume are their only requirements.

That says a lot about Walmart when the Chinese have to scrape and scrimp to meet their price point.

That says a lot about Walmart when the Chinese have to scrape and scrimp to meet their price point.

They will make anything you want, how low do you want to go and do you care what type of labor they use? or the quality of materials?

Aaron:)

I remember that my first 10 speed was bought at a big box store (Zayres) in 1970, for the then amazingly low price of $50.00. It was a low-end Royce Union. In today's dollars that would cost about $250.00. Now, a Kent GMC Denali goes out the Walmart door for just under $130.00 or an amazingly low $26.00(circa 1970).

That's some pretty heavy pressure to reduce prices. While I realize that robotics etc have contributed a lot, I still have to wonder who got underpaid to enable that?

are they really junk or just a bad rap cause there a bike built in china?

I don't buy groceries at the bike store, or bikes at the grocery store.

I don't buy groceries at the bike store, or bikes at the grocery store.
I bought my first decent bike at a grocery store. It lasted me at least five years until a bike thief decided he needed it more than I did.

I remember that my first 10 speed was bought at a big box store (Zayres) in 1970, for the then amazingly low price of $50.00. It was a low-end Royce Union. In today's dollars that would cost about $250.00. Now, a Kent GMC Denali goes out the Walmart door for just under $130.00 or an amazingly low $26.00(circa 1970).

That's some pretty heavy pressure to reduce prices. While I realize that robotics etc have contributed a lot, I still have to wonder who got underpaid to enable that? I promise you the Huffy I have WAS NOT welded by a robot...there is no way they could make that sloppy a weld that I know of. I suspect forced labor? Child labor? or? China has a long string of human rights issues many of which have never been completely resolved.

But regardless...it is still nothing but a race to the bottom with the US consumer leading the way.

Aaron:)

I promise you the Huffy I have WAS NOT welded by a robot...there is no way they could make that sloppy a weld that I know of. I suspect forced labor? Child labor? or? China has a long string of human rights issues many of which have never been completely resolved.

But regardless...it is still nothing but a race to the bottom with the US consumer leading the way.

Aaron:)

Whoever did the welding, you can bet they weren't wearing a proper mask or respirator. And there weren't any pollution controls either, and the welders probably lived in company dormitories, eight to a room, and see their families once a year for a couple days. The American consumer supports these practices, and has ruined American manufacturing, in order to save a couple bucks.

In spite of the evidence against Big Box Stores and Big Box Bikes, it still makes me happy to see a Walmart beater with a blinky light locked up in front of some random business... it means someone found a way to commute without a lot of money or a lot of information. Progress in the right direction. It makes me hope that those commuters will (like I did!) outgrow their bikes and find something affordable and used, or even save for something new and good quality.

I don't buy groceries at the bike store, or bikes at the grocery store.

+1

But, then I don't visit WalMart (7 miles away) except on rare occasions. Not, because I think WalMart is itself bad. They are the perfect example of free enterprise. It is a pain in the rear to get there. Besides, they have almost zero organic foods. Target (2 miles away) is much closer and better and, the Giant (2 miles away next to Target) grocery has a very large selection of organic foods. Plus, there is a hardware store across the street and a convenience store a block away........

The LBS on the other hand is 18 miles away.