sonnetg

I dont see any bicycles on their website..

DylanG

These are the bikes Costo says they will be selling. The article claims that the road bike has parts worthy of a $1000 price tag and they will sell it for $600.

https://northrockbikes.com/

Schwinnrider

https://www.bikesdirect.com

They have some decent cheap road bikes. The Motobecane Mirage looks like a heck of a good deal.

CJ C

The X-marts help when a family all sets out to get bikes, can you imagine the cash needed to buy a LBS bike for a guy his wife and two kids plus the basic gear like helmets and stuff. thats like over $2k for the "good" bottom of the line bikes.

or go to a X-mart and get four bikes and gear for less than $700. For the average family $2k is not chump change, neither is $700.

and realistically when you look at it the wife and husband will use the bike a bunch in the first month then rarely after that. then next season they will be used in the spring for like three weeks then just hanging in the garage for years. not the best way to spend 2k but 700 makes a bit more justifiable.

*this is assuming the family doesnt go silly and buy the $300 X-mart bike. thats the head scratcher for me.

sonnetg

I agree it's not going to be cheap, but you can buy decent bikes for $300 at the LBS. It took me years to buy bikes which i have always wanted, but never had the cash. There was a time in my life where $100 seemed a lot. I was broke and very poor when i was in college. And even if i had a bike, i never had the place to store it (lived in an efficiency apartment for years). When i lived in the dorm, my wally bike got stolen. I was glad I didn't have a $500 bike back then. Times have changed now, and the sacrifice of those days payed off. I wouldn't want to ride a xmart bike again, but I can if i have to (i have got the skills now to tame it).

Also it won't cost $2000 for a family to get started. He would be better off even with the cheapest bike at the LBS, and it will come with a tuneup and spare parts wouldn't not be a problem if something breaks down the line. As for kids bike, they will out grow their bikes before it breaks, so I dont really see why they would need a high end (LBS) bike to start off. You can buy helmets and other gears from xmart. I've used a helmet, which i purchased for $20 from walmart. It's alright.

My estimate, they can get started for < $1000 to enjoy bicycle riding. Given the gas prices, riding a bike on a weekend with family is probably much cheaper alternative than most other weekend getaways. I don't think the bikes would be rusting in the garage..

az2008

That argument is true, but it cuts both ways. Local bike shops have, over the years, bought bikes and accessories made in China. That has the effect of undermining their own customers' employment and ability to buy more expensive bikes.

We could take a narrow view, that few (if any) customers of a LBS work for a bike manufacturer. But, those employees were less capable of buying higher-end products and services, etc. Contributing to an overall trend of downsizing and offshoring (race to the bottom).

My concern with arguments that department-store buyers undermine bike shops is that it implies bike shops are somehow pure. They've played the same pragmatic game everyone else plays when weighing a $200 department-store bike, or $500 LBS. I agree, there are longer-term, broader considerations about that race to the bottom. But, LBS's made similar choices (contributing to the undermining of American bicycle manufacturing).

Just want to make sure department-store buyers aren't made to feel traitorous.

bluefoxicy

Nobody wants to give advice to a lawyer; it's too dangerous to be wrong

You might be able to find a deal on a used bike. It depends on how much know-how you want to acquire, which means time you want to spend before buying. Sometimes you can find an $80 5 year old bike that street-prices for $300 and it's ready to ride; sometimes you find a $150 bike that street prices for $250 but it's horribly beaten and needs new gears/chain/etc and you wind up paying $350 in total.

You pretty much have to be a bike mechanic and a strong negotiator (being a lawyer, I'm sure you're good for the latter... or you suck as a lawyer, one of the two) to guarantee you're not getting screwed, even buying a brand new bike; the closer you get to both of those, the more money you save, obviously at the cost of time investment. Plus, with decent enough technical understanding of bicycles, you can completely skip paying any mechanics to work on your bike, ever, and STILL keep your bike in better working condition than with regular tune-ups (because you do them whenever you feel like it, rather than on a schedule that compromises versus money).

In other words, it's dollars versus time. You want a great bike? Drop $2000. Or you could spend a month bouncing from store to store, reading up on bikes online, test riding, get some vague(!) idea of what makes a good bike, then drop $500 on something you're confident is a good bike. OR spend months and months learning about bicycles enough to go find a $50 broken one with a great frame in great condition and swap in $100 of brand new parts to make a great $150 bike.

At a point, you're wasting your money. Buying a First Act guitar or a really crappy $100 off-brand budget guitar will net you something that'll never intonate right (i.e. ALWAYS out of tune, physically impossible to get into tune), always have high action (difficult/impossible to play), and never really have a great sound. A $2000 Taylor is awesome; but there's great $300 guitars out there that just freaking rule, nowhere near on par with a $1200-$5000 Martin or Taylor but they are just amazing.

It's the same with bikes, really; that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to completely hate a $100 Wal-Mart bike, but there are plenty that will teach you that walking is better.

One thing I found out when I bought a $450 bicycle: brakes are awesome. Every Wal-Mart bike I owned had rubber V-brakes that slid and skid... not much stopping power, never could lock up the rear wheel. A drop of water on the rim disabled the brakes. These linear pull brakes with Shimano pads, though, they'll stop my wheel dead from 15mph in the rain. That surprised me; I seriously considered disc brakes because I had bad experiences with rim brakes.

Lessons learned? Spray the rim/brake pads with a water bottle and see if you can still stop the bike. Do this to one wheel; use the other as a back-up if it totally disables the brake. If it does totally disable the brake, don't buy that bike! Wal-Mart may be using improved brakes now, so maybe they can stop you when wet.

az2008

The problem with buying used (if you're talking about Craigslist) is the immense amount of time you can waste monitoring CL (wading through spammers), reading ads which seem to be written by functionally illiterate people ("byke 3 sale... like knew... text me."), interacting with unresponsive people trying to find out what frame size a bike is (when everyone says "26 inch bike."). Looking at 1x2" photos. And then driving around looking at bikes that aren't advertised correctly.

People intimate derogatory things about people who shop at Walmart. But, it's been my experience that the people Craigslist is used by far more "trashy" people.

Mainly, it just seems like a gigantic waste of time. I found a Giant Cypress that truly was like new for a bargain. But, it took a lot of time and driving around looking at junk, dealing with boneheads before I found it.

Craigslist is the same gamble Walmart is. If a person sets their expectation levels correctly, they can save some money. It's not going to be without its own hidden costs. You'll have to put some sweat equity into it.

bluefoxicy

Yes I did mention time you want to spend before buying. It's not just "Shopping around"; you actually need to become a semi-expert to recognize a good deal.

You could try FreeCycle. Or find a bike shop that carries used. Find a chop shop that has junk-outs, give 'em $100, grab a frame and parts and start building. There's lots of stuff, but you need your own know-how to not get scammed.

CJ C

sonnetg,

very good points, and true you better off getting a x-mart bike for the kids if you dont have anyone to "hand me down" too, that would save $$$ there. its with the way the economic times are, LBS bikes are becoming harder to reach for the average family. and not everyone has a good craiglist selection. and really if you went to walmart and the husband and wife got the cheap bikes which are $79 each and the kids bikes are like $40 your talking $300 with tax and helmets. all that can serve for a good weekend ride around the hood with the kids and not dent the wallet.

also dont take me for a big box supporter, my bike was my second ever purchase at wally world and only the fifth between my wife and i. if i could have afforded to buy at a LBS i would have, as i know i would get more bang for my buck and have a long term asset. my local LBS will be getting my business as i slowly save up and buy parts for my 80's tenspeed conversion to a single speed. (which looking at price for components wont be finished till 2012).

johnj2803

I have a question, I bought my bike at walmart for $80. I am happy. I learned. I tested the waters. I still want to bike. Let us say my wheels need replacing and i want good tires. they cost about $20-$30 each i think... I am better off buying a new bike at my LBS right?

Re-Cycle

https://www.withoutaclue.netfirms.com/

az2008

There's no correct answer to that question. It depends on your usage, time::cash ratio, passion for riding, whether you want two bikes, keeping one as a beater/basket bike?

Only you can weigh those factors.

jediphobic

Depends. Can you afford to? Then probably yes. If you're spending almost as much on new tires as the bike was new, then what are you going to do as other parts need replacement? For commuting, I'd save up $500 or so and get something like this: https://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/hybrid/misceo-11/

If you can't afford to, then buy new tires, but get the cheapest ones you can find at a bike shop. They should be about $15 each, at least around here. They'll last plenty long enough for you to save up for another bike and you won't notice the difference from the $30 tires.

monsterpile

Like has been said before it depends. Here are some questions you can answer that might help get what you want.

What is your budget?
Are you willing to do some work on your bike yourself?
What market are you in? is there a coop or someplace you could get used parts for your bike
Would you consider used?

sonnetg

Walmart does have high end bikes for sale, but they do have cheap bikes as well. Being an avid biker, I also assume everyone is on the same boat as i am, but i could be wrong. It may be the case where the whole family goes out for cycling and then the kids starts whining or the wife starts nagging, and that could very well put an end to "cycling" for the family. And no matter what bikes, it would be rusting away. It that is the case, one would be better off with an xmart bike. One the other hand, if you worked hard to buy the bike, you appreciate the thing more, which may cause you to go out biking more. It's weird, but true.


Now, if wally world started to provide bicycle workshop/maintenance services, the LBS would have a real competitor. Until then, the more xmart bikes, the better it is for LBS business.

sonnetg

Well, if you are happy with the bike, why do you want another bike? Replacing tires is considered a routine "maintenance" job, and holds true for any bikes.

You may want to consider a different kind of bike, eg mountain bike, utility bike, touring bike, folding bike, a trike or something which you haven't owned before. You can never have enough bikes

Cheers.

johnj2803

That is one question I want to answer honestly and the only honest answer i can get is: to get away with the stigma of a walmart bike shallow as it seems, but true

this is a great idea... now storage becomes an issue hehe

I am getting way ahead of myself. I have not even ridden that much in a week... I am enjoying tinkering with what i have now. learning

az2008

I felt the same way. When I bought my Walmart Schwinn Avenue I rationalized it as not being willing to spend $500 on an activity I didn't know I'd enjoy. "Just a starter." For the next 9 months, I kept my eye open for an LBS bike. Test rode bikes. Watched Craigslist. But, in the end, nothing felt as good to me as my Avenue. I bought a Target Schwinn Trailway as my second bike (almost the same bike, branded for Target).

I also thought of an LBS bike as a membership card in the "real" bike club. Not just a better bike.

I think there's a general stereotype out there. I was invited to an LBS's maintenance clinic. I think they regretted that because the $119 Mongoose Paver I was riding got the attention of attendees with the $1200 bikes they bought from the store. The discomfort among the staff was palpable.

Like anything, the truth of this topic is somewhere in the middle. Department stores sells some junky bikes. But, they also have decent bikes in the $200 range. Another part of the stereotype is that many people who buy DSBs aren't "serious" riders and may not maintain their bikes, leading to failures. (I.e., it's not clear what the causation is: junk bikes, bad riders or a combination of those factors.).

IMO, the stereotype is mostly a cliquish "in-group/out-group" mentality. Just politics based largely upon reality (DSBs are lower quality, exacerbated by "uncool" people). If it means a lot to you to be part of the group, that may be a legitimate factor in your decision to buy LBS.

No doubt, you'd also get higher quality and additional value like a relationship with the LBS, professional assembly and maintenance. I personally don't find that to be worth the higher prices. But, I have a lot of free time to do my own. If I didn't, I'd pay LBS prices.

I also find the stereotype to be rather weak. Many people express surprise that my bike came from a department store, and that I've ridden it at least 2000 miles.

I think part of the stereotype is contempt for Walmart, not department stores generally. That's why you see people steer the discussion into "Walmart bikes." It fosters the clear "evil other" which a clique ("in group") needs. But, the bikes sold at Walmart are sold at Target, Sears, K-Mart, etc. It's really a "department store" bike. But, that doesn't sound as good. Not as inflaming. It doesn't incite the propaganda-like reaction that cliques depend upon.

I think the point is: Do your own thinking. Everyone has different wants and needs. The value proposition for a LBS bike or DSB is different. The biggest flaw of this topic are comments like "all Walmart bikes are junk." Or, "everyone should buy a LBS bike."

FunkyStickman

This is a good point. Plenty of home mechanics can keep a WM bike riding for years (admittedly it's getting harder) and plenty of guys I know ride $1200 bikes and don't even know how to adjust brakes or derailers. A lot depends on the person, not the bike. I rode a WM Schwinn for a couple of years, the frame eventually broke, but I'm still using the rims (the actual rims, not the whole wheel) and cranks, stem, brakes, etc. on my current bike. Yes, those are wal-mart rims and brakes on my Surly LHT.

With that being said, knowing what I know now, I would steer somebody to BikesDirect before any local big-box store. You get better parts for the money, much better selection, and better chances of sticking with it if you get a bike you actually want that fits.

az2008

BikesDirect looks good. I like the choice of frame sizes. But, I don't like how you can't test ride before buying.

One great thing about Walmart is that you can order Site-to-Store, and if it doesn't fit well, just return it within 90 days for a complete refund. (They won't accept it if stickers are removed, or it's obviously in used condition. So, you have to treat it carefully. I rode a bike for 2 months, very gently, and returned it with all the paper tags, zip-tie manual holder, etc.).

It would concern me buying a bike unseen, with no reasonable way to return it. (I read a story somewhere about someone going through he** to return a bike to BikesDirect.). Other than that they look like a good value.

CJ C

On the topic of people saying support the LBS. but isnt buying from BikesDirect kind of the same as buying from a x-mart?

monsterpile

Yeah its not supporting the LBS, but you are getting a fairly good quality product for a good price.

I feel bad sometimes that I don't support LBS so I have tried to at least go into a few of them to see what they carry so if there isn't much difference in price I can buy some stuff there. Its just fun to look around and since people are always asking about bikes its good to know what the LBS carry so I can direct people to what might work out well for them.

revelstone

say whatever you want. i bought a mountain bike from walmart in may of 09. it's now may of 2011 and i'm still riding the bike. by the way, it has 2978 miles on it. i've replaced the tires once and the chain and the freewheel once each. they wore out. i was sitting at a light waiting for it to change, a pedestrian walked by and said "nice bike." nuff said.

tjspiel

We got bikes for our kids from Target for awhile. It's hard to justify shelling out a lot of money on something they will grow out of in a short time. But there were definite quality issues with a couple of them while another couple were just fine. Now I get them quality used bikes.

What is kind of funny though is that a few years ago I was looking for a really small bike for my daughter who was learning how to ride without training wheels. I didn't want to spend the money on a "balance" bike so my goal was to find something little and just take the pedals off. I got this "Dora the Explorer" bike for $10. I'm sure it was originally from Target or Kmart.

Anyway, I pulled the cranks/pedals off and it did the trick. Soon she was riding her bigger bike sans training wheels without any trouble. But she didn't want to ride her bigger bike, she wanted me to put the pedals back on the Dora bike.

She rides a nicer Trek now but she refuses to give up the little Dora bike even though she's far too big for it. In fact her older brother (who's 11) and the neighbor kids all like to ride it around the driveway and the alley. It's taken a ton of abuse and it's just fine.

There's a place for bikes from Walmart or Target. Just like camping gear, tennis rackets, luggage or anything else you might use a few times a year. But if it's something you use frequently and depend on, you're better off getting something made from better materials with stricter quality controls.