Midwest Ullrich

Mine came in today! Minor complaints:
Rear tube is punctured as received.
Bottom "U" bracket is bent.
Both front and rear brakes are not set. They touch the rims.
Front steer squeaks.
Will have to do some wrenching to tweak the bike. Other than that, the overall quality is good.

atombikes

Wow, that is some damage on that U bar- was the flat part cracked? I can't imagine it could be repaired? I would be tempted to have Walmart send out another bike; they will of course do that if you want. Wierd though, doesn't look like the box is damaged so I wonder if the bike was damaged when it went into the box? Anyway, when you say punctured tube, you are talking about for the tire, not a frame tube, right?

The creaking steering post can be silenced by spraying PB-Blaster (WD40) on the hinge pivot area.

The brakes are easy to re-adjust.

Whether you decide to keep this one or get a new one, either way I hope you get many miles of smiles from your new folding bike. Welcome to the club!

tds101 

If I receive a broken bike it would be returned asap. You pay your hard-earned money for these things,... You deserve a proper ride.

roving70

mid,

i would say return and specify problems with images... they will send you a almost pre-tuned bike in 2 days or state the problem and don't return it and they will give you descent credit for the damages.

Midwest Ullrich

Thanks for the advice everyone. I don't know what that bolt on u bracket does but looks like I can bend it back. Easier than me repacking the bike to return to Walmart!?
This is my first folding bike. Looking forward to have lots of fun miles on it.

atombikes

That U bracket is a stand that protects the crankset when the bike frame is folded and the seatpost is not slid all the way down. I'm with the other guys, take it back and either have them order another and ship it "Site to Store" (or to your house free of charge for that matter) or get some sort of credit. Don't be bashful, it is your money after all. Walmart if pretty easy for returns- you probably would not even need the box.

atombikes

Now that I am back on my home turf and not in hotels any longer, I had the opportunity to take my Genesis out last Friday for a 20 mile ride on my local trail, the W&OD. I was fairly surprised, I averaged almost 14mph for the ride even though I stopped 4 or 5 times for breaks.

icedmocha 

Wow! That is really good for many riders on a nice bike, let a lone a low-end folder! I took mine for a short ride for the first time yesterday. No clunking on the rear, unless clunky gear changes count.

DVC45

Return it at the store, as is. I don't think you need to repack it.

Midwest Ullrich

I talked to the Walmart manager in person about the punctured tube and bent bracket. Instead of offering me a new tube from the store and/or ordering a new bracket from the manufacturer, she simply asked me to return the whole bike and then place an order for a new one (if I want). She offers me 90 days to return. They do not seem to bother at all by the return process!

So, it is a no brainer for me to return the bike.

tds101 

All Walmart stores have a no-hassle 90 day return policy. They did exactly what I'd have expected. Hopefully the new ride will be 100% up to snuff.

icedmocha 

Would bmx wheels fit on this? I think mag wheels would look good.

atombikes

I don't think so. The front fork spacing/front hub is narrow to keep the fold compact, see the photo that Midwest Ullrich posted:

Midwest Ullrich

Hi atom bikes, do you know what special tool do I need to remove the black spacer right above the top headset bearing? I am trying to fit the bike into a suitcase. Mine is not as deep as yours so I can't stack the two wheels like you did. I am thinking about removing the fork to make more room. Can't figure out how to do it.
One critic about this price level of bike is: the wheel axles are not the quick release type. There is no skewers to remove to minimize the wheel thickness for packing.

atombikes

Hey Midwest,
I have never disassembled the front end beyond removing the steering post quill, so I cannot answer your question. Maybe if you post a pic one of us could help?

Regarding packing into a suitcase, one of the tricks I used was rotating the fork and slipping one of the fork legs between the rear stays to allow the frame to lay more "flat" in the suitcase. This might help you without removing the fork altogether?

The wheels will need to be staggered so that the protruding axles are between spokes or other pockets of open space. I agree it would be great if these were QR wheels.

jimboach

When I was in school, there used to be, what I thought, was a pizzeria down the street from my apartment which I never went to. One day, I decided to give it a go since all the other pizza places where chains and I wanted something fresh. I walk in and all the pizzas where fully ready to bake but raw. They sold raw fully assembled pizzas for you to take home and bake yourself which in itself isn't that bad but, they charged $24 for a cheese pizza so, essentially, you're paying premium price to do some of the work and NO convenience. I feel that buying a walmart bike and adding all these parts, taking time out of your life to shop for them, put them on, buy the tools to do so is a very similar comparison to the pizza. You get no convenience, you still wind up paying big money, but in this case, you're funding a huge corporation that turns a profit by not paying it's employees, suppliers, and paying back into the tax pool. No offense but that's not really a bike I'd be proud of.

I bought my bike from a small local bike shop, paid my sales tax, utilized a local employee to assist my purchase, and now I buy many accessories from this nice local store and I intend to keep it that way. Food for thought.

BikeKraft

The loop formed by the shifter cable, at the hinge, seems to put the derailleur slightly of adjustment.
So I guess leave the cable as is after folding and make the adjustment then.
Not a complaint.

icedmocha 

I haven't added any accessories to my bike and haven't utilized any tools. I do have an old Brooks I'll throw on at some point and just bought a bell water bottle cage at wally world. Is been extremely convenient, and were I trying to make a political statement I would have bought a vintage made in USA bike. As it is I just needed something that fits in my small car and can tour my cheap bicycle trailer bought from a worse corporation, amazon.

roving70

mid,

i bought this tool to remove the top cap(the one with 2 hole when you remove the steering post quill), cap is threaded and i was able to remove it with this adjustable pin wrench and you can now see the headset and remove the fork.

alexaschwanden

Awesome.

roving70

when i decided to get a folding bike i only have $200 to spend and i really need a bike(ny subway 2 way is $5.00). i went to my local bike store and was told that i don't have a bike for you on that budget. also he told me that it's better to spend more on good bike than buying a cheap one. but i only have $200 dollar to spend!!! still i want to help my local bike shop...i drop by for a led light ask how much $40!!! shop online found it for $9.99. still i want to help my local bike shop...drop by to buy fender ask how much for fender and install $40 for fender and $20 for install!!! went online fender $28 use my allen key and screw driver and i've got a $28 fender. still i want to help my local bike shop...i want to change my crankset and i need install and was told that crank 2 speed $80 for low end and $30 install. bought a crankset shimano low to mid quality 2 speed $47 borrowed crank puller from my neighbor and youtube how to pull out crankset. i can't stress enough how much saving i've got than buying a branded bike from my local bike store but most of all i enjoy upgrading it.

i guess buying a wally stuff makes more sense for a poor guy like me and i think i help the wally foundation who help a lot of people at some point.

BikeKraft

roving70
Even if you have unlimited funds, spend it the way you want.
No need for full disclosure on how much it costs in the end, no guilt.
Your money, your choice.
Enjoy the ride.

DVC45

' not sure why there's a need to replace parts right away.
Buy it, ride it lots, replace parts as needed.

Midwest Ullrich

i bought this tool to remove the top cap(the one with 2 hole when you remove the steering post quill), cap is threaded and i was able to remove it with this adjustable pin wrench and you can now see the headset and remove the fork.

[/QUOTE]

I have this kind of tool in my toolbox! I used that for removing/tightening the old style crank arm decorative bolt cap. It has been awhile since I used it. Thanks for reminding!

I managed to fit the bike inside a suitcase and successfully traveled on air (us air). About 46 lbs total with small tools, clothes,..etc. Under the 62 inches total dimension and 50 lbs limits. $25 one way baggage fee. I am now at savannah Georgia with the bike. No damage on anything even tough I only used a soft buggage case. Renting a single speed cheap MTB here is $50 per day. I am staying here for a week so the genesis will soon be paid off!

Glad that I bought the genesis instead of the citizens Tokyo or miami. I researched they are about 32 lbs. That would put me right up the airline weight limit with other belongings.

atombikes

That is awesome! Good to see you are already reaping the benefits of flying with a folding bike. Your (under regulation size and weight) checked baggage fee for flying both ways with the bike amount to only one day's bike rental fee.

Did you do any kind of padding inside your luggage?