Originally Posted by
|3iker
Any bikes no matter where you buy, as long as it's under $2000 will likely have its frame sourced from China or Taiwan. Also the reason why Walmart can sell 105-equipped bikes at such low prices vs. an LBS is just by sheer economics of scale. Makes you wonder the profit behind that CAAD 5 or that Trek 1.5 sitting at your LBS.
People keep implying that
where something is made solely determines quality. Crap can be built anywhere. Anyway, quality frames have been made in Taiwan for many years. No doubt, crappy frames are made in Taiwan too.
Walmart does have a large economy of scale but
they also requires things to be made differently (eg [edit: was "ie"], cheaper). That is, the skill and qualify control for Walmart stuff
isn't necessarily going to be the same as for a LBS frame.
Of course, one reason Walmart can sell stuff so cheaply is that
they don't have to service it, which means they don't need a shop or skilled staff to support.
The bike you buy from an LBS helps keep them in business so they are there for you to bring their to. (That is, service doesn't provide enough to keep a LBS running.)
Originally Posted by
|3iker
The sooner LBS realise how much $ they are losing to places like MEC or REI the sooner they will drop that "holier than thou" attitude towards customers wheeling in their non Ultegra or Deore LX equipped bicycles for servicing.
If an LBS can be "holier than thou" about "Ultegra or Deore LX", then they are only selling high-end bicycles. Since most LBS sell a wide range of bicycles, most LBS are not "holier than thou"!
Again, keep in mind that Walmart, etc, can sell bicycles cheaply
because they don't have to pay to support being able to service them! The LBS isn't really in the business of making Walmart more profitable (and service fees are not enough to keep a business running).