There's a lot of hyperbole in Walmart threads. Walmart's goal is to make money and you can't do that if your merchandise consistently falls apart the instant you get it home. However, Walmart's appeal is low prices. Part of that they can achieve through high volumes and by putting the squeeze on suppliers: "You want us to stock your product? Give us a great deal."

So Walmart could sell you the exact same bike as an LBS at a much cheaper price. A good chunk of the higher price you pay for a bike at an LBS has nothing to do with quality or service. Walmart has some advantages when it comes to cost that an LBS simply does not.

That being said, the other way they keep the price low is the product itself. While a Denali cannot be made so cheaply that it spontaneously implodes, it needs to cut costs somewhere, so what does it do?

It has cheapest components that will function well enough and last long enough. Revo shifters aren't going to give you super precise shifting and neither is that derailleur. The brakes are going to feel mushy. You're not going to get butted tubing. To compensate for the cheaper materials it's overbuilt resulting in excessive weight. It's going to be assembled as quickly as possible using the lowest skilled labor capable of doing it. It will have few size options.

When all is said and done, it's going to be a product that's good enough for most of the people who buy it. But, as soon as they cross the line into the "enthusiast" category, they're going to want something different. I can just about guarantee Boro will get there. He's already replaced the shifters and brake pads. By the time he's done with his report on the Denali, major pieces of it will be sitting in a parts bin.

Look at all the positive reviews of the Denali you'll find on the web. What's interesting is that many of them list the "light weight" as a pro - not knowing that it's one of the heaviest road bikes you can buy.