Interesting point. To be fair, I would compare the WalMart bikes to other department store bikes like an older Huffy or JC Penney. Even the lowest bike store bike is many times better than a a department store bike. I've worked on a few older department store bikes and I would say they are more or less garbage...just like how today's Target and WalMart bikes will be after a few uses. Considering inflation, the bike store bikes from years ago may actually be comparable to the ones now, just different materials and some advances in technology. Even within a company, there's big differences. A Target Schwinn is nothing compared to a LBS Schwinn. It's about making goods that target different groups of people.

But of course, this is one of the few treasure of C&V. You can find excellent value in a used bike for less than the POS they sell at today's superstores. You just need to train your eyes to seek out the good ones and know what you want in a bike.

Hope your wife heals soon though. Also, you might want to make some room in your home for the influx of vintage bikes that might come in pretty soon. It's an addicting habit.