Wal-Mart and bikes.... How do you know when you hit rock bottom in the bike biz? When your bikes fill the racks at wally world....
Schwinn bikes are now sold at wally world... not the same bikes that shops sold just a few years ago, but a much lower quality bike. Its sad to see.
I like to check out the bike section at department stores. Its always fun to see what new ways have been found to screw up something so simple. I have seen forks put on backwards, brake levers that shifted the rear, headsets without bearings. If theres a way to screw it up....
I worked at Toys-R-Us as a bike assembler, for there X-mass rush. Some of the things I saw made me cringe... They must have
some high priced lawers. If a bike shop sent bikes out like that there would have law suits up the wazoo! When they found out knew bikes I was made the "head assembler"(I pointed out unsafe bikes to the manger). I had to check over each of the bikes built by the assemblers. If the bikes did not pass a basic safey inspection they got sent back to be done right. Minimum wage and 3 bucks per bike! Wahoo! No, I did not get rich, but it was fun. It was worth it just for the after X-mass party. You think shopping is bad around the holidays? Try working in a toy store... Oh and if your a dad with a daughter DO NOT! Get her the Barbie Dream House!
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Bentbaggerlen
"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Arthur Conan Doyle