I'm replying for 3 reasons... because there is very little about this bike on the internet, I agree with 'dart's' comments about the other replies, and I just bought what may be the last one...
First off, this is NOT a 'walmart bike'. This is a Triace road bike sold by walmart. Triace is a Chinese bike company that not only produces high end road and touring bikes, but specializes in carbon composite bikes, and bicycle design innovation. There is nothing Triace makes that could be considered 'cheap'.
Triace had a limited contract with walmart, and when walmart wanted the price point to be lowered from 449 to 399, Triace said no. So walmart did not renew the contract, and lowered the price to 399 to sell the remaining stock. As of now the bike is listed as completely out of stock.
Second, this is a 'road bike' and not a 'tour bike', though there is but a few distinctions between the two. In fact a tour bike could be any ol' bike that a person takes on a 'tour ride' with them. Tour biking and Road biking are basically the same accept for the 'Tour' part. The difference in the bikes is mostly weight, aerodynamics and component performance.
Now the bike itself "Triace S503"
The triacebike.com website shows detailed picks... in Chinese though, the 'english' specs are online.
Though this is at the lower end of the Triace line of bikes, as I said before they are a high end bike company, and the S503 is nothing less than a mid to high range intermediate road bike. A beginner could certainly ride it, but may have problems understanding the fitting, tuning and maintenance of a modern bicycle. So unless your willing to have a bike shop do that for you, I would say you should know what your doing before you mess with anything.
Mine was an order that someone had cancelled after the bike had been shipped, and was not even added to the stores web inventory. The guy that built it pulled it down for me, and aired the tires. I have been a cyclist (bmx, road, mountain bike) since I was 6, 43 now. Not just casual either. Anyways, I could tell this guy knew his way around bikes. Maybe not a qualified tech, but put together well... Mind you, it wasn't quite to my standards.
Most all components on this bike are Triace, including seat, rims and stem, accept for joy tech hubs, shimono 24 speed crank set, derailers and promax break clamps.
Triace carbon fork and bushings, aluminum frame.
The bike is 21 lbs. Not bad, but about 2 lbs could be shed with a 10 speed gear set. Which is what a 'tour' rider would use. A slight bit of performance could be gained by upgrading the hubs. But unless your a pro, you will notice little difference in the hubs.
I first removed the rims and repacked and readjusted the hubs (Joy Tech), as the rear hub was a bit snug, and both needed more grease. Crankcase and headset were fine. Rims are true. After 3 test rides and fitting adjustments I was off.
This bike is sweet! The carbon fork and bushings provide excellent shock dampening. Braking performance is high. Gear and derailer performance is high, and able to withstand heavy loads without complaining, considering the 24 speed system. A 10 speed set would obviously perform better, but who's climbing the alps? I've ridden many of my friends $700-1000 bikes and prefer my Triace.
And all this about buying a used bike from craigslist...??? Maybe a coffee table or couch... but not a road bike. You have no idea what people do to bikes. What parts are on it... the wrong chain, anything could be wrong and go wrong in the worst way. New is better!
This bike was made to work optimally with it's components by the manufacturer, and trust it 1000x more than someone's 'used' bike. Though it is not a professional road bike, it is certainly an excellent high range intermediate road bike that could easily be upgraded.
The worst part is that you would be lucky to find one now, unless you ordered from China. I call it the 'Mazda Miata' of bicycles... 'the only bike to actually be worth more money after you buy it'. (of course they raised the price of the Miata after they found that out)... Anyways, I did a lot of research, and this is an $850 road bike for $400 bucks.
research yourself and hope that helps.... and thanks dart for the website!
