Originally Posted by
MRT2
So sorry you went this route. At the risk of sounding like a bike snob, IMO, you are better off going without a bike than risking your safety on a Wal Mart bike. Don't put any money into it. Best of luck with it, though.
This is a common opinion here at BF. It's nothing unusual. Xmart bikes have a history of having the cheapest components improperly installed upon their frames.
Originally Posted by
MRT2
Not rude, but direct. WestMichiganGuy came to us as a 6'2" 340 # man looking for a bike that would hold his weight and get him back into cycling. He got some good recommendations about what to look for and what to avoid, and he went and bought what most who contributed told him to avoid; a one size fits some Wal Mart special.
MRT2 is clearly disappointed at the OP's choice for a bicycle. However, this bicycle is hopefully NOT the only bicycle the OP will ever own. He will most certainly purchase other bicycles and this one will most assuredly prove to be a bicycle from which he will gain much valued experience.
If he came asking for recs on a bike to ride on a 1,500 mile tour, then went out and bought a beach cruiser, I would be similarly direct.
I bear no malice against OP and hope it works out for him, but I wonder what was the point of his asking for advice?
The OP is a novice cyclist. He is not aware of the long history of failed Xmart bikes or what particular weaknesses they typically possess. Therefore, he cannot be held completely responsible for making the choice of bicycle that he deemed proper for himself. However, at the end of the day, the OP has free-will and the right to make his own decisions and purchase his own bicyces, with or without our approval. We can only hope that his purchase brings him happiness!
Originally Posted by
MRT2
In the threads you started, nobody suggested you needed a $5000 or $10,000 Madone, S Works, or Cervelo to get you going. Most people were suggesting $100 or $200 used hybrids or at most, something like a new Giant hybrid or even a bikes direct or Nashbar bike (which btw, would have been a better option). Think for a second how Wal Mart can even sell a bike for less than $100 and still make money.
IMHO, there are only two things fundamentally and typically wrong with Xmart bikes. First of all, they all have the cheapest of components attached. Next, those components stand a good chance of being installed improperly, due to untrained employees, who have either little, or no bicycle building skills.
Walmart profits from the cheap mass production of bicycle frames. It could not maintain its profit margin on those frames, without the addition of the cheapest of bicycle components placed upon those frames. The employees installing those components are some of the most poorly paid employees living within these United States.
I suspect IllClyde is right, and you just got tired of the process of hunting down a used bike that fit.
Most tall guys have difficulty with finding the right sized bicycle or frame. Patience is not a virtue for most of them either!
every sport, or activity has its cost of entry. In cycling, that price is about $400 new retail, a little less if you get a good sale, or off the internet, and even less used, but you need to be patient and know what to look for. I will not apologize for hating big box store bikes.
No need to apologize. You're just expressing your opinion out of profound concern and disappointment. Besides, you've stated nothing that's incorrect here, however insensitive.
Ask a fishing enthusiast what to buy and I am sure they won't say great things about fishing gear you get at Wal Mart.
Now, I do strenuously object to this statement! I've gotten quite a bit of fishing equipment from Walmart, including about 4 or five fishing rods. Fishing rods, that are still in great condition, even after over a decade of service and hundreds of pounds of Walleye later...Yummy!
Prove me wrong. Ride that thing an hour a day, every day, 2 or 3 hours on Saturday. Take Sunday off. So ride it 6 to 8 hours a week. Come back here in 6 months or so, after riding 100 to 120 hours or roughly 1,000 to 1,200 Miles and let us know how things are going, and what has held up, and what hasn't.
So let's just do that! Let's prove you wrong! It would be beneficial to us all, if we could all be made aware of the continued happiness and success that the OP experiences from the purchase of this bicycle. He could take note of his rides on a daily basis and sometime later report back to us the number of miles in distance that he's catalogued. He could also keep track of the type of maintenance he performs on his bicycle. Well, that's if he should decide to embrace this 6 month challenge that you've offered.
Originally Posted by
MRT2
it might. OP outweighs me by 100 lbs, and I wouldn't ride on those stock wheels.
There are many of us here who might out weigh you, MRT2. There are many of us who started out on an Xmart bike too, not knowing full well the type of bicycle we were about to use for our new hobby either.
Just remember: We all had to start somewhere. This is merely the OP's starting point. I'm most certain that all of his future bicycle choices will be different from one another. Surely, this one deserves the right to be different, as well. It deserves that right, due to freedom of choice...
Enjoy your new bike, OP!
PS.
The only concern that I have is one with regards to safety. I only hope that the OP has the bike properly evaluated mechanically, in the interest of safety. Of course, I also hope that this outside assembly company is more proficient than the usual inept employees hired to build these bicycles.