Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
True. And if it isnt assembled correctly and someone is injured, then they are held accountable. They are a global company and fully recognize what liability is- both in the workplace and after purchase.
Interesting point you have inadvertently made- if Walmart were to only sell bikes boxed up, like their other products, then everything would be OK in your eyes.
I have only ever dealt with 1 low end big box bike- it was a kids bike and I fully assembled it as it came boxed up.
I have also dealt with a sporting goods level Diamondback kids bike and fully assembled that too.
The process isnt difficult and I didnt need to use bike specific tools(though i chose to repack the hubs, so grease and cone wrenches were needed).
I wonder how consumers building the bikes would affect sales and pricing.
If it wasn't already assembled, I don't think that they would buy it. Part of the draw for this type of customer is walk in, pull it off the rack, walk it to the cashier and pay $99 or whatever for a bike. It wouldn't be OK in my eyes, as you put it. I would like the peace of mind knowing that my bike was properly assembled by a qualified and trained mechanic. Wal-Mart isn't a bike shop, so why would they have actual bike mechanics there?