Originally Posted by
jon c.
Many years ago I used to buy such items at Wal Mart. Sometimes you would end up with good stuff that lasted. Once bought a clearance sport coat for $10 that I wore for a few years and got a lot of compliments on. But it was always hit and miss. A lot of times the cut wouldn't be quite right and you ended up with a lot of stuff you seldom wore because it wasn't really all that comfortable. Or the colors faded more quickly. Or the buttons or zippers failed. Over time I learned that on balance you ended up with better value at Macy's. And now that the internet allows one to shop clearance racks at better stores from the comfort of your chair, I think the value is much better from higher end stores. I learned over time that shopping wisely is ultimately more economical than shopping cheaply.
I don't think it's any different with bikes. You might get a serviceable bike from Wal Mart that suits your purpose. If you're lucky it might be a decent fit and you may not suffer from premature failure of critical parts. On the other hand, maybe not. My life experience indicates one can shop more wisely than that if they so desire. There are a lot a great older bicycles out there that are much better value.
The thing is: As the years go by, the stuff at Walmart gets crappier and crappier. I have things I bought at Walmart 10-15 years ago that are great! Today, there is NO WAY I would buy similar items at Walmart, because the quality has declined so much. It's slim pickings now-a-days. Then again, the decline in quality is true of many other things/places too..... Even the better stores that used to be known for quality stuff, are now selling stuff of the variety that might have been sold at Walmart a few years ago.