Replacing Components on Walmart Bikes
#1
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Replacing Components on Walmart Bikes
Hey guys!
Got a couple questions for you:
What's the biggest problem with replacing parts on a Walmart bike?
Why is it that some bike mechanics don't want to deal with the crank of a Walmart bike?
Thanx
- Slim
Got a couple questions for you:
What's the biggest problem with replacing parts on a Walmart bike?
Why is it that some bike mechanics don't want to deal with the crank of a Walmart bike?
Thanx
- Slim

#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: boston, ma
Posts: 2,896
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
polishing a turd maybe? parts and labor cost quickly exceeds the cost of a new one. i will do it if they pay but generally they get the 30 dollar safety check/minor adj
#3
Guest
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Grid Reference, SK
Posts: 3,768
Bikes: I never learned to ride a bike. It is my deepest shame.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
A lot of the really dirty, crud-sack bikes have what is called a 'one piece' or 'Ashtabula' bottom bracket and crank assembly. THey aren't hard to work on, in my experience... they just represent a low point in a bike mechanic's life as they are usually only found on the lowest of the low, and remind him or her how low he or she will stoop for $6 an hour.
They are also found on some nicer old bikes. It is a perfectly good design and works fine. It is heavier than most of the more common 'threaded in' styles used on most decent quality bikes for the past 25 or 30 years.
They are also found on some nicer old bikes. It is a perfectly good design and works fine. It is heavier than most of the more common 'threaded in' styles used on most decent quality bikes for the past 25 or 30 years.
#4
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Are you looking to replace or upgrade the bike? Replacement parts are easy to do. Check around the area for a bike co-op shop. They should have a crank to replace yours. Upgrades are simply not worth the cost. Replacing the crank will not upgrade the performance of the bike.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 9,438
Bikes: Trek 5500, Colnago C-50
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
It's really easy to spend more money on this kind of bike than it's worth.
#6
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
To the contrary, some turds polish perfectly fine...Thank you very much!

- Slim

#7
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
A lot of the really dirty, crud-sack bikes have what is called a 'one piece' or 'Ashtabula' bottom bracket and crank assembly. THey aren't hard to work on, in my experience... they just represent a low point in a bike mechanic's life as they are usually only found on the lowest of the low, and remind him or her how low he or she will stoop for $6 an hour.
They are also found on some nicer old bikes. It is a perfectly good design and works fine. It is heavier than most of the more common 'threaded in' styles used on most decent quality bikes for the past 25 or 30 years.
They are also found on some nicer old bikes. It is a perfectly good design and works fine. It is heavier than most of the more common 'threaded in' styles used on most decent quality bikes for the past 25 or 30 years.
This was the best and most useful answer. Coming from a really professional mechanic, no doubt!
Thank You!
- Slim

#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada
Posts: 1,542
Bikes: Cannondale t1, Koga-Miyata World Traveller
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
#9
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Are you looking to replace or upgrade the bike? Replacement parts are easy to do. Check around the area for a bike co-op shop. They should have a crank to replace yours. Upgrades are simply not worth the cost. Replacing the crank will not upgrade the performance of the bike.
No, I'm just curious as to why a couple of bicycle mechanics refused to change the crank on my nephews Kent bicycle. I would do it, but he lives over 150 miles away.
- Slim

#10
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
#11
Banned
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern California
Posts: 5,804
Bikes: Raleigh Grand Prix, Giant Innova, Nishiki Sebring, Trek 7.5FX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: The 'Wack, BC, Canada
Posts: 5,466
Bikes: Norco (2), Miyata, Canondale, Soma, Redline
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
I can't see why bike mechanics would refuse to work on the bike. Unless maybe the crank arm is so odd that they didn't have the tool needed to pull the crank?
#13
biked well
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,246
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
My guess is that their shops have a policy of not working on department store bicycles. It's a pretty common policy among bike shops. Not universal by any means, but common.
#14
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Rock Springs, WY
Posts: 31,721
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3423 Post(s)
You'd have to ask the dude to know for sure. It could be the one-piece crank deal. OMG, I have to order one of those things? Seems like too much trouble for $5 markup and all the hassle. Then both pedals will be practically welded in there and one of them will probably fall apart upon removal. Plenty of pitfalls to encounter.
If it's a 3-piece crank it's probably so poorly made that there's a 33% chance one or both cranks' threads will strip upon removal attempt
Then Mom and Dad will freak out when he tells them, OK, that'll be $60. They'll say "Damn the whole bike cost $79!"
If it's a 3-piece crank it's probably so poorly made that there's a 33% chance one or both cranks' threads will strip upon removal attempt
Then Mom and Dad will freak out when he tells them, OK, that'll be $60. They'll say "Damn the whole bike cost $79!"
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 31,219
Bikes: '''96 Litespeed Catalyst, '05 Litespeed Firenze, '06 Litespeed Tuscany, '12 Surly Pacer, All are 3x8,9 or 10. It is hilly around here!
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1039 Post(s)
I believe most bike shops won't work on Walmart and similar bikes because in many cases the components are so bad that they can never be made to work properly and the mechanic will spend a great amount of time and still not be able to satisfy the customer who will then not want to pay so everyone loses. Better not to even try.
Ashtabula cranks, at least the better ones, are rugged and durable but have a major weight penalty, Cheap ones are both heavy and have poor quality bearings.
#16
Constant tinkerer
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,640
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Money from anyone is still money.Shops probably get fed up with people pissed at how much a repair cost on their crap bike.
#17
biked well
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,246
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
#18
biked well
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,246
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
I believe most bike shops won't work on Walmart and similar bikes because in many cases the components are so bad that they can never be made to work properly and the mechanic will spend a great amount of time and still not be able to satisfy the customer who will then not want to pay so everyone loses. Better not to even try.
#19
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Rock Springs, WY
Posts: 31,721
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3423 Post(s)
#20
In the right lane
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Des Moines
Posts: 9,569
Bikes: 1974 Huffy 3 speed
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 37 Post(s)
I've found that doing repairs on Walmart bikes tend to be more difficult than repairing even old Huffys or Roadmasters. These oldsters were low end, but often repairable.
With the WM bikes I've seen, you discover the grip shifter doesn't work quite right. Then the brake lever isn't functioning too well either after it comes off the handlebar. And make sure you look at the RD to ensure it's going to shift at all.
Generally, if you discover multiple problems, you just want to walk away from it.
With the WM bikes I've seen, you discover the grip shifter doesn't work quite right. Then the brake lever isn't functioning too well either after it comes off the handlebar. And make sure you look at the RD to ensure it's going to shift at all.
Generally, if you discover multiple problems, you just want to walk away from it.
#21
Constant tinkerer
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,640
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
At least the old bikes were made out of metal! Now everything is plastic and it just breaks. I was surprised at how "well" I was able to make an old Huffy 3-speed work. Today they're just hopeless.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Doha, Qatar
Posts: 915
Bikes: More bicycles than I can ride at one time: 2 custom made tourers, a Brompton 6-speed, and an Indian-made roadster.
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
My custom built arvon1 cost plenty and it has excellent Schwalbe Marathons because I use it for touring. I NEED to maintain it, and such maintenance costs $$ My garage sale $20 Chinese built is ill-fitting and has cheap Chinese (?) tires, but I only use it when riding from my brother's farm to a neighbour's farm a couple of miles away. Maintenance is oil on the chain/ferailler/cables

#23
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,318
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
I remember one time some came in with a "Walmart" bike that he'd crashed. The head mechanic politely told him that he wouldn't work on it. The guy asked, you won't even at least straighten the handlebars out? The mechanic told him no, because it wouldn't end there.
Another guy came in with another "Walmart," I forget what it needed at the moment. But when he was told that they wouldn't work on it, he said "But I sept $175.00 on it." Yep, and he got his "money's" worth out of it too.
Then there was the guy I saw riding a Roadmaster bike down the sidewalk, flying off of the curb at full speed. I just thought to myself, "I reserve the right to laugh my arse off when you break your arse because you broke your 'bike' into to doing that."
Last edited by Digital_Cowboy; 10-08-11 at 04:35 AM.
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,318
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Yes, some do polish up just fine but remain what they were.
I believe most bike shops won't work on Walmart and similar bikes because in many cases the components are so bad that they can never be made to work properly and the mechanic will spend a great amount of time and still not be able to satisfy the customer who will then not want to pay so everyone loses. Better not to even try.
Ashtabula cranks, at least the better ones, are rugged and durable but have a major weight penalty, Cheap ones are both heavy and have poor quality bearings.
I believe most bike shops won't work on Walmart and similar bikes because in many cases the components are so bad that they can never be made to work properly and the mechanic will spend a great amount of time and still not be able to satisfy the customer who will then not want to pay so everyone loses. Better not to even try.
Ashtabula cranks, at least the better ones, are rugged and durable but have a major weight penalty, Cheap ones are both heavy and have poor quality bearings.
#25
biked well
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,246
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
I'll say this about a bike shop repairing _Mart bikes: there's PLENTY of business out there if a shop wants to work on them, based, I'm sure, on the fact that there are more of these bikes being sold today than any other.
We worked on them for a time. There were always several of these bikes in the shop for various things when we did that. Which brings up another problem: the folks who own these bikes often won't come and pick them up very quickly when you call them and tell them the repair is done. Probably not too much into cycling anyway, and the motivation to come pick up a low quality bike is just not there. And this was true even when we went to a pay-in-advance policy on these bikes. So honestly, that was part of our motivation to stop working on them.
We also charged more for some of the basic services we would do on these bikes, such as a tuneup. As Hillrider described earlier in the thread, it takes longer to work on these bikes, and in the service department, time is money, so you simply have to charge more to make any money on these bikes. Which, with any logical thought, a person would realize that this will quickly make having us work on one of these bikes cost-prohibitive. A tuneup would often cost as much or more than the bike cost. We would explain this. We would explain up front that the bike will probably still not work quite right by normal standards, even after we worked on it. Didn't matter, the shop would still fill up with them.
We finally installed our current policy based on a handful of factors; the bikes typically taking much longer than other bikes to get picked up by the customer, the scenario Hillrider described (which was all too common despite our explanations before we even worked on the bike). The fact that no one in the shop likes to work on them had an impact as well.
A good shop, once well established, should be able to stay busy with service work with or without these bikes. Like a lot of shops (most in our area, at least), we've decided to not work on them anymore. We do want to serve the cycling community, so it's nice that a mechanic we know who has just opened a shop wants the business, so we do give them his name and location so they can take their bikes to him for service.
Last edited by well biked; 10-08-11 at 09:49 AM.