And of course for awhile, the picture you just laid out is what largely drove the "clash" that occurs for those buying a bike at the General/Box store and getting it repaired at the LBS. It has long been the point at which the bike gets "abandoned". Highlights more than anything the "consumable" aspect as you pointed out.

It would appear the General/Box stores may be wising up - at least here in the Bay Area - as more and more I hear indications General/Box stores trying to bring repairs back in house.

I know Sports Chalet has already done so for awhile...they're a sporting good store to begin with...I've also met a person in supply chain logistics for Walmart, Sears, K-Mart, etc., who is aware of consideration for using rotating contractors to handle repairs - but no go yet since the last word I had with the person.

I have a feeling that if those bikes in question are still driven by the "consumable" aspect though - it's not going to move forward.

...then again I could be wrong. One sign is that the prices on Box stores bikes are starting to creep up....

=8-)

Why Walmart? Because they have large numbers of customers who will put ridiculously large wheels/tires on their vehicles?

Unless I misread you, you may have missed my point. While the big box stores have long specialized in bikes that get ridden a few times then move to the garage to collect dust (the vast majority of bikes sold), my reference to bikes becoming consumable, and replaced often was aimed at we like to believe is the "real" bike industry -- that served by bike shops.

Some time back marketers of bikes learned from the auto industry the value of assigning years to the bikes, and from the computer industry the value of constantly trotting out new features and improvements. I don't mean that the improvements are meaningless or fictitious, but they tend to be incremental in nature and timed mainly for convincing people to replace -- upgrade -- perfectly good equipment, that they'd otherwise be happy to use for a little while longer (or lots longer).

The industry is adapted to a certain volume of new bikes, and needs to maintain that good times and bad, regardless to the actual condition of the fleet. As an industry, we've moved out of the supermarket's canned goods aisle in the produce aisle.

Have to wonder whether folks needing an 82cm frame is a significant market niche for Walmart or not.

I would think that most riders of such a size would want a customer built bike like a Zinn or similar, not a Wally world throw away bike. Likely such a buyer could easily afford a good/great bike... Much like the dealers supplying $3M Euro cars to the NBA players (to say nothing of the long line of ladies waiting outside their dressing room), if there is a demand there will be a supply.

No, the outer diameter of the inflated tires is actually about 32". Definitely bigger than a 29er.

This is sad (but true); not enough people know that a 10yo Trek or GT or Giant etc. MTB on CL is better and cheaper than a *Mart MTB.

On the other hand, consider the state of bikes in developing countries. I have a friend who is in Africa right now, and I got an email about the bike he bought. 23 KILOS. That's because it's a really good bike; super strong because the frame is reinforced with rebar. Brake pads are cut from used tires.

But that's my point; Walmart isn't the industry, it's pretty obvious they don't care about the bike industry, they merely want to undercut the bike industry. So I don't understand why they would spend energy/resources innovating. Or maybe somebody else was the innovator, and the industry wasn't interested in 32" cruisers, so they took it to Walmart, and Walmart decided they could sell them.

At $199, the bike actually seems to be a decent value, for its intended purpose of cruising leisurely on flat terrain (like a beach boardwalk). 32" wheels with 48 spokes, an aluminum frame (so the weight is not too outrageously heavy), single-speed, coaster brake, pretty bullet proof. Only problem is I hear Walmart sells replacement tubes, but not tires. But on a bike like that, properly (casually) ridden, tires will last for years -- by the time they wear through, they'll have 32" tires you can buy to replace them.

I'm curious, what kind of spec are you thinking of, and what price point?

Target sells road bikes with 28" 700c wheels.

700c has been called 28" before. 28 x 1-5/8 and 28 x 1-1/4 are 700C (622mm) rims.


it looks like this is the importer for this wallyworld 32"
http://www.kentbicycles.com/bikes/adult/32-aykm

I'm really curious if there are ANY ISO markings on the tire sidewalls. 75-635 or something.

The tires no doubt have the ISO spec for bead-seat diameter and width, embossed as perhaps something like 47-655 in this case.

My take on dep't store bikes is that these bikes suit people whose limited usage (and knowledge) of bikes only justifies a small expense.
And they're essentially disposable, as so many of these bikes will tend to be stored out in the weather, perhaps outside of someone's cramped trailer home, and/or the bikes get secured for long periods in theft-prone areas such as train stations.
Bike shop bikes tend to be too spendy for this disposable application.
Another reason for disposability is the fact that the cost of repairs in this country can easily approach the cost of a new cheap bike built in china.

My nomination for an ideal commuter tends toward a 21-speed, 20+ year-old mtb or hybrid. These of course can cost much less than a WalMart bike but are very well made in most cases. We used to rent Specialized Globes with hub gears, but these were just sluggish without derailers.
My personal preference for utilitarian, all-around bike is the older sport-touring, racing-style bikes from the 1970's. My current Steyr, my last season's Nishiki International, and my Centurion Semi-Pro before that are all heavy but very fast and stable all-rounders once the necessary repairs, cleaning and tuning-up have been attended to. But mtb's get the job done and aren't really much slower in any practical sense.

heh. my Globe commuter has derailleurs...

http://pierce.smugmug.com/By-Date/20...DSCN0548-S.jpg

I imagine you really enjoy riding to work! It looks to be functionally just like my 1991 Specialized Crossroads that I just about totally wore out during my first 2 years after returning to Southern California. I bought it the day after Christmas and got "doored" the same day while riding down Ventura Boulevard that afternoon. I made the BMW driver pay $20 for the tear in my saddle. I pretty much learned to do serious off-roading on that bike, but bought a 26" wheel front suspension mtb and clipless pedals before entering my first race.

Its a typo.

someone bought one http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/vie...hp?f=1&t=63914

What's a typo?

If you think 32" is a typo, no, I've been in walmart and rode one of these bikes (50 ft down the aisle). The wheels are definitely bigger than 700c or even 29er. I didn't measure to see how close to 32" but the tires are typical cruiser dimensions (except diameter of course), so they are not acheiving 32" by starting with 700C and using double-height tires or something.