Without independent confirmation, its just his word (or illusion).

This is a new bike made by Kent, suppose to come out this year. Spring/summer
time frame.

The bike quoted there is available from the Wal-mart website right now, and I think it was referenced in this thread a few months ago. Maybe Kent is considering another "higher end" bike?

The GMC Yukon is available and in stock at the Glen Burnie, MD Walmart. I know because I saw them when I was there just recently.

Man if I would have know that they where going to put together a Denali the way I wanted it. I would have waited.

But $580.00 sounds high to me. The base Denali wal-mart has is $150 pluse tax. If you add $100.00 for the Sora shifters, maybe $100 for the drivetrain and $100.00 for the forks it still would only be $450.00 or so.

The only things that I want to change is the gearing, shifters and maybe the froks. The 48/38/28 would be ok if I had hills, but I live in the Florida. The tallest hill I have is the bridge that crosses the bay. The shifters are MTB, they work fine but this is a road bike and I don't like them that much. Thinking about changing the froks just to lighten up the front end and make the ride a little smother. The rear Derailer is ok but want a short cage with a double crankset. And that means I have to change the front derailer to double as well. Thinking of going with a 52/42

Instead of changing the crank, get a cassette (or freewheel if that's what you have) with an 11T cog on it. A 48-11 will be a taller gear than a 52-12.

A 48 - 11 would give me a top speed of 40.1 at 115 cadence. That's a lot better then the 31.5 mph at 115 cadence I have now.

Hey Cig, did you ever find out what the frame weighs?

Saw some Triax road bike in Target today - even rode it around the shelves, along with Denali. Denali felt much more comfortable. Triax's handlebar was way too far. What an interesting thread - a real war going on here. Everyone is fighting for their beliefs... What's the "right" way to spend the money.

Any new updates? Atleast on the milage...

you couldn't be more wrong, my friend. the frame differences between this made-in-china p.o.s. and a quality frame are the same as the difference between aircraft aluminum and a screen door! you sure WON'T have a $1400 bike for $800, you'll have a $700 bike for $800. i read the beginning piece about your background -- let me tell you: i came from home construction/auto mechanics, and neither of those disciplines has anything to do with being a bike mechanic, which i am now. the skillset, other than tool dexterity, is totally different. not trying to diss you, but just being real.

i'll give you an insider's tip -- at best, the quality you get from W-M is 10-20-year-old technology, and you get cookie-cutter quality, at that. 7 years of building for them is my basis for that.

don't worry, i won't send your name to fuji or cannondale, trek, or even raleigh, "accusing"(lol) them of building the same quality frames as W-M.... just don't expect too much from your denali, it just beats shoe leather.

I believe the heavier forks absorb more shock. My new Richie Carbon Comp is weighty but smoothes out the ride.

yeah, it is interesting -- as far as the RIGHT way to spend one's money, c'mon now -- ANY WAY YOU PLEASE! if you want to ride/buy a W-M bike, do it -- come to NE indiana, to my location, and i'll make sure it's built up right, tires pressured, etc. you'll be happy as you roll it to the register, about 100 yards away....

just don't try to tell me that your <$200 bike is as good quality-wise as my $1800 bike.

The term "quality" is a fuzzy, vague, non-scientific and subjective term.

You guys that think you need a 1000.00 bike, just to say it's a bike, kills me. If I had the funds to get a 1000.00 or more bike, I still would not. I don't think a bike should cost as much as a motorcycle. Hell for 1700.00 I could go get a new 250 cc motorcycle.

So far I have 3268 miles on the Denali. I have not changed any thing out on it yet. The tubes that came with the Bike are cheap and the rim tape is also. I have had 2 flats on it so far, one on front and one on the rear. Both was caused by the cheap rim tape. So I have patch the tubs and replaced the rim tape. other then that all I have done to it is stuff that any one can do. Like adjust the breaks and derailers. So don't come in here telling me that you guys think what you think. I know a good bike when I ride one. If you guys would close your walets and open you eyes, then maybe you could see the value of a bike in a new light.

Now as far as a good commuter goes. You don't need a high dollar racing bike. Nor do you need a light bike that needs a lot of adjusting all the time. So a 30 lbs bike that is well built well do the commuter just fine. Not only does a 30 lbs bike build up the legs faster but it well make you stronger faster then a light bike well.

Cig,

all disagreements aside you can state your opinions freely and so should others.
i encourage anyone and everyone to say whatever they like, regardless of their differing opinion.
i like it when they 'come in here telling us what they think that they think'

this is exactly what has been wrong with your review from the start, you want to paint a picture and don't like anyone mucking it up.
you want to be able to claim you have created an unbiased review and yet you spout all sorts of narrow minded opinions supporting unfounded claims and beliefs.

it seems you want a thread where the laws of physics and finance won't apply in our common reality... rather they will be what you insist they are.

and no one said 1000 dollars had to be spent on a bike, that is your preconcieved notion of someones collective opinion which i don't think exists.

I have not tried to paint any kind of picture. I have just put what I have seen form this bike out on the net for all to see. I know that I was wrong to let them have it but some people just rub me the wrong way. Sorry if you think that I have painted any kind of picture about the denali. I wasjust trying to get the fact out on the net.

I understand what you are saying Cig. Some people can't leave well enough alone. I really get a chuckle out of the ones coming in here to do nothing more than state how much they (over)paid for their bike and that yours is garbage.
It's like those computer geeks and their computers. If you don't have the latest greatest whatchamacallit then you are nothing! It doesn't matter that my Pentium Pro does all I need and then some, and was top of the line when it was new, they call it crap!
So what if your bike frame (supposedly) is made from 20 year old technology. Was that technology garbage 20 years ago? No. And for everyone coming stating this and that is my background and I know more about metals and craftsmanship blah blah blah. Let me tell you this. Metallurgy is my life. It is what I do for a living and what I have done for 10+ years. And I probably know more about metals than you ever will. And when it comes to something as simple as a bicycle, and yes I said SIMPLE, you don't need aircraft aluminum... which BTW, is not that high of a quality compared to other soft metals.
I have some doubts myself about the things you say about this bike. But they are just doubts in my mind because I feel you have something to prove about it. I don't think your are lieing, no, not at all. But maybe a little biased. But I'm not going to air out my doubts of your "opinion". It's your OPINION, how can an opinion be wrong?
Some people only buy expensive things because they have expensive names branded on them that they can show off to their friends. Others buy them for quality, but know where the quality ends and the name branding begins. Just look in the .sig of some of the people on here. Honestly, if you don't care about name branding, would you be bragging about the name brand of your bikes in your .sig?
Brother, some people just need that attaboy recognition in order to feel good about their lives.

Show me ONE post that does this.

and how is it that you are different from those that can't leave well enough alone?



LOL

how is it that your statement carries more weight than other's "blah, blah ,blah"?... i guess because it happens to be you stating them?




you don't say?.... blah, blah, blah?
as long as your flashing credentials, why not give us one that shows you to be competent in bike frame construction as you have the audacity of either a premadonna builder or an inept novice.

opinions are great... lets just not confuse them with facts and lets not call our opinions unbiased because that is silly.
everyone gets to share an opinion... or else what do we have really.
i agree to a point... somewhere before the self righteous point i hope.

will this thread die already.

Show me ONE post that does this.
Damn near every post where someone mentions the price of their bike. Why else mention the price they paid if not for clout?

and how is it that you are different from those that can't leave well enough alone?
I never said I differ. In fact, I posted this just because I didn't want to leave well enough alone. I'm human after all.

how is it that your statement carries more weight than other's "blah, blah ,blah"?... i guess because it happens to be you stating them?
you don't say?.... blah, blah, blah?
as long as your flashing credentials, why not give us one that shows you to be competent in bike frame construction as you have the audacity of either a premadonna builder or an inept novice.
My post was in reference to the metals themselves, not bicycle frames. But the company I work for makes things that are quite more technical than bikes, which are, very simple devices. So why should I have any knowledge about bike frame building? You don't need to know how a toothpic is made from a tree to know that it's a very simple *thing*.


opinions are great... lets just not confuse them with facts and lets not call our opinions unbiased because that is silly.
everyone gets to share an opinion... or else what do we have really.
I believe I made it clear in my post that I thought his opinion was biased. And I don't recall even using the word fact.


i agree to a point... somewhere before the self righteous point i hope.
Good. My job here is done

I see there's a little too much pride going around from the walmart camp too.

Someone said there are people here "Bragging" about their bikes by listing them by their brand name? Well how the hell else are we supposed to say it? "I have a bicycle that is red in color"? Oh yeah that really tells someone what you ride. Or are we not supposed to say what we ride for fear of pride?

We should all be sheepish about it
There's nothing wrong with pride, or bragging, well there is... but we are human after all. But alot of people, and I'm sure you'd agree if you have ever been in the roadie forum, feel that the name on the tube is more important than anything else, and shun anyone who doesn't have a bike that cost as much as their mortgage.
When someone asks what I ride I just say an old mountain bike frame converted to a commuter, does it really matter if it used to be a Raleigh MTB?
But hey, that's just my opinion on the subject. I don't own a Wal-Mart(esque) bike and likely never will, but if I run into someone on the street pedaling their RoadMaster around and bragging about how much they love it and that to them it is as good as any expensive bike I'm not going to stop them and tell them how much better my Rainier is and how much I spent on it.

So why can they brag about how much they love a cheapo walmart and I can't brag about how much I love my ferrari 430 with the fat tubi exhaust?

for matter of record? by your reasoning Cig is bragging about his Denali by listing the price paid.
personally, if i state what i paid for an item, it is to do only that.

no hidden motives.


by the same logic, airplanes are simple things. there is as much engineering in todays bicycles as there were in many of yesterdays airplanes... but this is a pointless avenue.


you spoke of how you knew better than to express dissent with another's opinion... Cig's opinion in this case.... and i was just clarifying that Cigs opinions are at times represented as unbiased fact.
but then how can i be confused when you were talking about him proving things with his opinions?