Usually lose any small business' in the town center that sells anything
remotely like the Wally world inventory,
don't mind the downtown staying empty store fronts , then fine..

OP, just like you I grew up in Europe. Istarted on a cheap Russian made $5 folding bike (best bike I ever owned), itlasted me 4 years. Eventually it got stolen lol me and my parents could not believethat someone wanted it lol since I beat the crap out of it. ;) Since my fatherwas already in states at that time he send me my first mountain bike (lol Wal-Mart)what a upgrade all my friends were so jealous that bike lasted another 5 yearsthan I sold it to my friend for cheap and he still have and uses that bike ondaily commute lol it's been 12 years hahahaha. I put on both my Russian foldingbike and my cheap Wal-Mart bike more miles than on any of my high end bikeshahaha since they were my only mean of transportation for many years. I say gopick up that bike for less than 20 miles commute a week for most likely lessthan 6 months a year that bike will last forever ;). Good luck and enjoy yourride ;).

BTW the Russian made bikes you can see in my home country still being inused some for longer than 40 years hahahahaaha. Ask many of my European friendsin the US that cycle on high end bikes they will tell you that as far as dependabilitygoes dose cheap bikes lasted as well as the high end and didn't need as much tuninglol ;) maybe since we didn’t know nothing better we didn’t miss what we didn’thave lol.

considering you'll be hard pressed to even find a bike frame made in the USA anymore, much less any accessories such as air pumps, I don't see the big deal personally. A $250 wal-mart hybrid bike is a great deal for someone just going 10 miles a week or something like that. If it's not made in the US or Europe but in Taiwan or China, I don't place a whole lot of emphasis on WHERE I buy the product. I'll go out of my way to get a US or European made product though but usually you have to pay much more for those and the quality isn't significantly better in many cases, so it's easy to see why everything is now outsourced.

I didn't bother reading the 11 pages but check out your local police auction if possible. Went to my first one this year here in SD and people were picking up full-sized used bikes in great condition for $50-$200 bucks. I purchased a folding bike for $80 dollars. Great pace to get your kids bikes too.

I just got my singlespeed Mongoose Cachet .. and I gotta tell you for the $150 bucks I spent on it you really c ant beat it. It's light and nimble and gearing is decent for uphill as well.

The only downside I could find was the seat sucks (my butt hurts as I type this), grips are okay, brakes suck. But $150 and I got a ton of compliments and am happy as can be with it .

That sounds a lot like my Wal-Mart bought GMC Denali. Not so much light but good gearing and nimble, a great rider. But like your Mongoose the stock seat and brakes sucked so I ended up replacing both.
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that option has been nipping at me, the Cachet seems like a simple beater bike and for $150 and free shipping and a decent wheelset i keep going back to that idea.

are the pads bad or the whole brake set up bad? i almost pulled the trigger but they were sold out last week.

I think your point is often overlooked. The factors which the average individual faces when considering support of bike shops (or saving money at big-box department stores) are the very same factors local bike shops faced when they elected to carry bikes (and parts, accessories, etc.) increasingly made offshore: competitive pressures.

Just like a bike shop has done, the individual must weigh pragmatics versus principle. They don't have the luxury of following principle, in a religious pursuit of supporting local bike shops -- who themselves contributed to the undermining of American manufacturing by carrying products made by cheaper labor (because the other store down the street did).

As bike (and accessory) factories in the US closed, those were people who may have purchased things I made, contributing to fewer opportunities in my trade... leading to me having competitive pressures to choose a department store over a local bike shop.

It's the circle of life. Or, a race to the bottom. Either way, local bike shops have been very much a part of it. They've made the same choices, for the same reasons, contributing to their customers having greater incentive to make the same calculated ("nothing personal, it's just business") choices.

Having said that, I try to support my local bike shops. I've bought parts, tools and accessories from them even when I could have saved 20% shopping online. I agree with suggestions that we should take into consideration the bigger picture (service, expertise, etc.).

But, suggestions that buying from department stores is the source of the problem is incorrect. The process of offshoring manufacturing to places where people don't have to pay for sewers, trash pickup, air and water quality, animal and child welfare (the list goes on and one) could viewed as the source of the problem. There's nothing "free market" about forcing American workers to "compete" within such an non-level playing field. Local bike shops played a significant role in furthering that race to the bottom.

I'm not anti-LBS. Just saying that they played their part too.

I ran a bike shop in the early 80's and was pretty surprised when I took a close look at the bikes in Wal-Mart.
While they are far from top quality I have to admit that you can sure get a whole lot more bike in a department store than you used to. When I ran the shop the department store alternatives were sears, monkey wards and huffy. All bikes I considered pure crap and unsafe at any speed.
I would say a Wal-Mart bike is just fine for tooling around the neighborhood or a little lite trail riding.

i was in walmart the other day, not getting a bike. some guy was buying a 12 inch for his daughter. little girl way little bike. i told him he should go back and get a big one for himself, gas prices being what they are. he said he already had a mongoose at home that he was going over to make sure it's ready for his commute. welcome to my world. :-)

I can't speak for the Mongoose Cachet, but my experience with department-store bikes is that the v-brake springs don't have good temper. You get the centered and the next day they're off again. From my experience it gets a little better after awhile, like the springs lose their fade and reach a point of consistent resistance. But, I still have one that doesn't hold it's adjustment long.

I had one which the rear pads sounded very dry when they rubbed. I don't know if that was something different with the pad material or the surface of the wheel. It quieted after awhile. (It seemed like it happened after I worked on the hub. Maybe my greasy hands left grease on the wheel surface.).

For department-store bikes, I'd recommend replacing brakes, front derailur and rear derailur (in that order of importance). It's less of an issue for the $250 bikes, and when you start doing that, it factors into the decision whether to buy a $400 bike at the LBS. It's more of an issue for the $120 bikes. (But, at $120, you shouldn't expect much, and you have more room to work with.).

I think Walmart could have a big impact if they moved the adult bikes out of the "toy" department, and carried more road bikes (and a sampling of the higher-end bikes, like the Tour de France models, single-speeds, etc.).

Walmart has the tendency (in my area) to load up on cheesy mountain bikes. The average person who's never ridden thinks "that's a bike" and choose from those. The more gaudy features (monster shocks, fat tires), the more "bike" they're getting.

If they'd try to focus more on street/commuter riding it would be better. If they distinguished between toys and exercise/sport it would be better (or, just bikes as their own category, a lifestyle). And, if they would apply some strategy in their inventory placement they could maximize their floor space.

In my metro area I have 10 Walmarts that are within reasonable distance. They could carry more models, placing them at specific stores in order to create *geographic* diversity. If I want to see the Mongoose Cachet (single-speed for $150), I could find it online, see which store it's in, and travel 12 miles to that store.

The way it is now, they all carry the same $78 Huffy and pink princess bikes. The Cachet isn't anywhere.

This Cachet looks really promising for the price. If I didn't already have a couple bikes, and if I had no money to buy an LBS or BD bike, I'd get one of these, and slowly upgrade components. On that note, how are the Wal-Mart frames themselves? (Not that full suspension bull****, I mean the Denali, Cachet, or a rigid MTB) If I needed a cheap frame, and already had all the decent components I needed, no money, and the mechanical know-how (or a Co-Op that could help) would this be a good choice? (I know, Nashbar frames are cheap as hell, and pretty nice, but let's say they don't exist).

I think the main issue is that many bikes in general, especially the mid to low-price ones are products designed to be sold--not used. They just need to last long enough to not be a problem.

Just make it sloppily overbuilt for safety, and pump it up with as much shallow styling as you can fit for pennies.

By and large it works, and is serviceable if you aren't picky, or need to rely on it.

I the cachet brakes from pictures I have seen and reviews are very cheap caliper brakes. They might be fine I have had vintage junkers that stopped ok with them. Botht he Cachet and the Genesis track are sold out right now. I kinda want the Genesis track now, but I am "settling" for a singlespeed conversion with a vintage Schwinn Le Tour III frame. It will probably be better overall, but take a more effort, but a bit cheaper as well .

The latest cheap, but cool bike they have is the Genesis Onyx that I wouldn't mind picking up. It just looks so much better than the other cruisers that they have. I have no reason to buy one and I could put together a vintage bike thats cheaper, but something appeals to me about this one if I wanted something fat to bomb around in.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Genesis-On...i_sku=16203481

the schwinn tourist that target has is very comparable to the Schwinn Sporterra that the LBS sells. but at target $250 and the LBS at $330, the value is at the LBS as you get a bike assembled almost perfect and then get free adjustments plus a free tuning after the break in period.

but the average person wont see that value because we will see the Schwinn Tourist every time we pick up milk and toilet paper and visit the LBS only for bike stuff and see target has the same bike for $100 less.

The Schwinn Tourist is a nice looking bike for the money. Walmart has the Schwinn Varsity flatbar hybrid that looks pretty similar for $199, but its hard to tell for sure just looking at online pics. They look like they might be both be versions of the Schwinn Volaire. The Tourist has the best paint scheme by far of the 3 IMO. The Sporterra is a nicer bike and so you are right its likely a better value with eh LBS support.

Wally bikes will probably suffice for a number of commuters, but with my commuting needs, I found that I need a much sturdier bike than what Wally World currently offers, and I would pound a Wally bike into the ground in no time.

I saw this bike in person last week, and consider myself pretty good at assessing a rig's value. I would classify it as about worth the $200 + tax, but would opt to spend a bit more on a BD hybrid or a Nashbar bike. I own both and am absolutely satisfied with the value, but the Walmart bike would require upgrades within a year.

I saw the Schwinn Varsity flatbar at a local Walmart. The name painted on the bike is "Varsity Fitness Series."

It's looks to be the same bike as the Tourist sold at Walmart. (Which begs the question whether the Varsity road bike is the Tourist too, with different bars.).

Personally, I like Target's Tourist's gray frame with black wheels.

I'm 6'0" and the Tourist (and Varsity flat-bar and Varsity road bike) feel a little short and compact for me. I think they're more appropriate for someone 5-6" (+/- 2"). Because the top tube is more vertical than hybrids, the shorter people will be limited by standover and not seat adjustment.

That's one thing I really like about the Avenue/Trailway/Midmoor (Walmart/Target/Sears). The way the seat tube is angled, height significantly adjusts forward/backward proportions. That along with the sharply angled top tube makes a bike that fits me very well, and also someone who's 5'-4". Very adaptable. It's like the Volkswagon of bikes.

What are your commuting needs? I ride my Walmart Schwinn Avenue ($200) 12-25 miles per day. I've done that for a year.

Admittedly, I bought a Target Trailway (same bike) as a backup. So, starting last November I tend to spread that usage across two bikes. But, I haven't had any serious trouble.

I'm not hoping curbs or riding over potholes. But, our bike lanes and curb-cut transitions (sidewalk to crosswalk) aren't too smooth either.

I bought a Schwinn Trail Way today at a pawn shop for $50. Its got plenty fo scratches etc, but everything works on it and after some derailer adjustments and going over it should be a pretty good bike for not much money. I have a couple friends looking for something to ride around town on so I'll see if they want it or not. If not I'll throw it up on CL. I'll probably ride it to work a couple times just to see how it goes. I actually kind of like the paint scheme.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...060111_007.jpg

Also here is a current Schwinn commercial that someone posted over on C&V.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_lyLmFRhQ

That's a good find. I think that model (the paint scheme) is a few years old. If you're curious, you can call Pacific Cycles (800-626-2811) and give them the model and date codes. Should be on a sticker near the bottom bracket. They should give you a general timeframe.

The biggest challenge with these bikes is the deep-wall rim. On the one hand, it's a great value to get an aero wheel these discount prices. But, Pacific drills it for Schraeder because, when you're a department store, everything's Schaeder.

For the average department-store buyer, they fixate on that and get frustrated trying to find long-valve Schraeder tubes (which the department store doesn't sell).

You can find extra-long Schaeders, for example:

ASIN: B002MGFB5Y http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MG7MDS
ASIN: B001TOWHWU http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TOWHWU

Apparently Kenda makes long-stem Schraeder tubes. They can be ordered by your LBS using Kenda's product number 02288310 (See: this post.)

I use 48mm Presta tubes (Novara at REI). I used this rubber grommet to help the fit. (He consolidates shipping if you ask. So, you can buy 10 grommets without getting soaked on shipping.). It's flexible enough to form around the curve of the outside wall. Helps keep dirt out, the stem aligned.

It's probably not necessary, but I used a grommet on the inner wall too. However, I recommend sanding down the 90-degree shoulder of the grommet, making it a 45-degree edge. I had a flat which appeared to be caused by that sharp right angle. (I think most people don't use grommets either inside or outside.).

I also replaced the rear axle with a hollow axle, Wheels Mfg. Axle-12. My LBS gave me spare QR skewer out of their spare-parts box (I bought some stuff from them). Now I don't have to carry stupid wrench. (But, I have to be more aware of how easy it is to steal the wheel.).

I replaced the suspension seat post with a rigid M-Wave or Sunlite post (32.2 mm?) for $8. Also the QR seatpost clamp with one of these bolt clamps with lugs for a rack mount.

I also added a threadless headset extender. I was leaning too far forward (at 6'-0" and the seatpost fully extended). That helped *a lot*. I have the stem clamped about 1/2" below the top-most part of the extender.

Also replaced the soft/spring seat with one of these cheap, $8 seats which is low friction. Once your bum nerves die off, that seat's really comfortable. Low friction with a bit of flex, and virtually no padding. It reminds me of a Brooks (at 1/10th the price.).

Now I test ride bikes at the LBSes, and when I get back on my bike, it's like "oh... yeah... that's the fit." That's why I bought a Trailway as my second bike, after 6 months with my Avenue. (Same bike, a few differences like headset length, pull-back bars for the Avenue.).

I was tempted to replace the front fork with a rigid. But, after test riding some rigid-fork bikes, they were a little too harsh for me. However, ditching the suspension post was the best thing I did. They way it moved around while I rode was unnerving (changing my height adjustment, angles of knee flex, etc.). It didn't feel too harsh. I learn to shift my weight a little when I see a rough spot coming.

With the rigid seat post, I feel like I'm more efficient. And, when I switched it, I was using a bike computer. My normal speed increased 2 mph.

i rode the tourist up and down the isle on early saturday morn. im 5'8 and it felt a bit compact too, the stand over height was almost perfect but after adjusting the seat it still felt too compact for me.

The bottom bracket on the Trail way needs some serious help. Thats 3 bikes that need the bottom bracket serviced or replaced before they move on to new owners that are in my basement. Yey!

The Suspension seatpost on the trail way is pretty awful twists back and forth alot its crazy how much. I am not surprised someone felt unnerved by it. I might see if I can adjust the tension in it. If you wouldn't mind a bit more cush buy a cheap suspension seatpost that doesn't wiggle around and you might like it.