gpsblake

Like I have said in the past, I rode a Walmart bike twice from the Atlantic Ocean to Texas. Not a single major mechanical problem at all.

But if you are afraid to get your hands dirty or can't handle doing a simple adjustment and maintenance, you are best served with an LBS and their prices. Any successful LBS relies on repairing their bikes to stay in business.

jefnvk

You pity mechanics at shops being given a cash contract to perform basic maintenance on bikes, giving that shop guaranteed business and keeping that mechanic employed?

Stucky

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.

Rollfast

I'm pretty sure it's like why guys hang at the corner watching the girls go by.

DarKris

And for the fact that the majority of the people riding wal-mart bikes probably will ride for less than an hour a day, maybe a week. I know for me growing up I only rode that much so even a $300 hybrid would have seen like a waste of money to my mom.

Rollfast

I still remember when I'd go shopping for groceries at Walmart around 2 am and there would be a group of 30-40 year old guys playing the Xbox demo until it broke.


They don't stay open past midnight here anymore. It's really boring I suppose and the convenience stores no longer run all night. Get your last beer and go home I suppose.


We're like Hooterville without a train.

Currmudge

Sorry, wrong. Most WMs have in-house assemblers, Home Office did not renew old contracts with outside builders. To be fair, the outside builders in my area were no better than the in-house duffers at other stores. The district manager raves over me, insists I'm the best he's ever seen. (NOTE: any co-worker who put a bike like the OP pic on my rack would have been written up.)

Currmudge

You have obviously never done any volume work on Huffys. I'm gray BECAUSE of them, the way they come out of the box!

travbikeman

WOW! Hot Topic! I too obviously shop at Wally World. I just was poking fun at the assembly portion of the bikes. Not at the people whom buy them due to affordability.

But this has become entertaining!

NYMXer

I am truly surprised at the attention this thread is getting, so apparently the content has merit.

My opinion is that if you want a cheap ride, unsure of your level of interest, a true beginner who might think all bikes are created equal or maybe just buying a bike for your kid to abuse (unknowingly, just being a kid) or outgrow, then a big box bike is perfect for the situation.

Should you think those bikes are good enough for you, take the time to get them properly checked out before heading out for a ride, unless you can do that yourself.

wphamilton

Someone will pick up some of those Huffy warranty contracts and make a good bit of money. They'll be swapping parts, Huffy pays, customer happy, it would be a good gig for someone willing to do a large volume of work on those bikes.

But when we bought a Huffy as a shared "family" bike, I kind of hated it. I even commuted with it for a couple of weeks, when I was between bikes, and that gave me a lot of incentive to find a replacement. But what really bothered me about it, when it was just stored for a few months with no one using it, things went wrong. And looking for a replacement headset for example, just didn't seem worth the effort.

chopsteeks

As a kid, the bikes I had were all purchased used. With the help of my dad, I learned to fix bikes.....I loved it. Fixing bikes was one of the reason I loved bikes. Fast forward to today, I am in my fifties......I still love to bike.

I am fortunate to earn a six figure salary, but this has not stopped me from buying bikes at places like Walmart.

Why ?

1. Keep people employed. I love my local Walmart as they also employ old people, handicap people and yes kids !!
2. If you bike.....darn it learn how to fix it !! There will come a time you will have a flat tire or your chains needs to be replaced, brake pads coming loose....an average IQ person should learn and know how to fix these. Your mommy will not be around all the time.

Yes I buy bikes at a specialized bike shops for bikes not sold at Walmart, Target etc...

But for bikes for my nieces or nephews or bikes for my bike trainer.....I will not hesitate to go to Target or Walmart. Of course I will give it a full check that these bikes are safe and fix whatever is wrong....because I know how to.

indyfabz

LOLZ! This is BF.

cbrstar

As a BMX'er I grew up hating dept store bikes...

I had a GT, and my little Brother had a Supercycle. One day I was out jumping off a tiny ledge, then bunny hoping over some near by curbs. After the 10th time my Brother who was watching me, had to give it a go! Well his stem instantly snapped, which made him face plant into the pavement and he broke his arm so bad the bone was sticking out through the skin...The difference in quality was a huge safety issue. No amount of savings would get me on a cheap bike.

Fast forward 20 years, and the lines of poor quality/mid quality has blurred quite a bit. My friend rides his CCM (Cheap MTB) everyday on a 20 min commute to work, even in the winter. He' had the bike for three years now and it's held up just fine. The only difference between his bike and a slightly better bike is sealed ball bearings. It slightly annoys me that a $10 better part = Hundreds of dollars extra in retail markup. The bikes is after all welded in the same country, with the same materials etc.

I also just saw an ad for someone to "Set Up Bikes" at retail stores in my area. It pays $5 - $14can depending on the bike. That doesn't sound like much, and because it's piece work I can see how mistakes can be made.

shafter

It's popular so it must be good... gee whiz.

Rollfast

They do volume work on Huffy Radiobikes, over on the CABE.

Rollfast

Politics are a topic rollback so Walmart is the big deal.

gpsblake

I'll have to show you pictures of our chicken plant next time I ride by it. Dozens of people commuting, 100% of them on department store bikes.

VegasTriker

"an average IQ person should learn and know how to fix these. Your mommy will not be around all the time." (quoted from Chopsteeks)

Setting the IQ question aside, the average American has neither the time nor inclination to learn to do bike repairs. It only takes a few basic tools. The few people I know who own them are avid cyclists and probably earn considerably more than average. That's why it would be really nice if you could depend upon the mass merchandiser to assemble the bike correctly. You, Chopsteeks, are in the minority who bothered to learn how to maintain your own bikes, particularly if they are casual or occasional riders. It's pretty startling to read a post when someone writes in about throwing away a tube versus patching it. It's not a rare occurrence.

Old Dutchman

But don't you wonder if those results would have been different if they had bought a GOOD bike? My overweight dad bought a huffy 20 years ago, planning to ride and get back in shape. It got parked, now it's sitting in my basement. And dad is sitting on his couch. Last year overweight me bought a Fuji Absolute, fell in love with riding, and put 1800 miles on it.

Like the poet said, “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

DarKris

This actually resonates with me perfectly.

That, and I also figured out how to fix most of my bike problems save for Wheel building.

EnjoyinTheRide

In that senario however its not the bike that should be the catalyst for getting into shape, it should be the individual and if the individual wants to continue to sit on a couch no bike be it of quality or non will really change any of that..

Realistically most bikes sold are not designed for heavy people above 275. The highest quality ones beefed up sure....certain styles maybe??? but overall most bikes mfg are really designed up to weights under that. Not to say one cannot ride or learn to ride and I would think most bike rides beyond the recommended weight range go relatively smoothly...So dont blame the bike blame the couch??? lol....fair enough....

Heres something I do see a value in that the box stores bring to you when selecting a bike. As ive stated im searching my next cruiser and one thing I am finding helpful is the "reviews" you can read online on specific bikes thru the walmart, target etc websites. I mean lets be honest, lol us deplorable's who frequent these locations love to shoot our mouths off online lol and as a result if you really want to find how certain models work in the field read those reviews. They really tell an honest field test so to speak..

simplybao

I think one should check the bike regardless where you buy it. I have a buddy that bought one of these big box store bikes. He said he got it home and the handlebar felt a little wobbly but he thought it was "ok". So off he went with his boys riding Slaughter Pen (google it :-) 10 minutes into the ride, he crashes. Dislocates his shoulder. He says he doesn't know if it was the bike or him. So a bunch of rehab later, maybe some surgery coming up, he's got a bike that's banged up and the handlebar is now very crooked, RD is very bent, and it's sitting in his garage....

veganbikes

That is a ridiculous! I manage a shop near where I live and most of the money coming in is bike sales throughout the company. Repairs are a big part but will likely not overshadow our bike and accessory/part sales. Certainly during some times we get more repairs in but we are still generally doing better through sales rather than service.

I am sure there are some shops out there that rely on bike repair but many of the ones I know seem to do a bang up business sales wise rather than repair wise. However there are plenty of people who have mechanical knowledge who still would rather leave it up to the people who do this for a living rather than just as a hobby.

Rollfast

I do what I can, and I have others to help when I can't. Little by little I learn more.


I've seen bikes in for repair at our LBS from today back to postwar (and Japanese) and I'm happy that some dude hangs in there and fixes them. He also promotes cycling.


It's not wrong to do what you like for a career, it's not some fodder for a strange, misguided movement. The only way these arguments change is when you can no longer keep up with fixing or these things become pretty complex. I wonder why we have arguments like this all over the site.


And I can answer it...some bodies feel they got the short end of a stick. Get over that, please, there is no win-win. Even the undertaker has a casket.