Iride01 

My kids grew up on Walmart, Target and other discount store bikes. Not a thing wrong with them that you haven't seen the same stupid stuff happen with LBS's. Sure it's rarer with the LBS's, but they screw up too.

How many of you snobs ever go to the LBS and buy five to a dozen bikes to give to local charities? We've got people here that routinely go to Walmat and buy bikes in large quantities to go to children that would never be able to have one otherwise.

jfoobar

I would go further and say with confidence that the vast, vast majority of children learn to ride a bike either on a used bike of unknown maintenance or on a bike from a big box retailer (or both). Yes, lots of kids get injured on bikes, but I doubt that more than a tiny percentage are injured as a direct result of a poorly-assembled new bike.

We obviously have no idea why the woman was buying five bikes or for whom, but I think the benefits outweigh the risks here by a sizable margin regardless.

Milton Keynes

Well at least those people are going to get out on bikes and not sit on the couch.

MUDDY88YJ

I'm against people wasting money especially for stuff that won't get used. She is a prime example of people buying junk so the manufactures will continue to manufacture junk. It's like why cars cost so much because people continue to over pay for them and the dealers can continue to way overcharg for them.

puma1552

It's almost like the family is going to do 60 mph descents down Huez...

jfoobar

One could argue that this is a prime example of manufacturers finding a way to manufacture, ship and sell a bike at a price point where the woman in question can buy five of them (or someone with less money can buy one of them) rather than there not being able to purchase at all. My guess, based on how Wal-Mart historically prices goods, is that their profit margin on these bikes is lower as a percentage than the profit margin that your LBS gets on the bikes it sells, quite likely much lower.

Sure, that higher sale price and higher profit margin at the LBS should come with knowledgeable service and support (although you don't have to look far for threads about people receiving lousy post-sale service at an LBS), Wal-Mart has a pretty bulletproof 90-day return policy. Just wheel it in with your receipt and get your money back.

We should honestly be glad that Wal-Mart/Target/etc. don't sell nice bikes and employ a competent bike mechanic in each store, actually. If they did, LBSes would be entirely incapable of sufficiently competing and would be gone in no time.

jefnvk

Do bikes cost so much because LBS overcharge for them, like autos

Has it occurred to folks here that a family of five may not have $2500-3000 to go out and outfit the family with new low end LBS bikes? That was certainly my family growing up. Yes, I finally wound up with a "name brand" bike when I stopped growing, even if it came on sale from Dick's Sporting Goods. The only other name brand bike was old green Fuji my dad had from back when he weekend toured in the summers with my uncles, and even that was rarely ridden over the matching K-Mart "MTB" him and my mother had. The family was pretty much a BSO family. Pacifics, Roadmasters, Wal-Mart Schwinn, we had them all. No, they're not as good as a LBS offering, but they worked for our purposes, which at that point was 15 mile family outings on the then-new rail trail, campgrounds, and the summer trip to Mackinaw Island.

It'd probably also shock some here how many of said bikes I see finish the 26ish mile Tour De Troit every year, with folks riding them looking all sorts of happy.

RubenAlonzo

I recently entered and finished the annual Zapata, TX to Laredo, TX fun race and had my rear end handed to me by a kid on his Wal-Mart bike. He finished just ahead of me and he looked like he was having a blast the whole time.

jfoobar

Clearly the message here is that your parents didn't love you enough to not buy you two-wheeled department store deathtraps. I just passed a lovely scene on the W&OD Trail yesterday of a dad and four pre-teen children following behind in a row of what appeared to be inexpensive children's bikes (I saw at least two "Schwinn"s). My thought that the time was that it was a lovely family scene. In retrospect, I should have contacted the authorities to have that man arrested for reckless endangerment.

, in case it is needed.

Witterings

Must admit whilst we don't have Walmart in the UK about 23 years ago I bought the cheapest MTB's I could find for me and the Mrs at £90 each to keep at our mobile home at the coast, we were both extremely fit from other sports at the time and would often go out on between 15 and 25 mile rides on them and they lasted absolutely years kept in a shed where they were prone to damp and rust during the winter without any maintenance what so ever and the hours of fun and gorgeous rides we had you could argue it was the best thing I'd put money into in ages.

Many moons later I upgraded my bike and a friend asked if he could borrow my old one as he wanted to take up cycling and he became quite a serious rider regularly doing 20/25 miles on it before eventually when he realised he was going to keep up the hobby bought a decent road bike.

Just shows you don't actually need to spend a fortune and to get an awful lot of use and hours of fun out of a bike.

Nachoman

Hey, who's to say they won't be doing both?
Two of my favorite things to do. First go on a bike ride. Then chill on the couch watching TV.
And if you throw in some chips and beer, or cheeze-its and red wine, I'll call it a perfect day!

Rogerogeroge

Brooke1687

Skipjacks

I buy high vis shirts for biking at Wal Mart....

Am I a bad person? Have I brought shame upon by family name?

eja_ bottecchia

jefnvk

Not needed. I knew my parents hated us the moment three boys playing ice hockey was out of the time and money budget

So deprived, am I

coffeesnob

Maybe they went out riding and then returned the bikes to walmart for a full refund. I know of a time when someonbe bought a cooked rotisserie chicken and ate most of it and brought the carcass back to the store for a refund.

indyfabz

Now that Walmart owns Rapha, expect to see better cycling clothing in Walmart stores.

Witterings

Classic

indyfabz

Happens more often in the restaurant trade than you might think. My aunt did it a couple of times. Ate most of her entre, sent it back saying she didn't like it and asked for something else. I used to bus tables at a place while in college. Maybe once every two weeks someone would try something like that.

In PA there is a steak & seafood chain called Hoss' Steak & Sea. One of those places you order your entre off the wall menu and pay when you first walk in. Then you are seated and help yourself to the stuff at the all-you-can-eat hot and cold bars while your steak or whatever it being cooked. There is also a giant assortment of desserts that are included. Needless to say, lot's of very large people eat there. Anyway...Before you have swallowed the third bite of your steak an employee comes over and asks you if it's cooked to your liking. Went to two different Hoss' and the procedure was the same both times. The employee was right on me after the first or second bite. I have no doubt it's done because more than one person has eaten most of their steak then complained that it was over or undercooked and asked for another.

livedarklions

Me too! 6 bucks a pop, can't beat it.

DomaneS5

Looks like this Walmart bike thread ended up entertaining.

PdalPowr

Could I make it up by lowering the bar?

The lady made a very good deal.
When two of the bikes break on the second day,
she can scavenge parts from two and make one.
pure inescapable logic.

Witterings

Yes ... although the OP's been a bit quiet since his original post.

jfan

Just how many casualties will it take for our government to wise up and outlaw these deadly Mongoose and pseudo Schwinn bikes? Think of the children for God's sake!