True.
Last fall my 14 year old son needed a bike to get to school and back and ride around the neighborhood.
I did not have much to spend. The $59.00 bikes were clearly junk, with the flexy sidepull brakes, steel rims and ultra low quality everything. I saw the Schwinn Sidewinder on end of year clearance at WM for $50 more. No comparison. Heavy, but much better components right down to the alloy rims.

I bought it. It works well for him and he likes it a lot. There have been no problems from improper assembly.

Could I have found a bike shop quality used bike for that money? Probably. But this one brings no regrets.

My Schwinn comfort bike was bought at Costco. It also says MADE IN CHINA right on it. Overall it's a SOLID aluminum frame with the old school springer people think it's an old Schwinn but with noticeable short cuts in quality. For example,the Schwinn badge that's usually riveted in front of the frame is now GLUED on.
Pretty much the same machinery that American workers need to build a quality product China can duplicate if the same machinery was over there. Makes sense,no?
So a 4 thousand dollar component bike in theory if China had the same tooling and materials can duplicate the same bike to a tee at 1/17th the cost it would cost to build it here (17 dollars an hour here compared to 1 dollar an hour there.)
The only real thing that saves the good bikes right now are the patent laws. I would say about 80% of the components of that 4 thousand dollar bike have patents on them.

I don't see anything good in our future here.

Imagine that you were the owner of a product, perhaps a product that your family invented and developed and that won the hearts and confidence of all Americans.
Fast forward to a global marketplace where competition, marketing, sales, and number crunching reward or ruin business acumen.
Now, you have a chance to sell your beloved product and family reputation through Walmart and Target, making your family and company tons of money.
What would you do?



S.

You do know that post and this thread is over 5 years old, right? ;)

Ummm, I don't think the Schwinns actually have any control over the company any more.

And if you want to know why, read the book No Hands. It's their own fault the company went bankrupt. not an evil economy.

Friend! TMI!:twitchy::eek:

Yep, as expected yet another wal-mart bashing thread.
You G*D DAM**D SNOBS! YOU belong to the ELITIST cycling club, you look down on ANYONE AND EVERYONE who rides ANYTHING that is not custom built by a one man shop, preferably in some small Italian town, You bemoan that Wal Mart and other "Big Box" stores sell a bicycle that someone can afford! YOU TURN MORE PEOPLE AWAY FROM BICYCLING THAN ONE ELSE!

There is an LBS in the town I live in. The LEAST EXPENSIVE bike they have is a $300.00 BMX!! the LEAST EXPENSIVE ADULT ROAD BIKE is over $700.00; the cheapest SINGLE SPEED "BEACH CRUISER" THEY HAVE IS OVER $400.00! I'm sorry, but I cannot afford to spend that kind of money on a bicycle!
Yes, since Pacific bought out Schwinn, Mongoose, AND GARY FISHER, those brands have lost their snob appeal since they can be bought at a department store, instead of exclusively a LBS.

You claim you hate Wal Mart, yet you will buy your "latest and greatest" HD TV there for 1/2 the price the SAME HD TV would cost you at Best Buy or Sears!

Bicycling is NOT a sport ONLY for Royalty or or elitist BAST**** like yourselves! You HYPOCRITES! True, the Wal MArt or other "Big Box" store bike will not have the top line components: NEITHER DO THE $1,500.00 LBS BIKES! "The brakes will fail or the drive train is junk on the Wal Mart bike" you cry! OPEN YOUR FRIGGING EYES! Yes, they use a "lower end" line of Shimano or SACHS components. THEY ARE THE SAME COMPONENT LINE AS THE $500.00 to $700.00 RANGE LBS BIKES! Do you think it is a big surprise that a Wal Mart bike or anything under top of the line LBS bike will use a component line that is NOT Campy Record, Shimano Dura-Ace or XT???

Not everyone can afford, like you, $5,000 to $10,000 (or more) for a bicycle. If you can afford the inflated LBS prices, more power to you. I and a few more million like me, cannot afford the LBS prices, so we go elsewhere. Stores like K Mart, Target, Fred Myer's Wal Mart, and others, are more than happy to sell us a quality product, at a fair price.

The Schwinn sold today at the Big Box store is every bit as good, if not better than the Schwinn Shop ONLY bike. And to remind your nostalgic fogged memory, with the exception of the Paramount, EVERY Schwinn was HEAVY! The Krate/Sting Ray you had as a kid weighed over THIRTY POUNDS! The "Collegate" 10 speed was no lightweight, that heavy duty newspaper boy bike tipped the scales at nearly 60 pounds! The "Schwinn Approved" parts for the most part, were of less quality than even the CHEAPEST Shimano of the same era - and that was BAD! Back then, before the 1990's(?) when Shimano became "good" parts, if you will clear your mind of all the nostalgia, you may remember, if a part said "Shimano" or "Schwinn Approved" the standard was to remove it, and replace it with either a Sun Tour (The "Poor Man's Campy) or if you could afford it, with genuine Campy. "Shimano" and "Schwinn Approved" were of the same quality, fit, and finish, as Falcon is today. They were JUNK! (As far as I am concerned, ANYTHING that says "Shimano" on it is Junk, and not worth the powder it would take to blow it up. Shimano always has, and always will produce nothing but a low quality inferior product; be it fishing gear or bicycle components)

This thread began at 08-06-02, 09:07 AM. Almost 6 years ago. Geez, just shut up and ride.

Don't hold back BR4life! Tell us how you really feel.
We are adults here, we can take it. :)

LMFAO I agree with most of the points in this post.

Look I know most of the people on this forum either own a bike store, work for a bike store or are an elitist bike nerd and thats ok with me. But don't try to ruin it for the guy who honestly can't afford more than $130 for a bike but wants to try it and isn't a homeless drug addict or a dui commando. No real people are fooled by your propaganda.

bicyclridr4life;

Good post. And like I've said, not only are LBS bicycles way overpriced... you'll find the **REPAIR** shop on those shops to be always busy as well..........

Now in all fairness to LBS shops, they do have a place & I don't want to see them go out of business.. If you want an recumbent or a really fast road bike, an LBS is for you. If you can't do basic maintenance you'll need an LBS. And not all LBS bike riders are snobs... there are some good folk who ride them.

It's just my problem is with certain LBS cyclo-fascist who think they are superior to everyone else (think 1930's Germany, same mindset).

The idea is to get people to ride rather it be an LBS bike, a department store bike, or a Goodwill bicycle with duct tape for a seat.

I think about the only time getting a bike from Wal-Mart is a good choice, is when you can not find a good bike at a garage sale, craigslist, or one in your price range at a LBS. Right now I have 3 bikes I have gotten from garage sales, all were only $5. One only needed the tires pumped up, another needed some small adjustments, and the other only needed a new tire and inner tubes. All of them are better than something you can find at Wal-Mart, and much cheaper.

Also, if you can find a LBS that sells used bikes, they can also be a better choice. When my family was looking for a bike for my sister, we did look at Wal-Mart and Target. We mostly looked at some Schwinns in the $100-$200 range, about the best she said about one was, "Meh, it's ok..." Finally we went to Goodwill, and a lady there reccomended the LBS. So the next day we went, and the owner showed her a few bikes, and she settled on a Raleigh that was $150. Same price as a Wal-Mart bike, but she likes the bike much more, and they even made sure everything on the bike worked and was properly adjusted.

I don't think all of the bikes there are crap, the Schwinns there did seem like they were decent, and I know that if I had not found my bikes at garage sales, I most likely would have ended up buying a Mongoose Paver.

I would truly LIKE to be able to suggest folks buy a bike at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. But, it is impossible. Because folks in my neighborhood know I have a dozen bikes, they bring me their kid's bikes when "it is braking very well". And what I see is crappy brakes that will never stop a bike going down a hill on a rainy day carrying a sixty pound kid...that bike is NOT gonna stop.

The odd thing is that these bikes are often very complex...front and rear suspension, but with $2 brakes.

Discount stores COULD sell safe bikes. They should sell one-speed bikes with coaster brakes. Contract with their suppliers for the highest quality bearings for the bottom bracket, hubs, and headset. Get the beefiest coaster brakes made. Ship them packed so the store clerk only has to put on the pedals, bars, and seat post.

A "super heavy duty" one speed bike could be built for LESS than the cost of a dual suspension 18 speed bike with $2 brakes. It would be the sort of bike that Schwinn sold in 1958: unbreakable...designed for forty years of riding.

But, that is not how corporate America operates. They will continue to sell crappy bikes, and when kids are maimed and killed, they will blame the parents..."Didn't you read the owner's manual....the page about taking the bike to a skilled mechanic for proper setup?"

Oddly, many of the folks who buy these Wal-Mart bikes for their kids are driving a BMW or a Lexus. Nothing too good for Dad. Nothing too crappy for the kids.

Heeh, old thread.

My first 3 bikes were huffy's when I was a kid, I thought they were great, tore them up and Dad fixed them back. Of course they didn't have suspension like I see at Walmart now, I can imagine that leads to all types of problems.

Anyhow, I'd be willing to say most people on here grew up riding crappy Wal Mart bikes because the parents don't know any better or think its silly to buy a $500 bike that they would outgrow in a couple years.

my $.02

A major difference is that it is the SAME HDTV. That's not the case with the bicycles.

These Xmart bikes are not mad to be passed down from one child to another. These bike are disposable bikes.

For the average adult rider these bikes last longer because we take better care of them than a child.

I hope We never see on CL or Ebay a listing stating Vintage Magna For Sale.

It's bad enough to see listing for those Schwinn Stingray Choppers.

Incorrect.

Even if hypothetically speaking in a fantasy realm the quality were the same, the service is not.

At the big box a buyer gets no instruction (or choice) on sizing, no break-in adjustments, and no advice on shifting, braking, safety or maintenance. The one main issue with department store bikes that I have is not actually quality, but price. Sure, these bikes are touted as the answer to getting cyclist started on equipment that they are unsure whether they'll use in the long term, but with such a low price, many critical services are foregone that would help a novice cyclist, services that are standard at just about any LBS, services that are not even mentioned at department stores and are obviously deducted from the price.

I took the liberty of scanning our shop's sales form, a standard form available through Sutherland's, probably the largest provider of shop forms in the bicycle industry.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1.../SalesForm.jpg

Our sales staff is required to verbally communicate every point seen on that form as well as the initials and signature at the bottom. We further add that if there is anything the customer doesn't understand, they are welcome to ask. This is SOP for every bike sold, from a sub-$100 child's bike to the top line racing bike. We do so because we care about the safety and enjoyment of the products we sell by our customers. IMO, if the department stores cared as much about helping new cyclists understand their equipment and get started on the right foot, the least they could do is have the same requirements for instruction and safety information.

To represent and sell a product as 'equal to' an LBS bike, they would also have to provide the same services. To do otherwise is misrepresentation and a gross disservice to the public.

I just recently bought a bike from Target. it's a Schwinn Trail Way, aluminum frame, and my second bike ever (being new to cycling, I'm trying to find what's right for me). I've had it for two weeks, no problems with anything except a bolt in the handlebars I stripped tightening it too much.

I love it. There are some things I'd change on it, but that's more personal comfort preference and nothing to do with the mechanics of the bike itself.

Even that isn't a sure bet on the HDTV. I have seen plenty of small appliances that have a single digit added to the model number, because they are built to Walmart's standards (read price point) I have a GE steam iron that looks to be identical to one purchased from a local hardware store for about 50% more than the WM version. Closer examination reveals that the WM one is stamped "specially made for WM" I pulled them both apart. The heating element is smaller in the WM, the water tank is made out of a thinner plastic and the switches are different. Years ago I had relatives that worked for Hamilton Beach in their mixer assembly plant. When they were running HB mixers there were 7 inspection stations, when they ran branded mixers for Sears or Montgomery Wards there were 3 inspections, Kmart? only one. The K-mart mentality was if it fails give them another one, cheaper than making it properly to begin with. This is a huge part of our throw away society, and leads to over filled landfills full of cheap, broken items.

And as far as CL is concerned? and my local thrift shops...we are already seeing WM bikes being touted as the deal of the century for 90% of retail.:roflmao2:

Aaron:)

Walmart is Satan but I've actually had a good experience with a Walmart or walmart type bike...a crappy-era Schwinn mountain bike, better yet. got it used off Craigslist of course, but it's been good to me, besides some maintenance problems...but you have to start somewhere and learn on something.

I bet that most of you that don't like how Schwinn bicycles have turned out are driving export cars. How many of you own a Walmart Schwinn?

(This thread deserves to be allowed to go back to sleep.);)

Wrong on the first count, I drive AMERICAN built pickups and Sedans. I do have a WM Schwinn but didn't pay for it. It was given to me because the person that had it was disgusted with it and the cost of repair parts. It is a POS, no if's and's or but's. I also have seen and worked on the LBS Schwinn bikes, better than the low price point WM version. However replacement parts are still a PITA to purchase.

Aaron:)

sad to say that the golden era for schwinn is over. at least if you want to buy a brand new one. hmmm... lets buy out one of the most reliable and notable names in american bicycles and pass off bikes that are barely worthy to wear the name badge. roadmaster used to be a good name long time ago as with mongoose and gt. too bad i guess, but at least they are still out there in one form or another.

Personally I hate "box stores", but I cant avoid going to them entirely, it seems they are more concerned with saying "we have 'those' ... and it only costs 'this' " meanwhile, they crack their whips at the suppliers demanding cheaper products or they will find someone to make it cheaper, and imo, with little concern for a quality product that will cost less in the long run.

i think the people that make trash bags prosper the most from wal-mart and the like, from all the garbage they sell people.

as far as schwinn goes, i bought a 3 speed cruiser from my lbs and havent had a lick of trouble despite the "make do" quality, but its not nearly as bad as the schwinn one of my friends bought from target. even they commented how crappy their bike was compared to mine unprovoked.