Papa Tom

I know many of you frown upon the Schwinn-branded accessories they sell at the box stores, but I've had pretty good luck with the stuff. Today, I wandered by the bike accessory racks and saw an entire browser of Schwinn padded riding shorts and undershorts.

I didn't catch the price on the full shorts, but they look pretty stylish. The undershorts were $19.99 and, like the full shorts, seem to have about as much padding in the crotch area as the much more expensive brand I wear now.

Has anybody used these? If they are decent enough, they might be a solution for those of us who sweat through a pair every day of the week.

PS: I also saw a bunch of basic panniers by Huffy and others that seem to be fine for what most commuters need. They aren't waterproof, and the zippers might be junky, but these things are priced as low as $25 for a full fold-over set.

noglider 

Aren't you the guy last year who made a huge stink about how their panniers didn't hold up to decent use? And didn't we all tell you that you had spent too little?

I'm not saying these shorts will disappoint you similarly. For all I know, they'll last twenty years and make room in your budget for your kids to attend Harvard. But temper your expectations realistically.

Papa Tom

Yes...guilty on all counts. But the replacement panniers (same make and model) have held up WELL past reaching the point where they were worth the $25. That first set must have been made on a Monday. And several other crap items I've purchased from the same shelves have proven very decent.

I wouldn't know what to expect from these Schwinn shorts (or shall I say "Schworts," for short?), but for $30 less than the "cheap" stuff you buy in a bike shop, they've got to be good enough for a season or so.

Now, the WalMart "ethics" issue is still something to consider...

rmfnla

I once bought a pair of tights on eBay from a Chinese seller and the padding had been installed so far forward the pants were useless.

Caveat emptor, especially when looking for bargains...

rmfnla

noglider 

There is a lot of profit margin on clothing, more than many other retail items, especially in bike shops. So the profit goes to salaries, basically. If you like that idea, buy at the bike shop. If you want people to scrape by on minimum wage, buy at Walmart. I'm not making a value judgment. I often shop for lowest price, too. It is not a sin.

I've gotten some pretty horrible bike shorts at Nashbar, so I can't say the bike brands are necessarily better.

For whatever it's worth, Perl Izumi isn't the most expensive or the cheapest, but I've never had a product with that name on it that dissatisfied me. Take that for whatever it's worth.

RaleighSport

I own some Schwinn branded gloves as well as some glasses.. other then that the cheap stuff in my fleet from WM is marked Bell. Although it is tempting to pick up some of those accessories just to make their brands match certain bikes they would go on... IMO I probably wouldn't buy Schwinn shorts, likely to give out fairly easy and with where the seams are.. no one wants to see that.

KLiNCK

Very much like the bikes they sell, any accessories that Walley World carries are "OK" for the casual user.
I bought a pair of Bell fingerless, gel-padded, cycling gloves for $17.99. They seemed OK, fit well and were comfortable when using. Score! However, after the third time through the wash cycle, the stitching started to let go in several places. Not a problem to grab a needle and thread and tighten up a loose seam, but it does take time. Sewing (for me any way) gets old quick. They lasted a 5k season. Compared to the $39.99 , similar style, Specialized gloves I bought from my LBS (I know, I could have gotten them cheaper "On-Line" - but that's another topic... LOL!), which are going into their third season, and I've never had to "operate" on them. Pretty much a "get what you pay for" situation.
I imagine you could spend hours patching those $25 panniers...

Sullalto

Not any cheaper than the clearance rack at REI.

Johnny Mullet

I have bought the cheap Schwinn or Bell accessories at Walmart including cycling computers, water bottle holders, blinking lights, etc and have no issues, but never bought any cycling clothing there.

Motolegs

Yep, wore 'em on the ride home from work today in fact. Owned them since last shorts "season". No signs of unraveling... couple minor quibbles. Mine are mediums which if I remember right included sizes from 30" to 34". With my 32" waistline they are still a little snug. The padding is a bit thin compared to the pricier road shorts in the dresser.

These are baggy with the inner liner and have front pockets. A plus.

They are great for my short commute and trips on the river trail.

bmthom.gis

I had a computer from wal mart on my first bike, and it didna good job. Other than that, I'll skip. I get terrible feelings every time I go in, which is about twice a year

TransitBiker

Just going to put this small rant out there for you good people then i will kindly shut up about the issue.


I really have no serious issue with big box stores. Some of them can really do good things for communities both in the areas where their products are produced AND where they are sold. Some carry products of fairly decent quality.

What i do have an issue with, is the i think 4th most profitable company on earth paying slave wages to its hardest working employees AND using the government SNAP program to subsidize those artificially low wages. Even after SNAP and paycheck, MOST wal-mart retail employees, and majority of its transportation and other "front line" employees are put in a position where they must comply with any/all requests handed to them or end up losing a job that could be the thin strand supporting a family or individual from being homeless, even if that request is illegal or of questionable morality. Some of these people are on work release programs and may end up back in jail if they don't keep the job. There is also rampant wage theft of the all ready extremely low wages. Not saying they are the only ones, but it seems they do it more frequently than their main US competitors Target and K-mart. They are also wildly anti-union. Unions built this country, unions maintain this country, and unions are the backbone of how the economy moves. I will never step foot inside a wal-mart for the rest of my days if i can help it. I buy local when i can, and use craigslist & ebay. I like to keep the little money i do spend here in the community, and not in the pockets of the multi-tens-of-billion-worth cretins that own wal-mart.

Sure they announced some piddly 2 phase 2 year wage increase, but it will not lift anyone on their payroll out of poverty. They don't just not deserve my business, but i feel they have earned the trust and patronage of no one.

Cheap stuff sold at a store aimed at selling cheap stuff to people who either A. can't afford the real thing or B. don't know any better. Not judging you, just saying how it is for 99.9% of their customers.

/rant

- Andy

qclabrat

shorts are the only bike specific clothing I would not skimp on, I have loads of low priced items from Nashbar and Pricepoint and they didn't last a season of light use. I have a drawer of these which intend to toss.

spend double or triple and get a pair which is more comfortable and will last much longer

sam_cyclist

I've bought lots and lots of great, high quality items at rock bottom prices on ebay, amazon, and from the bike specific online retailers.

I do have to admit to significant disappointment with the budget shorts I've bought from various retailers. They tend to chafe badly. Also, the nashbar shorts I bought were ridiculously undersized.

I tend to agree that going with house brand cycling wear might not be such a great idea.

SouthFLpix

I buy my presta tubes from there, Bell brand name. They are not super cheap at about $5 each, but they are still a couple of dollars less than the LBS charges. If my helmet ever goes bad I'll probably buy a cheapo one from Walmart.

Rino

Thanks for saving me the time of having to write this out; I completely agree and will not buy anything from Walmart, but I won't criticize those who do either.

Saving Hawaii

Functionality and durability are two different things. When I started working for the Forest Service I bought a pair of Redwing boots and they handed me an ugly, uncomfortable no-name backpack.

Redwings are fine boots for the casual hiker but they don't really stand up to full-time use. There are better boots for the pro. My first three seasons with the Forest Service killed two pairs of Redwings, so I bought Danners which are still nowhere close to their expiration date five years later. My Danners are vastly more durable than the Redwings that ended up in the trash. Over a few years the durability paid for the new boots.

What's worse? That crappy no-brand backpack is still alive and ticking. I bought a nicer one for myself recently but that stupid backpack they gave me is ready for the apocalypse. It was cheap but it was built to survive.

Lots of bargain products aren't really made with longevity in mind though.

RidingMatthew

What would be the point in buying panniers that are not waterproof and have crappy zippers? I dont think that the lowest price always equals happiest user experience. Sometime you get what you pay for.

Phil_gretz

No. I don't think that the value is really there.

I do buy ammo there, though. That's when the shelves aren't empty...

Dave Cutter

I'd added a couple pair of Nashbar clearance cycling shorts to an order about 3 years ago. They were almost nothing... like 10-12 bucks. They don't have much of a chamois... but I really don't need much. And they seem to be lasting... forever. You just never can tell.

bmthom.gis

Decent, long lasting panniers can be had for under $100 that will function better than the $25 wal mart ones...and you will be happier. I'm in my 2nd season with my Axioms. They were under $70 for the pair, haven't leaked yet, no zippers to worry over, easy to take on and off and have replaceable bits. I don't see the value in having "consumable" pieces of gear. I can understand if you cannot afford something better, but if you can...steer clear!

md11mx

And you didn't even mention the self check out line. They have the ten customers do the work so the don't need cashiers. I WILL NOT use self check out and lay someone off!
Cheers,
David in Alaska

himespau 

It's not just wal*mart, but this is a huge pet peeve of mine. First stores got rid of baggers. Now they're getting rid of cashiers. Prices are going up, package sizes are going down, and now I have to pay for the privilege of checking out and bagging my own groceries? F that, man.

velocity

I want to make myself perfectly clear. Awwwwaaa Hellls no!!