mstateglfr 

Awful points

1- walmart doesnt make anything. If they SOLD an airplane, i wouldnt fly it, but thats because i would want something more customized if inhad the money to own and fly a plane.

2- just because something is sold at walmart doesnt inherently make it low quality. They sell the same quality apples and oranges just like the grocery stores. They sell the same quality books as barnes and noble. Walmart's copy of a book isnt missing pages or printed backwards.

3- correct, walmart isnt a bike shop. Neither is dick's or rei. Bikes arent complicated (though companies try to make them so) and dont need to be sold exclusively thru small independent shops. An entire market boom almost 50 years ago which started this bike craze we all have was based on all sorts of places selling bikes of varying quality.
Just like other products at walmart and retailers, the cost is based on quality. People buy a laptop from walmart because they are ok with not having the latest tech. Walmart isnt a computer store but they sell computers. People buy shoes from walmart because they are ok with the quality for the price. Walmart isnt a shoe store but they sell shoes.
Etc etc etc. They aeent a bike store but they sell bikes at a peice and quality that the buyers are willing to commit to.



A couple of really odd posts, just felt compelled to respond.

TenSpeedV2

All of that is true, however, they don't assemble orange juice or books. We all know what can happen if it is not assembled correctly.

I-Like-To-Bike

No, tell us what "happens" to people who purchase bikes assembled at big box stores (the alleged source of zillions of incorrectly assembled bikes)?

EnjoyinTheRide

I looked online....Looks like most injuries via unproperly assembled bikes (specific search to Walmart) are minimal to moderate. Things like handlebars loosening = in a ditch lol=busted nose lol .. It appears that cases are won and lost and many seem to settle out of court. Appartently Walmart had a separate company assemble bikes decades ago then shifted to employees. There is a certification training program they can and apparently do put in place.

It seems from what Ive read in the search that realistically is simply a cost of doing business...The suits dont have heavy injuries but seem more out of anger.

Reality is that wont stop them from ever selling bikes. They sell too many. Plus the same standards do apply for LBS so they can and do get sued as well....

The grand lesson here is simple. It does not matter where you get the bike, bring it home, go thru it yourself, its not difficult at all, then you should be good to go....The best assembler is yourself when it comes to a bike

Phil_gretz

That's why we have the courts, to handle damage claims relating to product liability. Negligence on the part of the seller could/might be established by the facts. Might not, though. The consumer also accepts certain inherent risks when riding a bicycle. I'm not sure why this is so hard to grasp.


Buy what you want. Ride what you want. Live with the consequences of your decisions. Meh.

TenSpeedV2

That is ideal, if you know what you are doing. I would say that a majority of the people that are buying a bike at Wal-Mart have little to no understanding of what needs to be done to make a bike safe for riding.

mstateglfr 

True. And if it isnt assembled correctly and someone is injured, then they are held accountable. They are a global company and fully recognize what liability is- both in the workplace and after purchase.


Interesting point you have inadvertently made- if Walmart were to only sell bikes boxed up, like their other products, then everything would be OK in your eyes.

I have only ever dealt with 1 low end big box bike- it was a kids bike and I fully assembled it as it came boxed up.
I have also dealt with a sporting goods level Diamondback kids bike and fully assembled that too.
The process isnt difficult and I didnt need to use bike specific tools(though i chose to repack the hubs, so grease and cone wrenches were needed).
I wonder how consumers building the bikes would affect sales and pricing.

TenSpeedV2

If it wasn't already assembled, I don't think that they would buy it. Part of the draw for this type of customer is walk in, pull it off the rack, walk it to the cashier and pay $99 or whatever for a bike. It wouldn't be OK in my eyes, as you put it. I would like the peace of mind knowing that my bike was properly assembled by a qualified and trained mechanic. Wal-Mart isn't a bike shop, so why would they have actual bike mechanics there?

mstateglfr 

You obviously cant price a bike at $99 then, if its assembled by an actual mechanic. Also, at the 2 shops I frequent, many bikes arent assembled by a mechanic. They are assembled by seasonal employees who know what they are doing, and then checked over by one of the mechanics. Just sayin.

But in the end, you dont need to be a trained mechanic to properly assemble a walmart bike. Just like you dont need to be a master carpenter to build a couch from walmart. You dont need to be a certified plumber to replace a drain catch from walmart.
People assemble cribs, electronics, basketball hoops, car seats, furniture, and more from walmart. Its just interesting that bikes are an item which apparently has to be fully assembled in order to attract buyers.

Milton Keynes

Well, like I said, any bike I buy for myself or my family is going to get checked over before it gets ridden, no matter where it comes from.

TenSpeedV2

Then again, most people aren't riding their couch down a hill at 25mph.....

There are a lot of things that you don't need. I don't need a bike from Wal-Mart. No matter how much people try to convince me, it simply is not happening. I will continue to purchase my bikes from reputable bike shops where there are quality checks on what goes out the door as far as assemblage goes.

mstateglfr 

See the crib example. Talk about safety. Families everywhere build cribs which need to be assembled safely to ensure the safety of the newest additions to the households.

Building cribs mean attaching stuff with allen keys, wrenches, and sometimes screwdrivers. Those same 3 tools are whats required to build most modern low end bikes.


Obviously its more ideal to buy a bike from a shop if you want to ensure it is assembled correctly and you dont feel comfortable inspecting it yourself.
I see buying a bike from walmart as being equal to buying a bike on craigslist. its cheap in cost and there is a reason for that.


Please dont think I am in any way advocating for walmart bikes. I am not. I am simply pointing out that just because walmart isnt a bike shop doesnt mean they shouldnt sell bikes. they are a general retailer and general retailers sell all sorts of stuff where proper assembly is required.

athrowawaynic

I have no idea.

I don't work for LBS, unless you mean lawyer bull****.

I-Like-To-Bike

Then again most people aren't riding down a hill at 25mph, with their legs spinning wildly (or up a hill at any speed) on a fixed gear bike from any seller. Nobody will convince them of the wisdom of buying or using such bikes no matter how much devotees of fixed gear try to convince them otherwise.

Bicycle buying advice from zealots and other such biased "enthusiasts" is best taken with many grains of salt.

I-Like-To-Bike

Oh do tell, what kind of lawyer stuff could an LBS need? Certainly not defending against a lawsuit for improper assembly? - Say it isn't so!

EnjoyinTheRide

I agree that most probably dont have the proper knowledge to check or fix a bike, be it a box store or an lbs sale. However I would like to think someone close to the individual be it a family member, neighbor, ex wife's brother(cause you know they always get along lol) would be able to check the bike for them. Granted they would need to at least need to have the capacity to ask someone...It actually happened to me.

My sister bought a kent 18 speed from walmart for her grandson for xmas. The kids in 5th grade and wanted a bike with gears. When I found out they bought it I told her to have the boys father go thru the bike. I saw him a week later, asked if he checked the bike. He told me he didnt go thru it yet so I ended up checking it out.

But lets be fair, were talking bicycles here, they are not that complicated, in fact they are fun to work on even if your learning as you work on one..At minimum, grab a crescent wrench and tighten the wheels and handlebars

athrowawaynic

Sorry. Poor attempt at joke.

LBS = local bike shop

or

LBS = lawyer bull shtuff

jefnvk

I'd be willing to bet if I went through your house, you'd own plenty of things that others would never buy at a big box store, but you did. As for me? A lot of stuff comes from big box stores, because they meet a price and quality level I can live with. I have audiophile friends who would never buy speakers from Wal-Mart, but I replaced my speakers in my old Blazer with ones from there which worked just fine. I don't buy my kitchenware at Williams and Sonoma or the local restaurant supply stores, my $9 Wal-Mart brand flatware set works just fine. I don't make a habit of shopping for jeans there, but I've found ones on the clearance rack that lasted no shorter an amount of time than my far more expensive ones from Macy's. On the flip side (rather ironic considering my previous speaker comment), I'm currently looking at spending nearly $300 on a new turntable, because I listen to records enough that I don't want to just go with the cheapies that you can buy around Christmas time, when most folks I know would call me crazy for doing so.

Everyone values their cost/benefit differently. While you or I may not be rushing out to see the new Schwinns at Wally World, doesn't mean they don't fill the cycling needs of many folks.

Yeah, this. Most can put together a bike and make it work OK. Whether or not the setup is optimized, probably not, but then again how many LBS bikes are hanging in a garage that haven't seen an adjustment in years, that get pulled out once a summer for that camping trip, with rock hard brake pads and derailleurs that don't shift to the last two sprockets?

EnjoyinTheRide

Ohhh thats a quick fix lol, spray the thing down with wd40 (including the break pads and cables) and then let her rip lol....

But again, at minimum if you really never worked on a bike, as you start to work on it, most would learn pretty quickly I think. However reality is reality in that most do not or have not worked on a bike prior to a purchase.

Lol there have been numerous threads on this and if someone reads them, pretty much the same thing comes out in that if you do buy a bike from a big box store but not specifically to them, one should have the basics of the bike checked out before it gets used, so that nobody gets any disappointment or injury...

Seattle Forrest

Maybe you imagined that photo in post #1!

ClydeTim

Funny and true! I bought a few Nike and Underarmor under layers for $40+. Some at the local UA store, some at the Nike store. They work fine as expected.

One day my wife came home with a couple under layers from Wally World. I tried them and they work just as well as the high end versions I have. $12 vs $40+?

I picked up a few more and love them. One model from Russell is very soft, almost flannel like. I have a few different styles and many colors.

I have about 10 of them now and the 6 or so high end versions are still sitting in my closet collecting moth balls.

Went back this weekend and found the underlayers on sale for $7 !!! Even found one plain black one for $3.

I actually like the under layers more than the high end. Some of these have vent like panels at the underarms and on the back that makes them more breathable than the high end versions I have.

Not to mention, with the clearance sale, the XXL and the XXXL are all the same price, no $1 extra charge for larger size they normally have.

Another thing, I bought a Huffy back in 1992. I rode heck out of that thing before it fell apart and I had to upgrade. But I was doing 60 mile rides on it while my friends had $2000 Klein roadies sitting in their garages. That was a lot of money back then for a roadie.

So I figure my Walmart bike served it's purpose and well, per my intentions at the time.

FrankHudson

Q: If you knew your airplane was made by someone at your LBS, would you fly in it?

A: Only if your LBS is owned by the Wright Brothers.

I-Like-To-Bike

You mean the OP or someone else other than an LBS Fan Boy was injured or affected in any way by a display model on a store floor? Oh the horror of it all! Egads!

Gratuitous speculation follows:
Given the financial hurt put on the LBS sales/business model by the Big Box stores, it would not be surprising to find competitors products prepped for photos to accompany gratuitous Internet posts about the dangers of riding bicycles not assembled by the so-called professional mechanics allegedly employed for that purpose at every LBS.

jon c. 

Many years ago I used to buy such items at Wal Mart. Sometimes you would end up with good stuff that lasted. Once bought a clearance sport coat for $10 that I wore for a few years and got a lot of compliments on. But it was always hit and miss. A lot of times the cut wouldn't be quite right and you ended up with a lot of stuff you seldom wore because it wasn't really all that comfortable. Or the colors faded more quickly. Or the buttons or zippers failed. Over time I learned that on balance you ended up with better value at Macy's. And now that the internet allows one to shop clearance racks at better stores from the comfort of your chair, I think the value is much better from higher end stores. I learned over time that shopping wisely is ultimately more economical than shopping cheaply.

I don't think it's any different with bikes. You might get a serviceable bike from Wal Mart that suits your purpose. If you're lucky it might be a decent fit and you may not suffer from premature failure of critical parts. On the other hand, maybe not. My life experience indicates one can shop more wisely than that if they so desire. There are a lot a great older bicycles out there that are much better value.

unterhausen

I pity any bike shop that is hurt by bike sales at the big box stores. I'm sure there are some, but that's a really tough market segment. The LBS I go to is not, it's a totally different market. The head of Huffy was recently trying to recruit bike shops to do his warranty service. I pity the mechanics that work at any shop that takes them up on the offer.