Get your next Carbon Bike at Walmart... Ok, I'll Start
11-14-19, 06:48 PM
#26
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I admit that I don't know enough about the business side of this. But as Walmart's purchasing power comes from their ability to buy in volume, I don't know that they'd have much advantage here unless they thad projected sales that were high compared to other high volume buyers. Are they going to get a better price from Shimano than Specialized or Trek? I don't think so. Is there some other part of the price equation where they'd have an advantage - i.e., cutting out the mark ups between manufacturer and retailer, or being able to operate with smaller margins? Maybe so.
11-14-19, 07:51 PM
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If Walmart wants to become a major player in the bicycle market, I imagine they could put together a winning business plan and become a major player in short order.
It will be interesting to see what their long term plans are?
It will be interesting to see what their long term plans are?
11-14-19, 10:03 PM
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I bet they could easily afford to put in mini bike shops like some REIs have -- with a bit of repair and parts and such offered... Maybe, like bookstores have little coffee shops in them, they could have some of those Rapha mini-stores inside Walmart... ?
11-14-19, 11:41 PM
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11-15-19, 03:39 PM
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Walmart's big advantage is volume buying and i don't see that happening here---because they aren't going to get the volume sales which make that equation work. The big brands ar always going to rule in the top end of the market because cachet is so important, and because of brand loyalty, and frankly, because more serious cyclists, despite what they know, also know the Walmart bicycle reputation.
Even if the do undercut the market, too many people are willing to pay too much money .... except maybe local pro racers who live three days a week in their cars to compete in regional events---the ones who fist started buying Chinese CF open-mold frames. Not sure how big that market is, or whether Walmart will be enough cheaper than the competition.
This is new for Walmart---serious competition. Never before (to my memory) have they tried to sell serious, full-quality retail against strongly entrenched competition. Prior, their sales strategy was "It's as good as the low-grade crap the others sell, for a few cents less, and it is all in one store." That has zero effect or application here. Walmart won't be making New customers. They will need to take customers away from Giant, Trek, Spec, Cannondale., and all the smaller manufacturers---Canyon, Look, Pinarello, whoever.
These won't be anybody's first bike. Not likely even anybody's first CF bike, with Ultegra and DA components.
Is the lure of a few dollars' savings going to overcome the reputation of Walmart?
Interesting.
Even if the do undercut the market, too many people are willing to pay too much money .... except maybe local pro racers who live three days a week in their cars to compete in regional events---the ones who fist started buying Chinese CF open-mold frames. Not sure how big that market is, or whether Walmart will be enough cheaper than the competition.
This is new for Walmart---serious competition. Never before (to my memory) have they tried to sell serious, full-quality retail against strongly entrenched competition. Prior, their sales strategy was "It's as good as the low-grade crap the others sell, for a few cents less, and it is all in one store." That has zero effect or application here. Walmart won't be making New customers. They will need to take customers away from Giant, Trek, Spec, Cannondale., and all the smaller manufacturers---Canyon, Look, Pinarello, whoever.
These won't be anybody's first bike. Not likely even anybody's first CF bike, with Ultegra and DA components.
Is the lure of a few dollars' savings going to overcome the reputation of Walmart?
Interesting.
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11-15-19, 03:54 PM
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Walmart's big advantage is volume buying and i don't see that happening here---because they aren't going to get the volume sales which make that equation work. The big brands ar always going to rule in the top end of the market because cachet is so important, and because of brand loyalty, and frankly, because more serious cyclists, despite what they know, also know the Walmart bicycle reputation.
Even if the do undercut the market, too many people are willing to pay too much money .... except maybe local pro racers who live three days a week in their cars to compete in regional events---the ones who fist started buying Chinese CF open-mold frames. Not sure how big that market is, or whether Walmart will be enough cheaper than the competition.
This is new for Walmart---serious competition. Never before (to my memory) have they tried to sell serious, full-quality retail against strongly entrenched competition. Prior, their sales strategy was "It's as good as the low-grade crap the others sell, for a few cents less, and it is all in one store." That has zero effect or application here. Walmart won't be making New customers. They will need to take customers away from Giant, Trek, Spec, Cannondale., and all the smaller manufacturers---Canyon, Look, Pinarello, whoever.
These won't be anybody's first bike. Not likely even anybody's first CF bike, with Ultegra and DA components.
Is the lure of a few dollars' savings going to overcome the reputation of Walmart?
Interesting.
Even if the do undercut the market, too many people are willing to pay too much money .... except maybe local pro racers who live three days a week in their cars to compete in regional events---the ones who fist started buying Chinese CF open-mold frames. Not sure how big that market is, or whether Walmart will be enough cheaper than the competition.
This is new for Walmart---serious competition. Never before (to my memory) have they tried to sell serious, full-quality retail against strongly entrenched competition. Prior, their sales strategy was "It's as good as the low-grade crap the others sell, for a few cents less, and it is all in one store." That has zero effect or application here. Walmart won't be making New customers. They will need to take customers away from Giant, Trek, Spec, Cannondale., and all the smaller manufacturers---Canyon, Look, Pinarello, whoever.
These won't be anybody's first bike. Not likely even anybody's first CF bike, with Ultegra and DA components.
Is the lure of a few dollars' savings going to overcome the reputation of Walmart?
Interesting.
11-15-19, 10:49 PM
#32
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Walmart is so massive and powerful and swimming in cash that, if they really leaned into this thing, they would dominate whatever it was they decided to do, in my opinion. They could buy Giant tomorrow with a debit card. It will be very interesting to see what happens with this.
11-16-19, 12:22 PM
#33
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11-16-19, 01:56 PM
#34
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We have a couple of TVs here lower-end than Vizio, and all work just fine. One was a 32" no-name Black Friday purchase for $59. Four or five years old now. I've got a 50" Spectre in my workshop that was less than $250-- delivered.
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11-16-19, 05:30 PM
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11-16-19, 05:47 PM
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These outlets have proven to me time and time again that they could care less about any quality reputation.
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11-17-19, 08:59 AM
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These bikes have Nothing in common with the familiar ultra-cheap Walmart store brand-bikes. These are real bikes built with real parts from real companies ... the same quality as you get from any of the big-name brands. The Waltons have, for some crazy reason, decided to sell high-end bikes in the lowest-bottom big-box store in existence. These are not pressed-pot-metal and plastic horror shows .... that's real Shimano, not a special run made for Walmart (as so many "big-name" items sold in Walmart are.)
The issue is, as @bpcyclist notes, for a few hundred more you can get a really nice bike from a company that everyone knows. It might not be a better bike, but you won't be giving money to Walmart. And, if all this falls through and after a couple years the Waltons give it up because no one wanted their brand over one of the better-known brands ... well, I guess it won't actually matter because other than the frame, the stuff is all off-the-shelf components made by other major manufacturers (the frame is too, but no one outside the business will know which factory made the frames.)
There really is no downside here---god, solid bikes at market prices. The issue is, there isn't a huge upside. The few hundred dollars saved on certain models ... well, a few hundred dollars is still important to me, but .... if I am going to save money, I could buy and build another Chinese frame for the same money and wouldn't have to look at Walmart decals.
The issue is, as @bpcyclist notes, for a few hundred more you can get a really nice bike from a company that everyone knows. It might not be a better bike, but you won't be giving money to Walmart. And, if all this falls through and after a couple years the Waltons give it up because no one wanted their brand over one of the better-known brands ... well, I guess it won't actually matter because other than the frame, the stuff is all off-the-shelf components made by other major manufacturers (the frame is too, but no one outside the business will know which factory made the frames.)
There really is no downside here---god, solid bikes at market prices. The issue is, there isn't a huge upside. The few hundred dollars saved on certain models ... well, a few hundred dollars is still important to me, but .... if I am going to save money, I could buy and build another Chinese frame for the same money and wouldn't have to look at Walmart decals.
11-17-19, 10:12 AM
#39
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These bikes have Nothing in common with the familiar ultra-cheap Walmart store brand-bikes. These are real bikes built with real parts from real companies ... the same quality as you get from any of the big-name brands. The Waltons have, for some crazy reason, decided to sell high-end bikes in the lowest-bottom big-box store in existence. These are not pressed-pot-metal and plastic horror shows .... that's real Shimano, not a special run made for Walmart (as so many "big-name" items sold in Walmart are.)
The issue is, as @bpcyclist notes, for a few hundred more you can get a really nice bike from a company that everyone knows. It might not be a better bike, but you won't be giving money to Walmart. And, if all this falls through and after a couple years the Waltons give it up because no one wanted their brand over one of the better-known brands ... well, I guess it won't actually matter because other than the frame, the stuff is all off-the-shelf components made by other major manufacturers (the frame is too, but no one outside the business will know which factory made the frames.)
There really is no downside here---god, solid bikes at market prices. The issue is, there isn't a huge upside. The few hundred dollars saved on certain models ... well, a few hundred dollars is still important to me, but .... if I am going to save money, I could buy and build another Chinese frame for the same money and wouldn't have to look at Walmart decals.
The issue is, as @bpcyclist notes, for a few hundred more you can get a really nice bike from a company that everyone knows. It might not be a better bike, but you won't be giving money to Walmart. And, if all this falls through and after a couple years the Waltons give it up because no one wanted their brand over one of the better-known brands ... well, I guess it won't actually matter because other than the frame, the stuff is all off-the-shelf components made by other major manufacturers (the frame is too, but no one outside the business will know which factory made the frames.)
There really is no downside here---god, solid bikes at market prices. The issue is, there isn't a huge upside. The few hundred dollars saved on certain models ... well, a few hundred dollars is still important to me, but .... if I am going to save money, I could buy and build another Chinese frame for the same money and wouldn't have to look at Walmart decals.
11-17-19, 10:17 AM
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11-17-19, 11:50 PM
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Doesn't matter what they name the bikes---people will know what they are.
Also, the "Rapha" logo only carries clout with people who already know the classic company---which is noted for producing high-end Clothing .... nothing mechanical. Levi's could produce a car, people wouldn't buy it because they like the jeans.
Also, the "Rapha" logo only carries clout with people who already know the classic company---which is noted for producing high-end Clothing .... nothing mechanical. Levi's could produce a car, people wouldn't buy it because they like the jeans.
11-18-19, 12:29 AM
#42
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Truthfully, we get countless numbers of Walmart/Target purchased BIKES in here for service and/or last rites. My opinion of them is that they are shamefully (or at least ignorantly) spec'ed garbage (and in more than a couple cases, dangerously assembled garbage). Do they "work"? Yeah, technically you can ride them for a while in most cases. Are they the same as a bike shop bike? Holy Cripes... Would I ever pat myself on the back because I got a screamin' deal on a 2019 Mongoose Hotshot? No so much...
These outlets have proven to me time and time again that they could care less about any quality reputation.
These outlets have proven to me time and time again that they could care less about any quality reputation.
If you did, you wouldnt have posted...well you wouldnt have posted much of anything that you have posted.
11-18-19, 10:41 AM
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That was in relation to the Vizio comment. Sorry, I dont I truly don't care if pro-walmart crowd feelings are hurt. I do not have respect for their corporate commitment to quality. Good Day.
11-18-19, 12:33 PM
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11-18-19, 12:36 PM
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11-18-19, 06:04 PM
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The Viathon bikes look interesting. I don't see an overall weight for the finished bike, but 870 grams for the frame seems respectable enough.
The photos show a pretty ugly paint job. Flat black? I don't see anything discussing the frame construction. Random oriented mid length stranded carbon fiber (just like a lot of fiberglass)? It could be easy to make, and generally strong.
Still, not my choice at this moment.
The photos show a pretty ugly paint job. Flat black? I don't see anything discussing the frame construction. Random oriented mid length stranded carbon fiber (just like a lot of fiberglass)? It could be easy to make, and generally strong.
Still, not my choice at this moment.
11-18-19, 06:08 PM
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They did dip their toes in the Carbon Fiber Market a while ago:
https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-...arbon-mtb.html
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-26-...reen/215471947
$399 a year ago. Up to $448 now. I still wonder if it was the way to go. Moderate frame, but everything else was dirt cheap.
https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-...arbon-mtb.html
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-26-...reen/215471947
$399 a year ago. Up to $448 now. I still wonder if it was the way to go. Moderate frame, but everything else was dirt cheap.
11-18-19, 06:09 PM
#50
Non omnino gravis
The Velonews review had the R.1 DuraAce at 16.3lbs complete. As it should be, for six grand.
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