DropBarFan

By coincidence, I happened to discover that Georgetown DC ($$ location) had a Rapha shop. Very chic looking with espresso/pastry bar but I had to wonder how the place made any money. Nobody bought anything while I was there. I'm guessing the Rapha stores are image-boosting tax write-offs.

So the Waltons are big cycling fans? Maybe. Folks buy everything online nowadays, perhaps LBS can survive doing maintenance/repair for those bikes. Sears used to sell some decent Austrian bikes & farm repair work to local shops. ~5 years ago I was impressed to see that WalMart sold alu-frame MTB's with disc brakes. Not great quality I suppose but probably better than some of the junk sold by mass-marketers in the '70's.

mstateglfr 

They invested in the business and own part of it.

Do I get to claim Apple is owned by me just because I have some stock?

Hondo Gravel

I buy White Lightning chain lube at Walmart

Hiro11

OK, Mr. Snarky. It depends, do you have enough pull to have Apple relocate to your hometown as Allied did to Bentonville? I'd say they likely have a majority stake and likely have significant pull in management decisions. Not sure where you stand with Tim Cook.

Razorrock

Allied didn't relocate to Bentonville. They are opening a retail shop there. I ride past it on my regular ride. In a way the Walton's did help them move to Bentonville. They have pumped millions of $ into bike trails on and off road. Allied or any bike shop would want a local presence.

Rides4Beer

I think they need to bring the price down if they really want to compete. I was looking at their gravel bike, but got a similar spec bike cheaper from my LBS. The whole draw of direct to consumer is supposed to be reduced cost. I don't see Viathon, or Canyon for that matter, really delivering on that (I really liked the Grail too, but couldn't justify spending more and still not having local support).

J.Higgins 

True. I also wonder what kind of Donkey Kongs they will hire to assemble these so-called high-enders.

02Giant 

Within the linked article. "The bikes are assembled to 98% using Carlsbad, California based company Lucidity to be ready for a home delivery requiring minimal final assembly."

fietsbob

doesn't bikes direct and canyon, 2 other warehouse to buyer schemes, do the same thing?


Do they discount the time spent stripping off all that packing material too?







....

DropBarFan

I agree, the Allied bikes in particular are quite expensive...made in America, OK, but still. Sporty bikes is a crowded market. I'd like to see Waltons use their resources to improve casual/commuter bikes for instance. Why not a mass-market belt-drive/IGH line? Avg casual rider doesn't do much if any maintenance, I could see these gaining popularity.

Ghazmh

The name sounds fake like half the Fren-talian items on the Starbucks drink menu.

DorkDisk

Fezzari needed some competition.

I like the jerseys,but not might actually wear one

FlMTNdude

For those who shop WalMart, I don’t see them buying a bike of this caliber.

Hiro11

Hiro11

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/05/hig...o-bentonville/

DropBarFan

Walmart nearest me is across the street from the Bentley/Aston Martin/McLaren dealership & a bunch of $$ condos. WalMart.com sells all sorts of stuff incl quality brands, so who knows?

lbj273

Because when you think high end bikes Walmart is certainly what comes to mind. Seems like a rather curious decision to me but maybe there's a market?

sdmc530

uh probably not...these are same folks that fight over tv's on thanksgiving day sale to save $1.86. I don't see their "clients" putting up a few k's for a bicycle.


I don't think they ever intended to have the bikes have any relation with the actual stores of Walmart. They know this is not a match, they just get the relation because who they are.

Just a couple of guys with endless resources playing with their hobbies....

fronesis

I’m not here to defend Walmart or the Walton family, but the account above – which other posters seemed to agree with – is slightly off-base.

Point me to another $2300 gravel bike that has the following:
– Carbon frame that weights just barely over 1kg
– FULL 105 groupset
– Quality wheels – HEDs, wide, tubeless ready, and weighing less than 1700 grams
– Quality finishing kit – all Zipp

In addition, the Viathon also has:
– clearance for up to 51mm 700c wheels
– a threaded BSA BB

Most “105 spec” bikes out there either aren’t fully 105 (cheap crank, etc.) and/or they have 2kg boat anchors for wheels. And most of the big name carbon bikes have some version of a press-fit BB.

Also, the Viathon is currently on sale for under $2,000.

I’m not saying everyone, or even anyone should buy this bike but it’s not fair to say that it has no advantages over other bikes at the same price point.

rebel1916

Because the Walton's are fun, sport cyclists, like 99% of the other "serious" cyclists in America, not beardy weirdies on strange, upright, "sensible" bikes.

rebel1916

Huffy and Murray were hot garbage when I was a boy in the 80s.

Darth Lefty 

Of course they were. Whether or not you liked their bikes they were the American companies making in America the sort of bikes Walmart now sources from China. Walmart asked them to compete with near-slave labor. The only reason Walmart is now looking to make bikes in the USA is the tariffs.

I’m similarly bemused when Walmart, who doesn’t pay their people enough to keep them off food stamps and whose owners are now a dynasty of billionaires, asks me at the point of sale to donate to charity.

nomadmax 

Word

https://www.doverpost.com/article/20...logs/312149988

Many Ohioans won't forget.

Jax Rhapsody

I'm just wondering where these will sell at. The article states they're known for selling $300-500 dollar bikes in the stores, but for the near decade of the Denali; never even seen a pro model in there, and that is a $400 bike. And my old Roadtech at $112(after tax) is the most expensive bike I ever seen. If they are so avid a cyclist, they should be having better stuff anyway, and they can certainly have better bikes in the stores and not personally lose too much money selling a high end bike at the cost of a Granite Peak. At the end of the day, all the hate outside employee wages is just stupid. It's a store, like Target and what Kmart was and what some Krogers arw becoming. Outside a few of their own brands of crap; which is just some foods and jeans, everything is name brand ****, whatever section you walk in. It's just a store. The only difference between it and Target; is the color scheme. Still... where are these bikes supposed to sell, just online?

robnol

walmart sells 3rd world garbage.....only a fool would think that they would sell quality bikes....i mean come on really?