Happy Feet

I've been biking for nearly 50 years so I will retain the right to my opinion.

I didn't generalize anything. If that's happening I would suggest it is the people who want to lump all big business as bad and all small business as good. I only offered the counter point that that is not always the case. There are lots of good small shops but I don't assume that carte blanche, just because they are.

It's 2020. If someone is still betting their business model on the fact that people won't shop, or at least compare prices online then they really are delusional. A plan to belittle people because they do that occasionally does not endear any local shop to those same people. If a business wants to convince someone that shopping local is better, making them feel guilty is a poor customer service strategy when so many other avenues are open. They'll remain silent for as long as they have no choice and leave as soon as they do. I've been involved in three hobbies/pastimes that rely on LBS (bike), LFS (fish), LDS (dive) shops and have seen the same pattern play out in each.

Why doesn't anyone get mad at megacorp youtube for teaching everyone how to service their own bikes? That's got to cut into a shops bottom line on the labour side.

Rides4Beer

As mentioned, I think Canyon has established itself as a quality brand (well, I guess if you ignore the bottom bracket QC issues lol). Wal-Mart is synonymous with cheap crap, so even if the bikes are quality (which they look to be), they already have the cheap Wal-Mart stigma. The only way they're gonna move these bikes is by continuing to drop the price.

The smart move would have been to try to keep Viathon as disassociated from Wal-Mart as possible. People that are shopping for $3k bikes are not looking at Wal-Mart, period.

medic75

The Walton family has been involved in the cycling and outdoor market for years - Moosejaw is owned by Walmart. I think cycling is somewhat of a person endeavor for a certain member of the Walton family. I can confirm that they staffed Viathon with people who are very familiar with the cycling industry. Honestly, after looking at the bikes, it is clear that they did their homework and didn't cut too many corners. A threaded BB? That is weight and $$, but they did it anyway. These bikes are true competitors, with the exception of their stupid 2 year warranty. At this point I don't know what a lifetime warranty would really be worth, but from a marketing standpoint, it makes buyer feel warm and fuzzy inside. My only issue with direct to consider bikes remains the fact that I prefer to test a bike before spending the money.

dwmckee

Yeah, I can just imagine the new Walmart stock boy (the same one that assembles kid bikes with the handlebars backwards) moving all of your pricey components over to your new replacement frame!

msu2001la

In all seriousness, isn't Viathon likely to just replace the entire bike if there is a valid warranty claim (i.e. a manufacturing defect in the frame)?
If it's a frame replacement due to a crash, they'll send you a new frame and you're going to have to either DIY or pay a LBS to build it up.

Would either of these situations be any different with a bike purchased from a LBS? Does your LBS build up a new frame for free in a crash-replacement scenario?

Happy Feet

Of course. People just say stuff because it's fun and socially acceptable to bash WM. It shows you are on the cool side of the equation.
The new stock boy didn't assemble the original Viathon and the consumer didn't buy it from the store. Why would anyone assume the stock boy would be in charge of servicing it.
It's the same as assuming the 15 year old summer student in the mom and pop shop is going to overhaul your custom CF road bike when he isn't sweeping the floor.

dwmckee

Yes. Quite typically, bike manufacturers replace just the defective component, even a frame. They leave it to the shop and consumer to figure out what do do about the component swap. A good shop will provided a discounted or free service for the customer if they are a regular customer or if they bought the bike there. Sometimes the manufacturer will provide a small credit to the shop to cover a portion of the swap labor, but that is usually less than their cost, but that is just in the first year,a after that you are on your own.

srode1

If I bought the bike from them and it was a defective frame yes they would move the components for free and I think most local bike shops would. That's one of the advantages of dealing with local shops vs buying on line, and an important one for people who don't have the skills or tools to build a bike frame up.

sean.hwy

I never heard of Viathon until a few weeks ago when my friend told me about them. I never saw one in real life or ever heard anybody talk about them until this weekend at Crater Lake when they shut down East Rim Drive from cars.

https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvis...-rim-drive.htm


caught this guy on my gopro