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I almost bought a GMC Denali

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

I almost bought a GMC Denali

Old 11-01-20, 05:40 AM
  #26  
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I've heard or read somewhere that GMC Denalis are professional grade.
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Old 11-07-20, 10:59 PM
  #27  
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I fear the assembly more than the quality of the bike. Saw this on the bike car as i was waiting to get off at my stop a few years ago. I've also seen someone with their helmet on backwards, too. I can't imagine how one avoided toe overlap on any kind of a turn.

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Old 11-08-20, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by krakhaus
I love a good 'pimp this turd' project. The frame it's self looks somewhat usable, and it's aluminum, so it's probably not crazy heavy. See if you can get it under 20lbs.
Someone else already bought it Though you could knock five pounds off by swapping out the handlebars. I know because those handlebars are frigging heavy.
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Old 11-08-20, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by a1penguin
I fear the assembly more than the quality of the bike. Saw this on the bike car as i was waiting to get off at my stop a few years ago. I've also seen someone with their helmet on backwards, too. I can't imagine how one avoided toe overlap on any kind of a turn.

The brakes are completely dorked up. The pedals tore my shins up. I replaced them with pedals that were a little more gentle. The brakes are pretty pad, and I was going to swap them out for some better brakes, but didn't have a right angle drill to wide the hole for the rear brake which used a recessed nut.
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Old 11-08-20, 06:46 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by a1penguin
I fear the assembly more than the quality of the bike. Saw this on the bike car as i was waiting to get off at my stop a few years ago. I've also seen someone with their helmet on backwards, too.
If I understand correctly, the fork is turned backwards to make it fit in the shipping box better. The problem is, some people don't realize it is backwards and so they assemble it with it that way! Even the professionals at Walmart apparently.... There are some funny reviews on Amazon too; people complaining the bike won't go around turns because the wheel hits the downtube.

I've only built one bike-in-a-box, and the problem wasn't the forks, it was the cables. They were routed out of the shifters, over the top of the handlebar and then down to the brakes and derailliers. They worked OK, but tended to get in the way of the gripping area on the top of the bar (plus, I was concerned they might bind on very sharp turns). I had to disconnect all four of them and route them under the handlebar to route them correctly.
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Old 11-10-20, 06:27 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by a1penguin
I fear the assembly more than the quality of the bike. Saw this on the bike car as i was waiting to get off at my stop a few years ago. I've also seen someone with their helmet on backwards, too. I can't imagine how one avoided toe overlap on any kind of a turn.

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Old 11-10-20, 06:54 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
If I understand correctly, the fork is turned backwards to make it fit in the shipping box better. The problem is, some people don't realize it is backwards and so they assemble it with it that way! Even the professionals at Walmart apparently.... There are some funny reviews on Amazon too; people complaining the bike won't go around turns because the wheel hits the downtube.

I've only built one bike-in-a-box, and the problem wasn't the forks, it was the cables. They were routed out of the shifters, over the top of the handlebar and then down to the brakes and derailliers. They worked OK, but tended to get in the way of the gripping area on the top of the bar (plus, I was concerned they might bind on very sharp turns). I had to disconnect all four of them and route them under the handlebar to route them correctly.
Seems like you could've just loosened the handlebar clamp bolt(s), rotated the bar 360°, and retightened the clamp bolt(s)
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Old 11-10-20, 07:08 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
Seems like you could've just loosened the handlebar clamp bolt(s), rotated the bar 360°, and retightened the clamp bolt(s)
I'm glad you mentioned that because I did think about that possibility. It was later, though, after I'd already fixed it by disconnecting the cables and re-routing them.

Wouldn't some (or all?) of the cables get twisted around if I tried doing that? It's been many years since I built that bike so my memory has gotten fuzzy since then. Now that I think of it, I don't think there were any issues with the shift cables, just the brakes.
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Old 11-10-20, 08:47 AM
  #34  
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I see Denalis pop up on CL and FB MP every now and then. I know they are really cheap Walmart road bikes. But I've always wondered how they would be if someone were to strip one down and have it built up with some decent mid-range components, like 105/Tiagra/MS R10, and some cheap carbon parts and wheels
I did this with my DSG Nishiki Maricopa, turning a 23-24lbs bike to just 18lbs.
Some of the Denali frames look great, they just need better components.
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Old 11-10-20, 08:55 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by a1penguin
I've also seen someone with their helmet on backwards, too.
I see that probably at least a half dozen times a year, even with helmets with locking mechanisms on the rear. I usually alter the rider to the problem. Sometimes I get "So that's why it feels so uncomfortable." "Logo goes in the front" I tell them.

I oddest incident was in Cleveland when I was riding across the country with a small group of people. Me and one other guy on the tour caught up to two women who were also doing some unsupported touring. One had her helmet on backwards. You would think someone like that would get it right. It got even odder when I pointed it out. She was clearly not appreciative because she gave me a nasty look and did not stop right away to turn it around. Made me wonder if she thought I was trying to pull a joke on her.
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Old 11-10-20, 10:04 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
Nice one on a 60 mile ride
Both of Her Bikes have been reworked. They are on a 60 mile hilly ride.
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Old 11-15-20, 06:16 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by friday1970
I see Denalis pop up on CL and FB MP every now and then. I know they are really cheap Walmart road bikes. But I've always wondered how they would be if someone were to strip one down and have it built up with some decent mid-range components, like 105/Tiagra/MS R10, and some cheap carbon parts and wheels
I did this with my DSG Nishiki Maricopa, turning a 23-24lbs bike to just 18lbs.
Some of the Denali frames look great, they just need better components.
Denali frames are pretty sturdy, and not that heavy in and of itself. The heavy parts of the stock bike are the handlebars (half the weight IMHO,) and the crankset. The components are good enough to ride once adjusted. The brakes are absolute garbage and the revo shifters are cumbersome. The Denali wouldn't be a complete laughing stock of the road bike world, if it had slightly better brakes, proper shifters, and a lighter handlebar setup.
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Old 11-15-20, 07:04 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by grizzly907la
.... the revo shifters are cumbersome. The Denali wouldn't be a complete laughing stock of the road bike world, if it had slightly better brakes, proper shifters, and a lighter handlebar setup.
I don't know why they stuck with the Revo shifters, except maybe it was because they were already using them on various flat-bar style bikes already. But to get them onto a drop-bar handlebar, and around all the curves, they used a two-part handlebar which is joined at the stem. The shifters are added to each half separately, and the two halves are joined with a "cuff" that keeps them together. Like you said, very cumbersome. Any kind of combined shifter/brake lever would be better.
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Old 11-15-20, 07:36 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
I don't know why they stuck with the Revo shifters, except maybe it was because they were already using them on various flat-bar style bikes already. But to get them onto a drop-bar handlebar, and around all the curves, they used a two-part handlebar which is joined at the stem. The shifters are added to each half separately, and the two halves are joined with a "cuff" that keeps them together. Like you said, very cumbersome. Any kind of combined shifter/brake lever would be better.
They used Revo shifters, because they're absurdly cheap. They cut the handlebar in half and rejoined it using a metal shim. I hated them when I had my Denali. I eventually swapped out the shifters, brake levers for a flat bar, new shifters and brake levers. I wouldn't use "brifters." I would use traditional thumb shifters that are mounted on the handlebar stem, to keep it at an affordable price. The two things I hated the most on the Denali were the handlebars, and the brakes.
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Old 11-19-20, 04:57 AM
  #40  
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Bikes like this are a false economy. Get something at least half decent.
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Old 11-19-20, 08:08 AM
  #41  
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Too bad the Genesis is out of stock. That's the one to buy!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Genesis-7...hite/841500714
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Old 11-19-20, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by seypat
Too bad the Genesis is out of stock. That's the one to buy!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Genesis-7...hite/841500714
The Genesis is a rebranded Denali. I've been tempted but like I said I have three road bike frames that I want to repaint and build up.
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Old 11-22-20, 08:15 PM
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Genesis! Must be the same Genesis that made this mountain bike that has been locked up on the sidewalk here since at least February. Probably longer! Bring your own bolt cutters and it's yours....

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Old 11-23-20, 05:37 PM
  #44  
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I had a Cadillac mountain bike back in the day... let's just say it wasn't the best.
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Old 11-23-20, 07:14 PM
  #45  
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I saw a white and blue one of these out on the Austin Veloway this morning.
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Old 10-12-21, 08:42 PM
  #46  
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Wow
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Old 10-12-21, 09:40 PM
  #47  
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I've seen these bikes over the years and always wondered what their story is. Did General Motors commission someone to make these? Were they named after an actual vehicle? And were they Wal-Mart/big box store bikes?
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Old 10-17-21, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Dreww10
I've seen these bikes over the years and always wondered what their story is. Did General Motors commission someone to make these? Were they named after an actual vehicle? And were they Wal-Mart/big box store bikes?
My understanding is that Denali's were made by Kent with GMC branding. They were marketed to the bike shops, however they were not "snobby," enough. Kent decided to partner with Walmart and Amazon instead. They sold for about $200. They have low end components on them. Not a high price road bike for sure. They're for people who want to dip their toe into road biking, without spending the equivalent of a rent or mortgage payment on. I got one in 2012, because I was flat broke and needed a bike to ride (shopping, riding from the lightrail to a destination etc,) and the price was right.


This is the one I had in 2012. I stripped all of the low end components off it when I upgraded to a Diamondback Insight II hybrid bike. I was going to build it back up with better components but that didn't because I left it behind when I moved. The components worked fine...except the BB and front derailleur. It was heavy but got the job done.

I purchased another one for a very low price and was practically new, and I did ditch the low end components for some better ones in my part bin. I wimped out and went flat bars...Here's that one.

It's a great bike for the price. It's a decent upgradable platform that will get you on the road, and riding.

Many on the forums have a love/hate relationship with the bike...they love to hate it. Each to their own. It's a stout, and sturdy bike.
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Old 10-23-21, 12:15 AM
  #49  
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I had one.It was my first adult bike.i was 51.After riding it for a couple of years It was stolen.Greatest thing that ever happened to me.I then bought a real bike.(80s Trek 330).
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Old 10-23-21, 03:31 AM
  #50  
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But I bought a Chevy instead?
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