Author Topic: what about cheap Walmart bikes?  (Read 23624 times)

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Offline bebert100

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #15 on: May 12, 2010, 09:31:55 pm »
Thanks for your help.

The price depends of the company; it's 150$ with Lufthanse (a big shame) and 100$ with united Air.
Moreover i'll have to change of company for my whole travel so i don't think that United airlines will accept to take my bike for free from Chicago to Denver because i used lufthansa to cross the Atlantic.

I definitly have to buy it In the US; i'm just disapointed that store such as decathlon in Europe where you could find quite good quality for low price do not exist in The US.

If someone who lives in Denver agrees to sell me a second hand bike just contact me on that forum.

Offline CastAStone

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #16 on: May 13, 2010, 02:51:37 am »
You mean like a b'twin bike? No, we don't have anything like that, the closest comparison would be Schwinn probably, and yes, that's a Walmart bike.

The fact is that the €200 b'twin bikes aren't ready for touring either. At least not touring in the Western United States, where there are thousands of square miles with a) no cellular phone service b) no one living within a 3 day walk, and no water within a 3 day walk and c) no cars travelling on your road for hours at a time. If you break something and can't fix it, and no one will stop to help, you could easily wind up dead.

SRAM components without even a "3.0" on them and Shimano "Tourney" components (or worse, those that are just referred to by a model number, like M194) are just begging to be broken; they're only made to last a few hundred miles, and they're typically not road serviceable. And twist-grip gear shifting, which (if I remember correctly) is how most b'twin bikes hybrid and commuter bikes work, is impossible to repair if your on the road. Not a great idea in Arizona or Montana, especially if its 110 degrees out.

If you can't find something used, maybe the Schwinn Sportera will suit you, at least it has Altus stuff on it. You will have to spend at least $300 on it though.

In the end, its up to you. If you go with Walmart, spend as much as you possibly can to at least give yourself something maintainable. Good luck.

Offline Bikearound

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2010, 09:08:57 am »
I can relate to the underlying angst the people feel about using a WalMart bike but if you keep it in perspective, it may be doable. Some of the most epic rides ever were done on bikes with way less technology than we take for granted on what we all consider cheap bikes. Some of the unknowns are how handy the OP is with bike tools when the need arises. The reason *I think* that most box store bikes become crap in short order is because they are never maintained. Look at the people that generally buy this kind of bike. I'm willing to be that most of them are kids that can't spell maintenance or even understand the concept. I know I didn't at that age. The one caveat to my point would be the tires, one of the cost saving measures used to bring these type of bikes to this price point is cheap tires. I'd argue that one could do a trip of this length on a WalMart bike but you would have to be diligent with maintenance.
What makes a tour  successful or not has much more to do with whats between your ears and not under your butt.

Offline tonythomson

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #18 on: May 13, 2010, 10:16:36 am »
I'll go along with the fact that "Some of the most epic rides ever were done on bikes with way less technology than we take for granted" my first tours too many years ago were on very basic bikes but very robust mechanics.
Problem with these Walmart bikes is that they try to copy the latest fancy technology and basically use inferior materials and production, that's why even with a good knowledge of mechanics I think these would not get you far  and as pointed out previously could strand you miles from no where.  Plus some bicycle repair shops I know will not even consider working on a Walmart.

My thoughts are - $200 bring your own bike over it's not a lot of money when put up against the total cost of touring in USA.  But I do agree airlines rip us off.
Just starting to record my trips  www.tonystravels.com

Offline CastAStone

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #19 on: May 13, 2010, 10:28:07 am »
Usually they'll work on it if you beg...the problem is that the repairs usually cost as much as the bike did, so people scoff at the price and get very upset. When you break something on a $200 bike, its nearly always cheaper to buy a new bike.

Also to me it sounds like bebert's bike in France is worth less than the cost to ship it.

Offline whittierider

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #20 on: May 13, 2010, 11:41:43 am »

Quote
I definitly have to buy it In the US; i'm just disapointed that store such as decathlon in Europe where you could find quite good quality for low price do not exist in The US.

I just now visited http://www.decathlon.fr/home.html to see their bikes, and I must say I am definitely not impressed with their quality and prices of bikes.  Certainly if you can pay for the trip to the U.S., and the touring supplies, and the food, and so on, you can pay for a real bike instead of something comparable to the Yugo or Trabant in the automobile world.  We do have Big 5 and REI in the U.S.. REI has the Novara Randonee touring bike on sale for $800 now:



That is at the low end of the cost scale for anything I would want to tour on.  Although Big 5 is a popular chain of sporting-goods stores, I did not see a single bike on their website that I would consider worthy of touring on.

Offline Galloper

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #21 on: May 13, 2010, 12:15:09 pm »
Just a further comment on Decathlon bikes, their Triban and Riverside tourers are actually very good bikes, I've had a very close look at both recently and would rate them higher than most of the big name brands at equivalent prices.   The fact that Decathlon offer a 5 year frame and 2 year parts guarantee is also pretty good.

I would happily ride across the USA on a Riverside but in fairness, the base model is about $300 or so.   Still a cracking bike for the money and a damn sight better that a Salsa Fargo  ;D

Recent comparative tests in UK bike magazines have rated their road bikes and mountain bikes quite highly so I would think the rest of the range is well up to standard.

They're also very good on parts and accessories, I buy inner tubes and other consumables from them whenever I'm in the area.

Offline Westinghouse

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #22 on: May 13, 2010, 01:54:58 pm »
You can do the 3000 miles on such a bike as Wal Mart has for sale, but do not expect the efficiency of a well made touring machine. But then again, if you are not used to a well made bike, you will not know the difference. Greater efficiciency is not everything, but it helps.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2010, 02:36:54 pm by Westinghouse »

Offline Westinghouse

Re: what about cheap Walmart bikes?
« Reply #23 on: May 14, 2010, 02:43:43 pm »
The airlines are out to make a bundle. They say bicycles require special handling to the tune of $100.00-$250.00. It's gouging plain and simple. Many years ago I worked at an airport. I transported passengers and baggage. The handling of a bike is almost identical to handling other baggage. What is more to the point is many baggage handlers are civilian slugs to whom any kind of unusual handling is perceived as some kind of hardship. They moan and cry about bicycles and the prices for portage shoot through the ceiling. They cannot charge such fees unless you pay.