The latest Wal-Mart Road Bike



e0richt said:
hey tcar, I can agree on that.... but I have a question for you about the "varsity", did you ever put the upgrade components on it?

and Im sure you probably have mentioned this but did it come with free wheel or free hub? (not the yukon, the varsity...)
Freehub I believe also. I guess I do not know of a sure way to tell. I know what they are but do not know a manner to decipher without removing them.
I did put on the new components. I have not replaced the hub and rear cassette at this point and that could be my problem. Otherwise shifting is great but I keep getting this little chain clicking sound through most gears. I am sure I need to better adjust the rear derailer. Which brings me to another question, how much cable stretch should I expect. I mean damn, 5 weeks, 4 weekely adjustments and it seems that I have pulled back an additional inch of shifter cable in that time. When is it going to end. I am using the grey Ultegra cable that came with the set.
Anyone have any experience with this.....???:(
 
FREEWHEEL TEST:

A freewheel hub of 5 speeds or more will start to wobble and make crunchy sounds after 500 miles.

Another way to tell is that a freewheel hub will have a fairly prominent lockring which should stay put when the chainrings are rotated backwards while the wheel is still.

There will also be a lockring on a freehub but it will turn backwards with the sprockets when the wheel is still and the crank is backpedaled.

The freewheel hub may have a lockring which holds the sprockets on, and this will turn with the sprockets and not the wheel when backpedaled. However, there will also be a lockring inside the sprockets, which will not turn when the sprockets are backpedaled.
 
cmacblue42 said:
The Denali has gripshifters (yes, you heard right) and is has the weight and efficency of a real GMC Denali. My freinds dad has one and does training crits on it.
hey cmac, I was wondering if you could let us know how your friend's dad is doing with the Denali...?
 
e0richt said:
that may be a possibility, but I havent seen anything like that here in NJ...
the cheapest road bike that I have seen here is at the "sports authority" sporting goods store that carried a K2 road bike for about 400..
I am new to the cycling world and have done some research and price comparisons (I live in Jersey also).
I think with some patience and diligent searching, you can find a really great deal locally.

After visiting some shops (LBS, Ski Barns, etc) looking at bikes and in shock at the price tags, I then turned to internet stores (Rei, performance, CBO).

Although it was eBay, I picked up two bikes from local stores (well, one not so local). I was able to get a Coda Sport from NY (but paid shipping) and would have only been $300. Although it's a hybrid, for a little more money it can be changed to a descent road bike.

And the best deal I ever had... I picked up a brand new Jamis Quest road bike (retails for $1200+) for less than $400. I did this by frequently searching for local auctions through eBay with no reserves/minimum bids. I was able to save more by picking the bike up from the bike store instead of the $120+shipping
although this is very fortunate, it is not impossible.

Good luck to others on their diamond in the rough!
 
seriouslysilly said:
I am new to the cycling world and have done some research and price comparisons (I live in Jersey also).
I think with some patience and diligent searching, you can find a really great deal locally.

After visiting some shops (LBS, Ski Barns, etc) looking at bikes and in shock at the price tags, I then turned to internet stores (Rei, performance, CBO).

Although it was eBay, I picked up two bikes from local stores (well, one not so local). I was able to get a Coda Sport from NY (but paid shipping) and would have only been $300. Although it's a hybrid, for a little more money it can be changed to a descent road bike.

And the best deal I ever had... I picked up a brand new Jamis Quest road bike (retails for $1200+) for less than $400. I did this by frequently searching for local auctions through eBay with no reserves/minimum bids. I was able to save more by picking the bike up from the bike store instead of the $120+shipping
although this is very fortunate, it is not impossible.

Good luck to others on their diamond in the rough!
sounds like you got a great deal there... I ended up buying the Denali because I wanted something to use as a commuter without having to worry that I had a 1200.00 bicycle unattended... I haven't really had a chance to put it through its paces yet... I have ridden a few miles on it and the shifting seems to need adjustment but other than that, it seems "ok"... I might have to put on some friction shifters to make it work (and free up some bar space) well though...
 
tcar5 said:
Freehub I believe also. I guess I do not know of a sure way to tell. I know what they are but do not know a manner to decipher without removing them.
I did put on the new components. I have not replaced the hub and rear cassette at this point and that could be my problem. Otherwise shifting is great but I keep getting this little chain clicking sound through most gears. I am sure I need to better adjust the rear derailer. Which brings me to another question, how much cable stretch should I expect. I mean damn, 5 weeks, 4 weekely adjustments and it seems that I have pulled back an additional inch of shifter cable in that time. When is it going to end. I am using the grey Ultegra cable that came with the set.
Anyone have any experience with this.....???:(
hey tcar, did you ever get that Yukon?
 
It's nice to see Wal-Mart finally offering more frame sizes and specing Sora STI's
 
Cyclist14 said:
It's nice to see Wal-Mart finally offering more frame sizes and specing Sora STI's
I agree and not because this is a fantastic bike but because maybe bike suppliers will see that there is a significant group that would be happy with a "road bike" configuration that matches something similar to hybrid cost.
 
e0richt said:
I agree and not because this is a fantastic bike but because maybe bike suppliers will see that there is a significant group that would be happy with a "road bike" configuration that matches something similar to hybrid cost.
Sure, most of that fancy $hit some of these folks are into on this forum is needed to be competitive in a race when a few inches can mean victory or defeat, but is by no means necessary if you don't need instantaneous shifts under power or don't care about 5-10 lbs.
 
garage sale GT said:
Sure, most of that fancy $hit some of these folks are into on this forum is needed to be competitive in a race when a few inches can mean victory or defeat, but is by no means necessary if you don't need instantaneous shifts under power or don't care about 5-10 lbs.
I agree, and if I suddenly hit a "sweet spot" in my training that allows for me to be competitive, then I would want that fancy $hit... Unfortunately, right now Im just trying to lose some weight and build some fitness. Wish the cycling industry would try to include "us"... I mean, as I have said in another thread, nobody really "wants" to buy a bike from "walmart"...
 
I don't know. It just keeps getting said something about the Walmart death cycle. I think I know what they mean the chain keeps falling off. I don't really know anything about the one you are talking about. I think Target is better for things like this if you want low cost. There are a lot of people who don't trust or like Walmart. Some won't even shop in there. It depends upon what it is. Riding a bike you want it to be safe and reliable.
 

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