Wal Mart Bikes which is better for me?

[psykel78]

Hello i am totally new to cycling. I am debating whether to order a schwinn varsity from walmart which the frame is like 55 cm. The GMC denali which the frame is 57 cm inches from walmart. Or the gmc denali xl which is 57.5 cm available from amazon. My height is 6 feet 0 inches and I weigh 200 pounds even. What is the best fit for my height?

Is the schwinn varsity good for my height?

thanks looking for some experts to chime in.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Follow the link for a guide to bike fitting:

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

 

[psykel78]

I want a personal opinion. from experience

Follow the link for a guide to bike fitting:

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

 

[RickF]

I want a personal opinion. from experience

You have not provided enough information to get an informed opinion. Height and weight are not that informative. The link Scotty gave is a good starting point. Things like inseam length, arm length, torso length, and even shoe size all come into play. Also, less objective measures, such as flexibility, come into play.

For what it is worth, I am 6'0" and weigh 192 lbs, but I have short legs and arms for my height (30" inseam and 33" sleeves). I ride a 56 cm Specialized Roubaix Elite, but to make it work, I had to exchange the stock 120 mm stem for a 110 mm stem.

Getting the correct fit on a bicycle is critical to your ability to enjoy the cycling experience. For this reason, buying a bike from Wal Mart or Amazon does not make sense.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

I want a personal opinion. from experience

Don't buy a bike from Wal-Mart.

 

[TrekDedicated]

Don't buy a bike from Wal-Mart.

SECOND

 

[garage sale GT]

Don't buy a Varsity or a Denali. You will soon wear out the rear axle if you weigh 200. It's a bad design.

 

[psykel78]

Don't buy a Varsity or a Denali. You will soon wear out the rear axle if you weigh 200. It's a bad design.

i have a 32 inseam and 28 inch reach. guess my reach and inseam are small for my height.

 

[Xsmoker]

I want a personal opinion. from experience

I don't think there is a lot of personal experience with Wal-Mart JUNK around here. Try a childrens chat-room.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

I don't think there is a lot of personal experience with Wal-Mart JUNK around here. Try a childrens chat-room.

Actually, I do have firsthand experience with Wal-Mart bikes. Which is the exact reason I do not recommend buying one from there.

 

[RickF]

Actually, I do have firsthand experience with Wal-Mart bikes. Which is the exact reason I do not recommend buying one from there.

I have close second-hand experience with Wal Mart bikes. A friend of mine commuted to work for one summer (16 miles per day each way, five days per week) on a Wal Mart bike. After two months, a bearing in the rear hub broke and destroyed the hub, leaving him stranded half-way between home and work. He carried the bike the rest of the way to work. To repair the wheel cost him more than the bike. We met riding the bus to work because his Wal Mart bike is no longer reliable enough to risk commuting on it. He is about to buy a Trek from a reputable LBS, and will once again be riding a bike to work.

Other than the fact that Wal Mart carries only the lowest of the lowest-end bikes, the reason not to buy a bike from them is that there is a very good chance that the bike is not set up correctly and an even better chance that it will not fit you properly. No one at Wal Mart has the knowledge, time, tools or supplies to fit a bike to you.

When I bought my Roubaix, my LBS spent nearly three hours with me trying different bikes, stem lengths, saddel positions, bar positions, and pedals (including several three to five mile rides and much time on different bikes on a trainer) until I ended up getting the bike that was correct for me. They would have allowed me to swap the saddle after I had ridden on it for a few hundred miles if that is what I wanted, but the original saddle ended up being what I wanted to keep. They also provide free adjustments and free installation on accories and upgrades I buy from them for as long as I own the bike. You cannot get that from Wal Mart.

 

[dougadam]

If you're going to ride more than one day a week. I would suggest going to a bike shopp.

 

[alfeng]

To repair the wheel cost him more than the bike. We met riding the bus to work because his Wal Mart bike is no longer reliable enough to risk commuting on it. He is about to buy a Trek from a reputable LBS, and will once again be riding a bike to work.

Your friend got ripped off by just another unscrupulous LBS ... a suitable wheel should have cost him only about $50-to-$60(US) + tax.

An Open Pro on an Ultegra hub + cheap cassette shouldn't cost more than about $150 ... what did he pay for the bike and what kind of wheel was he actually sold?

The replacement wheel (what the heck was he sold?) should be good enough to ride reliably on for years-upon-years and he should start commuting, again, when the weather is suitable.

 

[Xsmoker]

Your friend got ripped off by just another unscrupulous LBS ... a suitable wheel should have cost him only about $50-to-$60(US) + tax.

That is more than a Wal-Mart, (is worth anyway).

 

[psykel78]

That is more than a Wal-Mart, (is worth anyway).

Well today was a day of discovery on the reality of road bikes for me. After much sacrificed research on road bikes, I decided to take the advice of many people and call a LBS for a bike. I called 4 stores in my local area. The cheapest bicycle I found was 630 dollars. I asked each one of them what road bike I could get for 200 dollars and they said none. I asked them even about used road bikes, still no cigar.

So that was it with the road bikes.

Then I took the advice of some people here about buying a road bike at Wal Mart.

Well I went to Wal Mart and they only had 2 schwinn varsitys. Both were in not new condition and had scratches on paint and the handlebar clamp metal paint was scratched and black. I actually pointed out some rust on the fork that was starting and when I asked for a discount in light of all these things. They said that I would have surrender my right to return it if anything was wrong with it. OK I said. How much is the discount? 10 %! was the answer I got. I said no thank you. And walked away.

I was hoping to get a substantial discount like tscar5 but no can do.He must of did something to get that discount.

now I am debating whether to go to another wal mart and repeat or go the same one at different hour to see a different manager will give me more of a discount.

thanks for reading

 

[garage sale GT]

Try sheldonbrown.com, he has links to several fit calculators. Bear in mind that fit is an art not a science and there is a wide range of opinion on what constitutes good fit. Some say the knee should be extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke, others say it should be bent 30 degrees for example.

Recommend you buy from walmart.com if you must buy from wal mart. A dedicated amateur could probabaly do a better job of assembly than some undermotivated, undertrained teen or retiree. So get a library book on bike repair and assemble it from the shipping box yourself.

If your rear hub goes bad, and I know it will, make sure to buy a rear wheel with a freehub. Nashbar, Bikepartsusa, niagaracycle, etc have them for $40 and they are much less likely to break. The rest of the stuff on the bike, provided it is correctly put together, will be cheap, heavy, hard-riding, and in constant need of adjustment but will basically work pretty good.

 

[kk4df]

Don't buy a bike from Wal-Mart.

I bought a Walmart bike at first. Rode it about 2 months, then had to get a "real" bike. What an amazing difference. I should not have wasted my time and money on the Walmart bike. It's great for kids and for testing if you really want a bike, but once you start enjoying the ride, you'll probably wish you had gone to a bike shop. Plus, at the LBS (local bike shop), you'll get a good fit AND likely a few tuneups after things start to break-in.

 

[wheelist]

I want a personal opinion. from experience

Psykel, here it is:

Go to a LBS. Ask them to set you up on a bike that fits. It's really all about comfort, but they'll be able to make sure you've got the rightish size and adjust it to suit.

DO NOT ASK FOR ADVICE IN WALMART. The muppets in there wouldn't know where to begin. You'll find that in a LBS there are people working there who actually DO cycle. They work in the LBS because they love it. Not because they can't get a job anywhere else and end up in Walmart on minimum wage.

You seem to have an issue with price. If you're serious about cycling (which you sound or you wouldn't be here) then save some more money, or ask about finance - many LBS's will offer 0% credit over 6 months.
Basically the more you spend the better the bike and the more you'll enjoy the ride.

HTH.

Wheelist

 

[RickF]

Your friend got ripped off by just another unscrupulous LBS ... a suitable wheel should have cost him only about $50-to-$60(US) + tax.

The Wal Mart bike only cost $99.

 

[e0richt]

Psykel, here it is:

Go to a LBS. Ask them to set you up on a bike that fits. It's really all about comfort, but they'll be able to make sure you've got the rightish size and adjust it to suit.

DO NOT ASK FOR ADVICE IN WALMART. The muppets in there wouldn't know where to begin. You'll find that in a LBS there are people working there who actually DO cycle. They work in the LBS because they love it. Not because they can't get a job anywhere else and end up in Walmart on minimum wage.

You seem to have an issue with price. If you're serious about cycling (which you sound or you wouldn't be here) then save some more money, or ask about finance - many LBS's will offer 0% credit over 6 months.
Basically the more you spend the better the bike and the more you'll enjoy the ride.

HTH.

Wheelist

The old classic schwinns were heavy compared to bikes now, but if it is in good condition is highly prized by people who like to ride... I agree with Garage that the bike is heavy, and will require tweaking but will generally work for him to see if he likes biking...