Walmart Road Bike

Mark

Beware of any bicycle from Walmart. There is a reason that this bike
was named after an overprived, heavy , gas guzzling, major polluting
sport utility vehicle that epitomizes everything wrong with our
society. To answer your question, I am sure that this frame is
upgradable, but you would probably be better off buying an older used
steel Trek or Italian bike from 15 years ago. These are available, some
in quite good condition, for not a whole lot more than this bike. Their
frames and components are much better made than the Walmart bike.

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Check out the photos! I think it's a v-shaped rim with schrader valves!

IMO, the bike is terribly ugly. And it looks like pretty low-grade spec:
quill stem, front wheel retainers at the dropouts, yadda yadda yadda. If
you're planning to ride 5000 miles per year for the next several years
on this bike, spend a little more money. If you want to tool around town
a few times per month (or less), buy and enjoy.

Why would anyone name this style bike a GMC Denali?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

It's got hourglass seatstays, so it MUST be good.

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Word is that the Walmart bikes are very good values, one of the regulars
here is always bragging about his Roadmaster Mt. Fury. The Denali should
be 3X as good for the price.

Quoted message said:

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it?

Yes, the twist shifting is very strange for a road bike.

Good fit is THE main criteria for a road bike. These bikes appear to be
"one size fits all."

Art Harris

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Word is that the Walmart bikes are very good values, one of the regulars
here is always bragging about his Roadmaster Mt. Fury. The Denali should
be 3X as good for the price.

Dear Peter,

If one owns a Fury Roadmaster, it's hard to be modest.

(Indeed, one is tempted to refer to oneself in this
grandiose fashion after forking out nearly $60, plus ten
bucks for a nice Schwinn cyclocomputer, three bucks for a
rear tube, and twenty bucks for a slick-tire experiment a
year later.)

One wonders whether one will be tempted to purchase a Denali
road bike--and if so, whether one will refer to it as a
Roadmaster Mt. Denali in an even more hyperbolic future
thread.

One sees that it comes with a sidestand, an aluminum frame,
and other exotic paraphernalia, including alleged 700c tires
heretofore unavailable at WalMart. At a sleek 29 pounds
shipping weight including box, the aerodynamic seating might
well allow one to break all existing Fury Roadmaster
records.

One is, however, hesitant to buy sight unseen, since the
Denali Roadmaster is advertised for ages 10 and up, a
somewhat broader market than the typical self-congratulatory
marques whose enthusiasts are falling all over themselves to
condemn WalMart in this thread.

One Fogel

Zog The Undeniable said:

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

It's got hourglass seatstays, so it MUST be good.

And a nifty cutout in the seat tube.

dvt said:

Why would anyone name this style bike a GMC Denali?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Are internet users really that deficient in geography and the US
National Park system? Denali is the name of the National Park in
Alaska that contains the highest mountain in North America. Mt.
McKinley at a bit over 20,000 feet elevation. I'm fairly confident the
eventual purchasers of the bike referred to in this thread, and the
purchasers of the General Motors truck, know the name Denali is in
reference to the park.

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Later,
Mark

Superb! Walmart is sticking to traditional values, enhancing frame
stiffness with a traditional frame, as opposed to the flexy,
one-size-fits-all compact geometry that cuts prices for bike makers
everywhere in a giant conspiracy that is bound to bring discomfort to people
globally. I'm retro and grouchy!
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Quoted message said:

dvt said:

Why would anyone name this style bike a GMC Denali?

Quoted message said:

Are internet users really that deficient in geography and the US
National Park system? Denali is the name of the National Park in
Alaska that contains the highest mountain in North America.

Yes, I'm aware of the source of the name Denali. But when you call it a
GMC Denali....

--
Dave

Art Harris said:

Yes, the twist shifting is very strange for a road bike.

I want to know how they did it. Who makes twist shifts for road bikes?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

dvt said:

Quoted message said:

dvt said:

Why would anyone name this style bike a GMC Denali?

Quoted message said:

Are internet users really that deficient in geography and the US
National Park system? Denali is the name of the National Park in
Alaska that contains the highest mountain in North America.

Yes, I'm aware of the source of the name Denali. But when you call it
a GMC Denali....

Russell, check this link out:

http://www.gmc.com/yukon/index.jsp

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

dvt said:

Art Harris said:

Yes, the twist shifting is very strange for a road bike.

I want to know how they did it. Who makes twist shifts for road bikes?

It's probably regular grip shifters (with a larger clamp diameter, of
course) pushed all the way up and into the handlebars to the stem.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Quoted message said:

Mark

Beware of any bicycle from Walmart. There is a reason that this bike
was named after an overprived, heavy , gas guzzling, major polluting
sport utility vehicle that epitomizes everything wrong with our
society...

Wish I'd said that ;-)

Last time I was at one of their stores (buying a bike carrier for my
car, no less), I noted they carry a line of "generic" cigarettes called
"American Gold" I asked the check-out person if she though it was
ironic, selling cigarettes with a brand obviously meant to conjure up
images of healthy Olympians, to which she replied "I've stopped asking
myself questions like that". Good call. There seems to be a pattern
here; I see WalMart's corporate cousin "Sam's Club" offers an entire
line of bikes named after the SUV that started it all, Jeep, including
the insightfully named "Rubicon" (which it seems clear we collectively
crossed on this issue some time ago... ) selling for $1385.64. The
link's huge, but here goes:
http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_shopping.jsp?coe=0&oidPath=0%3a-23542%3a-23597%3a-30851%3a-40902&mt=a&n=0&BV_SessionID=_SC_2092761925.1115675159_CS_&BV_EngineID=cccdaddeifkheimcfkfcfkjdgoodfkf.0

Dan

Phil said:

dvt said:

Art Harris said:

Yes, the twist shifting is very strange for a road bike.

I want to know how they did it. Who makes twist shifts for road
bikes?

It's probably regular grip shifters (with a larger clamp diameter,
of course) pushed all the way up and into the handlebars to the
stem.

It's more likely normal diameter twist shifters mounted on a 22.2mm
steel drop bar.

Back when drop bars were commonly made of steel, they were often the
same diameter as flat bars.

Chalo Colina

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Later,
Mark

Manufacturer is listed as Kent International. I am curious as to whether
this is the same as the company that made kids bikes back in the late 70's
and 80's. If it is you KNOW it must be quality!

Ken

"Art Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it?

Yes, the twist shifting is very strange for a road bike.

Good fit is THE main criteria for a road bike. These bikes appear to be
"one size fits all."

Art Harris

Shifters are listed as revo. I have never heard of them before, but twist
shifts on a road bike?

Ken

Just bought a Kent 16" kids bike for GF's 4 y.o. Decent bike for <$30
but I'm not sure of a road racing bike by them. Would be funny if the
frame was made in the same factory as the treks, giants etc that are
all made in china.

Quoted message said:

It seems Walmart is now selling a road bike - the Kent GMC Denali:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3663046#long_descr

Has anyone seen one of these in person? If so, how bad is it? It
looks like it uses mostly standard parts, making it easy to "upgrade"
if needed, but it is hard to tell from a small picture... I am
especially curious about the shifting, as it appears to use twist
shifters mounted near the stem.

Later,
Mark

I printed the page of the bike. I'm going to take the page to my LBS
and say can you match this? And if they say something smartass like we
could sell you some carbon handlebars for $150. Then I will tell them to
give them to me so I could shove up their asses, because they've been
ripping me off for years.