Well... Walmart?



johnderman

New Member
Feb 22, 2015
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Well, that's where I got my bike. It was nothing fancy. To be frank I needed a bike just to put a kit on, so any bike with enough space between the pedals and the frame was perfect.
 
Walmart bikes are probably fine for children, but I would not recommend them for adults who plan to do a lot of riding. I was told they are not the best quality and are often heavier than the bikes of similar styles sold at good bike shops. You might want to just save up a little more and get a higher quality bike. I haven't actually shopped at Walmart though, so they might have some good ones now that I don't know about.
 
Well, because I'm weird and like doing strange things, I bought a $200 Wal/Mart suspension Mt Bike last Sept - it was kinda a joke and kinda a project to see what I could do with it. I put about $300 more into upgrades - seat, pedals, grips, a rack, lights, decent tires.

You know, it ain't all bad. Sure it's no Specialized, it's heavy, and it could puke out at any time - the welds are really scary looking. The components are low-end Shimano but function adequately for light duty rides.

Would I ride it on rough trails? No. Around town for light workouts or "run to Krogers and pickup milk" runs? - sure.

How long will it last? Depends on what breaks and how much effort I wanna put into it.

But my primary goal - an exercise/learning experience in repairs and maintenance and upgrading - worth a few hundred bucks either way.
 
MotownBikeBoy said:
Would I ride it on rough trails? No. Around town for light workouts or "run to Krogers and pickup milk" runs? - sure.

How long will it last? Depends on what breaks and how much effort I wanna put into it.
For that kind of money you could have bought a decent hybrid, say a Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus, that would give you at least 20 years of runs to Krogers with just a bit of annual maintenance (that you could learn to do yourself). An it would be a lot more pleasant to ride.

Hey, if it makes you happy . . .
 
Well, I used to ride those Wal Mart bikes when I started cycling and I can say that they were pretty decent when I just started. I mean if the only thing preventing you from biking is your budget and buying Wal Mart bikes can help you start cycling earlier, then I think it is fine to buy Wal Mart bikes. However, once I bought my Hummer bike, I could see why people said that Wal Marts' bike are bad. It is much more comfortable and the performance is much better that my old bike.
 
I still cycle on Wally-World bikes, and mine holds up decently short of one weakness--a ride in the bed of my truck leaves me with a bent rear rim. I don't know if it's normal, but rims on these bikes can't handle side loads.
 
oldbobcat said:
For that kind of money you could have bought a decent hybrid, say a Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus, that would give you at least 20 years of runs to Krogers with just a bit of annual maintenance (that you could learn to do yourself). An it would be a lot more pleasant to ride.

Hey, if it makes you happy . . .
True enough, but like I said ... the point was to see what I could do with that level of bike. It was a project, not a purchase.
 
Well, what can I say, I'm weird., and I like turning junk into something useful / I've done things like steal old furniture from the trash pickup and refinish it.
 
Refurbishing quality old furniture may be worth the effort; refurbishing some flat packed, assemble it yourself kit is not.

My favorite daily rider was assembled from quality new old stock parts for no more than $500. A $200 wally bike + $300 in upgrades would not come close to the quality - unless almost every single component was changed.

I believe the OP was looking for a platform to put a gasoline engine / moped kit on. In this case, walmart bikes are ideal. A gas engine destroys the asthetic of bicycling with the noise, smell, vibration, balance and appearance. Why run a quality bike, as long as the wally world bike has wheels and functional brakes you are golden.
 
There seems to be more than a few folks on the forums that are into beater/junk/big box store bikes.

No harm at all in that as long as you can turn some wrenches and upgrade things in a economical manner as they wear out or break.

I remember that 1972 TOSRV vividly. There were lots of Sears 'Free Spirit' bikes completed that 210 mile tour and those Sears bikes were absolute **** compared to what I see at WallyWorld stores today.

Some people dig driving around the Craigslist ads to score bikes and parts for the challenge. I can see where MBB is coming from. Heck, a couple of years ago I was repairing/restoring my neighbor's old 1970 Schwinn Super Sport...at fillet brazed chrome moly bike that was pretty nice back in the day.

I needed a few parts for it and found a nearly mint (even the little plastic cap was still on the kickstand!) and almost unridden 26" frame size Continental on Craigslist. I was going to strip a few parts from it for the $35 it cost me, but it's too cool to part out. Now, I have to find a period correct 22" Conti frame or SS frame to build up.

Yeah, I like doing that stuff, too.
 
maydog said:
I believe the OP was looking for a platform to put a gasoline engine / moped kit on. In this case, walmart bikes are ideal. A gas engine destroys the asthetic of bicycling with the noise, smell, vibration, balance and appearance. Why run a quality bike, as long as the wally world bike has wheels and functional brakes you are golden.
I kinda think the same... These cheap box-store bikes are often made from thick walled hi-teen steel...

They might be too heavy to cycle around but if you had some boost like a battery and motor or those small displacement moped engines then they might be just fine.

Especially because steel has better fatigue resistance properties then aluminium. Putting a vibrating engine or electric motor would probably be worst for the aluminium frame then the thick walled hi-ten frame.

But they would probably become entirely useless if the battery runs out (about +7kg on the bike). I'm not sure how heavy the gasoline engine weighs.

Btw, I have seen almost everything from these UFO-alternative-vehicles. :D Electric bikes, (both real ones and barely-legal scooters with pedals, Segways and once a bike with a very small gasoline engine. :D It was kinda noisy though... <_<
 
I didn't even know Walmart sells adult bikes. I wonder if this is the case in Canada. They sell everything, so not surprising. I feel like I can never vouch for the quality of items purchased from Walmart so same goes for bikes. Having said that, I wouldn't buy a bike there and do not know anyone who has.
 
For someone who needs a good basic bike and has limited funds for it, I would say absolutely avoid mass merchandiser bikes, and go the few hundred $ more and get an entry level Trek, Fuji, or Specialized or similar quality brand.

I'm just playin' for the fun of it ....
 
If you respect yourself, I advise you to not buy bikes from there. They don't seem to be quality wise; I learned it the hard way a while back, when I bought a bike for my son. It was good to see it, but its performances were very disappointing. Even though they're mostly cheap, I'd rather pay a more exorbitant price but trust what I get than a ridiculous one for deceiving quality.
 
Yep walmart bikes, one of the cheapest bikes you can get out there. I remember getting one for my friend when we were heading out for a bike trip just because he left his good one at home, it failed on him during the first 15 miles... Stay away from those mass marketing bikes, the products are terrible quality, heavy, and they are just not as functionable as a bike you would get at an entry level. It would definately be worth it if you are willing to spend the few extra hundred bucks to get a much nicer, better performing bike.
 
Before upgrading to my Trek, I rode a Walmart bike for years. I was not sure how far I wanted to go with my riding and thought that making a less expensive investment made sense in case I wanted to take up another hobby. Amazingly, my cheap Walmart bike lasted for years! I imagine that I am the exception to the rule after hearing all of the horror stories, but I don't think that investing in a cheap bike is a bad idea if you don't know if you are going to stick with the sport. I should add that I never planned on riding long distances and only used my bike for commuting to work. My interest in long distance rides did not come until much later in my cycling journey.
 
I seriously just think it depends wholly on the purpose of your bike. If you are going to be riding a lot I would not use a Walmart bike. But if it is just occasional then go for it!
 
Support your local bike shop. Walmart bikes are not professionally assembled. Ive seen them with backward forks, useless brakes, loose stems.....
 
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