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Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?



 
 
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  #21  
Old May 15th 04, 02:51 PM
Dave
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

Rick Onanian wrote in message . ..
(Dave) wrote:
with my much cheaper stuff. It will be interesting to see how the
Walmart bike holds up -- or falls apart. I'm not going to be jumping


Go to groups.google.com and search for
carl fogel fury roadmaster


A "self destruction" story? The particular bike I bought was the
Mongoose xr-200, which is a _pretend_ high-end bike.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ... 940864902498

http://www.dirtworld.com/COMMUNITY/g...p?message=1981

it or riding it cross-country. As for changing a tire I think dry rot
would be my primary risk. Fifty miles a week for half the year just
doesn't wear tires out.


Ultra-cheap bike tires do seem to last forever.


Indy 500 comes to mind -- good tires need to be changed constantly.
Ads
  #22  
Old May 19th 04, 03:05 PM
smyrna45
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

Hello. New to the group, and relatively new to cycling (after a 30 year
hiatus). I recently got semi-serious about road biking after my knee started
bothering me from running 5 miles a day. I have been riding 20-70 miles a
day for the last few weeks. I have partially restored (new tires, lubed and
adjusted everything, new chain, new brake and shifter cables) an old Schwinn
World road bike I piked up for under $10.

When I was buying these parts, I was amazed that my local Walmart and
TheSportsAuthority didn't even carry a tire (old 27x1.25) for the bike, and
forget buying cables, derailers, etc. in bulk, In fact, I had a hard time
finding a decent spoke wrench and chain tool there. My LBS has beome a
regular stop on my daily rides. I was also amazed that the LBS is thriving
not 2 miles from the Walmart. Could have something to do with the fact that
not only does Walmart or TheSportsAuthority have a new bike I would consider
buying, but their parts selection is as I said awful. My LBS is on a riding
trail, and thriving. Its nice to see a small local businessman doing so well
against the giant mega-store.


"Steven M. Scharf" wrote in message
link.net...

"James Lynx" wrote in message
om...

Are these mega stores really a threat to bike stores?


Bike shops think so.

The bike shops were furious when Specialized introduced another brand name
to sell in mega-stores (called "Full Force"). Specialized had to stop
selling through this channel or risk losing all their retailers.




  #23  
Old May 19th 04, 10:09 PM
Rick Onanian
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

On Wed, 19 May 2004 10:05:11 -0400, "smyrna45"
wrote:
When I was buying these parts, I was amazed that my local Walmart and
TheSportsAuthority didn't even carry a tire (old 27x1.25) for the bike, and
forget buying cables, derailers, etc. in bulk, In fact, I had a hard time


The WalMarts here have surprisingly good 27" tires for something
like $6. They have "tune-up kits" for maybe $4 or $5 which include
(IIRC) a complete set of brake and derailer cables and housings and
a pair of threaded-stud brake pads, but the stuff is very low
quality.

finding a decent spoke wrench and chain tool there. My LBS has beome a


They have spoke wrenches and chain tools, but nothing worth using,
even if it is extremely cheap.

WalMart is a useful resource for some beater-bike needs. I've never
seen anything there that I'd use on a nice bike.
--
Rick Onanian
  #24  
Old May 20th 04, 01:43 AM
Mike Kruger
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

"smyrna45" wrote in message
...

When I was buying these parts, I was amazed that my local Walmart and
TheSportsAuthority didn't even carry a tire (old 27x1.25) for the bike,

and
forget buying cables, derailers, etc. in bulk, In fact, I had a hard time
finding a decent spoke wrench and chain tool there. My LBS has beome a
regular stop on my daily rides. I was also amazed that the LBS is thriving
not 2 miles from the Walmart. Could have something to do with the fact

that
not only does Walmart or TheSportsAuthority have a new bike I would

consider
buying, but their parts selection is as I said awful.


And why carry parts?
If you don't carry parts, people get tempted to go to the "buy new" side of
the "fix or buy new" equation.
If you don't carry parts, you don't need staff to explain which small part
they need.
If you don't carry parts, you don't need staff to install parts or explain
how to install parts.

It's not evil not to carry parts. It's just a different business model.

Over time, this business model will fit some aspects of the business better
than others.
It fits children's bikes pretty well, because people want inexpensive bikes
and they don't have to last long.
It doesn't fit the adult enthusiast market as well, which is why LBS's have
tended to be more successful there.


  #25  
Old May 23rd 04, 01:59 PM
Eric D
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

"Mike Kruger" wrote
It's not evil not to carry parts. It's just a different business model.

Over time, this business model will fit some aspects of the business better
than others.
It fits children's bikes pretty well, because people want inexpensive bikes
and they don't have to last long.


Mike,
Right on! Your comments hit on something that I believe most people
seem to ignore or just don't understand. People that make comments
about the "local bike shop is the only place to buy a bike" are trying
to group all biking activities into one category. Sorry, but that's
just not real world. Some people have the means to buy a bike from
other then WalMart or other discount store. That's great! Good for
those that can. However, there are many who can not afford $500 or
more for a bike. This is another group. Just like the high end bike
users they too desire to ride a bike as opposed to nothing. WalMart
fills a real need, hence the reason for their success. Peolpe can bad
mouth others that buy from WalMart all they want, they won't change a
thing. Knowing this, I believe that a number of people that continue
to bad mouth WalMart bike and people that buy them, are on nothing
more then an ego-trip. Bad mouthing makes them feel superior and in
their minds justifies the high cost of their bike.
  #26  
Old May 23rd 04, 09:20 PM
Mike Jacoubowsky
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?


WalMart fills a real need, hence the reason for their success.


But that need is not to supply people with an adequate bike for their kids;
rather, the need they serve is to sell a BSO (bike shaped object) that
presents a very poor bicycle experience and thus turns away a lot of young
kids from the fun & joys & practicality that a bicycle can offer.

You use the argument that many people can't afford a bike from a bike shop,
which is undoubtedly true. However, many people can, but have rearranged
their priorities such that a bicycle now fits into the "toy" category,
rather than a durable good. If you want proof, look at what people pay for
cheap bicycles now vs 30 years ago. I recall the kid down the street
getting a Sears 3-speed that cost $48 (in 1962). I got a Monarch 24"-wheel
bike (which I still have in the basement), and was about $30. Those bikes,
in today's dollars, would sell for $180 & $288. Yet the bikes parents are
buying their kids at WalMart are in the $40-$90 range.

Parents are still spending money... LOTS of money... on their kids. Their
priorities have changed radically though. They don't bat an eye at spending
$200 for a video game console, and who-knows-how-much each month for new
games.

For many, it's all about priorities. Sure, there are some families who
could only afford a bike from WalMart. But if a family has a Playstation or
an X-Box (or both) and a bunch of games... sorry, I cannot buy your argument
that WalMart is serving some noble purpose by selling cheap bikes, nor that
those kids are better off with them.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Eric D" wrote in message
om...
"Mike Kruger" wrote
It's not evil not to carry parts. It's just a different business model.

Over time, this business model will fit some aspects of the business

better
than others.
It fits children's bikes pretty well, because people want inexpensive

bikes
and they don't have to last long.


Mike,
Right on! Your comments hit on something that I believe most people
seem to ignore or just don't understand. People that make comments
about the "local bike shop is the only place to buy a bike" are trying
to group all biking activities into one category. Sorry, but that's
just not real world. Some people have the means to buy a bike from
other then WalMart or other discount store. That's great! Good for
those that can. However, there are many who can not afford $500 or
more for a bike. This is another group. Just like the high end bike
users they too desire to ride a bike as opposed to nothing. WalMart
fills a real need, hence the reason for their success. Peolpe can bad
mouth others that buy from WalMart all they want, they won't change a
thing. Knowing this, I believe that a number of people that continue
to bad mouth WalMart bike and people that buy them, are on nothing
more then an ego-trip. Bad mouthing makes them feel superior and in
their minds justifies the high cost of their bike.



  #27  
Old May 23rd 04, 09:52 PM
Ryan Cousineau
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

In article ,
(Eric D) wrote:

"Mike Kruger" wrote
It's not evil not to carry parts. It's just a different business model.

Over time, this business model will fit some aspects of the business better
than others.
It fits children's bikes pretty well, because people want inexpensive bikes
and they don't have to last long.


Mike,
Right on! Your comments hit on something that I believe most people
seem to ignore or just don't understand. People that make comments
about the "local bike shop is the only place to buy a bike" are trying
to group all biking activities into one category. Sorry, but that's
just not real world. Some people have the means to buy a bike from
other then WalMart or other discount store. That's great! Good for
those that can. However, there are many who can not afford $500 or
more for a bike. This is another group. Just like the high end bike
users they too desire to ride a bike as opposed to nothing. WalMart
fills a real need, hence the reason for their success. Peolpe can bad
mouth others that buy from WalMart all they want, they won't change a
thing. Knowing this, I believe that a number of people that continue
to bad mouth WalMart bike and people that buy them, are on nothing
more then an ego-trip. Bad mouthing makes them feel superior and in
their minds justifies the high cost of their bike.


It takes more effort, but vastly more bicycle than Wal-Mart sells can
generally be had for a song in the used market, or even beside dumpsters.

My last two commuter bikes were $10 garage sale finds. I have a used
Kona hardtail that cost me about what a "high-end" Wal-Mart bike would
go for. All of those bikes were faster and better built than a Wal-Mart
bike, which is the concern.

That said, most of the department store bikes today seem to have
aluminum rims and reasonably effective V-brakes. Those two changes alone
make them worlds better than the department store bikes of yesteryear,
which usually featured steel rims and brakes that worked not much better
than the rims.

Note that as of this week, with gas prices at 99.9 cents/litre locally,
Wal-Mart has started selling a slick-tired "commuter" bike complete with
fenders, saddlebags, and I think lights too. All for $200.

Now that's great! This is a really usable bike which acts as a turn-key
commuter solution. I suspect most riders would want a better bike after
a year or two of serious riding, but the truth is that most cyclists
never quite seem to make it to a year or two of serious riding. For
them, buying a cheap bike is a reasonable approach, since if they
followed our advice, they'd spend hundreds on a bike, and then never
ride it anyways.

It reminds me a bit, too, of a friend who said that the real virtues of
Wagner's Ring cycle were best appreciated after 2 or 3 complete
performances. I suggested that if I was had invested that much time in
the Ring cycle, I'd probably convince myself it was good just so it
didn't seem like I had wasted my time .

-RjC.

--
Ryan Cousineau,
http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
  #28  
Old May 23rd 04, 09:57 PM
Badger_South
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

On Sun, 23 May 2004 20:20:36 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:


WalMart fills a real need, hence the reason for their success.


But that need is not to supply people with an adequate bike for their kids;
rather, the need they serve is to sell a BSO (bike shaped object) that
presents a very poor bicycle experience and thus turns away a lot of young
kids from the fun & joys & practicality that a bicycle can offer.


I might add a couple comments.

With the rise in popularity of MTN bikes, kids may want a BSO that looks
like what they may see on TV - and that might be a full-suspension bike
used by single track riders and done right, for proper needs. (I'm just
theorizing here.)

But when I see a kid pointing and looking at a rad-BSO in Wally world with
full suspension back and front forks and the kid is 60lbs and 10 years old
and prob. can't even use/benefit from that feature, and is just getting
'useless weight' or 'envy' of playmates for the 'look' it's unfortunate.

Beginners, or peeps getting back into biking may not realize that what they
need is a good beginning bike with hard tail, or even non-suspension forks
with good shifting and brakes and pedals, and maximize the best features
they could get - IMO, lightness, durability and good componentry that
wasn't available 10-20 years ago.

The best deal might be a good starter bike from a good company with minimal
'gee-gaws', or a reconditioning the bike in their garage which may be a
good bike from 10-20 years ago, and -then- as they learn what their true
biking needs are, they can make an intelligent choice for the next step up.

Here they could upgrade components on the starter bike, or look for a good
used bike and get the LBS to service it and upgrade it with lighter, better
componentry, wheels, hubs, pedals, etc.

Sound reasonable Mike? ;-)

-Badger


  #29  
Old May 23rd 04, 10:11 PM
Badger_South
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

On Sun, 23 May 2004 13:52:20 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote:

My last two commuter bikes were $10 garage sale finds. I have a used
Kona hardtail that cost me about what a "high-end" Wal-Mart bike would
go for. All of those bikes were faster and better built than a Wal-Mart
bike, which is the concern.


Cool, but don't you have to be 'savvy' and know what to look for in the
yard sales?

Wonder if there's a short list of guidelines you use, like 'name', or some
telling feature that makes you jump at a garage sale bike or or used bike
that you could share?

-B


  #30  
Old May 23rd 04, 10:35 PM
Pat
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Default Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?


Cool, but don't you have to be 'savvy' and know what to look for in the
yard sales?

Wonder if there's a short list of guidelines you use, like 'name', or some
telling feature that makes you jump at a garage sale bike or or used bike
that you could share?

-B


My problem with yard sales has been that the kind of people who have yard
sales do not buy good quality bikes. I have seen bikes from afar and
stopped only to see "Huffy" written on the side of the bikes.

Pat in TX




 




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