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#21
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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. |
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#22
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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. |
#28
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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
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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
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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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