Buying Bikes at Walmart.

The only problem I could think of would be assembly. Not sure I would trust a Wal Mart employee to put together my bike ( no offence wal mart workers ). I would take it to a LBS for a tune up after the purchase.
My 2 cents.

 

I definitely agree with the assembly quality comments.

As far as the bike itself, it is my understanding that the bikes sold at WalMart and branded as Schwinn are an inferior quality to those offered through bike shops. I'll do a little research and see if I can find anything to support this.

 

Here's a link to some comments from a Schwinn forum.

Walmart Schwinn - what is it?? - Schwinn Forums

 

First thing I would suggest is to find a local bike shop. Not only will it already be assembled, many would let you test ride it too. But unlike Walmart most bike shops will make adjustments and service the bike LONG after the sale. Both of the local bike shops I have used have free lifetime adjustments, and that isn't going to happen at a Walmart.

What most people miss when trying to save a few bucks at the Target/Walmart/department store bikes, is that they miss the knowledge base. What you might save on the initial purchase could easily be offset by the price of the first adjustment. Most good bike stores also carry starter and low end products as well, and they are usually far far better buys.

 

A while back, we had a picture of a WalMart assembly on here. I think they had the fork on backwards. Does anyone remember that and remember what thread it was in?

 

Yeah, I looked back through and it was your thread. I think it was a link to your blog, but the image seems to be missing now.

 

sounds great... typ wallly world bike builders

 

I have a buddy who used to work for Target and assisted some of the people there in putting the bikes together and he told me, DO NOT TRUST THE ASSEMBLY!!!! More likely then not, your going to get someone who doesn't care, nor really know how to assemble a bike properly. And I am sure that Walmart is similar. If your going to go the Walmart way, I am on the band wagon of getting the bike looked at after to make sure the assembly was done correctly.

 

Everyone says don't trust the assembly and go take it to a local bike shop to have it gone over to make sure it is safe.

The cost of the Walmart bike plus the cost of the LBS going over it would be about the same as a low end one from the LBS why waste time and effort with the walmart bike in the first place. Save the effort and time and go to the LBS.

 

Walmart is one of the main reasons there is not a bike shop in my town anymore.
Most people just looking at the sticker price, Not the assembly, knowledge or help that a bike shop can offer. Thanks WALMART. You screwed another town.

 

Plus you still might not end up with a decent product. One of my local shops has a sign. Shop quality bikes have a warranty on repairs, including brands they don't sell. Department store bikes, they'll try to work on it, but no warranty and a deposit on repair is required.

 

That is a wise shop...

 

I went with my g/f to costco one day, and stumbled upon their bike section at the time was looking for a new bike. I came SO close to getting this Northrock Cr7 Hybrid. I did all the research I could online about this bike, and checked out other bike forums about it, with some posters claiming that the aluminum frame of this bike is actually made by Giant. Decent components as well...

# Aluminum Frame
# Shimano Crank & Altus drivetrain 21 speed
# SRAM and MRX twist shifters
# VELO comfort saddle and ergonomic grips
# TEKTRO linear pull brakes with PROMAX levers
# KENDA 700C tires
# RST Sofi T fork, preload adjustable 50 mm travel
# Adjustable alloy stem
# Alloy light rims with 14G stainless steel spokes

The price for the bike? $259.00.

Since money was a real issue with me at the time, I was torn between this and a Crosstrail. I ended up getting the Specialized, and am glad I was able to, but this bike still remains to be a good deal imo. A good friend recently got this Costco bike and loves it. He bought it assembled, they let him ride it around the parking lot for a test ride. He never took it to a LBS to have it looked at, as far as I know he's had zero issues with it, but I do think it's still a good idea have have these Big Box store bikes looked at like others have mentioned here. Anyway, this could be a great deal for someone on a really tight budget. Here's a couple pics of my friends Costco bike.