Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Walmart gravel bike

Jump to Latest
61 - 80 of 85 Posts
#61 ·
smashysmashy said:
pr2 is a road wheel....
Click to expand...
I know, the whole thing seems a bit pointless though. My recent experience with a Giant OE wheel was a friend with a TCR (otherwise awesome bike, 2021 model?), but the wheels were just laughably bad quality. Not impressed at all with what comes on the base model aluminum Revolt either, or what you get for $1,350 on that bike besides a good frame.

My first gravel bike was a $300 dirt drop I built in my kitchen when I had very little disposable income and just wanted to get out and ride, so I am pretty empathetic to anyone in a similar situation that is either going to get something like this and start riding, or be priced out of cycling.
 
#62 ·
_CJ said:
What I see in those pictures is called "hiking". I suppose carrying a bike makes it harder, but it's still not "biking", it's just dumb. Go ride some pavement when mother nature is telling you to stay off the dirt.

.
Click to expand...
Those are from a race last year. Unexpected rain fell on the course making the riding nearly impossible in sections.
 
#63 ·
zen_ said:
I know, the whole thing seems a bit pointless though. My recent experience with a Giant OE wheel was a friend with a TCR (otherwise awesome bike, 2021 model?), but the wheels were just laughably bad quality. Not impressed at all with what comes on the base model aluminum Revolt either, or what you get for $1,350 on that bike besides a good frame.

My first gravel bike was a $300 dirt drop I built in my kitchen when I had very little disposable income and just wanted to get out and ride, so I am pretty empathetic to anyone in a similar situation that is either going to get something like this and start riding, or be priced out of cycling.
Click to expand...
I had a giant road bike from 2015. The wheels were crap. Might have been the PR2 or something like that. Cup and Cone bearings in the hubs that wore out after a few hundred miles. The cheapest cartridge bearing hubs are 100x better than any cup and cone set up.

I ended up replacing the wheels with a custom built set that had Bitex hubs.
 
#64 ·
prj71 said:
Those are from a race last year. Unexpected rain fell on the course making the riding nearly impossible in sections.
Click to expand...
Soooo, it was a bi-athlon. Strange how an entry fee and bragging rights trumps common sense, and people will trudge through pig slop they'd never venture into on any other day.

.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SeaHag
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#65 ·
zen_ said:
My first gravel bike was a $300 dirt drop I built in my kitchen when I had very little disposable income and just wanted to get out and ride, so I am pretty empathetic to anyone in a similar situation that is either going to get something like this and start riding, or be priced out of cycling.
Click to expand...
Absolutely this.

Back in 2010 I bought a Trek hybrid for like $600. I just wanted something to ride around. I've put a whole bunch of miles on it since. I have plenty of much higher quality bikes to use for more performance-based riding, but I'm sure as hell not riding any of those into downtown to pick up lunch. The components on my Trek are very entry level, but it's done everything that I've asked of it.

It would be a great thing if someone bought one of these Walmart bikes and ended up riding the piss out of it, and over time maybe it broke sufficiently enough that they had to take it into a bike shop and get it looked at. At that point they either upgrade components, or buy a whole new bike with nicer components.
 
#66 ·
sa12 said:
It would be a great thing if someone bought one of these Walmart bikes and ended up riding the piss out of it, and over time maybe it broke sufficiently enough that they had to take it into a bike shop and get it looked at.
Click to expand...
We had a customer donate a Wally World MTB to our shop. Four employees entered a 12 hour team race with that bike. They tuned up the bike the best they could, even serviced the shock, added SPDs and a seat post QR to accommodate four different riders. They each rode a lap (9 miles) on it, and the bike was absolutely trashed after lap #4.
 
#67 ·
Roge said:
We had a customer donate a Wally World MTB to our shop. Four employees entered a 12 hour team race with that bike. They tuned up the bike the best they could, even serviced the shock, added SPDs and a seat post QR to accommodate four different riders. They each rode a lap (9 miles) on it, and the bike was absolutely trashed after lap #4.
Click to expand...
whats parts got trashed? curious. I assume the frame lived, cause they often build those from tank armor.

when seth did his DH run on the wally bikes, i think the forks blew up first, and then he destroyed the rear derailleur - but thats more of a freak accident, we have all done that even with xt at some point. i dont remember if he destroyed the wheels. will need to rewatch.
 
#70 ·
smashysmas post: 16220873 said:
looking for specifcs on that bike, not generalisations.
Click to expand...

How do you expect to get specifics on that particular bike? I could be proven wrong on this particular model but I'm basing my opinion on experience with working on several thousand $200 Walmart bikes so I'm fairly confident they haven't suddenly upgraded their quality. They are adept at making their bikes look ok-ish but literally spend pennies on important components because they know it makes no difference for them to spend more.

I know you think I'm an elitist hater but really I'm just calling it as I see it. Lower end Trek, Giant, Specialized, etc. bikes also use junky components where they know they can get away with it but Walmart takes that concept 3 steps further.
 
#73 ·
Roge said:
I’ll have to check. As I recall the fork was trashed and there were both structural and mechanical failures.
Click to expand...
Ah cool.

My experience with most cheap bikes both as an owner and shop mechanic is that while they don't work very well, but not a lot "breaks". Cup and cone wheels usually go because there is no maintenance and people leave the bikes out in the snow. But when you take it racing, all bets are off haha. It's interesting to see what can and cant handle the abuse.
 
#75 ·
I am not shocked that a bunch of avid cyclists can quickly push a Walmart bike past its limits. I'm not trying to say that these bikes are high quality. Many of us have drivetrains worth more than this whole bike. But a gravel bike for a kid to ride to school with, or as someone's first bike? It's probably just fine.

I'm still interested in details of the carnage, though.
 
#76 ·
Most of us have TIRES worth more than this bike. We literally sit here typing how crap race face rims and xt hubs and avid brakes are all day. We have a very skewed view of bikes. And that's fine in context. But this is not that context. This is one of the first cheap bikes that seems to have some serious effort to make it "good". It is really nice to see.

My real world view of this is people can buy it cause they need a cheap bike. LIKE riding it, and upgrade as needed. The frame looks "worthy" of upgrades, where every other $250 bike is for the bin when you outgrow it's use. It would completely rational to find some discount parts online and hop this up as things wear out.
 
61 - 80 of 85 Posts
About this Discussion
84 Replies
20 Participants
Last post:
Wabatuckian
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion