[patmcginn768]

Checkout this Diamondback at Costco. What's wrong with this picture?

 

[DiRt DeViL]

Not that unusual, you find stuff like this often in department stores; their bike guy just assembles without care and most of the people that buys it leaves it like that.

 

[Burt4x4]

LOLooking..stareing...stareing...don't SEE...OH [email protected]!!!! hahahaha LOL

 

[mack_turtle]

every time I visit Target, Walmart, etc, I peruse the bike section and see this all the time. warped wheels, backwards forks, funny angles on the levers, brake pads that grab spokes instead of the rim. . . it's nuts. there are no standards and no one at those stores cares.

the most disheartening thing is working at a bike shop and meeting someone who just bought a bike at one of these stores and brings it in because "the brake is scrubbing the wheel," only to discover that the bike needs a thorough tune-up that costs as much as the bike itself. you get what you pay for.

 

[EABiker]

That's what my Manitou looks like.!




Almost

 

[Jakenbake13]

The ole rubber on rubber brakes

 

[Crash Gordon]

The bad thing is...some poor fool is going to buy it and not understand what is going on.

 

[mtb_beginner]

The handle bar is not visible in the picture. Did you check if it's also backwards? If so, all you have to do is turn it 180 degrees.

 

[mercyNside]

Wow... :madman: I hope you said something!

 

[spsoon]

LOL at the brake pads. That is one I haven't seen before.

 

[GelatiCruiser]

I'm pretty sure that this isn't the case, but maybe they put it like that so no one would go joy-riding around the store?






Nevermind. lol

 

[mtb_beginner]

After looking at the pic on a bigger screen, I realized it's the brake pads that's incorrectly mounted.

 

[DethWshBkr]

I actually noticed the skewer is not on the "normal" side, and is facing forward.....

 

[Max24]

I actually noticed the skewer is not on the "normal" side, and is facing forward.....

Yeah, that's the first thing I noticed as well. I see that all the time when I visit those kind of stores.

 

[kris7047th]

Checkout this Diamondback at Costco. What's wrong with this picture?

Think about it .. the brakes will stay cleaner and the aerodynamics behind the fork! lol Someone had an ack basswards day when it was assembled.

Please tell me again why I should buy a walmart goose bike?

 

[Agwan]

I worked for Wal-Mart for 2.5 years. .5 years in they realized I knew how to turn a wrench. I was in the bike department within a few weeks. After seeing that I could make the very best out of these crap bikes. they had me checking the work of all the other builders. I was given a lot of freedom to control how bikes were being built. It was a good experience, and word of mouth got around town and our bike sales increased dramatically. I was also constantly called out of the back room to consult with customers on what kind of bike they needed. Plenty of customers I ended up sending to a proper bike shop. but for the ones that just needed that basic bike to get them from home to 7-11 7 times a summer, I'd talk them into the safest, most reliable bikes we had. For customers that were really hurting for cash and just wanted anything with wheels. I'd show them how to make their bikes last as long as possible.

I got away with this because while I'd send 1 in 20 customers away, they'd often be so satisfied with my advice that they'd purchase peripheral goods from me. And the word of mouth about there being a Wal-mart with a bike guy who had a clue meant we were always busy and had fabulous sales numbers.

Even with all of that. I have some horror stories about these bikes. And about Wal-Mart bike builders.

Bike shops make safe bicycles at the 300 dollar price point. Which is not all that much higher than the costs of Wally-Bikes. Whenever I hear some idiot say they need a reliable bike, but can't afford 300 dollars. I know they're lying. My first GOOD bike cost 990 dollars. I saved up for 6 months to get it and rode a pawn shop bike for that time.

I was making minimum wage and I was in no way hurting for funds in those 6 months. So I just, I won't accept that "they can't afford it."

 

[slapheadmofo]

LOL at the brake pads. That is one I haven't seen before.

One thing fer sure, they'll have plenty of grab!

 

[dgw2jr]

What's wrong with this picture?

It's not a mountain bike.

 

[Kiwiplague]

I can just about understand the forks being put on backwards (blame Manitou for that), but how in the name of all that is holy do you put the brake pads on vertically!? I know some of the "mechanics" at Wal-mart etc are not always the sharpest tools in the shed, but how does anyone think that that is a good way of installing brakes? They do come with assembly instructions from the factories don't they?

 

[Agwan]

I can just about understand the forks being put on backwards (blame Manitou for that), but how in the name of all that is holy do you put the brake pads on vertically!? I know some of the "mechanics" at Wal-mart etc are not always the sharpest tools in the shed, but how does anyone think that that is a good way of installing brakes? They do come with assembly instructions from the factories don't they?

Apathy. Apathy and and active sense of hatred for the customer. Same reason I had to yell at a coworker for GREASING the braking surface on a rim.

Even if they do know how to do it. they may choose not to out of spite. Or because we get given incredibly short time frames to build a bike. I was expected to be out of the box and ready to ride in 15 minutes. I took 30 a bike, usually. Even then I wasn't always happy with the final product. I just knew I had to move on OR the boss who doesn't care about bikes would yell at me about my productivity.