# Tires from Walmart



## 1971tch (Jun 19, 2008)

Anyone rode the new folding mtb tires from walmart? My rides involve pavement and trail and these appear to be a good cheap alternative to the $20 tires at the shop. Ant opinions?


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## 2007Quantum2 (Sep 13, 2009)

What brand are they? Odds are they are crap tires, like most things from walmart. IMO, it's worth the extra money to get tires from the local bike shop. They will last longer, and they wont pop on your maiden voyage. I had Walmart tires on my old bike, and they went flat....because of a sand spur....


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

I recall a thread where a similar question was asked regarding walmart tires, and several people defended their quality. However, when you consider that most everything else they sell is garbage, it's hard to imagine that somehow their bike tires would be much different. The old adage that you get what you pay for is especially true of bike tires. A nice tire will outlast an inexpensive one, sometimes several times over, and will significantly improve the comfort, handling and reliability of your bike.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I wouldn`t say that everything Walmart sells is garbage. I don`t much care for a lot of their ruthless business practices, but they`re filling a need just like Harbor Freight- one of my favorite places! If you want the best, you obviously won`t find it at either of those stores, but sometimes you just need cheap. As far as the tires go, I couldn`t say. Give them a shot if you`re interrested. The worst that could happen is you patch a few extra flats, pitch them, and find out you`ve wasted a couple bucks. At best, maybe you discover a bargain.


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## 1971tch (Jun 19, 2008)

I bought the tires. I was interested because I have a 27in fuji road bike and the tires Walmart sells in that size are better than MOST tires the bike shop carries. That said, the mountain bike tires are made by innova and do not give the first impression that they are anything but cheap and heavy. They are foldable but certainly weigh more than the Panaracer timbuks that came off the bike. The actual size is 26 X 1.95. I'm going to go ahead and ride them awhile and see what they're like but I don't expect much.


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## sonoranbiker (Dec 31, 2006)

I don't care how good they are (though most likely crap like everything else they sell), I won't buy anything from Wal-Mart out of principle and a commitment to my community.


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

sonoranbiker said:


> I don't care how good they are (though most likely crap like everything else they sell), I won't buy anything from Wal-Mart out of principle and a commitment to my community.


Truth


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## olegbabich (Dec 28, 2007)

You can’t go wrong with Walmart bike parts. I have their brake pads and they do not squeal like my Shimano. Walmart will save the world.:thumbsup:


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## CroMoHo (Oct 20, 2009)

Tires are the constantly beating heart of any bike. Just something to think about.


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## AlexJK (May 2, 2009)

all their knobbies are crap, but the Bell commuter tire isn't bad, it lasts forever, it's cheap... but it doesn't have a whole hell of a lot of cornering traction on concrete surfaces (haha, i learned that the hard way. who rides on the sidewalk anyway?) and it's kinda heavy.


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## sonoranbiker (Dec 31, 2006)

olegbabich said:


> You can't go wrong with Walmart bike parts. I have their brake pads and they do not squeal like my Shimano. Walmart will save the world.:thumbsup:


Yeah, they probably don't stop like Shimanos, either.

As far as saving the world goes, I'll have to ask the employees who make so little that they have to go on public health insurance (at Wally World's suggestion...), the small businesses and downtown areas wiped out by Wal-Mart's business practices, and the 5-year-old factory workers in China who make all the cheap plastic crap what they think.


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

this is the exact direction the last walmart tire thread went . . .


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

I will always buy my tires from one of the 7 local bike shops in my smallish town. They all know me and know I am a loyal customer. If I ever have a problem with a product, they never hesitate to replace it or give me store credit.

That said, I have nothing against experimenting. I recently bought some $12 tires that were on closeout at REI but these are not much of a risk...foldable Michelin XC AT. I hope your experimental walmart tires serve you well and don't fail when you are taking a hard corner. I *never* think about tire failure...only how I can get better traction or handling. That peace of mind is worth the money, IMO.

As an aside...I'll never darken walmart's door. Their business practices are just too much for me to stomach. When you are bored this winter, check out the online Frontline episode "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?"


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I just took a wander through the house and it looks like the same 5- year olds who made 1971tch`s tires also made my Shimano shoes, the Sanyo monitor that I`m looking at, my wife`s new Merrell snow boots, and the Pioneer car stereo I just bought as a Christmas present for my dad. None of that came from Wally, though. They must be very busy kids- they`re probably mixing up dough right now for the loaf of rye bread I`ll be buying next week.

I agree it`s a shame that they have a tendency to run out hte Mom and Pops- it really does pain me. It also pained me to see all the hardwear stores in my town except one close because they couldn`t compete with H.D. and it pains me that every single movie theater in my area is now a Century, while I remember at least half a dozen independent theateres growing up in the same town.


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

nice point rodar. if we're picking on companies for using using foreign labor, look no further than your own bike.

XT parts are made in Japan. More like Malaysia.

Salsa, Surly and Ritchey must be American. Try Taiwanese.

Continental tires and Crank Brother pedals were made in Germany. Actually India and China.

I know my Showers Pass cycling jacket was certainly made in Oregon. Or was it Viet Nam.

Okay, well I'm positive my Italian Leather Saddle was made in Italy. Yes, but by Chinese labor.


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## pop_martian (Mar 20, 2007)

$20 for a tire is cheap. It's not worth risking safety to save a few bucks for tires from Wal-Mart. And like I said, $20 for a tire is cheap.:thumbsup:


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

Wal-Mart's new tires ARE folding, but not kevlar bead; read the fine print on the box. Carbon steel bead.

That said, WM tires roll like ca-ca. Feel heavy and slow on the bike.

There are ALWAYS deals somewhere on 'real' tires; couple years ago, grabbed some Hutch Spiders (awesome tire, btw -- too bad they discontinued it) for $5 each. Just last week, got some WTB NanoRaptors for $8 each. Even with shipping, they were cheaper than WM tires, and roll/perform an order of magnitude better.


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## 1971tch (Jun 19, 2008)

Wow, That's alot of opinions about Walmart that I didn't expect! Of course I was actually asking if anyone had ridden the tires, not what you thought about Walmart. I don't have any bike shops that are easy to get to and live about 2 miles from a Walmart. I ride daily and commute so this bike has to always be ready. I bought my first real mountain bike while I was in the Army in 1989 to get around base. I also worked in a shop for a couple of years and know the difference in quality or at least the perceived difference between department store bikes and shop bikes. I buy almost all my stuff from the same shop including a Townie this weekend for my Dad in the hopes I can get him riding. If you have ridden the tires in question I would love to hear your thoughts, if not please go do the bike snob thing on someone else's post.


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## p0n3y (Sep 17, 2008)

1971tch said:


> Wow, That's alot of opinions about Walmart that I didn't expect! Of course I was actually asking if anyone had ridden the tires, not what you thought about Walmart. I don't have any bike shops that are easy to get to and live about 2 miles from a Walmart. I ride daily and commute so this bike has to always be ready. I bought my first real mountain bike while I was in the Army in 1989 to get around base. I also worked in a shop for a couple of years and know the difference in quality or at least the perceived difference between department store bikes and shop bikes. I buy almost all my stuff from the same shop including a Townie this weekend for my Dad in the hopes I can get him riding. If you have ridden the tires in question I would love to hear your thoughts, if not please go do the bike snob thing on someone else's post.


LOL, yeah ! :thumbsup:


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

This is a forum for discussion, so it's a bit absurd to suggest we shouldn't be discussing your choice of bike shops (Walmart), especially since you brought up such a highly contentious issue. Furthermore, you are asking bike enthusiasts for their opinion of the lowest end tires on the market so I doubt you will find many people here that actually bought or have a favorable opinion of them. I wouldn't go into a jogging forum and ask people how they like running in 8$ walmart tennis shoes, but it seems that you are unhappy with the general consensus that they are not worth purchasing, so why don't you go somewhere else, like Walmart.com, and read some reviews from other people that _have _used them.


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## BDSmith (Nov 16, 2009)

sonoranbiker said:


> As far as saving the world goes, I'll have to ask the employees who make so little that they have to go on public health insurance (at Wally World's suggestion...), the small businesses and downtown areas wiped out by Wal-Mart's business practices, and the 5-year-old factory workers in China who make all the cheap plastic crap what they think.


Ask the employees if they are happy to have a job right now. Or if it's SO bad why they don't quit. They weren't forced into slavery, so don't act like they were. It's no ones fault but their own that they are working there.

Small businesses wiped out because the consumer wants to spend less and less money (and get a lesser product). If the consumer didn't want it, Wal-mart wouldn't be around. Wal-mart is bring a solution to what people want and making a killing off it.

I can't argue about the 5 year olds. It's still not Wal-mart's fault though. Back to the paragraph above this one.

With that, I don't shop there. I can't agree with any of their horrible business practices and can't believe the consumer is the one pushing for it. I'm not mad at them for making a profit off the situation though. They are doing what ever other company is doing. Giving the customer what they want.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

1971tch said:


> Of course I was actually asking if anyone had ridden the tires, not what you thought about Walmart.


Live and learn. I didn`t think about it the first time through, but in hindsight it was kind of the direction that should have been expected, as Sizzler said. Anyway, now we have some interresting entertainment as long as it doesn`t get out of hand.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

FYI, I don't really care where people shop, because it is their business and if you don't have problems with Walmart, fine.

Everything you buy is foreign made, though some are held to higher standards- I'm not meaning to get into that.

Don't shop at Walmart because they have predatory business practices. I can't speak for Home Depots or whatever, because I don't know about them. Walmarts saturate areas, undermine all the local stores, the stores close and then Walmart closes stores so they keep operating costs down. Currently Walmart has some 300 stores empty in the US.

Because they close businesses, there is truth to the idea that they force the people to work there- those people might have been working at the LBS. Because they work at Walmart, they can only afford to shop at Walmart and can't afford health insurance....

So anything Walmart is sure to have strong responses. I don't know why someone would feel compelled to support such a negative influence in America, even if they were selling challengers for 20 bucks, but that is just my opinion from what I've read.


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## p0n3y (Sep 17, 2008)

walmart kicks ass !!!


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## Mr.Ice807 (Jul 15, 2009)

sonoranbiker said:


> I don't care how good they are (though most likely crap like everything else they sell), I won't buy anything from Wal-Mart out of principle and a commitment to my community.


I second that.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Tweezak said:


> I will alwaysAlways ? buy my tires from one of the 7 local bike shops in my smallish town. They all know me and know I am a loyal customer. If I ever have a problem with a product, they never Never ? hesitate to replace it or give me store credit.
> 
> That said, I have nothing against experimenting. I recently bought some $12 tires that were on closeout at REI but these are not much of a risk...foldable Michelin XC ATI thought you never did that? . I hope your experimental walmart tires serve you well and don't fail when you are taking a hard corner. I *never*Never ? think about tire failure...only how I can get better traction or handling. That peace of mind is worth the money, IMO.
> 
> As an aside...I'll nevernever? darken walmart's door. Their business practices are just too much for me to stomach. When you are bored this winter, check out the online Frontline episode "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?"


Geez a man of absolutes....What is the saying never say never


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

1971tch said:


> Wow, That's alot of opinions about Walmart that I didn't expect! Of course I was actually asking if anyone had ridden the tires, not what you thought about Walmart. I don't have any bike shops that are easy to get to and live about 2 miles from a Walmart. I ride daily and commute so this bike has to always be ready. I bought my first real mountain bike while I was in the Army in 1989 to get around base. I also worked in a shop for a couple of years and know the difference in quality or at least the perceived difference between department store bikes and shop bikes. I buy almost all my stuff from the same shop including a Townie this weekend for my Dad in the hopes I can get him riding. If you have ridden the tires in question I would love to hear your thoughts, if not please go do the bike snob thing on someone else's post.


FYI, my post (directly before this quoted post) WAS the result of direct experience.


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## 1971tch (Jun 19, 2008)

I now have about 10 miles on the tires. They are one of the worst riding mtb tires I've ever ridden! Hoping to find a deal and replace this week.


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## ae111black (Dec 27, 2008)

1971tch said:


> I now have about 10 miles on the tires. They are one of the worst riding mtb tires I've ever ridden! Hoping to find a deal and replace this week.


LOL Live and learn I guess!


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

jeffscott said:


> Geez a man of absolutes....What is the saying never say never


Yeah...you are right. I was just trying to get my point across and give some idea of how I feel. "Hardly ever," "usually" and "most of the time" just don't carry the emphasis. Sorry for being misleading.

...but I won't shop Wal-Mart. Period. :nono:


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## Blksocks (Dec 22, 2009)

sonoranbiker said:


> I don't care how good they are (though most likely crap like everything else they sell), I won't buy anything from Wal-Mart out of principle and a commitment to my community.


Do you live in those full of **** controlled housing developments?


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## J_Hopper (Mar 5, 2005)

I've had great luck with the Bell Dirtster (on a 1973 Raleigh 20), and another cheap 27" tire from Fred Meyer (likely the same as at Walmart, just a little bit more expensive) on my 1985 Trek 300 roadbike. I'm running Bell kevlar comfort bike tires (1.75" 60 psi hybrid tire) on my hardtail (2005 Kona Caldera) for foul weather commuting. All have been very good tires.


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## PscyclePath (Aug 29, 2007)

1971tch said:


> If you have ridden the tires in question I would love to hear your thoughts, if not please go do the bike snob thing on someone else's post.


I got a pair of the Wal*Mart commuter slicks early last summer in an experiment in converting my 26" hardtail into a commuter bike. I had problems getting them to fit on the rims, and as another has noted, they're not the smoothest ride around. Had trouble keeping them aired up, as well. After a week's trial, I pulled them off and put the original knobbies back on the bike along with a pair of Slime tubes. No problems since...

I'd be wary of the fit, since there was a lot of hassle getting them mounted on the rims without a tremdous amount of prying...


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

If you want to save money, check out chainlove.com or gearattack.com. They're sites used by backcountry.com to get rid of closeouts and occasionally direct-from-manufacture overproduction deals.

Nashbar, pricepoint and performance all have good deals too, although you should read the descriptions of the products closely - often there are multiple levels of the same tire, with different rubber compounds, etc.


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