# Selling name brand bikes (Trek) at Walmart and Target



## DarkBiker (Apr 12, 2021)

Why don't they sell name brand bikes like Trek, Specialized and Giant at stores like Walmart, Costco and Target? 
Wouldn't bike makers want to distribute their bikes in as many retail stores as possible to increase sales? 
The only reason I can come up with is that stores like Walmart and Target lack specialized bike technicians to service those name brand bikes. 
Also, the higher price point of name brand bikes at a Walmart store would stand out and buyers would realize they are buying a higher quality bike.


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## Ousqa (Apr 12, 2021)

It really wouldn't make that much sense for Walmart because there would be immense costs with having to get new bike mechanics, as they don't usually employ skilled mechanics. In addition, profit margins will be lower on quality bikes. They'll also have a lot of trouble getting customers, as customers that want a quality bike usually will go to a bike store to buy one. So, it's not really a worthy venture for department stores to try to take on better bikes, but also the brands won't want to sell to department stores either. The shop selling the bikes represents their brands, so bike companies will want to go with good shops, to avoid looking like a bad brand just cause someone didn't build the bike correctly. Finally, bike companies would risk losing money as the first company that starts selling to Walmart will be dropped by smaller shops. Lots of shops dropped Schwinn when they started selling to Walmart.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Walmart also has too much control over pricing. Which would, in effect, force cost reductions that can easily be seen as reducing the brand value.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

No because they want to sell safe bikes, serviced before sale to specification. Walmart does not employ the right kind of technician to handle proper setup, service, or warranty. 

Bike shop owners would be screwed by this, as well as Brand reputation plummeting.


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## Ksanman (Feb 15, 2016)

Not even Walmart sells it's bike brand (Viathalon) in it's stores.


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## DarkBiker (Apr 12, 2021)

It seems that the consensus is that selling high end bikes at Walmart would be subject to a reduction in selling price, poor customer service when it comes to repairs and warranties, diminishing the brand's reputation. 
That's an interesting history about Schwinn bikes. I've never seen Schwinn bikes at local bike shops. I don't view Schwinn bikes as quality bikes but I've heard older people 40+ bragging that they view Schwinn bikes as a top 10 brand.


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## KobayashiMaru (Apr 25, 2020)

Schwinn was the shiznit back in the day, even up till the 90s but then the company changed hands. That was a really sad time.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

schwinn used to be the balls. 

Schwinn today ain't the schwinn of yesteryear


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

DarkBiker said:


> It seems that the consensus is that selling high end bikes at Walmart would be subject to a reduction in selling price, poor customer service when it comes to repairs and warranties, diminishing the brand's reputation.
> That's an interesting history about Schwinn bikes. I've never seen Schwinn bikes at local bike shops. I don't view Schwinn bikes as quality bikes but I've heard older people 40+ bragging that they view Schwinn bikes as a top 10 brand.


Schwinn has a very long history and it nearly made it to a century of operation as a quality brand.

The early 1990's were the beginning of the end for Schwinn, with the company's first sale to an investment group. The first group still tried to sell quality bikes (selling the vaunted Yeti-built Homegrowns), but they couldn't keep it up and sold again. Schwinn eventually ended up in the hands of Pacific Cycles, which really only uses the name/logos and none of the other aspects of the old brand. They tried to offer a dept store line and a lbs line, but that attempt hasn't actually worked. According to wikipedia, the lbs line still exists, but I've honestly never seen one.

Schwinn Bicycle Company - Wikipedia

Waterford is the bike brand that actually keeps the spirit of the original brand alive in its bikes, though they were unable to keep the name.

The moment a major bike brand starts selling at walmart, they're going to see a dilution of the perceived quality of their brand. Whether the quality of the item itself has declined or not, it's all perception. And as others have mentioned, walmart absolutely does not employ skilled mechanics or salespeople who are knowledgeable about their products. The people they hire to assemble bicycles are the same people who are assembling grills and other stuff. They don't stay at the same store. They cover multiple stores. And they can't even assemble the bikes they DO sell correctly. So even if the product quality is no different, unless walmart changes how it does business, there WILL be a major decline in the quality of what goes out the door if a brand were to start selling through walmart, because the bikes won't be assembled well.

There's a notable difference in the amount of skill it takes for a person to assemble a dept store bike to the standards walmart has, and the amount of skill it takes to assemble a high end bike even to the standards of a bad independent shop. A good independent shop with high standards? walmart will never achieve that.


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## ljsmith (Oct 26, 2007)

No reputable brand would want to sell their bikes at Walmart. It damages the brand image. For instance back in the 80s/90s Diamondback used to only sell bikes in bike stores and had a good reputation. Now they have a very bad reputation because of selling low end bikes in big box stores.


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## NorCal_In_AZ (Sep 26, 2019)

You can add Moongoose to the list of what was a great brand that gave in/sold out/whatever and isn't what it was.


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## Ousqa (Apr 12, 2021)

DarkBiker said:


> It seems that the consensus is that selling high end bikes at Walmart would be subject to a reduction in selling price, poor customer service when it comes to repairs and warranties, diminishing the brand's reputation.
> That's an interesting history about Schwinn bikes. I've never seen Schwinn bikes at local bike shops. I don't view Schwinn bikes as quality bikes but I've heard older people 40+ bragging that they view Schwinn bikes as a top 10 brand.


They used to be good, then introduced a lone of bikes that they sold to Walmart. Shop where I am used to be only Schwinn, but when Schwinn started selling to Walmart they dropped Schwinn and brought in other brands. I assume Schwinn had this happen in numerous places, as they're almost all Walmart bikes now.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

A low-end Trek bike being the most expensive thing at Walmart or being one of the lowest things at a bike shop... big difference in terms of customer expectations.

To a Walmart buyer, they'll be expecting perfection since they paid over 4x more than a competing product.

To normal people, the psychological effect is a big deal. If cheap replica/knock-off quality products didn't exist, the low-end Treks wouldn't seem expensive. They'd be seen as merely the cost of a low-end bike with Trek's quality that you had to save up for.

I'm very interested it knowing what happens to all those disposable-grade bikes. Do they end up rotting somewhere once they fall out of repair, like leaning against a shed once there's no more room inside? Do they fall into a hopeless state after being crammed into tight spaces in the garage and have things bend (like the cranks)? The eco-conscious side of me wishes there to be something going on like in the Netherlands, where the authorities take abandoned bikes and refurb them, selling them for as low as 50 euros. Their granny bikes (omafiets) are pretty high quality too, which isn't surprising since they consider them tools that they rely on for transportation and errands, rather than toys used for fun and exercise.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Varaxis said:


> A low-end Trek bike being the most expensive thing at Walmart or being one of the lowest things at a bike shop... big difference in terms of customer expectations.
> 
> To a Walmart buyer, they'll be expecting perfection since they paid over 4x more than a competing product.
> 
> ...


Some of all of the above happens. Probably mostly rotting away. I've seen plenty get carried into shops where I worked because they've rotten away so much, and the owners just dumpster them after they learn how much it'd cost to get the thing just barely operational and minimally safe.

Some end up at garage sales, pawn shops, and other used-resale type environments where the seller is usually asking too much for what they have (it usually hasn't been fixed up). These probably will experience some kind of slow decay because they don't sell terribly well.

some smaller number end up at bike co-ops where they strip them for salvageable parts. depends on the co-op what happens there. some have programs where kids can work on a bike to obtain one so they can learn skills. others might sell them to raise money for other programs. these places often prefer low end lbs bikes over dept store bikes because so little from the dept store bikes is actually salvageable after they get their hands on them.

I've seen plenty just rusting away into nothing after they've been ditched in a creek under a bridge somewhere.


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## Gone4Good (May 18, 2019)

It's about not de-valuing your brand as others have said. Schwinn, DB, Mongoose and GT (Dicks Sporting Goods) have made the decision to sell more units at a cheaper cost. The companies would rather sell 10 units with $1 profit each quickly through mass channels than sell 1 unit with $12 profit slowly through a LBS. In doing so you risk losing your hardcore buyers and de-valuing your brand.


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## bucktruck (Jan 8, 2006)

DarkBiker said:


> It seems that the consensus is that selling high end bikes at Walmart would be subject to a reduction in selling price, poor customer service when it comes to repairs and warranties, diminishing the brand's reputation.
> That's an interesting history about Schwinn bikes. I've never seen Schwinn bikes at local bike shops. I don't view Schwinn bikes as quality bikes but I've heard older people 40+ bragging that they view Schwinn bikes as a top 10 brand.


Stop calling me old.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

If I were to start a bike brand, I feel that the quantities that Walmart wants would require huge upfront capital investment and a mass-production machine-like process. It'd take the hand-crafted charm out of the bike. 

I fear that it'd be out of my control once it starts and that a lot of details I want would be crudely over-simplified for the sake of easier manufacturing. Multiple rounds of simplifying would make the bike totally different...

The bean-counters will advise me to appeal to the target consumers: ignorant types that shop based on looks, price, and technology found on high-end bikes. They'd advise planned obsolescence...

What the UK has with Vitus bikes and Calibre are seemingly what is needed. The idea that geo doesn't cost anything is something I want to believe. Brands that disrupt the market aren't really welcome to be displayed next to bikes that look like rip-offs in comparison though. Since there's such a limited supply available, they end up raising their prices too, after consumers buy it all up.


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## NoCanSurf (Feb 19, 2021)

DarkBiker said:


> ...
> That's an interesting history about Schwinn bikes. I've never seen Schwinn bikes at local bike shops. I don't view Schwinn bikes as quality bikes but I've heard older people 40+ bragging that they view Schwinn bikes as a top 10 brand.


Oh! There's a great book about the rise and fall of Schwinn, called "No Hands" (link below). If you haven't read it, make it a goal for this summer. It's a great read and provides some insight into multi-generational business in the US (and why they fail). It also give boarder understanding of the shape of the bicycle industry today.

No Hands: The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, an American Institution by Goodwill Retail Services, Inc.
Learn more: No Hands: The Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, an American Institution: Crown, Judith, Coleman, Glenn: 9780805035537: Amazon.com: Books


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

dysfunction said:


> Walmart also has too much control over pricing. Which would, in effect, force cost reductions that can easily be seen as reducing the brand value.


Yep, and the mega-chain retailers have a lot more control than just pricing. You'll often find name-brand products that are only available through that retailer as the buyer will specify what they want and what price they will pay for it and the manufacturer will have to meet that as they are very dependent on that retailer selling their products. If they get dropped, their sales are really going to take a plunge.

Walmart would not want to carry the full line of Trek bikes and the idea of letting your brand be split between low end at chain stores and high end at LBSes has not worked in the past.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

Costco sold Cannondale in the mid 90's.


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## r-rocket (Jun 23, 2014)

I wish I could buy a Trek with the fork installed backwards.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

milehi said:


> Costco sold Cannondale in the mid 90's.


That was super rare and not many are aware they did. I'm impressed. I grew up in Issaquah Washington which is where Costco's HQ is. They have a flagship store there that they'll often sell weird things at just to guinea pig the public to see what the response would be. The Cannondale bikes on the warehouse floor were shocking and if I can recall correctly, didn't last for more than 6 months or so. It did cause a furor amongst the local bike savvy crowd but I don't think anyone else cared or even noticed.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


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## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

They would have to create a lower Tier brand unless they sell 100% of their line at Walmart. Otherwise people don't buy the $5K Trek at the LBS if Trek is known as a $300 Walmart brand. 

Schwinn has or had the Walmart bikes, and some better ones. But 99% of the population expected the better ones to be the cheap ones. 

Brand sells. 99% of LBS buyers know nothing about technology. But they know the added cost gives them a better bike than at Walmart. Even if they couldn't explain the difference.


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## Funoutside (Jul 17, 2019)

REI still sells Cannondale. I found this out the other day, but Trek would not work at Wal-Mart because of Wal-mart's requirements. It wouldn't work because of Trek's requirements. Trek requires any shop that sells their bikes(just Trek, not clear about Bontranger's stuff) have to sell a certain amount per month, which is higher than other brands. Why sometimes you might see a shop just turn into a Trek only shop cause they couldn't meet Trek's requirements selling other brands(& Trek decides to lend a hand). Not the Wal-Mart way.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

milehi said:


> Costco sold Cannondale in the mid 90's.


Was it a regular thing or a "special event" temporary type thing?


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## CrozCountry (Mar 18, 2011)

The big brands bikes are too expensive for walmart. The brands would want proper mechanics to set up the bikes, essentially requiring walmart to set a small bike shop in their stores. Not compatible with walmarts focus on low prices.


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## Ousqa (Apr 12, 2021)

Funoutside said:


> REI still sells Cannondale. I found this out the other day, but Trek would not work at Wal-Mart because of Wal-mart's requirements. It wouldn't work because of Trek's requirements. Trek requires any shop that sells their bikes(just Trek, not clear about Bontranger's stuff) have to sell a certain amount per month, which is higher than other brands. Why sometimes you might see a shop just turn into a Trek only shop cause they couldn't meet Trek's requirements selling other brands(& Trek decides to lend a hand). Not the Wal-Mart way.


I believe trek requires about 80% of the sale floor to be trek bikes. I've heard they're very good to the customers, but they absolutely throw the shops under the bus. They make decent bikes, but I'd never buy one cause I hate them as a company.
Also REI has a of stuff that's higher quality than what Walmart would sell, I'm not surprised cause they're not really equal stores.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

chazpat said:


> Was it a regular thing or a "special event" temporary type thing?











Cannondale shuts off distributor over Costco sales


BETHEL, CT (BRAIN) — Cannondale has dropped one of its non-U.S. distributors that Cannondale said sold some of its bikes to the Costco warehouse chain. Some Costco outlets are offering a "limited amount" of Cannondale bikes, according to a letter that the bike company's Dave Manchester sent to...




www.bicycleretailer.com


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## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

Funoutside said:


> REI still sells Cannondale. I found this out the other day, but Trek would not work at Wal-Mart because of Wal-mart's requirements. It wouldn't work because of Trek's requirements. Trek requires any shop that sells their bikes(just Trek, not clear about Bontranger's stuff) have to sell a certain amount per month, which is higher than other brands. Why sometimes you might see a shop just turn into a Trek only shop cause they couldn't meet Trek's requirements selling other brands(& Trek decides to lend a hand). Not the Wal-Mart way.


Does REI sell the exact same Cannondale as a small LBS? Or do they have specific value models? Ultimately REI is more like an LBS chain with a real shop that sells bicycles and other outdoor items. So that isn't really comparable to Walmart.

Minimum volume of sales wouldn't be a reason for big box store to not sell brand bikes. They sure would move a larger $-amount compared to a small LBS.

I would like to be able to buy a brand bike at a discount and be responsible for my own assembly and warranty. Say the customer has a choice to buy the bike at LBS and get all the " service", or buy direct and get no service, but 30% off to be comparable to other direct-sellers. during COVID they started offering direct-sales, but you still had to pay the 30% LBS markup, even if they didn't do anything for you. Or if they sold through a big box store, I just pick up the box at Walmart after I rode in the aisle to see if it fits.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

REI is a bit of a different nut. REI tries to slot in a bit differently than the LBS, but also avoid the bargain box store type of place.

REI tends to stock bikes that sit at the lower end of the LBS scale (maybe up to around $3k or so at the higher end? probably varies a bit from store to store) and they target customers who are beginner/casual users. Cannondale is owned by Dorel these days, IIRC, and they're more willing to work with larger stores. For that matter, REI sells Salsa at some of its stores. Its arrangement with Cannondale is probably similar in that they won't carry them in a store that's too close to another one that already carries the brand. So REI will stock its Co-Op brand and Ghost brand in pretty much all the stores, and whether an individual store carries Cannondale or Salsa depends on whether there is already some other dealer in the area that carries that brand.

REI actually employs bike mechanics and has a professional shop in its stores, too. So we're not talking about walmart level assembly.

There's certainly a place for this kind of store. I used to work at a similar type of store (Galyans) that was a big box sporting goods store that sold better-than-walmart gear and employed real bike mechanics and had a real shop in the store. We had some actual high end stuff. Oddly even sold Ellsworth frames in the midwest. Galyans died because of private equity ownership that gutted it and sold it off to Dick's Sporting Goods, which doesn't offer the same quality of products OR service. Dick's is really just a walmart of sporting goods type of store.

And to be clear, even Dick's sells better bikes than walmart does (lower end Diamondbacks can be found there).


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## Prakkenj (Jun 30, 2009)

milehi said:


> Costco sold Cannondale in the mid 90's.


I actually think Costco selling an entry level stump jumper and equivalent gravel bike seasonly would work. Not sure if Specialized or Costco would care enough to make it happen. If cycling continues to be hot anything is possible. Walmart is not even in the same conversation. Costco you can go pick up a $5000 TV or even a gaming laptop.


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## smartyiak (Apr 29, 2009)

milehi said:


> Cannondale shuts off distributor over Costco sales
> 
> 
> BETHEL, CT (BRAIN) — Cannondale has dropped one of its non-U.S. distributors that Cannondale said sold some of its bikes to the Costco warehouse chain. Some Costco outlets are offering a "limited amount" of Cannondale bikes, according to a letter that the bike company's Dave Manchester sent to...
> ...


I remember a story of Salomon (I think) skis ending up a Costco. Salomon reps went to the store and bought every pair that was still on the floor b/c they didn't want their skis being sold there. It was something like: a third party distributor bought all available stock...and since they didn't have any dealer contract, they sold the entire bulk to Costco.

I'm hazy on the details, but it was an interesting story.

Edit: Found this article:





Costco plays unauthorized hardball sales with industry goods


SNEWS® received word on Nov. 11 that Salomon was busy sending reps with wads of cash into Costco stores across the country to buy back the company's Verse 7 ski package that had begun appearing unauthorized in the mass merchants' stores. If the story of products appearing for unauthorized sale...




www.outsidebusinessjournal.com


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## LarryFahn (Jul 19, 2005)

...


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Walmart generally sells ****. This is true for their bikes too. Most, if not all, of the bikes have a warning that they are not for off-road use. These are why people call them Bike Shaped Objects, because while they look like bikes, they aren't rated for what we'd associate with how they look. Walmart also tends to leverage suppliers for the lowest possible cost, this isn't out of the ordinary in today's markets, but when you are starting at the bottom, you can only imagine how quality control and reliability are affected when Walmart makes these purchases, dictating the price to the supplier where they will buy. It often leave the supplier in a tight place where they can't really afford to sell at that price. Walmart's demographic isn't looking for something "good" for the most part, they are looking for the cheapest-whatever-it-is, to the point in some cases where said object will end up costing more over the long run or sit and disintegrate away after little use due to poor function. 

It costs money to deliver quality stuff, not just in terms of the object's quality, but in terms of support and assembly. Talk with a Walmart bike-assembler and see how they are paid. That tends to tell the story of how this business operates.

This is somewhat different than Costco's model, which while similar from the bulk-purchase side as far as their suppliers, they have stated many times and there have been many articles on their goal being to not compromise quality and deliver something good that people want. In other words, they don't want to be the one selling crap blue-tooth headphones, for instance. So they have one or maybe two models, models that work well and are reliable. These products "come and go" as Costco finds/purchases these things. Some are more of a "staple", but supposedly a lot of their internal work is to search out and find these products, which leads to different stuff available at different times.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Funoutside said:


> REI still sells Cannondale. I found this out the other day, but Trek would not work at Wal-Mart because of Wal-mart's requirements. It wouldn't work because of Trek's requirements. Trek requires any shop that sells their bikes(just Trek, not clear about Bontranger's stuff) have to sell a certain amount per month, which is higher than other brands. Why sometimes you might see a shop just turn into a Trek only shop cause they couldn't meet Trek's requirements selling other brands(& Trek decides to lend a hand). Not the Wal-Mart way.


REIs focus is on providing quality outdoor gear, in other words, gear that works. Compare that to the aisles in Walmart with Coleman, Ozark Trail, etc. So of course REI sells "real" MTBs, just like they sell real stoves, real clothing, real climbing gear, etc. That doesn't mean everyone of their products is perfect, but they strive to provide decent stuff.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

"Talk with a Walmart bike-assembler and see how they are paid. That tends to tell the story of how this business operates."

I did this for WM and KM 30 years ago putting myself through school. Back then it was $7.00 a bike and I could blow them out. It was silly when I'd see bar ends sticking straight up but my bikes were always dialed as I'd already been riding and racing for five years and was wrenching on my own bikes. I built swing sets, Furniture, BBQs...you name it. I was making double an hour what Amazon pays today. Probably more and that's when gas was under a buck in Socal.


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## NoCanSurf (Feb 19, 2021)

We're a strong Costco house. Much of our pantry is filled with Costco, and the bedrooms and bathroom have Costco linens and even area rugs. If we can get 'it' at Costco, we do. Living within a tight budget, Costco has allowed me to have nicer _things_ at _reasonable_ prices. We found that Costco supplier are generally a cut above the average, and priced better than the junk found else where. I keep a shopping list and when in Costco I stick to the list, often getting out of there for under $200, twice a month; while my ex-wife would often leave with $500+ in her cart and missing one or two needed items.

I avoid Wal-mart (and Amazon) as much as possible. But there are times when I need whip cream, a dog collar, a feather duster, a box of condoms, and bottle of cheap red wine. Walmart works for those times when you need a crazy array stuff on short notice.

In short I'd trust a bike from Costco over a bike from Walmart. That being said, we have two Walmart bikes in our apartment right now, one for my daughter to learn to balance on. The second is for me to pedal around while waiting from my bike order to come in (current ETA has been pushed back from April, to June [sigh]).


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## pushie (Aug 3, 2020)

Here in Australia it seems to be the opposite. The big brands are now starting their own retail stores and more and more LBS are being forced to sell more obscure brands.

Trek, Giant and Specialized all have their own retail and service stores here now.


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## downcountry (Apr 27, 2019)

Harold said:


> REI is a bit of a different nut. REI tries to slot in a bit differently than the LBS, but also avoid the bargain box store type of place.
> 
> REI tends to stock bikes that sit at the lower end of the LBS scale (maybe up to around $3k or so at the higher end? probably varies a bit from store to store) and they target customers who are beginner/casual users. Cannondale is owned by Dorel these days, IIRC, and they're more willing to work with larger stores. For that matter, REI sells Salsa at some of its stores. Its arrangement with Cannondale is probably similar in that they won't carry them in a store that's too close to another one that already carries the brand. So REI will stock its Co-Op brand and Ghost brand in pretty much all the stores, and whether an individual store carries Cannondale or Salsa depends on whether there is already some other dealer in the area that carries that brand.
> 
> ...


I miss Galyans, what a great store that was. 
Spent a lot of time and money at the Castleton store. 
I won't even go into a Dick's.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

downcountry said:


> I miss Galyans, what a great store that was.
> Spent a lot of time and money at the Castleton store.
> I won't even go into a Dick's.


I actually worked at the Castleton store for awhile.

Dick's did me wrong after the buyout, though. Galyan's was paying me pretty well and giving me health bennies and stuff. Dick's did whatever they could to force me to quit so they wouldn't have to pay me unemployment.


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## downcountry (Apr 27, 2019)

Harold said:


> I actually worked at the Castleton store for awhile.
> 
> Dick's did me wrong after the buyout, though. Galyan's was paying me pretty well and giving me health bennies and stuff. Dick's did whatever they could to force me to quit so they wouldn't have to pay me unemployment.


Not surprised. 
I bought my first mtb, rock hopper comp, in 92 right next door at BGI. 
Which some around here would call the 
Wal mart of bike shops, as big as they've grown. Took current ride there a few weeks ago for suspension service, manager told me they now have 12 repair stations.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

NoCanSurf said:


> We're a strong Costco house. Much of our pantry is filled with Costco, and the bedrooms and bathroom have Costco linens and even area rugs. If we can get 'it' at Costco, we do. Living within a tight budget, Costco has allowed me to have nicer _things_ at _reasonable_ prices. We found that Costco supplier are generally a cut above the average, and priced better than the junk found else where. I keep a shopping list and when in Costco I stick to the list, often getting out of there for under $200, twice a month; while my ex-wife would often leave with $500+ in her cart and missing one or two needed items.
> 
> I avoid Wal-mart (and Amazon) as much as possible. But there are times when I need whip cream, a dog collar, a feather duster, a box of condoms, and bottle of cheap red wine. Walmart works for those times when you need a crazy array stuff on short notice.
> 
> In short I'd trust a bike from Costco over a bike from Walmart. That being said, we have two Walmart bikes in our apartment right now, one for my daughter to learn to balance on. The second is for me to pedal around while waiting from my bike order to come in (current ETA has been pushed back from April, to June [sigh]).


From what I've read, Costco treats their employees much, much better than most retailers, especially Walmart. The shareholders have complained that they could be more profitable. I probably walk into a Walmart less than once a year.

_"times when I need whip cream, a dog collar, a feather duster, a box of condoms, and bottle of cheap red wine"_

lol, now that's a party!


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

NoCanSurf said:


> We're a strong Costco house. Much of our pantry is filled with Costco, and the bedrooms and bathroom have Costco linens and even area rugs. If we can get 'it' at Costco, we do. Living within a tight budget, Costco has allowed me to have nicer _things_ at _reasonable_ prices. We found that Costco supplier are generally a cut above the average, and priced better than the junk found else where. I keep a shopping list and when in Costco I stick to the list, often getting out of there for under $200, twice a month; while my ex-wife would often leave with $500+ in her cart and missing one or two needed items.
> 
> I avoid Wal-mart (and Amazon) as much as possible. But there are times when I need whip cream, a dog collar, a feather duster, a box of condoms, and bottle of cheap red wine. Walmart works for those times when you need a crazy array stuff on short notice.
> 
> In short I'd trust a bike from Costco over a bike from Walmart. That being said, we have two Walmart bikes in our apartment right now, one for my daughter to learn to balance on. The second is for me to pedal around while waiting from my bike order to come in (current ETA has been pushed back from April, to June [sigh]).


/rant-on
costco is good but stay the hell away from duracell batteries in big packs they sell. EVERY SINGLE device and flashlight I put some AA and AAA cells in from a costco run, in 1.5 years all the batteries leaked and destroyed the contacts and ruin my devices. I lost 9 nice Fenix lights to corrosion, two VIZIO remotes..one programmable remote...one remote for a space heater....where an everready cell could die and sit in that thing forever and at least not leak it's guts out. OK yeah could be an anomaly, bad lot of duracells. or fakes. so dumbass me....Did it a second time, same deal...big battery replacement run to costco 2 years later....killed ALL my devices 2 years after that. so a 5 year period using two big batches of duracells from costco in my lights and remotes. GARBAGE.

now I buy cells from the supermarket (duracell or everready) these last and act normal. use them, or not. but the cells don't splooge out and ruin your device.

/rant

I got a nice bed from costco no complaints there...but they are not magic pixies picking the best lots of products to sell you....you can get boned by these big lot stores too...


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

127.0.0.1 said:


> stay the hell away from duracell batteries


I have good luck with Kirkland brand batteries bought from Costco... and they're cheaper than Duracell.
You'll find the Kirkland batteries on the same shelf, right next to Duracell.
=sParty


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

NoCanSurf said:


> In short I'd trust a bike from Costco over a bike from Walmart.


Both use the same third-party service for bike assembly. As do the majority of other big-box stores.
The person building bikes is the same person who shows up for a day once in awhile and puts together lawn mowers, furniture and whatever else needs to be assembled for display in the store. 
They get almost no training and are paid by the piece, so speed is more important than quality.


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## OldSchoolMBer (May 25, 2013)

slapheadmofo said:


> Both use the same third-party service for bike assembly. As do the majority of other big-box stores.
> The person building bikes is the same person who shows up for a day once in awhile and puts together lawn mowers, furniture and whatever else needs to be assembled for display in the store.
> They get almost no training and are paid by the piece, so speed is more important than quality.


It might be that way in some buildings but I'm 100% certain it's not that way at all of them. Stuff is pretty much assembled by whatever employee happens to be closest to the toolbox . Some of the largest displays may be assembled by an outside "professional" which sometimes is just the landscape contractor at the building. Unless there's a skilled maintenance employee who'd probably end up building them.


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## CrozCountry (Mar 18, 2011)

OldSchoolMBer said:


> View attachment 1926458


That is some serious short offset fork. Walmart is ahead of the game in the geometry department.
In 10 years we will all be riding negative offset forks and admitting we were wrong about walmart the whole time.
Trek and Specialized seriously need to sell their bikes there to stay relevant.


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## Jwiffle (Jan 26, 2004)

I've read that Walmart pays their vendors (for example Dorel/Schwinn) for bikes designed to last for 6 rides. As that's how many rides the average adult who buys a bike at Walmart will ride the bike in two years. Walmart figures after 6 rides/2 years, the customer will be happy and will buy another crappy bike. 

Proper bike companies like Trek would not want their bikes associated with such poor quality. They want to be known as the best. 

And they sell plenty of bikes and don't need Walmart's help distributing them (3 times the phone wrote disfiguring instead of distributing; it's not wrong, lol)


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## Ousqa (Apr 12, 2021)

Jwiffle said:


> I've read that Walmart pays their vendors (for example Dorel/Schwinn) for bikes designed to last for 6 rides. As that's how many rides the average adult who buys a bike at Walmart will ride the bike in two years. Walmart figures after 6 rides/2 years, the customer will be happy and will buy another crappy bike.
> 
> Proper bike companies like Trek would not want their bikes associated with such poor quality. They want to be known as the best.
> 
> And they sell plenty of bikes and don't need Walmart's help distributing them (3 times the phone wrote disfiguring instead of distributing; it's not wrong, lol)


Hey you look familiar


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## Danhikeski (Jun 30, 2021)

OldSchoolMBer said:


> It might be that way in some buildings but I'm 100% certain it's not that way at all of them. Stuff is pretty much assembled by whatever employee happens to be closest to the toolbox . Some of the largest displays may be assembled by an outside "professional" which sometimes is just the landscape contractor at the building. Unless there's a skilled maintenance employee who'd probably end up building them.
> 
> View attachment 1926458


nice! A front mounted brake, on the right side. This is quality work!!


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

In Southern California, the mountain bike started as a modified Schwinn beach cruiser with motorcycle handlebars. I know the Marin dude claimed to be the first, but we were all experimenting in the early 70's. Are mountain bikes were about bombing down hills and racing on a BMX track. Not riding in the mountains, and climbing with extra gears. BMX started before that with the Schwinn Sting-Ray. I had one and all my friends had one in the late 1960's and early 70's. There really wasn't another dominante brand out there. When I raced, they only other better BMX bikes were one off customs. Cook Brothers had their dad building them Titanium frames that looked like what the Schwinn Scrambler became as the BMX grew. The Schwinn factory BMX race team was like the Honda motocross race team. It's what all of us that raced dreamt about being on. Schwinn was King.


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

The Northrock Bikes are sold at Costco. But do you know who makes it? *Giant makes the Northrock Bikes.*


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## KobayashiMaru (Apr 25, 2020)

matt4x4 said:


> Giant makes the Northrock Bikes.












I'm glad to know that their bikes will give me better "perfromance". Is that some enhancement to my hairstyle that will make me faster on the trails?

Seriously though, this isn't bad. It actually has a real Shimano drivetrain. Cranks, cogs, mechs and shifters, all Shimano. It's a triple, but at least it's a mountain triple, so the two bottom rings are 24 and 34, which is what I run on all my 2x mountain bikes. I don't know if it's a cassette or a freehub though, but for entry level bikes, it probably doesn't matter. The big cog is a 34, it looks like it's that crap mega cog though, so the jump into low gear is a massive bailout, but at least the gearing _is_ there vs all the dumb Walmart bike road gearing on "mountain bikes". That fork is trash, but like the derailleur isn't some house brand crap, it's at least a product made by people that make entry level forks and not some fork shaped object made by a company that doesn't make real bike components that ends up on most big box store bikes. Edit: And holy crap those look like Maxxis Icons. That's 100 dollars in tires, easy.

My opinion of Giant would only be strengthened knowing they are dipping their toe into lower cost entry level products and just rebranding the bike. I might buy one of these bikes for my girls. Thanks for letting me know about them.


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

Specialized has a low end rockhopper? Trek has a low end Marlin 5 like this. Single wall rims, mechanical disc brakes, a Sun Tour pogo stick coil fork, basic cranks and drive train, and no dropper. Other manufacturers have this same bottom of the line XC ish bike. I have and older 29r Redline that is exactly the same.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Tall BMX'r said:


> Specialized has a low end rockhopper? Trek has a low end Marlin 5 like this. Single wall rims, mechanical disc brakes, a Sun Tour pogo stick coil fork, basic cranks and drive train, and no dropper. Other manufacturers have this same bottom of the line XC ish bike. I have and older 29r Redline that is exactly the same.


WHAT!?!?!? NO DROPPER?!?!?!
=sParty


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## Tall BMX'r (Jan 11, 2021)

Sparticus said:


> WHAT!?!?!? NO DROPPER?!?!?!
> =sParty


It's a ploy to suck you into to the underworld of mountain bike upgrade addiction. Next thing you know, you living in the bushes right near the Santa Cruz and Ibis assembly buildings, digging through the trash bins....


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## KobayashiMaru (Apr 25, 2020)

Tall BMX'r said:


> Trek has a low end Marlin 5 like this.


It's been a while since I've looked, so I may be wrong, but the big name offerings at the entry level price point are more expensive, sometimes by a few hundred dollars. For the "Walmart" shopper, there is no point on spending that extra cash, but if big makers can sell cheaper, "off brand" bikes, while still offering quality above typical BSOs, that's where the magic happens.


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

You'd be surprised at the other bicycles the same factory spits out, might not be the same q.c. or as good paint job.

The majors spend a lot of money on their bicycles, its big business.

Do you think the department stores gives a rats ass as the stock boy puts together your bicycle with no grease where grease needs to be.



https://www.youtube.com/c/BikemanforU


Lots of good videos on there about bicycle shaped objects


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