Bike Stores Endangerd Because of Super Chain Stores?

Recently a Superego bicycle super store went in on El Camino in Mountain
View.
Listening to the ladies at my gym, this store sounds like a much bigger
threat to the
local independently owned bike stores than Wal Mart. The impression of the
not
really bicycle savy fitness moms is that the super store has similar quality
bikes
for less money, more choices, and better maintenance service. (This was
judged
by how quickly they were able to fix a flat tire.)

On Tue, 25 May 2004 10:26:42 -0400, Rick Onanian wrote:

On Tue, 25 May 2004 08:29:44 -0400, David Kerber
wrote:

Here's some shipping weights from walmart.com:

Don't forget that "shipping weight" includes packaging material,
manuals, etc. It's the weight the shipping cost is based on, and is
significantly more than the bike in riding condition would weigh.

I thought of that, but we're talking about a cardboard box and a
10-page book. I doubt the packaging weighs 5 pounds.

Anyway, for comparing between walbikes, shipping weight is
reasonable. Strangely, the FS bikes don't weigh more than the
others. There's some correlation of price and weight, but not enough
to make any rule of thumb. Quality is probably uniform within
manufacturer, and probably nearly uniform between manufacturers.

I can confirm that the Wal-goose FS bike weighs 44lbs from a weighing last
year when a "friend" had to struggle a lot to carry it over fallen trees
and stuff after the hurricane. It even has heavy bar end grips!

The same "friend" was able to just pick up a Giant no-suspension straight
bar hybrid bike and carry it like a briefcase for several hundred yards,
over same trees. Probable weight 25lbs?

-B

In article ,
says...
On Tue, 25 May 2004 08:29:44 -0400, David Kerber
wrote:

Here's some shipping weights from walmart.com:

Don't forget that "shipping weight" includes packaging material,
manuals, etc. It's the weight the shipping cost is based on, and is
significantly more than the bike in riding condition would weigh.

I thought of that, but we're talking about a cardboard box and a
10-page book. I doubt the packaging weighs 5 pounds.

I'll bet the combination of the box, manual, and any addional stuff in
the box is at least 5 lbs.


Anyway, for comparing between walbikes, shipping weight is
reasonable.

True, but to use shipping weights to compare to the bare weights of
bikes at an LBS is not reasonable.


Strangely, the FS bikes don't weigh more than the
others. There's some correlation of price and weight, but not enough
to make any rule of thumb. Quality is probably uniform within
manufacturer, and probably nearly uniform between manufacturers.

Probably true.

--
Rick Onanian


--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

Anyway, for comparing between walbikes, shipping weight is
reasonable.

True, but to use shipping weights to compare to the bare weights of
bikes at an LBS is not reasonable.

I would agree, which is why I didn't quote the WalMart weights in my
original posting. In most cases, there's about a 5 pound allowance (over
the weight of the bike itself) for shipping. However, that's not always the
case, and you can even have situations where the shipping weight is actually
determined via a "dimensional weight" formula, which takes into account the
size of the box.

I can assure you, however, that the WalMart bikes qualify as WCSs (worker's
comp specials). We have a series of steps in our shop up to our mechanic
area, and are frequently reminding staff to "lift with your knees."

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

The impression of the not
really bicycle savy fitness moms is that the super store has similar
quality
bikes for less money, more choices, and better maintenance service. (This
was
judged by how quickly they were able to fix a flat tire.)

Thanks for the heads-up; I'll be issuing a stop-watch to our service
managers to see how quickly our people can fix a flat! :)

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

If you see any of the following, lock up you wheels and try to get your
wallet out while coming to a rolling dismount:

Cinelli
Pinarello
Colnago
Litespeed
Merckx
Masi
Pogliaghi
De Rosa

I saw two bikes in this category one morning at a neighborhood garage sale,
and I came to a screeching halt, marched up to proprietess, and asked how
much they were.

Unfortunately, they were owned by two other people shopping there, and were
not for sale.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Badger_South wrote:

On Mon, 24 May 2004 21:04:27 -0700, Bernie
wrote:

Is this the bike that you ride 2 - 3 times a day? If it is, it'd be a
good idea to lay off and wait for your Trek to arrive. It could self
destruct - especially when you are laying some power to the pedals.
Bernie


Well, if it were, I'd be ashamed to say. g

IF one did have this problem, one would be prudent not to ride it. In fact
it might be locked up in the back of, uh, say a wife's car hidden in a
parking garage so the Obsessive/Compulsive rider couldn't get to it.

Mongoose should have it shipped back to them with an angry letter!

-B

At least scavenge it for parts and dump the frame. That parrot is deceased!
Bernie

On Tue, 25 May 2004 18:19:20 -0700, Bernie
wrote:

Mongoose should have it shipped back to them with an angry letter!

-B

At least scavenge it for parts and dump the frame. That parrot is deceased!
Bernie

I don't know what I could save, except the Cat's Eye Enduro and the Bike
light. I road the hell outta it, so the chain, sprockets and hubs are all
going. A kid might get away with riding it hoping it wouldn't
catastrophically fail at that rear pivot point, as long as he didn't jump
it, etc.

It might be that the local trash recycler would pay for the aluminum...

It's nailed to the perch...

-B

Badger_South wrote in message . ..
[...]

Here's a problem that occurs on the Wal-goose:
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~slj/frameflex1.jpg


What? The main pivot wore out? Was it unlubed?

Eric D wrote:
I have a 24 year old road bike that was cutting edge technology in its
day. It weights more then my full suspension mountain bike purchased
from WalMart. Point being WalMart is supplying what people want, even

But it's still ridable, 'innit? I doubt you could say the same thing
about your MTB in 24 years.

What most people object to isn't the idea of Wal-Mart et al. selling
cheaper bikes, but the fact that they're selling crappy bikes. When you
buy a cheaper freezer or vacuum cleaner at Wal-Mart, you may not get the
same quality and options compared to the more costly model at Sears, but
you do get a usable appliance that won't disentegrate in three years.

If this was done with other items (say, cars, with Wal-Mart selling the
modern equivalent of the Chevrolet Vega), people would know better.
Instead, they walk away convinced that bikes are inherently
uncomfortable, clunky and unreliable.

Don't get me wrong: I got the cycling bug on a Sears MTB, and put on
many miles on various other *Mart clunkers, including one that cost
150$CDN at Costco. (I think I broke the left shifter in six months on
that one.) So, it *is* possible to enjoy cycling on these, but you
don't know what you're missing until you've experienced the real thing.


--
Frederic Briere *

= IS NO MO http://www.abacomsucks.com =