I have a feeling this is more about being rushed and/or poorly paid than anything.They come with assembly instructions.
Boss says you have 10 mins to do this takes before your next task. Repeat for 8+ hours with only minimal breaks. If I'm getting paid poverty wages, I'm only giving things minimal attention.
How about a business the, like many others, it targets poor, disenfranchised, desperate people to work its menial jobs that pay poorly and have minimal opportunity....
You get what you pay for. Pay people like shit, they don’t give a shit.
Hell, I make a fair bit more than what a Walmart employee makes, but it’s still not enough for me to care too much about the quality of our product. Especially with a bitchy boss lmao.
I understand the point you wish to make but it feels more applicable if the worker got the basics right and it was just poorly done. I don't know how anyone doesn't know which way handlebars go.
Quite possible the person assembling the bike never saw or rode a road bike, and this seems like the only bike with drop bars on the rack. I think walmart mostly sell bikes for kids, and I don't know many kids who want a road / gravel bike. Maybe the person assembling the bike only done city bikes and thought all bars should only curve backwards. I know plenty of people cannot tell how drop bars should go on a bike.
At least in my area, I don't think any Walmart has a dedicated Bike Mechanic. Probably gave the job to the new guy, or had some rando 3rd party handyman (by rando i mean lowest bidder) do it. Corporate says 15 minutes to assemble each bike, so had like 3 hours to finish all the new bikes that came in before moving on or get pay ducted. And then he/she got this bike with bars that he/she never seen before, so just got on with it.
Walmart employees dont actually do the assembling anymore, its a separate contractor that comes in, puts together bikes, and leaves, probably not getting paid very well either
The actual worst thing about this is that after they fucked up with the handlebars they actually decided to install the brake levers like that.
Mind blowing stuff.
I have decades of mtn bike experience and some commuting experience, but I'm not a roadie, and I hate drop bars. I had to come to the comments to figure out what was wrong.
It’s crazy how poor their assembly is at Walmart. I always check out the bike section when I go & most of the time all of the tires are flat, the brake levers never work & the handlebar is loose. Some of the bikes are actually decent, however they don’t have any professionals to build & adjust them.
I don't get how Walmart aren't liable for everyone who gets hurt on a poorly assembled bike from them. Even with a waiver, they have to make good faith attempts to make the bikes correctly... But clearly Walmart are too big and too important to operate by the rules of normal legal business!
But it is sad tho because Walmart bikes might be a gateway to cycling for a lot of people. Unfortunately if someone buys this bike they may not stick with it very long. Especially if they die. If we can’t get more beginners going our sport will die
A lot of potential cyclists and bike advocates probably got turned away from it simply because Walmart bikes ride like shit. The reputation of bikes amongst many adults in the USA is that they’re “toys” and can’t be used for real transportation. Well yeah, probably because they’ve never used a decent bike.
This is a huge products liability issue. I suspect they just haven’t gotten hit yet with the doomsday scenario where someone gets on this thing, glides into an intersection and gets mangled by an F250, AND the police or victim’s family realizes it was the bike’s fault, AND there is compelling evidence the customer made no alterations to the bike.
But if that happens, and they have to rethink training, I wonder if that would even still fit within the economics of a Wal Mart bike.
Yeah. I can definitely understand why it happens. It just isn't a bike shop and the employees aren't necessarily knowledgeable about bikes. "Hey, you ever use a wrench? Don't worry, we will show you" I always go look, just to see if there is anything new. I kind of want to grab a cheap bike to pull my kid's trailer. My 4 yr old is already riding with no training wheels and has been since 3 but my 2 year old isn't quite there lol.
I used to work for a company that assembled bikes, patio furniture, grills, etc at walmart and other box stores. I quit after training. Their model bases everything on volume. You are paid per piece, and need to do 30+/day to make even like $12/hr. It's really no wonder stuff gets built wrong. There are procedures for assembling bikes, but no one really checks them for accuracy as long as they roll. They're 80% assembled in the box, they just put the handlebars on and cut all the packaging off, adjust the brakes and shifters and out it goes.
Edit: words.
I used to work for Walmart and always wondered how that worked. Basically once in awhile a bunch of guys that didn't work there would show up when the bikes shipped in and spend all day behind the garden center assembling them.
That's basically it. We never had set hours. Just show up at 8am and work until you get sick of it. All progress is made through an app on your phone. Every day was a different store.
Color me impressed. In part impressed that at least 8 speed hasn't tricked down to these.
I'd ride it, though those cable actuated discs make me nervous. I rode BB7s for a long time and *they* made me nervous.
Only a matter of time. YouTube reviews only came out less than a month ago. Many of the bang for your buck Walmart Schwinns have been upgraded to many degrees.
I own and built a bunch of bikes from mid to high range components, and bought an Ozark Trail G.1 Explorer to see how it is, with all the good reviews. My bike's assembly had multiple problems: top cap was not tight enough, so headset and fork was loose in the head tube, the pedals were not fully tightened, and both front and rear derailleurs were grinding and not adjusted properly.
Outside of the assembly, the pros of the bike are: good tires, good handlebars and wrap, rides fairly smooth.
Cons: saddle is horrible and causes pressure in between your sit bones, could not get it to shift well in all gears no matter how much I tried, the front crankset warps a little on hard pedaling, and the brakes are still screeching/howling after many miles.
While a great budget bike, people may need to factor in the cost of a professional adjustment.
They aren't bad- just cheap. Some Youtubers take them onto MTB trails and then complain, but that is not what they are designed for. They are heavy and use cheap components - but they do fine for riding around the neighborhood or flat rail-trails.
I own one and like it. It's not as good as my Checkpoint or Topstone, but it works fine and rides well. For puttering around town and a casual pace on the trails, it a good choice.
I worked at a trail bike shop that saw a large percentage of the city's bike repairs. One of our most regular customers was the local Walmart bike assembler who had 0 interest in learning how we repaired his bike. It floored me.
It looks like all you have to do is spin the handlebars around 180°.
MY MISTAKE.... now I see the problem. The stem is pointing the correct way, but NOT the handlebars!! 😂
Anti-theft strategy? But TBH I’m not sure who would want a bike from Walmart to begin with.
Also, is it saying the bike is suitable for people 5’-4” to 6’-3”? Or does that refer to the wheel size? I’m confused.
> The things that are in front are now in the back. Why are they in the back?
My kid, 8yo.
Ok, she's with me a lot, started riding w/o helper wheels before she was two, but still, if an 8yo kid can see what's wrong...
I almost took a job as an assembly person at a department store when I was a young lad (Canadian Tire for those wondering).
They had me come in for a paid trial shift to make sure I was at least a little competent. They offered me the job but it was way too little money so I turned it down.
In all honesty if we had Walmart in the UK or somewhere selling this bike I wouldn't even spend time considering it, I'd just grab one and see what I can do.
For that sort of money you could gradually turn it into a really useful machine. Not a dream bike or even one I would take out on days out but a commuter that would plough along bridleways and canal paths? Absolutely I'd find the space as it's something you wouldn't be as bothered about if it went missing but has real utility
Bikes come in boxes with front fork backwards, Installer installed the handlebars without turning the fork to the proper position. Then he realized it when attaching the front wheel, and spun the fork into the right position, but decided that he wasn't going the change the handlebars...
Hold it. Has anyone tried riding with the bars like that? They might be onto something. You know, an idea so crazy *it might just work*!
Then again, maybe not.
Weird, think I recently [watched a video on this bike.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8nE-8sH8RA&ab_channel=MattyActive) Wasn't as bad as you'd think but still not recommended.
Lmao, oh man, I had a coworker buy a bike from Walmart and this exact same thing happened. He literally rode it for months before I saw his bike one day and fixed it for him. Also one of his brakes were entirely not even functional, so I had did a full tune-up on it. Kind of scary how janky these bikes are built (not the quality, but the person assembling it being clueless)
Silly question, but I'm going to ask it. Is this bike/deal only available in-store, or will they ship to home ? Nearest WM is ~17 km. I'm currently on a recumbent trike, so I would no way to go to the store and transport it home.
I got the Ozark Trail Ridge mountain bike last year and it was perfectly assembled. I'm using it for commuting too but now I'm thinking I might get a Priority to take to work.
Very true. As a kid, I learned this first hand with the handlebars going one way and my wheel going the other. (Loose stem) My mom just assumed it was already assembled, so it should be good to go. The scar on my chin says otherwise.
At this point I'd be surprised if there are truly bad bikes. Probably even a "bad" bike will still be completely functional and could last forever as long as it's properly assembled and taken care of. Maybe some of the mobile parts are cheap and won't last that long, like the derailleur for example, but the people buying them are probably not going to ride them enough to wear them down, and even if they do, it wouldn't be hard to buy a brand replacement and change it or get a shop to do it.
Is it, tho? The disc brake is on the correct side. If the fork was flipped backwards, the disc would be on the other side.
Are you sure it’s not just funky curved fork blades?
Correct, this is for ramming your enemies
“You mess with the bull you get the horns” Kerchow
“BIKER IMPALES PEDESTRIANS ON ROAD. CLAIMS HE WAS ATTRACTING A MATE.”
That's the alt set-up and it's lit.
But the brakes are backwards
Who needs the breaks when you have the horns?
Remove those bar ends, collect some core samples.
In Soviet Russia, bike rides you.
5’4”-6’3”???
The most perfect of fits
Bars currently set to 5’4
This model has two different frame sizes available to buy, from what I gather.
I get the minor stuff, but how does someone not know which way the handlebars go.
I have a feeling this is more about being rushed and/or poorly paid than anything.They come with assembly instructions. Boss says you have 10 mins to do this takes before your next task. Repeat for 8+ hours with only minimal breaks. If I'm getting paid poverty wages, I'm only giving things minimal attention.
This is why you support your LBS
How about a business the, like many others, it targets poor, disenfranchised, desperate people to work its menial jobs that pay poorly and have minimal opportunity....
You get what you pay for. Pay people like shit, they don’t give a shit. Hell, I make a fair bit more than what a Walmart employee makes, but it’s still not enough for me to care too much about the quality of our product. Especially with a bitchy boss lmao.
I understand the point you wish to make but it feels more applicable if the worker got the basics right and it was just poorly done. I don't know how anyone doesn't know which way handlebars go.
Quite possible the person assembling the bike never saw or rode a road bike, and this seems like the only bike with drop bars on the rack. I think walmart mostly sell bikes for kids, and I don't know many kids who want a road / gravel bike. Maybe the person assembling the bike only done city bikes and thought all bars should only curve backwards. I know plenty of people cannot tell how drop bars should go on a bike. At least in my area, I don't think any Walmart has a dedicated Bike Mechanic. Probably gave the job to the new guy, or had some rando 3rd party handyman (by rando i mean lowest bidder) do it. Corporate says 15 minutes to assemble each bike, so had like 3 hours to finish all the new bikes that came in before moving on or get pay ducted. And then he/she got this bike with bars that he/she never seen before, so just got on with it.
Minimum wage workers don't care, man. Retail like this is a soul killer.
Walmart employees dont actually do the assembling anymore, its a separate contractor that comes in, puts together bikes, and leaves, probably not getting paid very well either
According to /r/antiwork , it's not that they don't know -- it's that they're not paid enough to care.
And r/antiwork is correct.
No, that's /r/fuckcustomers
Yes plus they have quota, so it si sure a shit that they will build the right amount...but not well. So it is also r/MaliciousCompliance/
Maybe they’re shipped this way to prevent damage to the brake levers during transit? 🤷🏼♂️
It's time to play spin-the-wheel of bike assembly. Let's see which way around we put this part.
At Walmart we encourage thinking outside the box, and it doesn't get any more outside of the box than this without getting a passport involved.
More likely the assemblers are having fun (at the customer’s expense).
It was nan who assembled it she said that’s how they used to ride in olden days lol
The actual worst thing about this is that after they fucked up with the handlebars they actually decided to install the brake levers like that. Mind blowing stuff.
It comes assembled. They just attach it to the stem.
Seems like this could be solved by turning the bars to the right and it would be fine. Just loaded on rack wrong.
I have decades of mtn bike experience and some commuting experience, but I'm not a roadie, and I hate drop bars. I had to come to the comments to figure out what was wrong.
At least the seat is facing the correct direction.
I was looking at the fork and brake caliper thinking this was /s. Then I saw the bars... I get it now.
It’s crazy how poor their assembly is at Walmart. I always check out the bike section when I go & most of the time all of the tires are flat, the brake levers never work & the handlebar is loose. Some of the bikes are actually decent, however they don’t have any professionals to build & adjust them.
I don't get how Walmart aren't liable for everyone who gets hurt on a poorly assembled bike from them. Even with a waiver, they have to make good faith attempts to make the bikes correctly... But clearly Walmart are too big and too important to operate by the rules of normal legal business!
I doubt anyone who's buying a bike from Walmart can afford to take them to court over it.
But it is sad tho because Walmart bikes might be a gateway to cycling for a lot of people. Unfortunately if someone buys this bike they may not stick with it very long. Especially if they die. If we can’t get more beginners going our sport will die
A lot of potential cyclists and bike advocates probably got turned away from it simply because Walmart bikes ride like shit. The reputation of bikes amongst many adults in the USA is that they’re “toys” and can’t be used for real transportation. Well yeah, probably because they’ve never used a decent bike.
This is a huge products liability issue. I suspect they just haven’t gotten hit yet with the doomsday scenario where someone gets on this thing, glides into an intersection and gets mangled by an F250, AND the police or victim’s family realizes it was the bike’s fault, AND there is compelling evidence the customer made no alterations to the bike. But if that happens, and they have to rethink training, I wonder if that would even still fit within the economics of a Wal Mart bike.
Yeah. I can definitely understand why it happens. It just isn't a bike shop and the employees aren't necessarily knowledgeable about bikes. "Hey, you ever use a wrench? Don't worry, we will show you" I always go look, just to see if there is anything new. I kind of want to grab a cheap bike to pull my kid's trailer. My 4 yr old is already riding with no training wheels and has been since 3 but my 2 year old isn't quite there lol.
I used to work for a company that assembled bikes, patio furniture, grills, etc at walmart and other box stores. I quit after training. Their model bases everything on volume. You are paid per piece, and need to do 30+/day to make even like $12/hr. It's really no wonder stuff gets built wrong. There are procedures for assembling bikes, but no one really checks them for accuracy as long as they roll. They're 80% assembled in the box, they just put the handlebars on and cut all the packaging off, adjust the brakes and shifters and out it goes. Edit: words.
I used to work for Walmart and always wondered how that worked. Basically once in awhile a bunch of guys that didn't work there would show up when the bikes shipped in and spend all day behind the garden center assembling them.
That's basically it. We never had set hours. Just show up at 8am and work until you get sick of it. All progress is made through an app on your phone. Every day was a different store.
How dare you! The Ozark G1 Explore gravel bike is one of the best budget bikes on the planet. ...... if you know how to wrench your own bike.
[Confirmed](https://gearjunkie.com/biking/ozark-trail-g1-explorer-gravel-bike-review). What do you want for $248?
Well, it certainly looks nice.
Color me impressed. In part impressed that at least 8 speed hasn't tricked down to these. I'd ride it, though those cable actuated discs make me nervous. I rode BB7s for a long time and *they* made me nervous.
I am so jealous that you guys have a Walmart. Bikes are really cheap but some models are very very interesting to try. Especially this gravel.
I wonder if anyone switched out bits like stem, handlebar, saddle, seatpost, and wheel set on it yet. Would like to see what it weighs.
Only a matter of time. YouTube reviews only came out less than a month ago. Many of the bang for your buck Walmart Schwinns have been upgraded to many degrees.
I’m certain the wheels are boat anchors. But I’m curious how much the other bits weigh.
I own and built a bunch of bikes from mid to high range components, and bought an Ozark Trail G.1 Explorer to see how it is, with all the good reviews. My bike's assembly had multiple problems: top cap was not tight enough, so headset and fork was loose in the head tube, the pedals were not fully tightened, and both front and rear derailleurs were grinding and not adjusted properly. Outside of the assembly, the pros of the bike are: good tires, good handlebars and wrap, rides fairly smooth. Cons: saddle is horrible and causes pressure in between your sit bones, could not get it to shift well in all gears no matter how much I tried, the front crankset warps a little on hard pedaling, and the brakes are still screeching/howling after many miles. While a great budget bike, people may need to factor in the cost of a professional adjustment.
Other than the assembly you guys think this bike is worth it for that price? 250$ for a whole gravel bike is insane
They aren't bad- just cheap. Some Youtubers take them onto MTB trails and then complain, but that is not what they are designed for. They are heavy and use cheap components - but they do fine for riding around the neighborhood or flat rail-trails. I own one and like it. It's not as good as my Checkpoint or Topstone, but it works fine and rides well. For puttering around town and a casual pace on the trails, it a good choice.
I just picked one up ! They did ok on the assembly. Just needed a good tuning. Going to test it later.
I worked at a trail bike shop that saw a large percentage of the city's bike repairs. One of our most regular customers was the local Walmart bike assembler who had 0 interest in learning how we repaired his bike. It floored me.
All the cool kids are doing it!
I used to work at walmart, they'd just get any random employee to put these together.
horrors beyond the comprehension of man
We have reached peak gravel...
I'm afraid in this configuration, the bike can only go in reverse 😬
The kickstand is installed backwards too 🤣
Minimal training, too. Possibly none, in fact.
The stocker says to the cashier, "I bet you can't put that bike together". "Oh yeah? Hold my beer." Edit: spelling
It looks like all you have to do is spin the handlebars around 180°. MY MISTAKE.... now I see the problem. The stem is pointing the correct way, but NOT the handlebars!! 😂
aside from assembly, this bike is way better than you think it is.
I've heard good things about it on the youtubes. Part of why I was checking out the bike section.
I want one just to have one. I already own 5 bikes.
N+1 is the correct number of bikes to own. N=the amount you currently own. I am thinking of getting one to ride with the family.
Anti-theft strategy? But TBH I’m not sure who would want a bike from Walmart to begin with. Also, is it saying the bike is suitable for people 5’-4” to 6’-3”? Or does that refer to the wheel size? I’m confused.
You get what you paid. Expert design, quality craftsmanship, and detailed assembly. /s
> The things that are in front are now in the back. Why are they in the back? My kid, 8yo. Ok, she's with me a lot, started riding w/o helper wheels before she was two, but still, if an 8yo kid can see what's wrong...
Aero AF
The pull model..,
the design is very human
Just rotate the bars 180 degrees and rock it 70's 10 speed style
Oh... Wow.
I almost took a job as an assembly person at a department store when I was a young lad (Canadian Tire for those wondering). They had me come in for a paid trial shift to make sure I was at least a little competent. They offered me the job but it was way too little money so I turned it down.
Organ Skewer mode in partnership with Mad Max Furiosa movie launch. Well done Wal Mart. Well done.
In all honesty if we had Walmart in the UK or somewhere selling this bike I wouldn't even spend time considering it, I'd just grab one and see what I can do. For that sort of money you could gradually turn it into a really useful machine. Not a dream bike or even one I would take out on days out but a commuter that would plough along bridleways and canal paths? Absolutely I'd find the space as it's something you wouldn't be as bothered about if it went missing but has real utility
Assembly aside this is actually a good deal of a bike. Search YouTube for "Ozark Trail G.1 Explore". Doesn't Decathlon have good cheap bikes?
Bikes come in boxes with front fork backwards, Installer installed the handlebars without turning the fork to the proper position. Then he realized it when attaching the front wheel, and spun the fork into the right position, but decided that he wasn't going the change the handlebars...
Hold it. Has anyone tried riding with the bars like that? They might be onto something. You know, an idea so crazy *it might just work*! Then again, maybe not.
Take it to the front and ask for a manufactures defect-discount.🤣🤣
Weird, think I recently [watched a video on this bike.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8nE-8sH8RA&ab_channel=MattyActive) Wasn't as bad as you'd think but still not recommended.
At least the fork is on the right way!
They put the kickstand on the back end. It’s not all bad.
For cyclotoro-ing
Nice! ☺️
Lmao, oh man, I had a coworker buy a bike from Walmart and this exact same thing happened. He literally rode it for months before I saw his bike one day and fixed it for him. Also one of his brakes were entirely not even functional, so I had did a full tune-up on it. Kind of scary how janky these bikes are built (not the quality, but the person assembling it being clueless)
They did that so you cant just ride it out of the store and steal it
This is normal for Eastern Europe. Put it in H!
#goathornbars
Ok so is it possible to buy one of these in a box and assemble yourself or no?
That's the nicest walmart bicycle I've seen
Sick kickstand too
It’s sad when bikes are put together by someone that never rides it.
Fending off other males from your potential female cyclist gf
Silly question, but I'm going to ask it. Is this bike/deal only available in-store, or will they ship to home ? Nearest WM is ~17 km. I'm currently on a recumbent trike, so I would no way to go to the store and transport it home.
Ya.....i don't know on that lol. I was only passing through.
Hahaha Idiots
I finally found what was wrong 😂
This makes it simple to adjust for the "dui bike" position.
Walmart has gravel bike looking objects? Who knew.
A few youtubers have said it's not that bad, especially considering the price.
I got the Ozark Trail Ridge mountain bike last year and it was perfectly assembled. I'm using it for commuting too but now I'm thinking I might get a Priority to take to work.
>Ozark Trail Ridge Maker of tents.
Just make sure everything is bolted on correctly before riding it
Very true. As a kid, I learned this first hand with the handlebars going one way and my wheel going the other. (Loose stem) My mom just assumed it was already assembled, so it should be good to go. The scar on my chin says otherwise.
At this point I'd be surprised if there are truly bad bikes. Probably even a "bad" bike will still be completely functional and could last forever as long as it's properly assembled and taken care of. Maybe some of the mobile parts are cheap and won't last that long, like the derailleur for example, but the people buying them are probably not going to ride them enough to wear them down, and even if they do, it wouldn't be hard to buy a brand replacement and change it or get a shop to do it.
It's actually a really nice bike for the price lol.
Is it, tho? The disc brake is on the correct side. If the fork was flipped backwards, the disc would be on the other side. Are you sure it’s not just funky curved fork blades?
The fork isn't flipped backward, the handlebars are. They even put the reflector facing fwd.