The multi-tier distribution model of sporting goods companies doesn't help either but it's a reality that's likely not going to change. The history of the bicycle business is, in one sense, a history of powerful outsiders coming in to teach us dumb yokels how things are done in the Big Leagues. Walmart (and the greater MTB community, tbh) would be better served by selling an aluminum hardtail trail bike w/ decent components, a dropper, and moderate/slack geometry that is trail ready out the door for $800-$1200 (a pricepoint unobtainable currently in the new bike market) so that new riders AND riders who are cash strapped have somewhere to get started that isn't going to fall apart on them after a few rides. There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. Don't forget to donate a dollar for starving children. Thanks for your site. That's a hell of alot of awesome MTB trails read about it here Do Steu and T-Dubs ride Viathons? Our gravel, road, and triathlon bikes are designed, tested, and assembled in North America; engineered for performance, and crafted with rider-first geometry. The website has no we-can-offer-keenest-prices-because-were-Walmart spiel. Hi all Thanks for the reviews and updates. Maybe you don't, but I do. In 2017, Bonobos was sold to, you guessed it, Walmart.Walmart wanted Bonobos because it was a favourite of high-income urban millennials. Probably trying to compete with REI. Review: Viathon R.1 Road Bike - VeloNews.com The brand is starting with three models: the R1 road bike, the G1 gravel bike, and the M1 hardtail mountain bike. The gravel scene is important for that. When flexing the wheels on hard pedaling, I get some rubbing which viathon attributed to spokes being out of tension, but the clearance is ridiculously minimal. For instance, TRP Sprye calipers are known for having a part in this issue with many other combinations due to the wider caliper designed to accommodate the dual moving pistons on that design. The brand is starting with three models: the R1 road bike, the G1 gravel bike, and the M1 hardtail mountain bike. Did you have any issues with clearance between the spokes and rival caliper in the front? FWIW, Ibis quietly raised the price on the DV9 to $1250 about ~6 month ago. Why would pile-em-high-sell-em-cheap Walmart be interested in such a high-end part of the bicycle market when the market-dominating retailer is already Americas biggest seller of keenly priced bicycles? It is aimed squarely at millennials and digital natives. Viathon is a standalone direct-to-consumer brand that, by rights, shouldnt exist. (The first was at the Sea Otter expo earlier in the year.). Vitus Bikes offer an award winning range of Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes, Ebikes and more. Two Walmart heirs, Tom and Steuart Walton, are themselves highly enthusiastic riders who have invested in cycling companieslike Allied Cycle Works and Rapha, and they directed the trailbuilding grants that have helped transformWalmarts home base of Bentonville, Arkansas, into a world-class mountain-bikingdestination. I read an article that estimates the bikes the top pro supercross riders use would cost somewhere in the range 100k-200k. Viathon Bikes launched to surprise, confusion and intrigue back in April, offering high-end carbon XC hardtails despite links to Walmart. All the frames are carbon fiber, and the gravel and road models fit solidly within current design trends that prize features like disc brakes and clearance for wider tires. With the backing of Walmart, we can scale very quickly.. Its exploding right now because people are afraid of riding in traffic. The Viathon G1 has been ridden a couple of months now by Andy T, and so we are ready to give the final verdict on this Walmart distributed bike. @roma258: The development and progress is exciting but the concern is that the bike industry is nothing but development and process - all icing no cake. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review. The bikes look fine. Walmart Launches High-End 'Viathon' Bike Brand - Pinkbike. Viathon, like Bonobos, goes against the fundamental tenets on which Walmart was built. Walmart's return policy is insane and the employees there generally DGAF. Andy T fitted the ShockStop stem and immediately felt the benefits. Hes also the founder and part owner of Knight Composites. Viathon: Walmart's $6,000 Mountain Bike Put to Test Brand manager Zack Spinhirne-Martin doesnt see it that way. Viathon R.1 Red eTap AXS review: Great performance, but with Walmart 1600 is still not going to mitigate the way this bike rides, and that is maybe something some folks wouldnt be willing to compromise on at any price. On its own, Viathon strikes me as a modestly interesting enthusiast brand with some solid, value-oriented bikes that feature industry-standard design and technology. Mount a water bottle to the frame and stay hydrated for harder riding. And every single article, including this one, focuses on the Walmart ownership. He doesnt have a marketing team: he outsources that to Idaho-based Cranktank, the PR and marketing outfit led by Adrian Montgomery, ex of Scott, and Scott Montgomery, ex of both Cannondale and Scott and who is also the current president of Reynolds Cycling. Absurd that things with engines are cheaper than pedal bikes. Bicycle Shop. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. Or at least, hasn't happened yet. Discover our range of MTBs | ROSE Bikes Pleased to see this. There is certainly a fair amount of seat post extension to work with there., explained Andy T. Hes right too. OBED Bikes | Gravel Point being it comes with a lot more and substantially more development. For less. Now on to the final word on this carbon fiber crushed rock roller. A torque wrench is included to help the customer tighten screws appropriately. Sign up to receive GearJunkie content direct to your inbox. I wanted to make bikes that I would want to ride, says Spinhirne-Martin. Every single mountain bike I owned is used, unlike a motorcycle they should not depreciate as much (mileage) because there are few moving parts..I currently ride an RM Altitude MSRP $6k + tax however I bought it used and paid less then the cheapest Viathon bike!!! The bikes are clean and simple, classy but without any fanfare. Compare prices, components, suspension, reviews, images and more on current and past MTB's. You can even share reviews, comments and questions on mountain bikes. Lightweight carbon frames: Viathon bikes, including the Dura-Ace road bike, Ultegra model, R.1, and G.1 bikes, are crafted with durable, lightweight carbon frames to give you an edge over riders with heavier XC and mountain bikes. Turner Bikes - Titanium Mountain & Gravel Bikes At least 30-50% of surfers at my local breaks are on $200 Wavesorms and other "foamies" from Costco and the like. Let's see the salaries of engineers at Specialized giving us all these "advancements" in recent years that 90% of people riding mountain bicycles on trails don't need. Explore, search and compare thousands of the world's best mountain bikes here on Mountain Bike Database. So far, Viathon isnt saying much about what makes its bikes different, nor is it telling much of a brand story. But there aren't enough spec details to tell what we're looking at. Of course, you can always install a nice, compliant carbon post. Then theres the idiots who think they can get 1500 for their POS 1988 cr125. If they somehow get interested in riding they will take what Wmart has to offer, and if they have a lot of money and want the "best", Wmart is now there for them. At least they dont come with pegs. . here is a whole range of styles with bikes for children all the way up through adults. Spinhirne-Martin says yes, and reiterated that he wants to grow the bike industry, not put other brands or bike shops out of business. But what was remarkable about Viathon was the identity of the brand's owner: Walmart. Doesn't really looks like a revolution to me yet. Prices of big brand quality mountain bikes jumped the shark years ago. Viathon Is Walmart's New High-End Bike Brand - Outside Online Viathon is a new direct-to-consumer bike brand owned by Walmart that launched this week with a line of carbon bikes that sell between $2,300 and $6,000. In fact, the only example I can think of where a large outside brand has achieved even modest success is Dorel Industries, with its serial purchases of Pacific, Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and related brands. For the hardtail mountain bike, thats a $2,000 frame, $2,400 GX Eagle build, $3,500 X01 build (which comes without a dropper), or a $6,000 XX1 option. As much as I agree with the general sentiment, there are some other factors that tend to get overlooked in this comparison: Wal-Mart has these pretzel bites with beer cheese for like $2 bucks, pretty freakin awesome after a ride. They were puzzled by it, because the market for a pure XC race bike is pretty small compared to more general modern geometry hardtails that are built for "fun.". Take YouTuber KevCentral, for example, whose channel reviews bikes available at Walmart and Walmart.com and how to upgrade them. There are many many people for whom Wmart is their entire mass produced goods consumption experience. can i return it after thrashing it for a season? Viathon carbon road and mountain bike 40% closeout, starting - 9to5Toys Except none of that happened. And I want to get more people on bikes. The rolex is just a bunch of metal gears and springs where the casio has a better computer in it than what got us to the moon! But Im a little mystified that the mountain bike is a cross-country hardtail 29er, a style of bike thats pretty out of fashion at the moment. Did Viathon offer some bold new technology,jaw-dropping value, or an irresistible brand story? Ive already gotten questions for people internationally. Walmart Launches Premium Bike Brand Including $6,000 Mountain Bike Trail systems even in coastal areas are getting so well-built (and relatively easy due to limited elevation, at least on the US east coast) that a lot of people can easily get into the sport if they have a bike. machines ect. Also something to liven up trails that you ride regularly. Cue the cheap-crap jokes. You can race and ride it at the highest Mtb level. the forks face the right way. I just pay the numbers. Therefore we have nothing really to go by but the suggested retail and maybe current internet pricing at the time of publishing a piece. The writer, Sarah Moore, found the connection when looking up the trademark on the name, which isregistered to Walmart. The Club will ride Viathon's newly released carbon G.1 gravel bike and send a group of five Elite riders to key events like the Belgian Waffle Ride and Dirty Kanza, two of the most challenging gravel races in the world. Facebook. The new G.1 is their top-tier carbon gravel bike, with a loaded spec including Zipp cockpit, Fizik saddle, HED wheels, and SRAM Red electronic shifting. bicycles Someone posted an Outside magazine article above that details it. 12-speed, electronic shifting, handlebar diameter changes, four piston brakes, blah blah don't need. Kev has 43,000 subscribers. I dont shop at Walmart anyway since they decided to blame guns for violence. Matt Macduff's prototype Altruiste is the slopestyle bike of your It seems like it would be a good exploring bike for when you'd likely be riding lots of dirt roads as well as singletrack. I would have thought their frame prices would have more closely matched online Chinese carbon frames. At this writing, the various models are listed at "Summer Sale" prices on the Viathon website. Walmarts top-of-the-line M.1 hardtail mountain bike has 120mm travel with RockShox components, Stans wheels, Level Ultimate brakes, and Continental tires. REI Co-op bikes are worth a look for most cyclists. I want to figure out how to use that customer base to grow the bike industry.. The impetus for the brand was therefore personal, not corporate. Giant Stance, pretty close to fitting this bill at 2k! The frame costs just the same as a TCR frame, without the TCR reputation. There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. Things have moved on. But don't count the traditional players out yet, on either the supply or retail ends of the supply chain. Nope: while the bikes its offering look to be good quality and competitively priced, the reason that Viathons entry turned heads is whos behind it: Walmart. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts The value from Viathon is good- not a spectacular deal but decent. We have incredible traffic on our site. Get Free Shipping Storewide ViathonBicycles.com w/ Coupon (Activate). (The Walmart connection can be found only on the sites copyright line.) REI bikes are made by the largest manufacturer in the industry, Giant. They knew about it prior to launch only because I happened to meet Steuart in our office in January so I was able to show him a couple of pictures. Schedule a free call. It can take 650b wheels with up to 2.1-inch tires, or 700c wheels with up to 51mm tires. Viathonbicycles.com has more info. I will also say again that for the extra money, a RedShift ShockStop stem cures that front end issue. Viathon - The new brand poised to take on the USA Others seek innovation above all, eager to check out the latest suspension tech from Trust Performance or Yeti. I wanted to make bikes that I would want to ride, says Spinhirne-Martin. The M.1 is the first mountain bike from Viathon, and from the sound of things, it won't be the last. Dollar-for-dollar there are other carbon-framed high-end bikes out there that undercut the Viathon offerings. Shit, I'd probably buy one to beat up/lend out. Of course they will be. Again- something we cannot make a call on. Someone shopping for a high end bike is never going to go to Walmart for it. its true, For everyone else. I've bought many clothing items from them, trekking boots etc and I was perfectly happy with the price/quality ratio. Huh, no one wanted to buy a $6k hardtail that has no track record? there's your reviewi'll be buying the r1 soon. The Viathon G1 Gravel Bike: Fast and Affordable, with a Little Room for Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts And just like any other reality, outsiders ignore ours at their peril. Or on the other hand, that lower price may be just the ticket to smooth out the ride. Second, the designers chose to mount a dropper seatpost as standard equipment on the M.1. VIATHON SPONSORS CAFFEINE AND WATTS, RUDY PROJECT LAUNCHES - CrankTank Maybe in this specialist market they've done a better job. what happened to viathon bikes - s208669.gridserver.com RZC Investments, founded by Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, owns Rapha and part-owns Allied Cycle Works, a high-end bike manufacturer based in Little Rock, Arkansas. And who cares what other people think? As we continue to build out the platform, we welcome other brands, said Spinhirne-Martin. The G.1 is the direct-to-consumer brand's competitively priced gravel bike. The Bike Forum. Seems like an easy decision there. Little info you may want to know about the Waltons. ViathonBicycles.com newsletter codes, Viathon Bicycles reseller codes, Viathon Bicycles competitor coupon codes. Viathon has chosen a RockShox SID RLC with 120mm of travel. It is being released alongside a carbon road bike, the R.1, and a carbon gravel bike named, you guessed it - the G.1. Crickets. Walmart's pop-up bike brand Viathon turns heads - BikeBiz They travel by private jet, stay in luxury hotelshave huge parties And never tip anybody anything EVER. But if Viathon is going to have any real impact, its the next set of new bikes that will matter most. tony dokoupil ex wife the bachelorette. Thanks to its robust construction, coarse tyre tread, powerful brakes and . Yea 10k is a lot for a bike, but its also top tier in the Mtb world. Walmart releases its own high end bike brand (Viathon) bikes Posted Oct 2, 2019, We dentists don't shop at Walmart. And while low, Viathon pricing was at parity with any number of other name-brand carbon models, including Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Canyon. The pricing. Even more interesting was Jordan's underlying premise that at least some of those hundreds of millions of Walmart customers would for reasons unknown and perhaps unknowable leap at the opportunity to purchase a full-dress carbon bike with a price tag northward of $3,000 precisely because they didn't have to go into a brick-and-mortar bike shop to purchase it. How much is the bike when it has the XX1 components? Its not the frames: they arent open-mould no-names, all three shapes were CAD designed by the legendary Kevin Quan Studios of Toronto, Canada. In that sense, Viathon hit the nail on the head.. We tested the brand's top-end M.1 Mountain Bike for 6 weeks to gain an. When everyones selling a $3,500-ish Shimano Ultegra disc-equipped carbon gravel bike with an oversize headtube, asymmetric rear triangle, and scads of tire clearance, its a little hard to stand apart from the crowdeven when there are real differences. Picked up a fishing pole and Razor scooter for my kid there recently. Wal-Mart Launches Viathon, a New Direct-to-Consumer Bike Company Viathon Bikes - Walmart.com. Sold exclusively through Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles. Whole Foods sells the Yeti decals to place over 'Viathon'. Turner Tech Unlike, say, the car industry, its relatively cheap to launch into the world of making bicycles, even bespoke framed ones. Many people are the same, I guess the rebranding isn't for nothing. yup. And then you have a full Dura disc model for 5G. "We're trying to build a culture, building an education," Jordan said at the introduction. And the bikes look good! I think it's time for a Field Test review on this bike to dispel or confirm all the controversy. Hed been with the online retailer for 10 years. But to drive the demand, there needs to be a product in place to capture attention. Hyper Bicycle 26" Men's Havoc Mountain Bike, Black 417 Pickup +2 options $248.00 Kent 26 In. Its also important to note whats not in the current lineup: womens bikes, utility bikes, and e-bikes. Im guessing thatwithout the connection to the largest retailer in the world, Viathon wouldnt be getting nearly this level of attention.