Walmart’s first mountain bike offering is a carbon hardtail called the M.1. It is being released alongside a carbon road bike, the R.1, and a carbon gravel bike named, you guessed it - the G.1.
Thanks @danielm gotta love auto correct… 
NP, been wanting to use that functionality for a bit 
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On paper these look like reeeeeeally good deals. Would anybody consider buying one though? I wonder if the vain roadie in me wouldn’t be caught dead on a Walmart bike. James Huang did a good piece on it the other day: JRA with the Angry Asian: How much does 'soul' matter for bike brands? - CyclingTips
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Get the G.1, paint Huffy over Viathon, add pink tassles to the ends of the bars and ride at your next CX race. It will fit right in!
I am riding the G.1 now after riding and racing (DK, Gavel Worlds, etc.) on an Allied All Road last year. The G.1 is lighter and noticeably more compliant. The bikes are legit.
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Pics?
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Nice…random questions. What brand you top tube bag?
Kinda like buying a Canyon or other direct sales brand. Quality of the product is probably solid but it’ll be interesting to see if they take away from LBS bike sales in a significant way. I’m not certain that the job of bike mechanic is profitable enough without the money made from sales to keep a shop open. I could be wrong, and I guess service charges could go up to make up the difference, but it seems like the direct sales model isn’t great for the sport.
why shame?
it’s a random diamondback one i found on amazon. it’s rad. If i was going to buy a new I’d look at the Dark Speed Work ones. they are very similar and seem to be awesome.
here’s the link… sorry.
thanks man i like those alot and i think ill be ordering one
Can’t say I agree with this. It might not be great for the current business model of your LBS. That said, most bike shops I’ve visited recently seem to understand the shift, and are becoming more and more service based - bike fitting, shoe fitting, saddle mapping, and obviously mechanical work. The stock carried on the floor is getting smaller, in particular of the high end bikes.
One manager (who was also the lead mechanic and one of only two guys in the shop at the time I visited) even said that they make most of their money off of the low-end, townie, beach cruiser, commuter type bikes. For one thing, the shoppers spend WAY less time in the shop, and for another, the margins on those bikes are higher. I don’t think those bikes are going direct to consumer any time soon. The shop manager indicated that frankly he wouldn’t mind if the high end market went DTC simply because “we” are a bit of a pain in the ass as customers, and the ROI on their time in a high-end sale isn’t nearly as good as on the lower end.
All those DTC bikes still need to be fixed…
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Certainly gives me confidence in buying from Viathon in the future. Brand-new gravel bikes are expensive, and I’m not too sold on the Canyon Grail hover bar.
Solid proof that its all about the engine and not the bike!
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I’m trying to figure out why I’d buy the g1 over something like the giant revolt advanced 0?
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You’re right - the average buyer does not have enough product knowledge (selection, sizing) to use the DTC model. Smart shops will benefit, by making DTC easier and offering services around it.
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I agree - smart shops will embrace being “showroomed” and hook their customers with their service. I plan to buy future bikes DTC (unless I start working at a shop where I can get significant discounts, of course!).
I’ve lost count of the number of my friends who’ve wanted to start cycling/triathlon who want bike advice, and my advice is always consistent - “one that fits and isn’t too expensive”. The only way to get that “fit” part right at the entry level is to go to a shop. Most of us here probably have our stack and reach written down someplace so we can DTC a bike and then do a self-fit or a professional fit based off of that, but the most common questions I address are from people for whom the DTC model is wholly inappropriate right now.
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