And I want to get more people on bikes. This may have been mentioned already but Im not gonna read everything. In effect, the brand is a sortie into a high-end scene, allowing Walmart to test the waters of a rarefied market. But when people saw these bikes here, it was like, 'Hey, these are real bikes! Seems like an easy decision there. There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. Marketing has been slow-burn so far, rolling out a website and social media, getting journalists on the bikes at Sea Otter, and paying for GCNs Simon Richardson to ride the G1 from Outerbike in an advertorial video posted on 12th July and which has already had 34,000 views. I will also say again that for the extra money, a RedShift ShockStop stem cures that front end issue. The brand is starting with three models: the R1 road bike, the G1 gravel bike, and the M1 hardtail mountain bike. Tapping into the gravel and bikepacking trends is the G.1, with the frameset and 105 options priced identically to the R.1. Muley Freaks Erik Van Woerkom Charged With Felony Possession of Trophy Mule Deer, Get Up to 60% Off at REIs End of Season Clearance Sale, The Biggest Improvement to My Camp Kitchen Is a Mini Pizza Oven (But Not for Pizza), VanDOit Moov Builds on Adventure-Ready Ford Transit Trail, Avalanche Outside British Columbia Resort Buries 10, Kills 3 Heli-Skiers. Since 1994 these are the words that continue to resonate within us. Well, so much for that. a buddy of mine, bought the g1 gravel bike to keep at his lakehouse (insert dentist joke, he's actually a cpa). Pleased to see this. So we have the greatest potential to reach a larger subset of the American population than any bike shop, or any other brand, he claims. As mentioned, this is the lowest-cost complete bike in Viathon's G.1 range, but that doesn't mean the parts are low-cost. And the company currently sells more bicycles in the United States than any other retailer. February edition of BikeBiz magazine now available, Pros perspective: Olly Wilkins on DMRs new ODub Bars, MTB clothing brand Dharco aims to expand in Europe, The top five jobs in the bike trade this week 3rd March, German custom bike brand Velo De Ville to launch in UK at The Cycle Show 2023, Ribble Cycles launches new collective of riders, Squire releases its first range of wearable cycle locks, SRAM releases new Force AXS groupset, developed for WorldTour pros. For now, no. Someone in the Walmart family must be a mtb enthusiast as they also fund the Bentonville Arkansas trails which I believe is where their HQ is located. How long do Walmart bikes last? Movelo Electric Bicycle for Adults 27.5In 350W Mountain Bike with 360Wh Removable Li-Ion Battery-Blue 27.5" Exclusively angular frame Not available 26" 350W Electric Bike for Adults Mountain eBike w 48V Battery Dual Lights Black Not available 26" Hyper Easy Rider Multi-Speed Bike 26" Hyper Easy Rider Men's Cruiser (29) Not available online All this went down in April and May of this year. Spesh's Fuse 27.5 comes to mind, costing ~$1200. Doesn't really looks like a revolution to me yet. @roma258: It's a catch 22. WhatsApp. Browse our range of in stock and ready to ship road, gravel, mountain, hybrid and electric bikes. Viathons G.1 gravel bike requires the same build. And failing. 207 In the meantime, it seems Walmart isn't quite sure what they've created or who . There is very little flex since your BB is both on the swingarm and the front triangle. It makes it a lot more difficult to invest in processes and equipment that can ultimately bring the cost down significantly. Viathon is backed by the big box retailer but has teamed up with industry veterans that'd designed frames for brands like Cervelo and Pivot. If they add a similarly specced and priced short or mid travel fs bike, those things will sell like hot cakes. You cannot buy a Viathon bike from one of Walmarts 4000 plus US stores (or from Asda supermarkets in the UK). Pretty sad that a brand new YZ250 cost thousands less than some of the bikes I come across in the wild. Viathon is a start-up carbon bike brand with a difference. according to industry analyst Jay Townley. The mountain bike is the perfect companion to discover new things off the beaten track. Then delivered directly from us to youwith an easy assembly process to get you riding as quickly as possible. I know you're talking frame only, but at least this one ships with tires that actually fit the frame (unlike the DV9, which has known problem with tire rub on the tires it ships with). The frame costs just the same as a TCR frame, without the TCR reputation. While you could swap to 650B wheels, and the bike can carry a front rack, there isnt a lot of versatility built in here beyond that. Andy T described the handling as stock as being razor sharp, so from that standpoint, riders looking for a more road racing leaning gravel bike should be satisfied with the G1. Except none of that happened. Industry watchers may remember the last time Walmart tried to get into the carbon bike game, which as I recall was about ten years ago. Shop all Genesis Bikes with sizes ranging from 18" to 700c, in kids and adults sizes. bike Time for competition to drive down the absurd prices on bikes. Our Fezzari Bicycle experts are here to help you find the perfect bike. And the mountain-biking-mad Waltons have also upgraded the MTB trails close to Walmarts corporate HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas. Who am I kidding. Walmart takes their terrible gun selection out then adds this ballbuster. Viathon, like Bonobos, goes against the fundamental tenets on which Walmart was built. Department-store bikes look a lot better than they used to. Viathon riders, like every other bike customer, will need service. And then you have a full Dura disc model for 5G. Brought on board to run Walmarts online bike sales, he pitched the idea of a standalone brand. The frames are customized for REI's product line and highly durable. Dont squint at the pix. 250? The point is, a Viathon purchase does not include some intangibles that are benefits of buying in a traditional model. No normal business can compete with their strategy. As a straight-up road bike, wed have no issues with the Viathon G1. @alex There are better bikes in regard to front end compliance than the Viathon. I was recruited two and a half years ago to raise the game and show what Walmart can deliver in terms of bikes, Spinhirne-Martin tells me. REI Co-op bikes are worth a look for most cyclists. But if Viathon is going to have any real impact, its the next set of new bikes that will matter most. And Kawasaki employs a lot more people in R and D and production than a typical bike company, thats my guess. We got bills to pay and we work our asses off for you ya jergoffs. I think bikes are priced high and I think the margins are higher than in other enterprises. So take the roads less traveled, or the ones that don't even show up on the . The Viathon M.1 is available in three complete build kit options, starting at $2,400 USD. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. However, 29 wheels will make your bike react slower to obstacles you may encounter. I dont shop at Walmart anyway since they decided to blame guns for violence. It's well documented in various media outlets. 99% of Americans walk into a Walmart store every week. Plus, Viathons graphics are a little bland, in my opinion, the pricing isnt so aggressive that its clearly better than bikes from established brands like Canyon or Giant (or Remot, for that matter), and the product marketing so far feels spare to the point that its pro forma. He employs six engineers and designers at his Toronto-based studio. For the last update and a link to the introductions, Click Here. 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. Don't think too fast. Sold exclusively through Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles. Things have moved on. The frames are engineered and designed in partnership with Kevin Quan, a longtime designer whos responsible for well-known bikes from well-known brands like Cervelo, Parlee, and Pivot. Does it seem like a no-brainer to spring for Viathon for people interested in that? Its almost impossible for Walmart to develop premium offerings with the Walmart name, which is synonymous with keen pricing and out-of-favour out-of-town malls. what happened to viathon bikes If in the next 6 months new bikes stopped selling and P&A upgrades shot through the rough, you bet your ass the industry would respond. Viathon made a big splash when it announced its presence to the bicycle world back in April, leveraging the cost-efficiency muscle of its parent company, Walmart, into a line of carbon bikes that . So they're definitely taking a loss on these.. Not a fan of Walmart. "The negativity starts in-store with reports of forks installed backward. That's a lot to love. Did Viathon offer some bold new technology,jaw-dropping value, or an irresistible brand story? Therefore we have nothing really to go by but the suggested retail and maybe current internet pricing at the time of publishing a piece. Bike industry seems super healthy (at least outside looking in), coming from the moto world. 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. Our gravel, road, and triathlon bikes are designed, tested, and assembled in North America; engineered for performance, and crafted with rider-first geometry. If the demand for an entry level bike is there, then they can produce enough units to make it financially viable. @jason-99: If a home mechanic rounds off the flats on a nut, because they used a Wal-Mart adjustable, is that the fault of the tool or the mechanic? For those people, being able to buy a high-quality bike online means they dont have to go into a potentially scary, elitist, unwelcoming bike shop where theyll be uncomfortable and possibly judged.. Never blame a person, blame a tool, people are never to blame only the tools they choose to use. Someone asked above how can they sell for this much cheaper? 1. Viathon calls the full carbon frame optimized for light weight & efficient pedaling, claiming a frame weight of 870g a size 54 with all hardware. the stigma of owning a bike bought at Walmart. The crankset was square taper FSA even though Sora was already using HT2 by this time. FWIW, Ibis quietly raised the price on the DV9 to $1250 about ~6 month ago. Im sure you can find wheels that wouldnt clear, depending upon hub design, and wheels that would be just fine. And just like any other reality, outsiders ignore ours at their peril. I would have thought their frame prices would have more closely matched online Chinese carbon frames. In 2017, Bonobos was sold to, you guessed it, Walmart.Walmart wanted Bonobos because it was a favourite of high-income urban millennials. The tire clearances are a bit on the restrictive side as well. Right? 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. But like you say: prices and perceptions of value vary. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. But Quan is the only person mentioned in a team of top bicycle industry veterans with decades of collective experience. The only other real face behind Viathon is brand manager Zach Spinhirne-Martin, who spent nine years with the online retailer Competitive Cyclist before joining Walmart as its bike category manager. The G.1 is the direct-to-consumer brand's competitively priced gravel bike. There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. And the bikes look good! However; on crushed rock and rough surfaces, the overly-stiff front fork can be a liability when it comes to rider comfort. there's your reviewi'll be buying the r1 soon. New bike brands come and go, but its rare that one makes as big of a splash with its debut as Viathon, a new direct-to-consumer marquee that launched this week. The tires were Schwalbe Lugano which sell around $10 each. Without the curiousness of the Walmart link, I wouldnt even be writing about Viathon. The Boundary has the geometry of a road bike with the heart and handling of a trail bike so you can rumble confidently across all kinds of mixed terrain and races. I spoke with him at the recent Outerbike expo in Idaho, the second public outing for the brand. Bikes. Shoppers will have four build choices per model. Its to do with the fact that you can get 200kg of world rounding desert crossing Yamaha Tenere T7 2019 for less than a lot of mtbs now. VIATHON M.1 MOUNTAIN BIKE PROMO VIDEO: M.1 | XX1 Eagleproduct description: One of the lightest, fastest mountain race machines that money can buy, the top-line M.1 delivers a SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain for race-proven, single-ring shifting performance. But don't count the traditional players out yet, on either the supply or retail ends of the supply chain. 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. A year later, the bikes closed out for about $1,000 apiece, and I read at the time on various online consumer groups that sharp-eyed cyclists were snapping them up as preassembled build kits and flogging the framesets online for maybe a hundred bucks a copy. 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. So how much cheaper are these complete builds? For less. Bikes come equipped with well-recognized components such as SRAM, Zipp, and Stans' No Tubes, on a good/better/best three-point pricing structure, with all models starting below $2500. 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? GearJunkie Copyright 2013 2023. Considering the Walmart shopper and what bike theyre on now, the answer is probably yes. It's very hard to make it and also find decent paying work. Walmart is the largest retailer for bikes in America by a good margin. 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. How is the Walmart frame wroth 4x an ebay frame? Savvy consumers may baulk at the Walmart connections not just because of the value connotations but also the corporates reputation for poor labour relations but nor is Viathon a bike brand for the decal-focussed. Unbelievable a$$holes, TLDR: "successful family chooses to enjoy their success while remaining frugal to ensure long term multigenerational wealth". And while low, Viathon pricing was at parity with any number of other name-brand carbon models, including Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Canyon. Arkansas is also hosting several UCI events in the next few years including cyclocross WORLDS. At The Finish: So, what we have here is an interesting sales model and a fine bike for those who crave the ultimate in efficiency that carbon fiber can bring to the table. A Viathon representative told me that Walmart simply wanted the story to be more about the bikes than the company behind them. I wanted to make bikes that I would want to ride, says Spinhirne-Martin. If These guys could take a similar (or slightly better) spec and cut $200 off of it, and I'd bet it'd be a huge seller. i gave it a spin. Since the news was announced last week, fans have been coming out and saying that this is what theyve been waiting for. Absurd that things with engines are cheaper than pedal bikes. Crickets. Its not a bad platform though, and for the right situations, it would serve the rider spectacularly well. Ive heard quotes saying a pros super cross bike runs around 100-200k. Kudos to them, but that story stretches back some 15 years and is still far from over. It starts with younger customers.. 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. Turner Tech Years ago a friend of mine bought a carbon fiber Dura Ace bike. For anyone familiar with the beer industry, this is like Anheuser-Busch creating Shocktop, not Anheuser-Busch buying Goose Island or Elysian. @Greg B We did not experience that issue, but as you say, the clearances are minimal, and that is not an uncommon issue with many combinations of calipers/wheels. Brand manager Zack Spinhirne-Martin doesnt see it that way. The Viathon Lineup. bicycles Now, if Viathon frames were suddenly produced in the USA my American hands, with progressive geometry and class leading weights, that might be a different story - but a Taiwanese sourced frame that is pretty much identical to a Hong Fu or Workswell or whatever isn't really a selling point, especially when it costs a few grand. But what was remarkable about Viathon was the identity of the brand's owner: Walmart. Prices of big brand quality mountain bikes jumped the shark years ago. bikeit! It's been just about four months since a line of consumer-direct carbon road, gravel and mountain bikes premiered from a new brand called Viathon, emerging out of the bright Sea Otter sunshine like the goddess Athena springing full-formed from the forehead of Zeus. No mention of any real pertinent specs that you'd expect when buying a bike. ! 439mm size large w/ no XLactually dont care, but love an opportunity for a Zoolander quote!! Walmart's first mountain bike offering is a carbon hardtail called the M.1. Thanks to a dropped chainstay design, the G1 clearance for 700c x 40mm or 650b x 2.1" tires and a maximum chainring size of 50t, according to the viathonbicycles.com website, while walmart.com boasts 700c clearance up . Refunds can only be issued to your original payment method. In 2017, Bonobos was sold to, you guessed it, Walmart. I've bought many clothing items from them, trekking boots etc and I was perfectly happy with the price/quality ratio. Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. Viathon is hitting the market with three model families. Although from a bike industry perspective, the geometry is a few years outdated even for a hardtail. At least they dont come with pegs. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. It's not the frames: they aren't open-mould no-names, all three shapes were CAD designed by the legendary Kevin Quan Studios of Toronto, Canada. The bike thats getting the most attention is Viathons new hardtail mountain bike, though Walmart is also launching with road and gravel options. Some of that is a function of the homogeneity of the modern bike-enthusiast business. Bayside Women's Cruiser Bike, Rose Gold 1385 Pickup 2-day shipping Best seller $648.00 Hyper Bicycles Electric Bicycle Pedal Assist Mountain, 26 In. Also if you make that thing for many years, it further amortizes the investment. Buyers have 60 days from purchase to return the bike, and it can be new or used. Did you have any issues with clearance between the spokes and rival caliper in the front? @roma258: It's not. That's a common argument in PB comments and everyone blows up saying you can't actually get a good mx bike for that price so why did I see one like you mentioned for 6k at my dealership? Its name is Viathon. We cannot predict, or really have a way to know, when, or by how much, a brand is going to discount a product. According to the designer and engineer, Kevin Quan of Kevin Quan Studios, Viathon manufactures frames at the factory, making the best bikes you can think of.. Sign up to receive GearJunkie content direct to your inbox. At the end of the day, we bike people live and work in a quirky, parochial and, more than occasionally, incestuous little industry, one with its own set of business realities. Both are well-qualified bike industry veterans, but its not a riveting founder story like, for instance, that ofAllied. Or on the other hand, that lower price may be just the ticket to smooth out the ride. Sign up today. price sold by type electric assist +. They said it's, basically, a pure XC race bike. what happened to viathon bikes. It's like the lineup are marketed just like any other Walmart products, and the bike prices don't make sense. Call it a 'Walmart' bike if you must. "We're trying to build a culture, building an education," Jordan said at the introduction. 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.". needham bank mutual conversion. Very glad for your fair judgement and perspective. 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. Now it has a toe in the high-end market and the chance to show that itscapable of making quality stuff. Get $1000 off Select Items ViathonBicycles.com w/ Coupon (Activate). Carlton Reid sits down with brand manager Zack Spinhirne-Martin. Your email address will not be published. Viathon G1 Bike: At The Finish by Guitar Ted with Andy T. 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. Giant Stance, pretty close to fitting this bill at 2k! You can race and ride it at the highest Mtb level. @I wonder how many ZX-6rs are produced and sold. To be honest they have decent bikes (they sold an aluminum frame/carbon fork road bike with Ultegra Di2 and disc brakes for about EUR 1800, which is/was unique in the industry I believe) but, take this as you may, I only buy products from this line (clothing mostly) which don't feature large logos. 0. khao lak, thailand tsunami 2004. Viathon is for riders who appreciate uncontrived quality, demand craftsmanship but recognize value, who pedal for health yet savor the ride. They are currently in a process of rebranding it because they realized it's forever associated in people's minds with entry level or even below entry-level (BSO) bikes. Pinterest. Thanks to its robust construction, coarse tyre tread, powerful brakes and . And who cares what other people think? 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. Needs another $ 1,000 price drop still. Could always ride it and return it! But Viathon is a Walmart corporatenot Waltonproject, intended to expand Walmarts current bike offerings to the specialty market. At these prices you can buy if for the components and off the frame. Apt analogy. what happened to viathon bikes Byjunho 3, 2022 At Viathon, we believe that great bikes make riding more fun. Just go to Bentonville, ride those trails, a lot of which is paid for w/ money from Wam-Lart, and I think you suddenly like the idea of their bikes a lot more. How much is the bike when it has the XX1 components? It doesnt need to get younger customers. Tommaso Sentiero Gravel Bike, Shimano Claris Adventure Bike with Disc Brakes, Extra Wide Tires, Perfect for Road Or Dirt Trail Touring, Matte Black, Red Visit the Tommaso Store 60 ratings | 40 answered questions Price: $844.99 Color: Matte Black/Red Size: Select See more About this item Whole Foods sells the Yeti decals to place over 'Viathon'. Spinhirne-Martin wouldnt reveal sales targets but, reading between the lines, he likely doesnt have to sell many for the brand to be considered a success. It does all those things a really good racing bike should do. Whether this will serve as a "halo product" to introduce more affordable (or approachable) mountain bikes from the brand in the future is yet to be seen. If we stopped inventing new shit the whole circus might just collapse in on itself overnight. Thats a call youll have to make. There may be a slightly lower initial cost but damn, these are gonna have terrible resale value. Hed been with the online retailer for 10 years. can i return it after thrashing it for a season? Walmart Launches High-End 'Viathon' Bike Brand - Pinkbike. If successful, Viathon can be rolled out widely, claimed Spinhirne-Martin. That wont set it apart in a highly competitive market or bring high-end tech to a new market of people. Dollar-for-dollar there are other carbon-framed high-end bikes out there that undercut the Viathon offerings. And 2 years ago, the company hired Zach Spinhirne-Martin, a senior buyer at CompetitiveCyclist.com. cycling, Press J to jump to the feed. I like his channel and all but want to see people ride bikes like I would or better. Schedule a one-on-one call today! We will strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout. If it's the latter, I hear the bikes will be spec'd with negative-51mm offset forks Another thing to note is high-end mountain bikes is still a tiny market when compared to motorcycles/cars/etc. They also have controlling interests in Rapha and Allied Cycles. If nothing else, we've been surviving in this business for decades and we know the "easiest way to make a small fortune" in it a lesson which even the best-heeled outsiders have yet to learn. Now on to the final word on this carbon fiber crushed rock roller. The frame looks eerily similar to a China carbon frame I bought recently for $400 (frame and rigid fork). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts Wouldnt be caught dead buying one of their bikes but competition in any industry is a good thing. Many people are the same, I guess the rebranding isn't for nothing. 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. Viathon is run as a digitally native vertical brand, a phrase coined by Andy Dunn, founder of US menswear brand Bonobos. I wouldn't ever recommend this bike to someone getting into the sport, because in my biased opinion xc geometry is not a good starting point and the price is simply too high. So far, Viathon isnt saying much about what makes its bikes different, nor is it telling much of a brand story. Makes me think of the Walmart gaming pcs released a while back, which were so bad reviewers raised concerns about their safety, despite the presence name brand components. The impetus for the brand was therefore personal, not corporate. Boost? I have noted that we are not the only ones saying this, for what it is worth. Oct 2, 2019 by James Smurthwaite Viathon Bikes launched to surprise, confusion and intrigue back in April, offering high-end carbon XC hardtails despite links to Walmart. For sure we are also undergoing huge changes; times are tough now and likely to get tougher before they get better. They also have their own brands, among which there's their B-Twin brand of bikes and bike accessories brand. has lg fixed their compressor issues 2020. They are direct to consumer from the website, just like Canyon. As we continue to build out the platform, we welcome other brands, said Spinhirne-Martin. viAtHOntM is a systemic product. Be good if they build some good stuff as oddly it seems they will give back. @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. A torque wrench is included to help the customer tighten screws appropriately. Wed like to see fork mounts for extra water bottles, for instance. Viathon Bikes - Walmart.com. Not sure where you were getting the 2400 price tag before price drop because I seen reviews months ago and 1900 was the price then not 2400. "Of course, there was some backlash with the Walmart connection,'' said Mark Jordan, whose CrankTank marketing group staged the Viathon launch and was quoted in Yobbi's original article.