Im guessing thatwithout the connection to the largest retailer in the world, Viathon wouldnt be getting nearly this level of attention. Spinhirne-Martin says yes, and reiterated that he wants to grow the bike industry, not put other brands or bike shops out of business. Viathon calls the full carbon frame optimized for light weight & efficient pedaling, claiming a frame weight of 870g a size 54 with all hardware. Its one of the biggest online merchants in the world, No. The parts kits feature quality components from premium suppliers. i gave it a spin. Manufacturing costs vary inversely with manufacturing rate. Don't need. Right. Returns only available to original purchaser. 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. Shit, I'd probably buy one to beat up/lend out. Thats a fine goal, but lets not kid ourselves: $2,300 is both a lot of money and also not appreciably cheaper than the pricing offered by a number of other brands. Viathons G.1 gravel bike requires the same build. Having 29 wheels means that you need less fork travel, leading to a reduction of the pedal bob effect. Road, Gravel Bikes Viathon's G.1 gravel bike requires the same build. He designed Turner and Cube bikes, the first Pivots, and Diamondbacks for 5 years. I have noted that we are not the only ones saying this, for what it is worth. Maybe in this specialist market they've done a better job. 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. You cannot buy a Viathon bike from one of Walmarts 4000 plus US stores (or from Asda supermarkets in the UK). Years ago a friend of mine bought a carbon fiber Dura Ace bike. Almost all carbon frames come from Asia, and different brands often subcontract with the same large producers. By signing up for email newsletters, you agree to GearJunkie's, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). @I wonder how many ZX-6rs are produced and sold. One of the podcasts I listen to (maybe Singletracks?) Dont squint at the pix, the forks face the right way. In Europe there's this large French sports goods chain called Decathlon. Probably trying to compete with REI. Filter bikes by year, weight, components, price, and performance. At least 30-50% of surfers at my local breaks are on $200 Wavesorms and other "foamies" from Costco and the like. They said it's, basically, a pure XC race bike. Viathon G.1 GRX 600 gravel bike review: Carbon at alloy pricing - CyclingTips. Im sure you can find wheels that wouldnt clear, depending upon hub design, and wheels that would be just fine. 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. But the bikes are neither crap nor cheap. For now, no. In effect, the brand is a sortie into a high-end scene, allowing Walmart to test the waters of a rarefied market. 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. A long wheelbase and dropped chainstay design supports wide rubber and rough riding conditions. Moto shops are fine with 35% margin where most bike shops wouldnt talk to you without keystone margins (50%). The Viathon website has more specs: https://www.viathonbicycles.com/products/road-bike-r1-105. Pleased to see this. In an interview last week at Sea Otter, a bicycling industry gathering in Monterey, Calif. I came to Walmart to grow the bike industry. 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. Although I 100% agree, I'm sure your comment will be downed by most here. The bikes look fine. 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. The impetus for the brand was therefore personal, not corporate. 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. bikeit! Posted Oct 2, 2019, We dentists don't shop at Walmart. You can buy the same frames on aliexpress for under $300, or if you're more risk-adverse you can buy them through this guy: Perhaps we'll see a revolution that surfing seems to be having. Yea 10k is a lot for a bike, but its also top tier in the Mtb world. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Someone asked above how can they sell for this much cheaper? For the last update and a link to the introductions, Click Here. REI bikes are made by the largest manufacturer in the industry, Giant. The parts kits feature quality components from premium suppliers like Fizik, Hed, and Zipp, and the pricing is competitive with a number of brands. I mean, they still have to make the same deals with sram, rockshox, shimano etc. Will these bikes be sold in a box and assembled by the owner? The bikes are clean and simple, classy but without any fanfare. Brought on board to run Walmarts online bike sales, he pitched the idea of a standalone brand. They travel by private jet, stay in luxury hotelshave huge parties And never tip anybody anything EVER. The tires were Schwalbe Lugano which sell around $10 each. Not a fan of Walmart. Its a one-man Canyon, with Spinhirne-Martin sitting at his computer in San Bruno, California, bolting on expertise when he needs it. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review. I don't know what site you are on but thats all there. "SHIMANO 105 FC-R7000, HOLLOWTECH 2, 50-34T". 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. How long do Walmart bikes last? It appears the newswas first mentioned in a Pinkbike story. 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. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? 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. which would be why the mtb would cost more, not enough numbers to drive down the productions costs, mould costs. "With Walmart's reach, we will create an awareness of the brand.". Since 1994 these are the words that continue to resonate within us. Did Viathon offer some bold new technology,jaw-dropping value, or an irresistible brand story? ($1k frame only pricing). The mountain bike is the perfect companion to discover new things off the beaten track. Viathon is run as a digitally native vertical brand, a phrase coined by Andy Dunn, founder of US menswear brand Bonobos. And the bikes look good! Will people buy them? All rights reserved, an opinion column about Viathon's unique formation, Workers at REI Cleveland store vote to join union, Hi-Torque closes Road Bike Action and Electric Bike Action magazines, Top Executives Tackling Biggest Bike Industry Challenges at the 2023 Bicycle Leadership Conference, Suplest shoes now available in North America through Blacksmith Cycle, NY City Council passes lithium-ion battery safety package. Yeah I'm in Australia and I know this, along with they do a bit for some mtb community's and trails. 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. I would love to see good reviews on them, but KevCentral's just don't cut it for me for actual riding. Full on rippers. A torque wrench is included to help the customer tighten screws appropriately. But Walmart. Viathon's staff is made up of bike industry veterans, and the company has partnered with Kevin Quan Studios for its design and engineering. You think bikes v motos are bad, hell you can get a casio watch for 1000x less than a rolex. At least i know enough to tip my waitress. Walmart wanted Bonobos because it was a favourite of high-income urban millennials. Except none of that happened. And while the bikes may be sold on Walmarts website at some point, theres no mention ofselling in stores, which would put the bikes in front of a broader audience. Then theres the idiots who think they can get 1500 for their POS 1988 cr125. Also something to liven up trails that you ride regularly. And 2 years ago, the company hired Zach Spinhirne-Martin, a senior buyer at CompetitiveCyclist.com. This may have been mentioned already but Im not gonna read everything. Blog postings are outsourced to cycling journalist Aaron Gulley. 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. Compare that to a top end World Cup dh bike at around 10-15k. When used in conjunction with good cultural management practices and as part of a complete disease control program, viAtHOntM will control/suppress specified diseases associated with almond, barley, corn, grasses grown for seed, onions, peanuts, pecans, pistachio, soybeans, walnut, watermelons, and wheat. 3G for Ultegra, double the 105 model. bicycles I'd love to buy a rigid carbon 29er single speed for about $1300 Viathon. 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. There are many many people for whom Wmart is their entire mass produced goods consumption experience. bikes Viathon Bicycles Promo Codes, Coupons & Deals for February 2023. Viathon M.1 GX Eagle Mountain Bike Review | SRAM GX EagleI was amazed how light this bike was and how well it climbed!Viathon was kind enough to send me over. Still, Viathon is getting a fair bit of press, with stories on a number of cycling-enthusiast and outdoor sites. Their investments are totally separate from Walmart even though Steuart is on the main Walmart board.. Read through the small print "Returns and Refund Policy: 60 days from date of purchase - new or used with proof of original purchase. as an example they probably make 100-1000-10000 more of the same model moto as they would for the mtb. not bad at all. The website has no we-can-offer-keenest-prices-because-were-Walmart spiel. And while low, Viathon pricing was at parity with any number of other name-brand carbon models, including Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Canyon. Or on the other hand, that lower price may be just the ticket to smooth out the ride. And failing. One could even go as far as to install Redshifts own ShockStop Seat Post for the ultimate smoothness out back. So far, Viathon isnt saying much about what makes its bikes different, nor is it telling much of a brand story. All models are available exclusively at Walmart in-store and online. Maybe. Walmart's first mountain bike offering is a carbon hardtail called the M.1. Since the news was announced last week, fans have been coming out and saying that this is what theyve been waiting for. 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. 2G for 105, 1.5G for a frame. Not just kooks either. Others seek innovation above all, eager to check out the latest suspension tech from Trust Performance or Yeti. Shop all Genesis Bikes with sizes ranging from 18" to 700c, in kids and adults sizes. The pricing. So take the roads less traveled, or the ones that don't even show up on the . The brand is starting with three models: the R1 road bike, the G1 gravel bike, and the M1 29er MTB. Who does this serve?! bike brands don't make as much as you think per unit. @roma258: It's not. For less. 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. 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. Wal-Mart shoppers are not going to spend 3-5 k for a bike! Writing in 2016, Dunn wrote: Digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs) are maniacally focused on the customer experience and they interact, transact, and story-tell to consumers primarily on the web., Dunn added: The DNVB is born on the internet. Bikes are getting more expensive because more expensive bikes and bike parts are selling better than cheaper bikes and bike parts. Walmart is not just a brand of box stores that populates every U.S. state. Of course they will be. 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. A few things are apparent with Viathon. Its also important to note whats not in the current lineup: womens bikes, utility bikes, and e-bikes. Gwin was smoking everyone on a very close to stock YT tues high end build. And that right there is the problem with any form of cycling, "my bike is better than yours" bullshit mantra. 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. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. Doesn't really looks like a revolution to me yet. Its not the products: a three-frame range of MTBs, and gravel and road bikes. I'm seeing an unbranded power meter, but no mention of it. I would have thought their frame prices would have more closely matched online Chinese carbon frames. Y'all talk a big game about wanting more low-priced options but no one is out there actually buying them - I do P&A analysis for a bike distributors, I would know. Could always ride it and return it! Explore, search and compare thousands of the world's best mountain bikes here on Mountain Bike Database. Climbing and racing bikes made of carbon are tough enough for tumbles and rough riding. No dropper on the GX spec? Unbelievable a$$holes, TLDR: "successful family chooses to enjoy their success while remaining frugal to ensure long term multigenerational wealth". If the demand for an entry level bike is there, then they can produce enough units to make it financially viable. 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. Viathon, like Bonobos, goes against the fundamental tenets on which Walmart was built. It was a carbon fiber frame, and it had DA, but on close inspection it was only DA only where the DA logo was prominent. People talking about this being good for "the industry" have no idea what they're talking about. Walmart isnt currently targeting the kind of customer who wants the latest carbon layup or the greatest new geometry, nor is it targeting customers who self-identify as cyclists. This line of thinking reflects a massive gap In understanding about top line Mtb (for example s-works) and the stock YZ250. 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.. There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. Like was stated, much of the pricing for this sport is utterly absurd. Or is the front-end harshness that pronounced? Viathon riders, like every other bike customer, will need service. Doubt they are taking a loss, even at these prices. 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. Read more. 0. khao lak, thailand tsunami 2004. Honestly the bike prices are high because people buy them LOL. It doesnt need to get younger customers. c'mon. Well I'm kinda torn here. There is very little flex since your BB is both on the swingarm and the front triangle. You could get a 450 for the same as a well optioned V10. I just pay the numbers. Walmart is the largest retailer for bikes in America by a good margin. Right now, Viathon sits on the value end of the spectrum, alongside other house brands like Scattante or the now-closed Foundry: perfectly fine, but not particularly compelling. 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. How much is the bike when it has the XX1 components? Way too much focus on the manufacturing/engineering side on squeezing out that next 1% gain in performance, then convincing us through marketing (or forcing us in the case of Boost) that we need it. 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. He proposed a private-label project, and hes bringing it to fruition. Will hopefully bring the prices down across the board. @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. 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.". Also if you make that thing for many years, it further amortizes the investment. The Viathon Lineup. Don't think too fast. Vitus Bikes offer an award winning range of Mountain Bikes, Road Bikes, Ebikes and more. 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. 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. 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). 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. As a straight-up road bike, wed have no issues with the Viathon G1. In 2017, Bonobos was sold to, you guessed it, Walmart.Walmart wanted Bonobos because it was a favourite of high-income urban millennials. 3 for online traffic after Google and Amazon. 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. Schedule a free call. Unlike, say, the car industry, its relatively cheap to launch into the world of making bicycles, even bespoke framed ones. 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. Who the fuck cares where it came from, so long as it is a good bike. For those who dont want to deal with immediate upgrades and want a more compliant bike, I would advise to look elsewhere. @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? The issue with Walmart isn't how the founders choose to spend their billions, but the effect that Walmart has on local economies. There are a lot of reasons why our bikes are so expensive first thought, offerings in multiple sizes. Unless they are basically making no money on the bikes, I find it hard to see how they could undercut their competition, especially considering the frames themselves don't really often anything out of the ordinary. And then you have a full Dura disc model for 5G. Viathon Bicycles made waves at its launch earlier this year as a premium bike brand incubated under an unlikely source. The GVR is designed for the speed of race day and fast-paced action on pave and open fire road sections. Surprised it hasn't happened already or will it appear on tomorrow's front page! Therefore we have nothing really to go by but the suggested retail and maybe current internet pricing at the time of publishing a piece. Second, the designers chose to mount a dropper seatpost as standard equipment on the M.1. 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. Boost? 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. Pretty sad that a brand new YZ250 cost thousands less than some of the bikes I come across in the wild. 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. Viathon has chosen a RockShox SID RLC with 120mm of travel. 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'm honestly surprised by how many people don't realize the Walton family is already waist deep in the cycling industry. But if Walmart must have some data that shows theyll sell some of these. We don't need a review. 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. If we stopped inventing new shit the whole circus might just collapse in on itself overnight. 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. With the backing of Walmart, we can scale very quickly.. Things have moved on. Did you have any issues with clearance between the spokes and rival caliper in the front? The Bike Forum. It can take 650b wheels with up to 2.1-inch tires, or 700c wheels with up to 51mm tires. Its exploding right now because people are afraid of riding in traffic. It uses four R12 bearings and everything is held together by the crank's 19mm spindle. Considering the Walmart shopper and what bike theyre on now, the answer is probably yes. Certainly Viathon's not to that point yet, but time will tell. The tire clearances are a bit on the restrictive side as well. The average person is a Walmart shopper, he says. They also have their own brands, among which there's their B-Twin brand of bikes and bike accessories brand. 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. How is the Walmart frame wroth 4x an ebay frame? Ive already gotten questions for people internationally. Facebook. 250? And its not as though it was even that expensive to create, at least not in Walmart terms. 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. Bikes. Of course, you can always install a nice, compliant carbon post. Our Fezzari Bicycle experts are here to help you find the perfect bike. 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. Or did you have its sale / closeout pricing in mind ($1,599)? 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 There are no whiz-bang spangles for instance, the MTB is a vanilla hardtail. The road bike is 200 grams lighter than the gravel bike, with more aggressive geometry, 28c tires, and a stiffer frame. Hey Waltins: quit coming to aspen and stay in facking arkansas. In the meantime, it seems Walmart isn't quite sure what they've created or who . 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. But Viathon's G.1 GRX 800 is light, fast, and sporty, and costs much less than its competitors. 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. Hed been with the online retailer for 10 years. @MDZ Thanks for checking out Riding Gravel and for that feedback. Walmart didnt opt to adopt more modern geometry, possibly because its current customer base will have to take a few steps to catch up to the rest of the bike market. Lots of things coming from different directions can sometimes become out of whack enough to cause a problem. Cue the cheap-crap jokes. A fine example might be the PRO Discover Carbon Seat Post which we reviewed, but there are others that would do the job well also. Complete builds start at $2,300, and top out at $3,500 for the gravel models and around $6,000 for the road and mountain bikes. GravelNut April 10, 2019, . First, this hardtail gets more than just the usual 100mm-travel fork. bike If successful, Viathon can be rolled out widely, claimed Spinhirne-Martin. Schedule a one-on-one call today! 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 . machines ect. Without the curiousness of the Walmart link, I wouldnt even be writing about Viathon. I won't shop with them. Too many highly paid engineers on staff working on "advancements" that most riders never needed. And yes, while the argument of "buy used" is a good one, most newbies simply don't know where to look, don't know what to look for, and are overwhelmed by the whole used buying experience that they just throw in the towel and go back to the sport they are familiar with. I think bikes are priced high and I think the margins are higher than in other enterprises. First they took our jerbs, and they're taking our guns! I'll be honest if I ever worried about someone thinking less of me for buying a bike at Walmart I'd probably leave the bike wherever I was and get out of the hobby. (not sure exactly) into building up a mountain bike mecca in Bentonville, Arkansas. Sign up to receive GearJunkie content direct to your inbox. You can race and ride it at the highest Mtb level. 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. The G.1, one of 3 models launched by Viathon, is a modern gravel bike with a 1,010g claimed 54cm frame weight with hardware. MTB, Black 648 3+ day shipping Best seller $91.14 16" Marvel Spider-Man Bike for Boys' by Huffy 435 Were partnering with the bike industry to deliver so we dont mess it up, said Spinhirne-Martin. The last time we posted on the Viathon G1 we mentioned that this bike might be the perfect candidate for the Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem.