What's the deal with Walmart and Shimano?
#101
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Totally - I can't look at a random unmarked part on a Walmart bike and say who made it.
Let's call it an informed guess. If Walmart loves Shimano so much that they go to the trouble of putting obvious logos on the chainstays and the rear derailleur, I don't think it's much of a leap to expect them to do the same for other Shimano parts.
Let's call it an informed guess. If Walmart loves Shimano so much that they go to the trouble of putting obvious logos on the chainstays and the rear derailleur, I don't think it's much of a leap to expect them to do the same for other Shimano parts.
#102
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It's called Shimano A050, the sub-Tourney stuff, that is. It's right there in the line up: 2023-2024 SHIMANO Product Information Web They used to do sub-Tourney road stuff, but they've rolled it into Tourney I guess. It's genuine Shimano and you see Shimano branding on a lot of frames, like BSOs here in Korea. You even see it on okay quality 29er frames etc., from Taiwan at times. It's just a marketing thing, and hell, it works with me. I buy genuine Shimano crap over Sunshine crap on kids bikes, mainly for shifting. The cheapest Shimano components just shift better than the awful Chinese stuff you see on other kids bikes.
#103
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my expectations of 99.9% for things that WM sells are set to the lowest standards. Even the name brand items that they might sell are to those lowest expectations. Chances are high that if it required attention from a WM worker, it might be suffering in quality.
That 9" dutch apple pie found at WM might be also sold at a niche pâtisserie & be perfect, but at WM, it will likely have that special broken edged crust & the box contain a random spritz of orange duplicolor paint on it.
It'll be cheaper at WM tho!
That 9" dutch apple pie found at WM might be also sold at a niche pâtisserie & be perfect, but at WM, it will likely have that special broken edged crust & the box contain a random spritz of orange duplicolor paint on it.
It'll be cheaper at WM tho!
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#104
Totally - I can't look at a random unmarked part on a Walmart bike and say who made it.
Let's call it an informed guess. If Walmart loves Shimano so much that they go to the trouble of putting obvious logos on the chainstays and the rear derailleur, I don't think it's much of a leap to expect them to do the same for other Shimano parts.
Let's call it an informed guess. If Walmart loves Shimano so much that they go to the trouble of putting obvious logos on the chainstays and the rear derailleur, I don't think it's much of a leap to expect them to do the same for other Shimano parts.
Either you’re clueless about the way things work or you need to work on your game. Which is it?
Last edited by indyfabz; 01-22-24 at 08:57 PM.
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#105
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About this time last year, ALDI was selling apple pies I could not stay away from. I think they may have had crack in them, but no Shimano stickers.
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#106
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That lil bump in energy could be a nice head start before a twitchy ride.
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#107
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I have some of the bottles of brand-name motor oil (I think it's Quaker State) from Walmart mentioned earlier in this thread, and they have special labels on them with the Walmart logo. I have no doubt that Walmart makes requests from their suppliers, especially easy stuff like a corporate logo here or there.
#108
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I'm partial to the little individual pies/cakes WM sells. So many flavors, all tasty! They're about the size of a Shimano MEGA RANGE freewheel.
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#109
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It matters to me because I'm interested in the business end of it.
It probably matters to the brand managers at Shimano and Walmart.
It probably doesn't matter to you or 99.9% of the rest of polite society.
Of course, that other 0.1% of society might be shopping for a Walmart bike.
I see it as a consumer protection issue. DeWalt frequently puts together cordless power tool kits for Home Depot with only one upgraded tool or battery in the kit and markets the kits in a way that leads people to believe that everything is similarly upgraded. If Walmart/Shimano engage in similar shenanigans, i would want to know so I can be more cautious when dealing with either.
It probably matters to the brand managers at Shimano and Walmart.
It probably doesn't matter to you or 99.9% of the rest of polite society.
Of course, that other 0.1% of society might be shopping for a Walmart bike.
I see it as a consumer protection issue. DeWalt frequently puts together cordless power tool kits for Home Depot with only one upgraded tool or battery in the kit and markets the kits in a way that leads people to believe that everything is similarly upgraded. If Walmart/Shimano engage in similar shenanigans, i would want to know so I can be more cautious when dealing with either.
Shimano isn't engaging in antics or anything similar to what you describe.
#110
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I have some of the bottles of brand-name motor oil (I think it's Quaker State) from Walmart mentioned earlier in this thread, and they have special labels on them with the Walmart logo. I have no doubt that Walmart makes requests from their suppliers, especially easy stuff like a corporate logo here or there.
There is no guy in the back of Walmart pouring oil from Pennzoil bottles into Walmart bottles.
When Walmart contracts with some CCP factory for however many million cheap MTBs or whatever it is likely buying the bikes as sold by that bike factory ... big as it is Walmart possibly cannot get as good a deal from Shimano as the bike manufacturer can (obviously the bike manufacturer is buying bigger bulk.) The stickers are probably licensed from Shimano and printed and applied at the factory. There is no guy in the back of Walmart putting stickers on frames (we know this because none of the stickers or upside down or backwards, like some of the forks and brake levers will be.)
Seriously, why would Walmart hire people to put stickers on bikes, or any other product, when whichever factory makes the product already puts stickers on the products (or portions them into logo containers)? Walmart might request special branding, but just as likely the cheezy Chinese factory making cheezy Chinese bikes applies the Shimano stickers (just as it applies the Shimano parts) because no matter who the end user, if it is any nation which uses the English alphabet, "Shimano" will be a recognized brand.
A quick search shows Wallybikes labeled Titan, Hyper, Genesis, Huffy, Kent, Mongoose, and Dynacraft, among others. I doubt any of those carry any particular weight among Walmart shoppers ... and I bet Walmart shoppers who have never heard of Shimano think it is a big deal that their bikes have Shimano parts .... just because the decal is so visible ("They wouldn't advertise it if it weren't special.")
Anyway ... the initial issue seemed to be a claim that somehow those Shimano stickers were hurting Shimano. I have yet to see even a shred of evidence.
#111
Folks:
#112
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Well .... I made a heavy investment in horse-jelly futures, and I need to protect that investment ....
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#114
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WM has some competition in cheap athletic goods. I have one of these in my area. I'm sure Dick's carries bikes with Shimano components. If it didn't sell at Dick's it goes to these stores.
https://www.goinggoinggone.com/
https://www.goinggoinggone.com/
#115
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If you owned a reputable brand with a solid history of making quality items (it could be anything) and you then decide to make crap items so you can partner with a company that makes crap, how is that a good look for your brand as a whole? You can certainly argue that the Shimano components on WM bikes are not representative of the Shimano brand as a whole, but that's just a weak rationalization to justify the manufacture and sale of crap. Crap is never a good look for any company. Is that clear enough?
#116
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Ok way to point things out from far back in the conversation. I am not going to call Tourney quality in any sense and lie to anyone. You want to do that, fine, go for it. I choose to be truthful and not be an apologist for their bottom and below stuff. We are allowed to have differing opinions, that is the whole fun of this forum.
#117
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As a writer put it in a Bicycle Guide issue decades ago, Shimano derailleurs work for you by the hour. Pay more, and you get greater longevity, with lighter weight as a bonus. But even the cheapest shift very well.
#118
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Barring damage or wear (the Bianchi's derailleur would be decades old at this point), any Shimano indexing-compatible rear derailleur ever designed will shift pretty much as well as any other, thanks to their Centron floating jockey wheel.
As a writer put it in a Bicycle Guide issue decades ago, Shimano derailleurs work for you by the hour. Pay more, and you get greater longevity, with lighter weight as a bonus. But even the cheapest shift very well.
As a writer put it in a Bicycle Guide issue decades ago, Shimano derailleurs work for you by the hour. Pay more, and you get greater longevity, with lighter weight as a bonus. But even the cheapest shift very well.
#119
Keyboard titans of industry here on BF are funny. They act like they know what’s best for a multi-gozillion dollar company.
#120
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I have to imagine there was something mal-adjusted with the LX or old cables or something.
#122
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I was riding home today and I saw a school kid on a "Columbia" bike with a Shimano sticker on the chainstay that looked identical to the ones I saw at Walmart.
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#125