Good. And I want to get more people on bikes. 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. Since 1994 these are the words that continue to resonate within us. 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.". View specs and technical data for all Viathon Bike Models. In that sense, Viathon hit the nail on the head.. 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. Your email address will not be published. Sure, some R and D for that motorcycle has come from up and down the lineup, but the same can be said for the bike companies. 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. The impetus for the brand was therefore personal, not corporate. 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. I just pay the numbers. @roma258: It's a catch 22. Did you have any issues with clearance between the spokes and rival caliper in the front? Wal-Mart shoppers are not going to spend 3-5 k for a bike! Of course, you can always install a nice, compliant carbon post. Pinterest. But to drive the demand, there needs to be a product in place to capture attention. Wouldnt be caught dead buying one of their bikes but competition in any industry is a good thing. 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. Posted Oct 2, 2019, We dentists don't shop at Walmart. See how long we last Shimano Consolidates Entry- to Mid-Level Groupsets With New CUES Drivetrains, Opinion: Five Things The Bike Industry Could Do Better, Throwback Thursday: A Brief History of Direct Mount Derailleurs, Buying a Bike From a Shop Versus Buying Online, DH Bike Review: Canfield's Jedi Masters Rough Terrain, Review: Mythos 3D-Printed Titanium Stem is My Kind of Excess, DH Bike Review: Orange 279 - A Staple of British Downhill Racing, www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/first-ride-review-deciphering-the-viathon-m1-hardtail-mtb, www.outsideonline.com/2295486/single-track-minds, www.diycarbonbikes.com/collections/hardtailframes. there's your reviewi'll be buying the r1 soon. 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). Maybe. "With Walmart's reach, we will create an awareness of the brand.". They also have controlling interests in Rapha and Allied Cycles. Should brick-and-mortar or other online retailers worry? There are many many people for whom Wmart is their entire mass produced goods consumption experience. The brake were the same Tektro brakes on a 2300 or Sora bike. First, this hardtail gets more than just the usual 100mm-travel fork. Bikes - Ventum Order today! bikeit! 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. Don't think too fast. Not a fan of Walmart. And the mountain-biking-mad Waltons have also upgraded the MTB trails close to Walmarts corporate HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas. bicycling 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. In the meantime, it seems Walmart isn't quite sure what they've created or who . 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. Hey Waltins: quit coming to aspen and stay in facking arkansas. The simple answer is: because it can. GravelNut April 10, 2019, . The company's launch includes three bikes: the G1, R1 and M1 for, aptly, gravel, road and mountain biking, respectively. And does it matter, because the nut is now unusable? Pretty sad that a brand new YZ250 cost thousands less than some of the bikes I come across in the wild. If we stopped inventing new shit the whole circus might just collapse in on itself overnight. Many people are the same, I guess the rebranding isn't for nothing. They are direct to consumer from the website, just like Canyon. As a straight-up road bike, wed have no issues with the Viathon G1. Kev has 43,000 subscribers. The bikes look fine. Don't need. And then you have a full Dura disc model for 5G. 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. Since the news was announced last week, fans have been coming out and saying that this is what theyve been waiting for. That said, the lineup doesn't make sense. Walmart Viathon Bikes - New Walmart Bikes 2019 - Bicycling 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. And every single article, including this one, focuses on the Walmart ownership. Now it has a toe in the high-end market and the chance to show that itscapable of making quality stuff. Viathon - The new brand poised to take on the USA 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. Viathon Launches New Direct-to-Consumer G1 Carbon Gravel Bike OBED Bikes | Gravel Again- something we cannot make a call on. @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. 2 - You can't buy these bikes at a Walmart. Your email address will not be published. Arkansas is also hosting several UCI events in the next few years including cyclocross WORLDS. Look for Viathon bikes online at ViathonBicycles.com in mid-May, and soon after at Walmart.com. Viathon emerged as an interesting consumer-direct brand, under the ownership of Walmart. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Read more. machines ect. All Viathon bikes come with a 2-year warranty. 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. Dollar-for-dollar there are other carbon-framed high-end bikes out there that undercut the Viathon offerings. Its a fine balance caused by the nature of disc brake calipers, front wheel spacing, hub flange spacing, and wheel design. 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. https://bikepacking.com/routes/arkansas-high-country-route-northwest-loop/. @roma258: It's not. Facebook. bicycle At least i know enough to tip my waitress. The Viathon G1 Gravel Bike: Fast and Affordable, with a Little Room for Prices of big brand quality mountain bikes jumped the shark years ago. 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. Except none of that happened. 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. 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. He employs six engineers and designers at his Toronto-based studio. what happened to viathon bikes Bike industry seems super healthy (at least outside looking in), coming from the moto world. The average person is a Walmart shopper, he says. I won't shop with them. There are a lot of reasons why our bikes are so expensive first thought, offerings in multiple sizes. Certainly, there are many Walmart shoppers among us, though likely few who have bought a bike there. 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. 5G for Dura. Not everybody has great trail access, but almost everybody has access to dirt roads.. So how much cheaper are these complete builds? Viathon is hitting the market with three model families. Yeah I'm in Australia and I know this, along with they do a bit for some mtb community's and trails. No mention of gearing. The M1 carbon hardtail, with a SRAM GX Ealge driveterain comes in at a bargain price of $2,200, with the top-level SRAM AXS electronic drivetrain equipped model hitting $6,500. As it is not a pinnacle that can be reached, it is an ongoing process of always honing, evolving, & refining the way our bikes feel. Like Remot, Viathon debuts with three offerings: one frame each in road, gravel, and mountain, with three levels of build kit. Andy T fitted the ShockStop stem and immediately felt the benefits. $$$ Outdoor & Sporting Goods Company Privacy Policy Photos See all Videos See all 0:11 Frame weight is a claimed 1,010 grams for size 54, including derailleur hardware and bottle cage bolts. And that right there is the problem with any form of cycling, "my bike is better than yours" bullshit mantra. 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. Anyone heard anything about the viathon? : whichbike - Reddit 29 plumtrees road newtown, ct; popular subdivision names; how to cite the implicit association test 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. However; on crushed rock and rough surfaces, the overly-stiff front fork can be a liability when it comes to rider comfort. Cue the cheap-crap jokes. what happened to viathon bikes In stock bikes | CANYON US 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. what happened to viathon bikes Byjunho 3, 2022 At Viathon, we believe that great bikes make riding more fun. Review: Viathon R.1 Road Bike - VeloNews.com A Viathon representative told me that Walmart simply wanted the story to be more about the bikes than the company behind them. But the bikes are neither crap nor cheap. Hes also the founder and part owner of Knight Composites. For anyone familiar with the beer industry, this is like Anheuser-Busch creating Shocktop, not Anheuser-Busch buying Goose Island or Elysian. The bikes will be available to order within weeks. All this went down in April and May of this year. The frame costs just the same as a TCR frame, without the TCR reputation. An s-works bike off the floor performs at a pro level. 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. Thread starter nakman; Start date Apr 12, 2019; nakman Club Secretary . Mount a water bottle to the frame and stay hydrated for harder riding. ''', And indeed they were. In 2017, Bonobos was sold to, you guessed it, Walmart.Walmart wanted Bonobos because it was a favourite of high-income urban millennials. So, that limits demand. Viathon has chosen a RockShox SID RLC with 120mm of travel. 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. Yea 10k is a lot for a bike, but its also top tier in the Mtb world. So, we feel this is a good bike, but maybe that stiffness and the specifics on spec and business model are not for everyone. I mean, they still have to make the same deals with sram, rockshox, shimano etc. But the move that really set the cat among the industry pigeons was the Viathon sales strategy, which at least strongly hinted at distribution via Walmart.com. 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. I spoke with him at the recent Outerbike expo in Idaho, the second public outing for the brand. Dave Rome Apr 2020. Moosejaw now sells cycling gear on their website and has a retail bike shop in Birmingham, MI. Viathon Bikes launched to surprise, confusion and intrigue back in April, offering high-end carbon XC hardtails despite links to Walmart. I might consider buying it for the components. Its a one-man Canyon, with Spinhirne-Martin sitting at his computer in San Bruno, California, bolting on expertise when he needs it. Will hopefully bring the prices down across the board. Equipped with a SRAM XO1 Eagle drivetrain that shifts seamlessly, Stans 29 carbon wheels, and an FSA K-force carbon handlebar, this thing was designed to climb. I'm guessing this is Plan B to get the bike seen by more people Will it actually be in the store or order online with instore pickup or delivery? One could even go as far as to install Redshifts own ShockStop Seat Post for the ultimate smoothness out back. Viathon Bikes - Walmart.com. what happened to viathon bikes - malaikamediatv.com Some of that is a function of the homogeneity of the modern bike-enthusiast business. Outside's long reads email newsletter features our strongest writing, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors. Apt analogy. All rights reserved. I will also say again that for the extra money, a RedShift ShockStop stem cures that front end issue. Get 40% off Select Items ViathonBicycles.com w/ Coupon (Activate). Im guessing thatwithout the connection to the largest retailer in the world, Viathon wouldnt be getting nearly this level of attention. The shifters and RD were DA and that was it. 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. Maybe in this specialist market they've done a better job. Required fields are marked *. 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. Although I 100% agree, I'm sure your comment will be downed by most here. The issue with Walmart isn't how the founders choose to spend their billions, but the effect that Walmart has on local economies. "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. It is aimed squarely at millennials and digital natives. @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? Go to the shop Go to the shop. We don't need a review. Its not the products: a three-frame range of MTBs, and gravel and road bikes. Managing editor Dean Yobbi told the story in BRAIN's May dead-trees issue and online as well. The load is transmitted through four large bearings and a large 19mm chunk of steel. Tommaso Sentiero Gravel Bike, Shimano Claris Adventure Bike with Disc Who am I kidding. 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. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? The difference is being wholly owned by US hypermarket chain Walmart. The gravel scene is important for that. That wont set it apart in a highly competitive market or bring high-end tech to a new market of people. Viathon was his idea, springing from his background as a former pro rider, a one-time USA Cycling team mechanic and latterly a web commerce geek with Backcountry.com and before that Competitivecyclist.com. And the company currently sells more bicycles in the United States than any other retailer. Despite this pedigree, Tom and Steuart Walton had no hand in launching Viathon. Walmart launches upscale Viathon road, gravel and mountain bike brand Returns only available to original purchaser. And that is the point. philadelphia bicycles - craigslist Road, Gravel Bikes Viathon's G.1 gravel bike requires the same build. Viathon carbon road and mountain bike 40% closeout, starting - 9to5Toys Some cyclists are extremely brand-loyal, willing to pay a premium for pride in heritage brands like Bianchi or Pinarello. Shop all Genesis Bikes with sizes ranging from 18" to 700c, in kids and adults sizes. I'm a kiter, and that industry is even worse. 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. The GX spec would be tempting if the geometry and looks weren't reminiscent of my 2009 Stumpy hardtail. The pricing. There is certainly a fair amount of seat post extension to work with there., explained Andy T. Hes right too. what happened to viathon bikes - imperio7store.com 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. My point is, the greater MTB industry is set to explode, but the issue of entry level cost is still a major concern for people who simply are not willing to dish out >$1000 for a bike, and unfortunately, for anything less than that, you are crippled with lousy geometry, fall-apart components, and a not-so-fun early experience. No normal business can compete with their strategy. Lots of things coming from different directions can sometimes become out of whack enough to cause a problem. And just like any other reality, outsiders ignore ours at their peril. 'Box-store bike' takes on a whole new meaning as Walmart launches Viathonn, a private high-end cycling brand. 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 . It makes it a lot more difficult to invest in processes and equipment that can ultimately bring the cost down significantly. It appears the newswas first mentioned in a Pinkbike story.