I took Walmart’s Ozark Trail G.1 Explorer out for it’s first ride and stopped at a park for some beauty shots. Boy was I glad for the kickstand! I usually have to find a twig or something to precariously support the bike, and once it’s in place I’m loathe to move it and go through the whole balancing process again. But with a kickstand, it’s just so easy. And no, I’m not going to Photoshop it out!
The bike’s got the lines of a contemporary gravel bike, with shaped tubes, a tapered head tube, and lowered seat stays. From 5o yards, it’s just another gravel bike.
The flared handlebars are currently in style. The narrow top part keeps the rider in a reasonably aerodynamic position while the wider lower sections gives a wider grip, which means more control in more technical sections.
Interesting that they chose a quick release for the seat tube. But that makes it easier to let other people try the bike out.
Good to see places to mount a rear rack. I may be doing that and taking some trips.
It’s interesting to see what components they chose for this $248 bike. Walmart, of course, has tremendous buying power, but even they had to make some concessions to hit this price point. One thing that makes this bike different from other budget bike is that nearly all of the components are industry standard and should be easily replaceable. The rear wheel uses an older technology – a freewheel for the gears – versus the much more common cassette. And the front gears are not bolted on, so changing the gearing on this bike will be more expensive than it would otherwise be. But I guess speccing a cassette and bolt-on chainrings would have raised the price about $248. And maybe Walmart’s market research determined that the percentage of buyers wanting to make those upgrades was not worth the added cost and impact on sales. Besides, there’s a lot of flat land in this country, and 30 years ago, that 28 tooth rear gear was considered big.
This bike is stirring the pot a little; many folks are pleasantly surprised at the respectable level of quality at this price point. And it’s really starting a conversation about the rise in bicycle prices, particularly at the entry level.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.