Take YouTuber KevCentral, for example, whose channel reviews bikes available at Walmart and Walmart.com and how to upgrade them. Walmart will sell bikes under this brand soon with price tags up to $6,000. And while its far from a silky-smooth ride (Ill come back to this), frame compliance was a design factor. 1999-2023 Slowtwitch, Inc., and Slowtwitch.comReproduction of material from any Slowtwitch.com pagewithout written permission is strictly prohibited. Had Viathon hit the market five years ago with this narrative, it would have owned the high-end-value space. 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. ), while James wasnt stoked by the lack of a cable access hatch at the bottom bracket if you want to reroute or replace gear housing. As technical editor Dan Cavallari pointed out in our sister publication VeloNews, "Viathon ticks almost all the high-end boxes for a bike with a lower pricepoint. Viathon ships high-end carbon bikes from a Walmart - Bikerumor but no links to product pages. Are bike shopsscary, elitist, and unwelcoming? Brothers Tom and Steuart Walton are passionate cyclists, and the Walton Family Foundation has helped build the Bentonville area into a world-class destination for mountain biking. Change your default forum handle here! Despite having all the good Shimano shifty bits, the full-length and low-cost Jagwire cables that connected them didnt do them justice. Steering responsiveness feels more akin to an endurance or aero bike than that of an all-around bike. Going uphill, the shifting is buttery smooth. Its what you want in a more race-focussed gravel bike, and in this sense, it gives up very little compared to the likes of the higher-priced Stigmata or Aspero. Of course, this all depends on your height, and those five available frame sizes only start at 52 cm. Usually, they can change the bar width, stem length, and crank length, but Viathon hasnt been able to do this during the pandemic because of supply chain issues, and its not clear yet when theyll be able to offer this option again. The R.1 does feel responsive and supportive when you stand up to sprint. For the last update and a link to the introductions, Click Here. In some cases the customers know exactly what they want, but if they dont then the service agent can help determine whats best by running through a few questions about the rider and desired riding position.. The GRX 600 build also has Mercury G3 wheels, with a 25mm internal width, and IRC Boken 700x40c tires, for a setup that should provide a wide footprint. I understand the reviewer had limited time on the bike, but there is no real detail on how the bike rode. Did Viathon offer some bold new technology,jaw-dropping value, or an irresistible brand story? Perfect Portable Power Station: EcoFlow River 2 Pro Review, Watch Aldo Leopolds Passion for Conservation Take Root in Serve the Land, Best Overland Water Storage Containers for Long-Distance Travel, AI Hiking Bears Fascinate Internet, Scramble Human Brains, Civivi Conspirator Nitro-V Review: The Budget-Friendly Super Steel Youve Never Heard Of, Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Review: Mojave Road Overland Adventure, The Benchmade Narrows Resets the Engineering Bar, A Scope That Performs Without Breaking the Bank: Maven CRS.2 Review, The Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags of 2023, The Best Camping Mattresses and Sleeping Pads of 2023, From a Reclining Camp Chair to Kickass Layers: Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Moms, Best Gifts for Dad: Great Gear for Your Old Man, Best Fitness Gifts: 10 Must-Haves for the Outdoor Athlete. The bikes look fine. Now the town is sharing a decade's worth of inspiration. Over mostly flat and undulating terrain, the G1 can actually be a little fun on certain trails, if thats what you enjoy from a gravel bike. Viathon G1, Rival, 56cm, Disc, 700C, Matte Black/Silver - Walmart Something like these Spank Vibrocore gravel bars we tested would certainly take the edge off. transition-DOT-area-AT-slowtwitch-DOT-com. During Sun Valleys Outerbike event I had the chance to pick Viathon founder Zach Spinhirne-Martins brain about the genesis of the brand. The big-box retailer is trying to cater to cycling enthusiasts with a line of three new carbon rides. Join Outside+ to get complete access to exclusive content on VeloNews, training plans for road and gravel, and more. Both the Stigmata and the G.1 feature 425 mm chainstays, while the reach and stack figures are also closely aligned. Certainly, there are many Walmart shoppers among us, though likely few who have bought a bike there. Noting the stiffness, and feathery weight of the G1 again, its an excellent climber, and the Shimano GRX 600 worked flawlessly for me. Whats it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Specialized's highest-end hardtailthe S-Works Epiccomes in at a whopping $8,520, whereas Viathon's most expensive model starts at $6,000. For one, the retailer is already selling high-end bike parts on their outdoor website Moosejaw. Performance, comfort, speed, agility, and other characteristics require in-person evaluation, which is tough to prove for a brand like Viathon, which is available only online. Others are concerned about how this will undercut bike shops. "With Walmart's reach, we will create an awareness of the brand.". With the tire clearance limited to a 40c wide tire though, the G1 reminds me again that its intentions rest on dirt roads. Look for Viathon bikes online at ViathonBicycles.com in mid-May, and soon after at Walmart.com. From its sleek frame on up, the M.1 cuts few corners: Stans Crest CB7 carbon wheels, FSA carbon cockpit, Fizik saddle, Ergon grips, and a RockShox dropper post. The Viathon G1 comes in five sizes ranging from 52cm to 60cm in 2cm increments. And the two price points for Dura Ace and Ultegra place the Viathon alongside some of the budget-friendly racing bikes from Canyon that feature equally impressive component specs. [, Official FIT ASSISTANCE for Canyon Speedmax CFR, CF SLX, and CF (disc & rim brake), Official Canyon Speedmax CF Owners Thread, Official FIT ASSISTANCE for Cervelo TT and Triathlon Bikes. A. The company cited industry data. The Shimano Dura Ace build with hydraulic disc brakes costs $5,850, and the Ultegra disc brake model is $3,575. Viathon offers so much for the money, but there are obvious trade-offs. Viathon was created to shift consumers thinking. Red digits displaying 22.7 pounds blinked alive, quantifying the size-large bike as bona fide feathery for its class. Sadly the provided stem length and seatpost setback werent an ideal fit for the bike, or us. Enter your email for the top stories in mountain biking, plus product picks and deals delivered to your inbox each week. Viathon M.1 GX Eagle Mountain Bike Review - YouTube Not because its not important, but because Viathons business model is to swap out these components to your preference upon ordering the bike, all with no additional cost. I normally would not take the time to write this stuff, but I was really interested in a review of this bike. And the bikes look good! At the GearJunkie office, we cut zip ties and packing tape. [, Re: Did Wal Mart pull the plug on Viathon? These are just my opinions. Viathon Bicycles made waves at its launch earlier this year as a premium bike brand incubated under an unlikely source. Hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension, Viathon notes, are the second-largest category, according to NPD. Equally, I found the Selle Italia Novus Boost saddle and unpadded Fizik bar tape odd choices. Seriously, this is an impressive wheelset for a bike of this price. 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). Some cyclists are extremely brand-loyal, willing to pay a premium for pride in heritage brands like Bianchi or Pinarello. Not a whole lot. And its partnering with shops, mobile shops, and more, as well as creating an online fit calculator. However, theres also an element of simplicity we quite like. Well, so much for that. So whats not to like? Teton Gravity Research Certainly Viathon's not to that point yet, but time will tell. All rights reserved. The bikes graphics are understated, which is fitting to the overall narrative of this bike. $200 Off Viathon Bicycles Coupon (2 Promo Codes) Mar 2023 Reports of a top-end race build with a $6,000 price tag cast a cognitive dissonance across the office. The cable routing itself was fairly basic, too. But that lack of local shop support is a risk of buying a bike through direct channels. But the collaboration shouldnt come as a surprise. That bit of information, incidentally, is not something youll find on Viathons website. And, its certainly not the Evil Chamois Hagar. And they certainly didnt skimp out on components. The Zipp Service Course stem, handlebar and seatpost are in the same camp: quality, name-brand components with a proven track record. The Viathon G1 Gravel Bike: Fast and Affordable, with a Little Room for So far, Viathon isnt saying much about what makes its bikes different, nor is it telling much of a brand story. Theres the usual tapered steerer fork, 12 mm thru-axles, flat mount brake mounts, internal cable routing (using full-length cable housing), and asymmetrical chainstays to increase tyre clearance. Hip Labrum Repair - How long did yours last? Viathon says it wants to bridge Walmarts current low-price offerings to the bike-enthusiastbusiness. TGR Staff Writer and photographer. And yep, the frame can be setup with either 1x or 2x gearing. Its possible that was done on purpose to appeal more to a wider swath of riders namely, non-racers. I weighed the M.1 later with a handheld scale. Bike shops could benefit from more riders on more bikes. After spending some time on 1X and 2X gravel bikes, I appreciate the 2X drivetrain, because it covers the spectrum of what a gravel bike will encounter on any ride. And every single article, including this one, focuses on the Walmart ownership. Its a bike that uses the exact same full-carbon frame as the more expensive Viathon G.1s in the range theres no tweak to the carbon lay-up, or cheapening of the fork for the various price points. Lets be honest. 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.. Viathon G1 Bike: At The Finish - Riding Gravel In that sense, Viathon hit the nail on the head.. To build its carbon frames,. 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. That tyre clearance is far, far more generous than the 700 x 40 mm (or 650B x 53 mm) wide numbers that Viathon claim. Support us! Okay, aside from that, yes, youre riding a high-end race bike, so you generally know what to expect. All Viathon bikes come with a 2-year warranty. A RockShox 120mm fork and speedy Continental tires respectively absorb and grip the ground. Question: When Will Viathon Bikes Go On Sale - BikeHike On top of the frame features, the G1 comes with a pretty respectable build kit. 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. Viathon G.1 GRX 800 review - VeloNews.com I can always add larger volume tires and reduce the pressure for additional comfort when riding gravel or chip-seal, but a wet noodle frame is just painful when youre dying climbing for hours in the mountains..