Going uphill, the shifting is buttery smooth. I set up the G1 with a quick home fit, and away I went. Before being tasked with launching Viathon, Spinhirne-Martin was responsible for all online bike sales on Walmart's e-commerce platforms, which include Walmart.com, Jet.com, Moosejaw.com, and Hayneedle.com. 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. Check Out Continue Shopping. Vosper: House of carbon cards, chapter two: Viathon revisited Are Your Trails Ready to Ride for the Season. Except none of that happened. And while Walmarts involvement with the cycling world has traditionally been one of mass-market and low-cost bikes bought in-store, Viathons entry signals a new age. Many of their arguments I can support, like lower costs and lighter frames, but claiming that full-suspension is often just overkill is a bit bold. The round seatpost is held by a regular old banded seat clamp. "With Walmart's reach, we will create an awareness of the brand.". Earlier this year, Viathon Bicycles launched with a direct-to-consumer business model and a catalog of high-end carbon bicycles, taking an approach similar to the one Canyon has used. We are not focusing on the connection but not hiding it either, Spinhirne-Martin said. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Walmart Slashes Prices on Viathon Bikes for Pre-Black Friday Sale While thats a noble notion, is the Viathon bike really that groundbreaking? This bike isnt perfect and its not as good as the bike its inspired by, but none of that really matters when you consider the US$2,300 pricetag. Filter bikes by year, weight, components, price, and performance. | And the company currently sells more bicycles in the United States than any other retailer. They seem to offer a solid value for a full carbon bike. The R.1 feels like a high-end bike, except for one minor nitpick: While most high-end race bikes have taken great efforts to hide all cables, the R.1 has all four cables exposed around the cockpit. 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. You could, of course, upgrade your cockpit to achieve that svelte, hidden-cable look, but you wont get it with the stock model. The R.1s trail figure measures 59.7mm, which is quite long for an all-around bike. Viathon again drives a hard bargain with the G1. Viathon Bikes Walmart's proprietary bicycle line offers high-quality road, mountain, and gravel bikes that have totally negated the cheap "Walmart Bike" stigma. $200 Off. Had Viathon hit the market five years ago with this narrative, it would have owned the high-end-value space. But given youd be in person with the bike store, theyd most likely have a better chance in getting the specifics absolutely dialled. Thats exactly what we sought to answer with the high-value Viathon G.1, a carbon gravel bike thats backed by the biggest of big retailers Walmart. Viathon Bicycles - Home | Facebook 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. Illiac Artery Endofibrosis - I've got it. One, the fact the writer states that his review is skewed because he is an enduro rider. The spec matters a whole lot on a bike like this, and really, its a significant part of Viathons value proposition. Noting the stiffness, and feathery weight of the G1 again, its an excellent climber, and the Shimano GRX 600 worked flawlessly for me. The cables just felt like they were being dragged through molasses, and the full-length housing runs meant there was a fair bit of compression leading to a mushy feel at the lever. And its partnering with shops, mobile shops, and more, as well as creating an online fit calculator. The Fizik Tundra M3 saddle was not comfortable in the slightestespecially on longer climbs. The Viathon is best suited for XC terrain unless youve got some real moxie to take it down some gnar. That's a fine goal, but let's not kid ourselves: $2,300 is both a lot of money and also. With a feathery weight, effective geometry, and componentry to rival the best bikes on the market, the M.1 is a relevant consideration for serious riders with a cross-country bent." Kev has 43,000 subscribers. Viathon G.1 GRX 800 review Call it a 'Walmart' bike if you must. 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. Hes also the founder and part owner of Knight Composites. Here are some features to keep in mind as you shop. At least on paper, the value for money is unquestionable, but a great bike is always more than a sum of the parts bolted to it. Considering the great components you get in comparison to its rival, the S-Works Epic, this bike is a really great deal. Viathon's G.1 carbon gravel bike is Walmart's attempt to capture some of the high-end, direct-to-consumer bicycle market. All this went down in April and May of this year. Not surprisingly, its something we got along with well on the Santa Cruz. They are a close second to full-suspension in terms of dollars, but hardtail mountain bikes make for a significantly larger share in terms of units sold. Thats one of the wonderful things about this bike: You get reliable bike with a great build for less money. Need a Doctor in the LA/SD area who specializes in Endurance Athletes Platelet-Rich Plasma injections (PRP Injections), High Hamstring Tendinopathy Rehab Protocol. The Viathon G.1 is the gravel rig of the bunch. The brand also released a blog outlining the six reasons to get a hardtail. Viathon G1, Rival, 56cm, Disc, 700C, Matte Black/Silver - Walmart YT Szepter first-ride review: a gravity MTB brand goes gravel, Ridley Grifn first ride review: Blurred lines. A group of employees gathers around, pecking in to see the Walmart bike thats arrived with measurable anticipation. The bikes will be available to order within weeks. Viathons G.1 gravel bike requires the same build. Viathon's brand manager is Zach Spinhirne-Martin out of San Bruno, California. For Spinhirne-Martin, creating the brandwas about making high-end bikes more accessible to the general public, and Viathon hopes to do that through their price point. 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Review: Viathon G.1 Carbon Gravel Bike - cxmagazine.com Why Ultralight People Need to Chill Already, Kershaw Iridium Review: A Great Flipping Knife Under $100. Viathon is for riders who appreciate uncontrived quality, demand craftsmanship but recognize value, who pedal for health yet savor the ride. In this case, carbon doesnt work entirely to its benefit, and the G1 is a little overly stiff, and calls at least for a more compliant set of handlebars. When assessing the new Viathon R.1 road bike, I first chose to judge the proverbial book by its cover. Its wise to see if that character fits with yours. Viathon swears its the latter. Well, so much for that. & I like my bikes to jump when I stand up and crank down on the pedals. Viathon aims to find out, and its got a good product to perform that experiment. shaping their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas into a mountain biking haven. Viathon seems to have taken a conservative aesthetic approach on all of their bikes, including the G1. The parts kits feature quality components from premium suppliers like Fizik, Hed, and Zipp, and the pricing is competitive with a number of brands. A First Look at Viathon, Walmart's new Mountain Bike I asked about the response to the brand launch from customers and the bike industry. Both are well-qualified bike industry veterans, but its not a riveting founder story like, for instance, that ofAllied. A 69.5-degree head angle and 73.6-degree seat tube angle are what many brands had a few years ago. Review: Viathon G.1 Carbon Gravel Bike - Cyclocross Magazine Theyre quality products, but neither really belong on this bike. As to the inventory, we are out of bikes and can't restock at this time as a result of delays from our suppliers caused by the pandemic. Widgets, Explore Viathon-via-FB wrote: Hello, we are not out of business, our website is down due to some technical issues and while it is down we are taking the opportunity to make some changes. And that buying power is often used to competitive advantage: Walmart commonly cuts out the middlemen, and then out-prices and out-supplies its competitors across many industries. In reality, thats probably enough to realise any manufacturer defects, and Viathon does also offer a crash replacement policy, but its something to consider nonetheless. Best Bike Trails | As we continue to build out the platform, we welcome other brands, said Spinhirne-Martin. Steering responsiveness feels more akin to an endurance or aero bike than that of an all-around bike. These are just my opinions. The Viathon G1 comes in five sizes ranging from 52cm to 60cm in 2cm increments. Sports Hernia/Inguinal Disruption Surgery. Will people buy them? So the supplied contact points of the bike werent a good fit for us, but paying customers will at least be given the option to fix this. Viathon is Walmart's latest upscale, digitally native, house brand The new brand is launching with carbon road, mountain and gravel bikes. There are few retailers in the world with the buying power and sway that Walmart holds. CyclingTips global tech editor James Huang and I ended up testing, and enjoying, the bike with a 90 mm stem fitted, and would have preferred a straight seatpost, too. Its name is Viathon. We tested the brand's top-end M.1 Mountain Bike for 6 weeks to gain an. For now, they only offer a hardtail, but Spinhirne-Martin isnt opposed to someday expanding their line to include a full-suspension bike. That also translates to some good pep when youre climbing out of the saddle. Viathon G.1 105 First Ride Review | Road Bike, Cycling Forums Thats not to say this bike is cheap. To get a full carbon gravel bike with a Shimano GRX600 groupset for $2,300 is a pretty sweet deal, although there are still other great deals on gravel bikes, for those who like steel or aluminum. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. I pitched the idea to my management as a way to more quickly enter the market and change our perception, he said. Viathon expects stock on these bikes sometime this Fall. And failing. All of this is in line with long-standing issues of buying bikes online. The Viathon M.1, a carbon hardtail with 29-inch wheels, chatters over roots then sluices through a berm. Viathons product manager, Zach Spinhirne-Martin, openly admits to taking close inspiration from a race-inspired bike like the Santa Cruz Stigmata. Marketing strategy comes out of Sun Valley, Idaho, with the CrankTank firm. And other direct-to-consumer brands like Canyon have a big head start on Viathon in terms of reputation. Viathon M.1 XX1 Carbon Eagle Mountain Bike, Medium, Copper - Walmart Currently, the bikes are not available in other markets. And then theres the fact that the established brands the Giants, Treks, Specializeds and Cannondales of this world typically supply the bikes with components that are already damn close to being right for each respective size to begin with. To be fair, that latter element is fairly common on a number of high-end bikes and isnt much of an issue, but it does point to a simpler frame construction. Take YouTuber KevCentral, for example, whose channel reviews bikes available at Walmart and Walmart.com and how to upgrade them. Launched earlier this year, its line blows the image of a "Walmart bike" out of the water. 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. If youre looking to buy a high-end carbon XC bike and would like to save $2,000which you could put towards another bikethe Viathon might be a good fit for you. The Viathon would make for a great training steed, long-distance gravel grinder, or your next ultralightbike packing rig. and Zipp Service Course cockpit, the G.1 Rival gets down to business. Is swimming safe? That bit of information, incidentally, is not something youll find on Viathons website. Tire clearance is on the narrower side, but its wide enough for 700x40c tires, or 2.1 width tires with a 650B diameter. 1X drivetrains feel great, if youre riding your gravel bike exclusively on the trails. The brand is starting with three. For anyone familiar with the beer industry, this is like Anheuser-Busch creating Shocktop, not Anheuser-Busch buying Goose Island or Elysian. Change your default forum handle here! The company cited industry data. Viathon G.1 GRX 600 gravel bike review: Carbon at alloy pricing For those riders hoping for a super-reactive bike that follows your every twitch, I suggest you look elsewhere. And, its certainly not the Evil Chamois Hagar. As it happens, I prefer this kind of steering, which youll commonly find on aero bikes and endurance bikes with longer trail figures. Theyve taken notes about the shoes, style of jeans, shirt design, right down to the style of watch. Partner of USATODAY Lifestyle/Action Sports, A First Look at Viathon, Walmarts new Mountain Bike, shaping their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas into a mountain biking haven. Certainly, there are many Walmart shoppers among us, though likely few who have bought a bike there. We decided to give it a test at Outerbike to find out. Either way, its there as an intended feature. For the last update and a link to the introductions, Click Here. Further build quality issues included the GRX brakes being over-filled with fluid, something that resulted in an uncomfortably short lever throw. Read more. 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. None of the standard specs were an issue for me in terms of fit, and even the Selle Italia saddle wasnt problematic for me at any point. Viathon states that a 54 cm painted frame tips the scales at 1 kg, with the matching fork an equally respectable 380 g. The result is an 8.9 kg complete bike that simply needs some pedals before its ready to have a race number attached. Bike shops could benefit from more riders on more bikes. Could use a few tweaks: If youd like to enjoy the climb up, swap that stock saddle ASAP. For starters, despite its slim tube shape and dropped seat stays, the R.1 is definitely less compliant than expected. All of these issues, perhaps barring the selected gear cables, are things that Viathon will likely now correct before it becomes your problem. 1999-2023 Slowtwitch, Inc., and Slowtwitch.comReproduction of material from any Slowtwitch.com pagewithout written permission is strictly prohibited. The Viathon G1 is a bike that is a high performance machine with a good set of components out of the box. It appears the newswas first mentioned in a Pinkbike story. NAHBS photos: Show winners and their bikes, Cervlo S5 review: A truly exhilarating superbike, Technical FAQ: Mips vs. loose helmet strap, bike weight, hydraulic brakes at altitude, Di2 mix/match. Terms of Use Both the Stigmata and the G.1 feature 425 mm chainstays, while the reach and stack figures are also closely aligned. There are rack and fender mounts on the G1 frame, internal routing, and mounts for up to three water bottles, so it is possible to get pretty far from base camp on the G1, and theres frame clearance for bags and all that.