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New Low at Costco

116K views 246 replies 81 participants last post by  mikesova 
#1 ·
Walked into a local Costco and was surprised to see a fat bike for sale. Not exactly my cup of tea mind you but such is the way of the world.

Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Mode of transport Bicycle wheel rim


No way to un-see it so I went home and gave my greenback and Pugsley a little spot check and some chain lube. Then took each for short ride.
That seemed to help...
 
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#38 ·
I've had a Fatback almost six years and it's still going strong. No regrets for paying $$ at the time either because I've clearly gotten my money's worth and then some. I don't know how far the Costco bike would last before one has to start throwing money at it. I suspect buyers remorse could set in quickly.

I like Costco. As parents, my wife and I shop there on a regular basis and we save money doing so. Yet I was surprised to see a fatty there, even though they carry cheap bikes from time to time. Just thought the $200 price tag was noteworthy. This particular Costco is in Northern Virginia, not exactly a Mecca for fat bikes, although I see more and more out on the trails. I'll bet if they tried selling these down around Myrtle Beach or some other costal location, folks would buy them up.
 
#39 ·
I've had a Fatback almost six years and it's still going strong. No regrets for paying $$ at the time either because I've clearly gotten my money's worth and then some. I don't know how far the Costco bike would last before one has to start throwing money at it. I suspect buyers remorse could set in quickly.

I like Costco. As parents, my wife and I shop there on a regular basis and we save money doing so. Yet I was surprised to see a fatty there, even though they carry cheap bikes from time to time. Just thought the $200 price tag was noteworthy. This particular Costco is in Northern Virginia, not exactly a Mecca for fat bikes, although I see more and more out on the trails. I'll bet if they tried selling these down around Myrtle Beach or some other costal location, folks would buy them up.
My wife was at Costco just yesterday in Pennsylvania and commented she saw this bike there. She mentioned something along the lines of that she was glad she has the 9:zero:7 I bought used but nearly-new..
 
#41 ·
I see your point, BUT...
I can't afford to spend 200 dollars on a bike and then 1700 on another one. Also, the experience may be skewed on the 200 dollar bike and you'll be all damn, fat biking sucks.
My son wanted a 9 zero 7. I built him one with Marge Lites and HuskerDus. He liked it but didn't love it. I then stuck a set of 29+ wheels on it and he's happy as a clam.
I could turn around and sell off his other wheels.
No one's gonna buy Costco bike wheels.
Sort of a roundy round way to make a point but I've never believed in spending twice like that.
 
#42 ·
ny

I understand your point. but what I am getting at, is: There are a large amount of people in the country, that do not ride bikes for recreation. they ride bikes for transportation. these people are broke and a cheap bike gives them independence to go to the store, get to work, ect. I think about my special needs janitor. I bought him a $80 bike and he rides it all over the place. He used to walk around town, now he rides around town. I look at this bike as a way to help people get some independence and the ability to have wheels, not to go recreate on.
 
#57 ·
So, Saturday, my wife tells me she found a new patio furniture set she wants at Costco. Empty out the Surburban and let's go get it.
Man... I haven't been there in quite a few years. I couldn't believe how crowded it was.
Thankfully, she called it in and everything was on a cart waiting for us to pay for it at customer service. I didn't get a chance to look at the bikes.
 
#58 ·
I saw this bike in person at the Palm Beach, FL Costco last week while on vacation.

I had a bit of a giggle and moved on to stocking up on food and dirt cheap liquor.
 
#60 ·
I love Costco even before my wife started working there. Don't worry, she doesn't assemble bikes or grills there. They generally have good stuff there, especially the Kirkland Signature branded items. They're usually just as good if not better than the name brands. Even their gas is top tier and many of the branded gas can't even claim that. They can't hit it out of the park with every item they sell but they do cater to the masses and the masses can't or won't pay what we pay for our bikes because they probably can't, or don't want to, do what we do or where we ride on our bikes. To bash Costco is unfair. For every mountain biker bashing a $200 rig there could be an audiophile bashing the Sony stereo and a Michelin Star chef bashing a Cutco knife set just a few isles away. If that bike was at a LBS then bash away. Not everyone is looking to shred the trails so stop being snobs. We're better than that. Just be glad they're riding and strengthening the cycling community.
 
#66 ·
Love Costco and shop there weekly and I'm glad they exist. Now having said that, I feel bad for all the mom and pop stores that have closed their doors over the years because of big box stores of all types. If anyone has ever shopped at Walmart, or a huge nationwide chain car dealer, or ordered something on Amazon, or Performance bike, don't turn your nose up at Costco. It's the exact same thing. We're all looking to stretch our dollar and we all rationalize spending less on mail order knowing darn well what we're buying is sitting on a shelf in our town somewhere. Now having said all that, that bike is a pile of **** and whoever buys it deserves the dental bill their in line for if they try to ride that on an actual trail.
 
#70 ·
Nobody is arguing about the merits of driving across town to save $.03 on gas, and I don't know anyone who does that and I agree it's beyond stupid. Nobody thinks price is the only thing that matters, but I think everyone agrees it plays a large role in our most of our purchasing decisions. You left out "GET OFF MY LAWN"!!
 
#71 ·
So... you know there are grill enthusiast pages that post pictures of crappy grills at Costco and say, "I'm sure this was built by the same guy that builds bicycles there".

I don't have a problem with folks buying disposable stuff. I try not to though. My newest car is 22 years old. I've rarely gotten rid of a bicycle and when I have it's still worth selling. I doubt any hard goods from Costco will have a resale value in even a few years.

Totally on board with consumables, though. That's what warehouse stores are for IMO.
 
#73 ·
So, how do you like it?
I am considering getting one myself. Have a couple of other bikes, so this would be strictly for the desert that is right out my back door! Live in New Mexico, and my yard backs up to a wide open area, too sandy for my mountain bike, but don't see myself spending too much time out there, so a $200 bike might be perfect

Let me know what you think.
I picked up the demo bike at Costco, wasn't too heavy...and the fork was installed correctly at this store!
 
#74 ·
I'm pro-Costco and drive to one either 20 miles south or 15 miles north of where I live even though a Super Walmart is within walking distance. They have quality stuff, decent prices, and seem to treat their employees well.

If anyone, including a mtb noob, is bound and determined to buy a fatbike as cheaply as possible from a big-box, then yeah, it's not a bad way to go.

That all said, I personally wouldn't buy something as important as a mountain bike there. I don't consider myself or anyone else with decades of riding experience who take fatbikes on actual trails (in my case full-time yearround) a "snob" for pointing out that these are heavy bikes with a lot of potential for mechanicals.

These guys have a right to know what they're potentially getting into if doing any more than riding around town with it. They need to know that they might be buying another bike sooner than they expected. If I were that guy, I would want to know this stuff before buying . . .
 
#78 ·
#79 ·
Went to Costco a few days ago and ran into this fatbike: Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet Emailed the company, confirmed it is an aluminum frame with these specs: xc00 northrock fat bike specs - Album on Imgur What do you think? Seems pretty incredible. But, this is my first fatbike purchase...

An aluminum frame fat bike at $299 -- seems pretty good. I have not put it together yet.
Put it together and ride that thing! The best bike is the one you ride.
 
#80 ·
I love the sign on the box laying flat that says "Do not lay flat. Handle with care." Hahahaha!! I'd never lay my fat bike down. It would break for sure. But the right side disc, negative trail fork is special for sure. Tough to ride no hands, but for $199....
 
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#85 ·
That's about right. Also the title of this thread "New Low at Costco" suggests that Costco is a low down rotten dirty store and this fat bike is a new low for them. People need to manage their expectations.
 
#84 ·
I think it's like that everywhere. The one by my work has one with the fork on backwards. The one where my wife works has two on display. One had the fork on the right way and the other backwards.
 
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