Consumerist: Bikes

Disagree With Walmart's Bike Policy? Take Off Your Clothes In Protest!

Carey — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:00:11 EDT

BikeForums member ReachHigher stripped down to her sports bra and spandex after Walmart refused to let her enter the store with her $600 bike. A manager explained that since Walmart sold bikes, bringing in an outside bike would obviously be too confusing to handle. ReachHigher asked if they also sold shirts. "She said yes so I took off my jersey and said well then I'd better not bring this in either..."

...She got kind of flustered and said that it was a different situation but couldn't explain why. So I said that if they also sold shorts in the store that I'd better not wear those in either and I took off my shorts. Same goes for the shoes and sunglasses. Now I'm standing there in my spandex and a sports bra and I ask here if I can leave my things behind the customer service counter where they will be safe until I finish making my purchases and she said that I couldn't come into the store without shoes on, to which i responded "but I certainly can't wear shoes into the store because you sell those here and someone might think I've stolen them." She threatened to call security if I didn't leave so I told her that I would never be coming back to that store again and that I was glad I hadn't driven there since the gas to go four miles was probably more expensive than what her underpaid employees make in an hour.

Her expression when the shirt came off was absolutely priceless...I was pretty tempted to take off the spandex too but I wasn't sure what constitutes indecent exposure in Virginia so I figured I'd err on the side of caution. Still I had a decent sized crowd gathered before the end of the discussion.

Wal Mart is Evil so I took off my clothes [Bike Forums]
(Photo: Getty)

NFL Star Says Walmart Was Mean To Underprivileged Kids

Meg Marco — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:53:36 EDT

Houston Texans Wide Receiver Andre Johnson said his foundation ordered 750 bikes from Walmart that were to be given to underprivileged kids, and in return the retailer offered to provide ice and water for the event. TMZ says something got messed up with the order and so Walmart said "No water for you."

Johnson ordered 750 bicycles to be given to underprivileged kids at an event sponsored by the Andre Johnson Foundation — in return for the purchase, Wal-Mart agreed to donate water and ice for the May 3 event.

But there was a problem with the order, so Johnson ended up buying fewer bikes than planned. Wal-Mart countered by not giving the water and ice as promised. That's cold.

Wal-Mart is trying to rectify the situation. They tell TMZ, "We are reaching out to the Andre Johnson Foundation as we speak to rectify the situation. It's disappointing that this happened."

Wow, Walmart. Why don't you just laugh and twirl your mustache while you're refusing to give free water to needy children.

Classy!

NFL Star: Wal-Mart Left Kids Out in the Cold [TMZ]

This E-Zip Comfort Electric Bike Cannot Be Purchased Anywhere

Carey — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:43:47 EDT

An affordable electric bike that can go 18 mph for over 20 miles, but isn't sold online or in stores? Detroit, you clever fox, you've done it again!

E-Zip Comfort Electric Bike [Walmart] (Thanks to Jeff!)

This Huffy Bike Will Injure You

Meg Marco — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:27:49 EDT

If you own this Huffy bike, you should be aware that at any moment "the bicycle crank can unexpectedly come off, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries."

Yeah, we don't want that to happen either. That's why you should stop using the recalled bicycles immediately and contact Huffy for instructions on tightening the crank.

This recall affects:

2007 model year, multi-speed bicycles with 26-inch, 24-inch or 20-inch wheels. The "Howler" was sold in black (model K3587, boy's model), blue (model K4587, men's model), and red (model K6587, men's model). The "Highland" was sold in white (model K4597, women's model) and blue (model K6597, women's model). The name "Howler" or "Highland" is printed on the frame of the bicycle, and the name "Huffy" is on the front of the frame. Model numbers are located on a label on the bottom of the frame where the crank is attached to the bicycle.

The bike was sold from May-July 2007 at Kmart.

Contact Huffy Corp.(888) 366-3828 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.huffybikes.com

Huffy Recalls Bicycles Due To Cranks Falling Off; Riders Can Lose Control of Bike [CPSC]

Make A Hex Key/Allen Wrench If You Only Have A Knife And A Pencil

Ben Popken — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:36:00 EDT

If you're biking along and need to tighten something up on your bike, like your bike seat, here's a trick to remember even if you forgot your hex wrench.

This Instructable says that as long as you have a knife and pencil, you can carve an emergency wrench.

Shave the sides of the pencil down to size. Keep the peelings parallel to the faces. Make your shavings pretty thin. Test to see if it fits....Insert your new allen wrench into the bolt head. Turn slowly. If the wrench slips, it has been stripped (wood is soft), [recarve]

Riding with loose screws is dangerous, so you'll want to get to a real wrench as soon as possible. To be totally safe, though, you should walk your bike until that time.

How to Make an Emergency Hex Key / Allen Wrench [Instructables]

Target Bikes Recalled For "Frame Failure"

Meg Marco — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:59:34 EDT

If something is going to fail on our bike, the frame isn't our first choice. The CSPC has issued a recall of two bikes, sold exclusively at Target for about $100. Triax PK7 and Vertical PK7 Bicycles have a frame that can crack "while in use, causing the rider to lose control and suffer injuries from a fall or collision."

There are 32,000 of these things out there so make sure to check your bike.

"This recall involves Triax PK7 (model 8509-24) and Vertical PK7 (model 8596-71T) 20-inch aluminum cushion framed bicycles. The Triax model was manufactured between October 2005 and May 2006, and the Vertical model was manufactured between August 2004 and December 2004. The model numbers and manufacture dates are printed on a label affixed to the bicycle frame."

If you have one of these take the bike to a Target store for a full refund including sales tax. Don't, you know, ride your bike there. Just sayin'.—MEGHANN MARCO

Dynacraft Recalls Bicycles Sold Exclusively at Target Due to Frame Failure [CPSC]