He explained, It has less setup and maintenance than a downhill bike, and as an entry point into the industry, this makes an ideal start for us to grow on.. I have been swapping parts around and will finally get to ride it today. Viathons product manager, Zach Spinhirne-Martin, openly admits to taking close inspiration from a race-inspired bike like the Santa Cruz Stigmata. The R.1s trail figure measures 59.7mm, which is quite long for an all-around bike. Spinhirne-Martin tells me to look around the Laguna Seca Raceway, which is teeming with fans, baggy shorts-wearing bros, and Lycra-clad racers with rippling muscles. Filter bikes by year, weight, components, price, and performance. Within each of these categories, there are a variety of builds to pick from all depending on how shiny you want the hardware to be. Well, unfortunately, we had numerous issues with the build quality and were not sure if this is an issue of the actual bike, or simply an attack of the photo sample. Speaking of rocks, the Viathons ride quality is certainly on the stiffer end of things, and those thin seatstays werent able to tame as much as the Salsa Warbird or even the Stigmata. Further, a hardtail is a great entry point for a new rider looking for high-quality performance, Spinhirne-Martin said. Or at least, hasn't happened yet. Fortunately for Viathon, the R.1 has a quality spec and a respectable though not exactly inspiring ride quality. With both, you get two great carbon bikes, that differ when you break down the components. We are not focusing on the [Walmart] connection but not hiding it either, Spinhirne-Martin said.Spinhirne-Martin said he came up with this bike while living in Park City, Utah, between 2011 and 2017: The bench-cut trails with tons of climbing lent themselves to a light, efficient climber with a bit more up front to smooth out the fast downhills.. "Of course, there was some backlash with the Walmart connection,'' said Mark Jordan, whose CrankTank marketing group staged the Viathon launch and was quoted in Yobbi's original article. You could, of course, upgrade your cockpit to achieve that svelte, hidden-cable look, but you wont get it with the stock model. While so many of the established brands offer anything from a five-year to lifetime warranty on their frames, Viathons come with just two years of coverage. Amazon Pick: Up to 20% Viathon Bicycles Products and Competing Brands at Amazon.com. When spending upwards of $5,000 on a bike, a decision matrix includes variables from aesthetics to brand affinity. Equipped with a SRAM XO1 Eagle drivetrain that shifts seamlessly, Stans 29 carbon wheels, and an FSA K-force carbon handlebar, this thing was designed to climb. And the company currently sells more bicycles in the United States than any other retailer. Originally from Northern CA, home for me has ranged from the PNW to a teepee in Grand Teton National Park. The G.1 RED eTap AXS that is the subject of this review is Viathon's newest gravel model and will be available sometime in September. Like Remot, Viathon debuts with three offerings: one frame each in road, gravel, and mountain, with three levels of build kit. Thats according to brand manager Zach Spinhirne-Martin, who wrote a white paper and a business case in 2017 to bring Viathon to life. And in this case, all of these added up to make the bike feel like it was a size or two larger than expected. Calf muscle pull or tear? Not recovering IT Band Friction Syndrome!! Considering the great components you get in comparison to its rival, the S-Works Epic, this bike is a really great deal. 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.. Spinhirne-Martin says yes, and reiterated that he wants to grow the bike industry, not put other brands or bike shops out of business. And winner winner: theres a threaded bottom bracket shell. 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. The Viathon M.1, a carbon hardtail with 29-inch wheels, chatters over roots then sluices through a berm. Enter the gravel bike. Its difficult to separate the Viathon from its business connection to the retail giant Walmart. Viathon says it wants to bridge Walmart's current low-price offerings to the bike-enthusiast business. The frame features are exactly what youd expect of a modern frame. But that lack of local shop support is a risk of buying a bike through direct channels. Its also important to note whats not in the current lineup: womens bikes, utility bikes, and e-bikes. Others are concerned about how this will undercut bike shops. Not a whole lot. The question is, what sets it apart from other high-end bikes at this pricepoint or higher, if anything? For one, the retailer is already selling high-end bike parts on their outdoor website Moosejaw. Said to be a pre-production photo sample, our tester came equipped with a long 110 mm stem, wide 440 mm bars, and 20 mm setback seatpost. By July, barely 90 days from its glitzy premiere, Viathon had announced via direct mail and on its website that it was dropping prices on all models by as much as $1,000 per bike, to as low as $1,998. And the bikes look good! The history of the bicycle business is, in one sense, a history of powerful outsiders coming in to teach us dumb yokels how things are done in the Big Leagues. I will start by saying I am a long time bike industry employee. Lightweight carbon frames: Viathon bikes, including the Dura-Ace road bike, Ultegra model, R.1, and G.1 bikes, are crafted with durable, lightweight carbon frames to give you an edge over riders with . Its the middle of the summer. Walmart hopes its own expensive bike will be proof of concept to attract mainstream brands to that marketplace brands that previously opted out, like Evil and Niner, which are both sold at Walmart-owned Moosejaw.com. The cable routing itself was fairly basic, too. Members get 15+ publications right in your pocket. My time was limited to two hours, so this isnt an exhaustive review. It picks up speed quickly like road bike quick and feels very responsive to cornering and rider input. Its one of the biggest online merchants in the world, No. The Viathon G.1 Family. 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. A Viathon representative told me that Walmart simply wanted the story to be more about the bikes than the company behind them. Widgets, Explore 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.. 100 competitor promo codes - Last used 11m ago. Read more. The average person is a Walmart shopper, he says. Walmarts immense buying power and pre-existing online sales channel means that for just US$2,298 (shipped, within the United States), this new brand can offer a full-carbon gravel bike equipped with quality components, including a Shimano GRX 600 groupset, Mercury G3C tubeless wheels, and Zipp Service Course cockpit components. The history of the bicycle business is, in one sense, a history of powerful outsiders coming in to teach us dumb yokels how things are done in the Big Leagues. The mastermind behind the frame designer is Kevin Quan who drew from his previous experience with Diamondback, Cervelo, and Parlee bikes. After every order is placed, a customer service agent calls the customer to confirm the order and determine the stem and crank length, handlebar width, and seatpost offset to ensure the customer gets the best fit possible, said Zach Spinhirne-Martin. I just noticed that as well (website pretty much gone). Look for Viathon bikes online at ViathonBicycles.com in mid-May, and soon after at Walmart.com. Viathon "believes that great bikes make riding more fun. Nowadays, a search for Viathon bikes on the Walmart website (see here, here and here) returns a notice that the item is no longer available; the image from the final link (also shown above) displays another brand and model entirely. Such a purchase sight-unseen typically favours the experienced; those who know their preferred setup on a bike and understand why 10 millimetres here or there is a big deal. Both are well-qualified bike industry veterans, but its not a riveting founder story like, for instance, that ofAllied. As I mentioned above, customers might be able to swap out the bars for something wider that will flex more, but the narrow 430mm bars clobbered my hands going over rough terrain. 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. Considering the Walmart shopper and what bike theyre on now, the answer is probably yes. A handlebar with any degree of flare through the drops would be nice as well to widen the riders stance going downhill. The hardtail mountain bike is ideal for the days you want to do a long climb. Thats a challenge. Walmart.com, of course, is an internet behemoth with hundreds of millions of visitor sessions each month with peak holiday traffic topping half a billion, according to analyses by industry research firms SimilarWeb and Statista. Buy Viathon G1, Rival, 56cm, Disc, 700C, Matte Black/Silver at Walmart.com . Because all XC bikes are light compared to enduro. Walmart is also the largest grocer in America and possibly the world. Viathon Bikes Walmart's proprietary bicycle line offers high-quality road, mountain, and gravel bikes that have totally negated the cheap "Walmart Bike" stigma. Walmart is hoping to entice customers to Viathon with a no-questions-asked return policy. ''', And indeed they were. Plan to post in the forums? A year later, the bikes closed out for about $1,000 apiece, and I read at the time on various online consumer groups that sharp-eyed cyclists were snapping them up as preassembled build kits and flogging the framesets online for maybe a hundred bucks a copy. 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. But the company has connections to the industry, including the support of trail networks notably, the network around Bentonville, Arkansas, near Walmart headquarters. In the meantime, Viathon offers the . Heading out the door? Reports of a top-end race build with a $6,000 price tag cast a cognitive dissonance across the office. In so many ways, the Viathon is like the middle manager whos tried to mimic their boss style on a tight budget. The Viathon fulfillment center is in Carlsbad, California. At the end of the day, we bike people live and work in a quirky, parochial and, more than occasionally, incestuous little industry, one with its own set of business realities. The Viathon G.1? Having spent some time in the saddle, I have to agree. The XX1 bike is around 21.5 pounds for a size M. The weight is competitive with other hardtail cross-country bikes in the same price range, and the price isnt wildly low. With a trendy 25 mm internal width, the welded alloy rims are wider than they are deep. A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine Viathons goals seem to be crystal clear with the R.1: Build a race-ready road bike for a high-end audience without the high-end price tag. Viathon R.1 Road Bike For speed demons, Viathon's high-end R.1 Dura Ace road bike runs $5,850. But what was remarkable about Viathon was the identity of the brand's owner: Walmart. As is so common with gravel bikes fitted with decently big-volume rubber, there was a small amount of toe overlap present on our 54 cm sample. Its wise to see if that character fits with yours. I asked about the response to the brand launch from customers and the bike industry. All of this is in line with long-standing issues of buying bikes online. Check Out Continue Shopping. A few things are apparent with Viathon. At the beginning of the pandemic, governments and mountain bike organizations made it clear to all of us that we should be sticking close to home, and refraining from unnecessary risks. Right now, Viathon sits on the value end of the spectrum, alongside other house brands like Scattante or the now-closed Foundry: perfectly fine, but not particularly compelling. I asked how it was all going and how many bikes have been sold. A few months later in June, we got to take the M1 hardtail for a spin in Idaho. Viathon furthers those purchasing efficiencies by only producing the frame in a somewhat limited range of five sizes, and in many cases, even the rather simple two-tone paint is unchanged between the models. The handlebars could have been wider, with a shallower drop, and an extra helping of bar tape would have also been welcome. 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. All rights reserved. The pre-taped tubeless-ready rims are laced with Sapim double-butted spokes to easily-serviced sealed bearing hubs, and all told, they weigh a perfectly reasonable 1,644 g (claimed). Hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension, Viathon notes, are the second-largest category, according to NPD. Viathon Photo. Turner Bikes - Titanium Mountain & Gravel Bikes Born To Perform Turner Bikes COME SEE US AT THE 2023 SEA OTTER CLASSIC, APRIL 20th - 23rd at Booth B15 & Meet our newest bike - The Scrub! 2023 All rights reserved. Some bikes immediately bear their souls to its rider. And failing. Further build quality issues included the GRX brakes being over-filled with fluid, something that resulted in an uncomfortably short lever throw. So how does this high-value racer ride? It's been just about four months since a line of consumer-direct carbon road, gravel and mountain bikes premiered from a new brand called Viathon, emerging out of the bright Sea Otter sunshine like the goddess Athena springing full-formed from the forehead of Zeus. 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. Now the town is sharing a decade's worth of inspiration. Viathon offers customers choices when it comes to fit. Okay, aside from that, yes, youre riding a high-end race bike, so you generally know what to expect. Viathon is a direct-to-consumer bike brand owned by Walmart. But when people saw these bikes here, it was like, 'Hey, these are real bikes! Hardtail race XC bikes seem to be going away in favor of short-travel, full-suspension options. This latter element is certainly somewhat surprising when you consider Viathon R.1 road frame uses a PF30 shell, and that the use of a threaded shell arguably inhibits the available width for tyre clearance. During Sun Valleys Outerbike event I had the chance to pick Viathon founder Zach Spinhirne-Martins brain about the genesis of the brand. For a new, and relatively small brand, Viathon stirred the pot with their debut. Though a cross-country bike, the Viathon gave confidence and control through almost every session on the U.P. . Fast as a road racer, rugged as a mountain bike, and priced beyond compare.. The other risk is the warranty. Viathon's brand manager is Zach Spinhirne-Martin out of San Bruno, California. But given youd be in person with the bike store, theyd most likely have a better chance in getting the specifics absolutely dialled. 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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. [trail] I also wanted all of my bikes to perform when pushed hard, said Spinhirne-Martin of the frames stiffness. But Viathon's G.1 GRX 800 is light, fast, and sporty, and costs much less than its competitors. On top of the frame features, the G1 comes with a pretty respectable build kit. I want to figure out how to use that customer base to grow the bike industry.. 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. Does spending more get you a faster gravel race bike? GearJunkie Copyright 2013 2023. Our biggest issues were certainly related to the cabling. 3 for online traffic after Google and Amazon. A few things are apparent with Viathon. The G1 itself, judging by its cover, looks like a tailored gravel race bike, where carbon matters in terms of stiffness and power transfer, and a more racy geometry means better aerodynamics, and less playing around. Ten minutes of testing was enough for me to spin around and swap in my preferred Specialized Phenom. Are modern bicycles the end of DIY maintenance. A. Yee / Cyclocross Magazine [, Re: Did Wal Mart pull the plug on Viathon? Who makes Viathon frames? As we continue to build out the platform, we welcome other brands, said Spinhirne-Martin. Getting this bike moving fast was intimidating. We tested the brand's top-end M.1 Mountain Bike for 6 weeks to gain an. Garmin Garmin Edge 1030 Bundle. Even more interesting was Jordan's underlying premise that at least some of those hundreds of millions of Walmart customers would for reasons unknown and perhaps unknowable leap at the opportunity to purchase a full-dress carbon bike with a price tag northward of $3,000 precisely because they didn't have to go into a brick-and-mortar bike shop to purchase it. The Viathon G.1 is the gravel rig of the bunch. Mimicking the Stigmata, the G.1 sits more toward the road end of the gravel spectrum with angles which are closer to that of an endurance road bike than a hardtail mountain bike of a decade past. Are bike shopsscary, elitist, and unwelcoming? These are just my opinions. 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. Walmart is not just a brand of box stores that populates every U.S. state. Its a design unique to Viathon that was designed with help from the well-regarded engineers at Kevin Quan Designers. Also the statement of light as a feather.is that compared to your Enduro bike? Photo by Josh Patterson . MTB Podcast | However, like the Stigmata, it too lacks Bento bag mounts on the top tube. Theyre numbers that are ideal for tackling a variety of terrain and doing it all efficiently, and overall, the G.1 behaves like it wants to be the only drop-bar bike in your garage. The same, except a 2 mm shorter offset fork (50 vs 48 mm) results in an ever-so-slightly-slower 68 mm trail figure. And failing. shaping their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas into a mountain biking haven. Plus, Viathons graphics are a little bland, in my opinion, the pricing isnt so aggressive that its clearly better than bikes from established brands like Canyon or Giant (or Remot, for that matter), and the product marketing so far feels spare to the point that its pro forma. This stood out on the mostly black bike and feels like one of those small details that wouldnt be overlooked by more established brands. America's low price leader served up a single no-name (and possibly open-mold) model with full mechanical Ultegra group, complete with wheelset, at a very low price point. Red digits displaying 22.7 pounds blinked alive, quantifying the size-large bike as bona fide feathery for its class. They seem to offer a solid value for a full carbon bike. The bikes launched last April, and when word got out that Walmart was quietly supporting the brand, it caused quite the stir. IMBA Epics | Terms | Privacy. GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.