Viathon offers customers choices when it comes to fit. It borrows heavily from both BMC's Teamelite cross country race bike and the Roadmachine to create a. And other direct-to-consumer brands like Canyon have a big head start on Viathon in terms of reputation. So whats not to like? Viathon R.1 Red eTap AXS review: Great performance, but with Walmart With that in mind, it seems appropriate that Walmart is finally sinking its teeth into producing a line of proper bikes. And just like any other reality, outsiders ignore ours at their peril. 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. Spinhirne-Martin says yes, and reiterated that he wants to grow the bike industry, not put other brands or bike shops out of business. Terms of Use The Shimano Dura-Ace R9120 groupset, with mechanical shifters and hydraulic disc brakes, is the same youd get on many high-end bikes out there, which means youre judging this bike based on the frame and fork, and how those two components interact with the build. For those riders hoping for a super-reactive bike that follows your every twitch, I suggest you look elsewhere. A 54 cm Stigmata offers a 71.5-degree head angle, 74-degree seat tube angle and trail figure of 66 mm (measured with 700 x 40 mm tyres). 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. Others seek innovation above all, eager to check out the latest suspension tech from Trust Performance or Yeti. 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. All Viathon bikes come with a 2-year warranty. Crickets. Hardtail race XC bikes seem to be going away in favor of short-travel, full-suspension options. 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. All rights reserved. Thanks to its featherlight framea mere 2.2 poundsthe Viathon was a dream to pedal. Gravel bikes can generally be ridden from home at a lower risk level than mountain bikes. The IRC Boken tires and Mercury wheels were a good match for the Viathon as well. The Viathon G1 Gravel Bike: Fast and Affordable, with a Little Room for 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. About Us | So Viathon designed & engineered three bikes - the R.1, G.1 & M.1 - each new carbon frames unique to the brand (designs owned by Viathon, ie. How long to recover from a calf heart attack. The Viathon G.1? The Viathon is best suited for XC terrain unless youve got some real moxie to take it down some gnar. Viathon Bikes launched to surprise, confusion and intrigue back in April, offering high-end carbon XC hardtails despite links to Walmart. My final complaint is the comment about the 70mm stem feeling twitchy and switching it out to a short stem. Having spent some time in the saddle, I have to agree. If youre after more stability and prefer a bit of forgiveness in your handling, youll be comfortable here. Though a cross-country bike, the Viathon gave confidence and control through almost every session on the U.P. All the frames are carbon fiber, and the gravel and road models fit solidly within current design trends that prize features like disc brakes and clearance for wider tires. Thats not to say this bike is cheap. 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. Viathon G1, Rival, 56cm, Disc, 700C, Matte Black/Silver - Walmart Change your default forum handle here! The cables rub the head tube (BYO protective frame stickers! Viathon offers so much for the money, but there are obvious trade-offs. 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. Viathon's 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. And its partnering with shops, mobile shops, and more, as well as creating an online fit calculator. MAYBE pick a test person that is more XC based, as it is an XC bike. The Viathon G1 comes in five sizes ranging from 52cm to 60cm in 2cm increments. Mountain - M.1. Quan was with Cervelo from 2004 to 2008. Viathon Bicycles made waves at its launch earlier this year as a premium bike brand incubated under an unlikely source. But don't count the traditional players out yet, on either the supply or retail ends of the supply chain. The mastermind behind the frame designer is Kevin Quan who drew from his previous experience with Diamondback, Cervelo, and Parlee bikes. You could, of course, upgrade your cockpit to achieve that svelte, hidden-cable look, but you wont get it with the stock model. 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. Dont take this Bad Boy to the Bike Park: Viathons website proudly claims that few bikes carve up singletrack as effortlessly as the M.1. Viathon: Walmart's $6,000 Mountain Bike Put to Test And the company currently sells more bicycles in the United States than any other retailer. But it gets the job done. The stiffness of the Viathon G1 is where the bike feels like its ready to be more competitive as a gravel race bike, rather than something for adventure. 1X drivetrains feel great, if youre riding your gravel bike exclusively on the trails. The graphics leave much to be desired, and the brand name lacks some enthusiasm. It will be back soon. Could use a few tweaks: If youd like to enjoy the climb up, swap that stock saddle ASAP. 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. Walmart didnt opt to adopt more modern geometry, possibly because its current customer base will have to take a few steps to catch up to the rest of the bike market. 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. So I have plenty of experience with frame geo and mechanics. Specializeds highest-end hardtailthe S-Works Epiccomes in at a whopping $8,520, whereas Viathons most expensive model starts at $6,000. It appears the newswas first mentioned in a Pinkbike story. Further build quality issues included the GRX brakes being over-filled with fluid, something that resulted in an uncomfortably short lever throw. Calf muscle pull or tear? Viathon again drives a hard bargain with the G1. Heading out the door? Now on to the final word on this carbon fiber crushed rock roller. 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. When you need the fastest road bike, mountain-climbing bike, or racing bike, look to Viathon. 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.. The frame features are exactly what youd expect of a modern frame. From SRAM drivetrains to Stans wheels, it has the look of a proper bike. The GRX 600 is a 211, with a 50/34T up front, and an 11-34T cassette Viathon offers the GRX 800, SRAM Force, and AXS builds in a 1x configuration. The geometry, however, told a different story than what Viathon portrayed as the M1s intent, and it felt much more like an XC race bike, than an everyday trail bike. Did Viathon offer some bold new technology,jaw-dropping value, or an irresistible brand story? M.1 | XX1 Eagle AXS; M.1 | XX1 Eagle ; M.1 | X01 Eagle ; . For the M.1, its the generalist MTB enthusiast, Spinhirne-Martin said. Lets look at the numbers. I lifted the bike from its box, the staff leaning in for a first look. Viathon Viathon bikes are currently 30 percent off at Walmart. Slowtwitch approved IT Band rehab? However, what cant be argued with is that the law of diminishing returns certainly plays a large role in premium products, and Viathon has done a damn good job of showing that.