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Not only do you get a great priced race bike but also a free ABA membership for 99 bucks. Both are great for getting new riders at your track or getting your neighbor to try BMX. Look for these next month or so in your local Walmart.
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That's great news! Now if the NBL would honor the same 30 day free membership the map would be covered. Regardless it's a great thing. Now maybe I can persuade some of these single mothers to get there son to race on a affordable bike. When I tell them about my bikes they are very discouraged. Now I can just point them in this direction.
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Here's what I don't get.
Wouldn't a pivotal seat and thread-less headset-up be cheaper to produce then these things? I guess these things can be bought as a commodity for pennies, but I wish the world would switch over!
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If you missed it, definitely check out the dR interview on BMXNEWS from last week. He talks about the bike, and the vision behind it.
Definite props to Hyper for going for it with this bike. Also to the ABA for stepping up with the membership. Anything that can remove barriers to entry is a beautiful thing.
As Donny says in the interview, this is just a test market — 314 stores. The full 2,000+ rollout will come with the success of this test. So, get the word out in your area—maybe get a 50/50 going and buy a couple as loaners for the track. We always talk about accessing the masses. Well, it don't get more massive than this.
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I read the thread a few months ago about a $99 dollar bike from hyper, I honestly didn't think it was true. I am so glad I was wrong! I think this is great for the ABA and BMX. I can only hope it brings droves of new kids to the sport. I will be checking out Wallmart in March to see one.
Thanks HYPER, nice work!
" If you build it they will come"
This post has been edited by pbnj911: Feb 2 2010, 07:43 AM
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Looks like dR's bike to me! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) We will be including the Wal-Mart store location on the flyers we are working with Donny on for his school programs. And we'll be adding "Watch BMX Racing on TV" with Versus logo! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
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Ten years ago I might have thought that $99 would still be prohibitive to get a kid on a decent bike and to the track, but now with every kid having a video game system that cost well over $100 I hope that parents won't think twice about spending $99 in a decent bike that will provide years of exercise for their kids.
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QUOTE (jlthree @ Feb 2 2010, 02:00 PM)
Is this bike only available in one size?
I believe so. You have to consider what it would cost to stock multiple sizes and you're not going to get a WalMart employee educated enough to recommend the right size; that's if you could even get advice on bikes from an employee.
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One size ride. Now keep in mind, there will be a special designed end cap for the Bike Department at Wal-Mart. These things won't just going to the line up in the bike section, they will be placed front and center to the aisle ways. easy to spot, easy to see, easy to touch and feel, easy promo for BMX racing.
You will also be able to order them online through the wal-mart website. Soooo, in reality, they are available to everyone out there who wants one.
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That's what I was afraid of. While I like that Hyper is trying something different to market BMX racing, and I hate to be the only naysayer, I wonder at the wisdom of this idea. I can't wait to tell the parents of a 7 year old that the DR racing bike they just dropped $100 on is WAY to big for their child to race on and they need to get a new bike or wait until their kid grows. The Supercross Sprint will not cost whole lot more, will be available in a range of sizes and will be sold through bike shops that can ensure that the bike fits the rider. I have a feeling that may be a better model for growing the sport.
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jlthree,
while I see your point, I have seen more than a few times a kid buys a race bike at the local bike shop and it is either too big or too small. The shop may not size it correctly, and/or mom and dad are buying it too big so jr. can grow into it.
The supercross sprint is also an excellent way to get kids racing cheap!
I think the $99 bike is a great idea! we will have at least one as loaner bike at our track. Great job Hyper!
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QUOTE
I can't wait to tell the parents of a 7 year old that the DR racing bike they just dropped $100 on is WAY to big for their child to race on and they need to get a new bike or wait until their kid grows.
Although the bike may the wrong size the reality is that they will be at the track for you to tell them. Also, if you are starting racing it really does not matter, that is why they are novice, they must learn to crawl before walking. get them to the track, with something to build off of, then they can decide the next step in their racing life. I started on a bike that was too big for me in 1980, raced it a few times and continued to customize t for my size a little at a time as money would allow. Also it is not like Donny is all that tall, I bet the bike does not have a huge TT.
Millions and Millions of parents and kids walk into wally world everyday. And many of them do not have a clue what BMX is about, having that end cap display will at least visually be in front of probably 300,000 people in the first day alone. 314 store with 100 people a day in them, yeah I am being conservative.
I think this could be huge visually for the BMX racing side of BMX, Donny mentions that a Mike Spinner bike will also be available with it in the display, I hope Donny's outsells it.
Thanks to Clay for figuring out a way to find a price point, this low to allow the masses to acquire these bikes and the ABA for providing a way to be introduced to the sport of BMX Racing.
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QUOTE (jlthree @ Feb 2 2010, 08:30 AM)
That's what I was afraid of. While I like that Hyper is trying something different to market BMX racing, and I hate to be the only naysayer, I wonder at the wisdom of this idea. I can't wait to tell the parents of a 7 year old that the DR racing bike they just dropped $100 on is WAY to big for their child to race on and they need to get a new bike or wait until their kid grows. The Supercross Sprint will not cost whole lot more, will be available in a range of sizes and will be sold through bike shops that can ensure that the bike fits the rider. I have a feeling that may be a better model for growing the sport.
I feel what you're saying. But realistically, parents are going to do with this bike what they would do with any bike they would buy for a seven year old— have them throw a leg over it and see how it fits. If we performed that test with my six year old, it would probably be in the "no way" category. But for my eight (almost nine) year old? Maybe. My wife asked me a similar question of "what age is the bike for?" I don't know for sure, but I said "probably 10-13," just based on an eyeball assessment.
It is clearly not a "one or the other" thing in this case, vis a vis Walmart versus Local Bike Shop. The people who would be shopping for a bike at Walmart are probably long shots to walk into an LBS and ask for a BMX brand by name. And if they had an LBS in Opelousas, LA, for example (where Walmart 543 is located, and will carry the dR bike), what are the odds of them stocking racing stuff to begin with? This bike gets the "big box" audience. Once the consumer buys this bike, gets out to the track for a few races, they'll make the necessary adjustments that make sense for them. And in a year, they'll probably be ready to upgrade to this bike's big brother, the Hyper Assault, or whatever brand strikes their fancy at the time.
You're thinking "normal BMX" with the expectation of sizes (and lots of people think there are way, way too many sizes out there, even in the LBS type market). This is "mass market BMX." Think of it as an "appetizer." The main course will surely come once the rider is hooked on the sport.
I firmly believe it is a giant step toward normalizing our sport's acceptance into the mainstream.
Best,
M
QUOTE (Bikemonkeys @ Feb 2 2010, 09:06 AM)
I'd like a list of where these are going so if a WalMart close to me has them I can run out and buy one.
Feb 2 2010, 07:18 AM
