Competitors

California Chariot™ alternatives
Hom e		It's as easy to ride as a shopping cart....

Product Comparison: California Chariot Vs. Schwinn Gladiator

Some of you have seen similar items to ours at Toys R Us, Walmart, KMart and other mass merchants.These products are marketed under names like "Schwinn Gladiator", "Street Sled" and "Assault Chariot." They are all made by a company called Pacific Cycle. They are one of, if not the biggest, domestic bike company in the U.S. Some "classic" customer e-mails

We have sold our patented product for over 10 years now (since 1997).

For our comparison we picked a yellow "Schwinn Gladiator" as it seemed to be their "top of the line" model. Please accept our "tongue in cheek" approach as our way of dealing with the frustration of being (in our opinion) knocked off. Here are some of our observations:

Crossbars: They have two of them and we do not. Please imagine you or your child taking a full stroke using either leg on the Gladiator. Please note the exact spot where you or your child's shin would collide with the lower crossbar... Ouch! We are known for our "free space." The ability to let your leg take a full stroke is not only crucial for speed, it also hurts a lot less when you are riding!

Grinding: This comparison shows the Gladiator with its footdeck bolts hanging down below the frame. Ask any kid who has gone off a curb with this product. The first thing that happens is that the exposed threads get destroyed. In plain english, you will not be able to remove the footdecks because the nut will not unscrew. So what? Well, if you need to replace the rear skids, the footdeck needs to be removed. Also, they do catch rather nicely on the edge of the curb to give a rider quite a jolt. Notice how the Chariot has a totally smooth transition. Nothing to catch or hang the rider up.

Footdecks: Well folks, they tied us on this one. Click on the footdecks to get a larger image. What drives us batty is that we designed and tooled this footdeck 3 years before they entered the market. How come one of the largest bike companies in the world couldn't afford to design their own footdeck. This deck is a replica of ours down to the location of the footdeck bolts. Yes they do line up with ours perfectly. The only difference is the cutout for their frame.

Rear Wheel Setup: Our advantage here is a little tougher to explain. First, our wheel "cantilevers" out to the edge of the footdeck. This gives way more stability than putting the wheels on the center line of the footdeck. Our wheels are larger and poured Urethane. Not injection molded. We put Abec rated bearings in ours, and have replaceable rear skids. I challenge you to replace their skid. I challenge you to try and buy a replacement skid or wheel from Pacific Cycle. Look at the pictures. We use Alloy bolts. Our wheels do not rattle. Our whole rear assembly makes sense.

Rear Wheels: Just look at the detail. Compare the size of the wheel and the way they are mounted. We use a system that make them easily replaceable. We service and take care of what we sell.

Schwinn Quality: Yea right.... Here is the real scoop. Everyone knows that the only thing Schwinn brought to the table was their name. Schwinn in the past has made some fine products. This Gladiator is a Pacific product in Schwinn clothing. (News Flash... As of the 4th quarter of 2001, Pacific cycle now owns Schwinn). Yikes! We are proud of our brand, California Chariot. We built it from the ground up. We did not have to attach a "quality" logo to our product. Our product is quality. That's what we are known for.

Safety Pad: We care about the safety of our riders. Some of are own kids scoot.

	California Chariot	Pacific Cycle
California Chariot™ Invented and patented by Mark Rappaport	X
Sued in federal court for patent infringement		X
Product weight (lighter is better) 22.25 lbs 23.25 lbs	X
Chromolly re-enforced frame	X
Powder coated frame	X
Extended frame free-space (See picture/Ouch bar)	X
Chrome plated handlebar (Chrome is more expensive)	X
Handlebar safety pad	X
Upgraded handlebar	X
Alloy headstem with flush mounted bolts	X
Upgraded headstem	X
ABEC 3 sealed bearings	X
Rear wheels (width x diameter) 44mm x 76mm 35mm x 62mm	X
Cold poured urethane 76mm/78A	X
Cantilevered rear wheels for stability	X
Replaceable rear skids	X
Rubber rear skid compound	X
Chrome plated wheel hub	X
Front axle (mm) 9.5 mm 7.5 mm	X
Frame life if used by a typical 8-year old boy		Do rattles count?
Impeccable Customer Service (In our opinion)	X
Car Comparison	Corvette	?
Completely abusable	X
Approximate time on the market	10 Years	18 months
Chrome plated fork	X

Above is a checklist. If you have any question, just e-mail us: sales@markysparkytoys.com We have tried to clarify some of the differences between our products. There are more but we are reluctant to point them out. We do not want them to change their product and make it better.