Bicycling - Road and Mountain

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Mountain Bikes?

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LifeInTheBikeLane
LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
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My mountain bike finally bit the dust a few weekends ago in the middle of a long trail ride. I wasn't prepared to buy a new good bike because we are currently renovating our house so I'm going to break down and buy a cheaper one....Anyone have any good suggestions for a bike from....Walmart? It will be temporary (I say that, but God only knows how expensive this house is becoming) and needs to be able to handle being ridden hard. I know Walmart bikes tend to fall apart pretty quickly but some of them have to be at least somewhat good?

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  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
    edited May 2015
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    OMG, I'll mail you a loaner bike. Don't do Walmart. Especially if you want to take it on trails.

    Seriously. They don't grease a single part when it's assembled and half the time they are assembled incorrectly (backwards forks, etc.) Used would be a much better option. Also check out REI. They have quality, affordable options.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    edited May 2015
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    You're better off buying a bike from nashbar. They're still decent bikes and are very cheap.

    http://www.nashbar.com

    That, or get an older, used bike, restore it a bit, and go from there. I just built and entire commuter bike for my brother - including fenders, racks, bags, etc, for under $350 CAD.

    I am personally in the process of getting together a good, steel mountain bike from the 80's or 90's to build as an all-purpose touring bike, including riding on single track. I don't have the space for more than a couple of bikes.

    It's not going to be fast, it'll have no suspension, but I don't care. It'll be all about the experience and getting out there. I'm not racing, so I don't care about how fast I can go and the lack of suspension just means I'll need to be a better rider.

    Oh, and it's going to be seriously cheap. I'll get to spend money on the components that I actually want instead of being forced to accept what comes with the bike or needing to fork out even more money to make the bike the way I want.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I'd look used first. There are a lot of good deals out there to be had on old 26"ers.

    And yeah, REI or Performance Bike will get you a better deal for a bit more than Walmart.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I'd also look used as my first option. Plenty of entry model treks, specialized, cannondale (at least around here) that can be had for about what you'd spend on a walmart/target bike.
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
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    Don't forget to scope out your local Garage Sales for 26-inch hardtails. Old School hardtails are everywhere and they are truly inexpensive now. And I noticed those 26-inch hardtails have more dust settled on 'em than they have dirt embedded in them!
  • m1xm0d3
    m1xm0d3 Posts: 1,576 Member
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    Craigslist and search for local facebook groups that target buying/selling bikes/parts,
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
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    I didn't even think about craigslist (where I just sold my last two frankenbikes) or garage sales. I haven't bought a bike from Walmart since I was a little kid! It must be the desperate need to ride making me derranged to want to buy one from there, I know...

    I'm taking a look at that website now. I have a road bike but I miss my trails. Thanks for everyones advice everyone!!
  • fry5150
    fry5150 Posts: 34 Member
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    Thank god you have been talked off the ledge. Walmart would have gotten you laughed off the trails.
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
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    My wife has a Walmart hybrid type bike that is, honestly, perfect for the paved MUPs we occasionally ride on with it.

    That said, I don't think that will work for LifeInthebikelane ;)

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