Mountain Bikes?

LifeInTheBikeLane

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?

denversillygoose

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

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

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

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

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

Craigslist and search for local facebook groups that target buying/selling bikes/parts,

LifeInTheBikeLane

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

Thank god you have been talked off the ledge. Walmart would have gotten you laughed off the trails.

Archon2

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