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Home | Product Reviews | Bike 1998 or Older | Murray Ultra All-Terrain | ||||
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Submitted by
JP Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Galveston Island, Texas USA
Date Reviewed: 7/9/2005 12:17:02 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Seawall |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $75 |
| Purchased At: | wal-mart |
| Strengths: | durable, dependable, right color (all black), nobody wants to steal it! |
| Weaknesses: | heavy, soft (low carbon) steel, uncomfortable seat, rusted out spokes |
| Similar Products Tried: | other bikes of the same class |
| Bike Setup: | 26" Murry ATB |
| Bottom Line: | This bike is great... uhmmm perhaps I should explain where I live, my age, how I ride, etc. First of all I ride this bike just about ever day for about an hour each day, some days 4 hours, some days not at all. I usually ride on a 7 miles long seawall that runs right along the beach on the gulf coast. Everything around here made of carbon steel rusts practicly overnight, so buying a $400 bicycle to ride on our seawall would be really dumb. Years ago at night in the dark I crashed this bike into a 1 foot high concrete slab (didn't see it @ about 20mph), bent the front tire/rim back into the crank, hit so hard that even the rear tire was warped. after my scuffs and scrapes healed I trued up the rims, cut the old fork tubes off, and welded some straight tubes back in their place (I couldn't locate a complete fork assembly that would work (cleap!)) and I started riding it again. I'm 41 years old and granted I do ride a bit slower now (sometimes) and I ride primarily flat land, but I still ride hard. This old beat up, ugly, welded on, rusted out, Murray has had alot of miles put on it, and I believe it has quite a few more to go yet. The best part is that I don't worry about someone cutting my bike lock to steal it :) |
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Submitted by
ryan brielles a
a Downhiller
from fart city
Date Reviewed: 1/17/2005 3:24:51 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | a pond runs through it |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $52005020 |
| Purchased At: | condom machine |
| Strengths: | the bike takes all the hard hits and puddles including some huge ass curbs. I am talking six inches here! |
| Weaknesses: | 1. THE BIKE ROCKS BECAUSE IT IS SOLID STEEL 2. iT HAS A TOTAL OF 10 SPEEDS! 1.HAS 10 FEET OF TRAVEL! 3.DOSFLKAJFLKJDSAFN! 4.MJK75TYTR!? 3.#%$^&! |
| Similar Products Tried: | HONDA rn01 DOWNHILL BIKE |
| Bike Setup: | 2005 SHIMANO SAINT |
| Bottom Line: | tHE HONDA BITES ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I AM A SNAKE YOU KNOW. THAT IS WHY THIS BIKE BITES DONKEY BALLS |
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Submitted by
joe shmoe
a Downhiller
from snoqualmie WA usa
Date Reviewed: 1/5/2005 7:14:04 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | your mom |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $500 |
| Purchased At: | Singletrack cycles |
| Strengths: | cool looking, verrrrrrrrrrryyyyy strong parts |
| Weaknesses: | nothing |
| Similar Products Tried: | Ellsworth Dare 7 |
| Bike Setup: | 2005 XTR |
| Bottom Line: | This bike took me to the RED BULL RAMPAGE! I finally had to replace it when the slime in my tires started to break[I had a swweet tubeless setup!] and I flatted. How in the heck do you change a tire? This bike sucks because it flats. |
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Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, Ill USA
Date Reviewed: 4/1/2004 9:22:48 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Cemetary Hill |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $120 |
| Purchased At: | It was a present |
| Strengths: | It will one day be recycled into a washing machine. |
| Weaknesses: | Weight, Build Quality, Better off braking with your feet, rims go out of true, shifters licks donkey balls, chain suck, and oh I NEVER rode it off pavement |
| Similar Products Tried: | Other POS bikes like Huffy, as well as Trek 9800, Specialized StumpJumper, Cannondale F1000, TREK 930 |
| Bike Setup: | Faster than yours, uranium rims, lighter than helium, blah, blah, blah |
| Bottom Line: | If you are on this site, and are actually considering buying a department store bike PLEASE read this. When I went away to college, my old man bought me a Huffy I rode to class everyday and killed it in less than a year. He bought me a Murray the next year. EVRYTHING on this bike stunk. I could barely ride it up a paved hill. The worst experience came when I was crossing a street and stood up on the pedals to hurry my way across. The weld that held the crank arms to the chainrings shattered, sending me flying into the street in front of a speeding car. Luckily he slammed on the brakes missing me by a few feet, but I could have easily been killed. I was so pissed I stood up and threw the 40 lb POS across the street. Being poor and not wanting to walk, I found a guy in one of the maintance buildings to weld the thing back together for me. I later got a REAL bike, but gave this one to my sister. She gave it to her boyfriend to ride. He rode off a 4 inch curb to cross a street and the handlebars broke in half, sendind him flying into the street. HE could have been killed on the same bike. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NEVER BUY A DEPARTMENT STORE BIKE You are truly risking your life just riding down the street. |
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Submitted by
dean
a Weekend Warrior
from usa
Date Reviewed: 7/4/2003 10:27:42 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $15 |
| Purchased At: | flea market |
| Strengths: | good wheels,good brakes,good shifters |
| Bottom Line: | i don't know what your whining about but dept store bikes are as good if not better than LBS bikes of course their going to try to sell you a new bike thats what their there for as for repairing most dept store bikes have name brand componants on them so repairing them is not hard i've never bought a LBS bike and i never will most of my bikes are cheap but with a little care and fixing they turn out fine i've never had trouble finding parts and puting them on is easy the murray ultra all-terrian i use is a 24" 15 speed MTB i go everywhere with it potholes and all i bought it used and did little repairs just because a bike cost 500-600 doesn't mean its better this is a good bike for anyone its good on or off road it even does water pretty good |
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Submitted by
Justin
a Weekend Warrior
from Montreal QC. Canada
Date Reviewed: 5/25/2001 4:14:37 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Mt.Tremblant...DUnno the name of da run |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $100 |
| Strengths: | Durablle, good tires |
| Weaknesses: | Very heavy plus 40 pounds,brakes, seat, rims (you get the picture) |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fisher, GT, Roky mountain |
| Bike Setup: | Cheap shimano brakes paid 'bout 25 $ cnd |
| Bottom Line: | Was a real great bike for the city, light trail, however it's now in bike heaven... I got a new GF Tassajara, I had to get rid of this muray,cuz my local bike shop didnt want to fix department store bikes, and if they did i would have had to spend a helluva alot of money on pretty much everything,new rims(they were bent so bad, that they didnt eve pas through the fork anymore... Bottom line: great for city riding light(and i mean light)trail riding however ive sold it to a freind for 50 bucks(screwed him over good). it can really take a beating. |
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Submitted by
Hard Headed
a Cross Country Rider
from Redondo Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: 4/25/2001 9:32:24 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Still Looking |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | Extended Loan From Girlfriend |
| Strengths: | O.K. Commuter bike But a commuter specific bike would be a better choice |
| Weaknesses: | Definately NOT a true "dirt worthy" mountain bike |
| Bike Setup: | Previously stock components, but slid into a downward spiral of constant maintenance and parts replacement |
| Bottom Line: | I was actually surprised to see a review for this bicycle because I’ve always thought of it as "generic," and didn’t think anyone would write about it. But I feel I have to put my two cents in. My girlfriend used this bike for two years commuting to and from college before I "borrowed" it to find out what this "mountain biking thing" was all about. Knowing nothing about mountain bikes, I assumed if it had 26" wheels and knobby tires, it must be a mountain bike. Was I in for a Rude Awakening. I rode this bike twice up and down mostly fire roads. The brakes (or lack thereof) made any halfway steep or technical descent a frightening proposition. I had bent the "riser" handlebars below the level of the stem on my first descent down a bumpy fireroad. The wheels were so badly out of true by my second ride that I had to open my brake pads and ride with my feet out like Fred Flintstone back down the hill to my car. Needless to say, my first mountain biking impression was not the best. Not knowing when to put down a lame horse, and because this bike was borrowed, I opted to repair the darn thing. Rude Awakening #2. My LBS looked at me like I had a disease when I brought this to him to repair. It’s true what has been said about bike shops not wanting to work on dept. store type bikes. The mechanic warned me that I would be better off buying one of their lower end hardtails, than sinking any money at all into fixing my "cheapie" as he called it. Naturally, because I’m hard headed, I didn’t listen. I ended up teaching myself bicycle repair. By raiding several bike shops bargain bins whenever something broke (which was all too frequent), I thought I was saving money. I had replaced almost every component (save the seatpost and frame) and managed to keep this bike rideable. Rude Awakening #3. Over a year’s time,when everything was said and done, I realized I had spent almost $400 replacing parts (wheelsets, forks, seat, crankarms, etc.). And it was a $100 (MSRP) bike. I’d be lucky if this bike would net $50 at a yard sale now. I’ve learned a hard lesson between INEXPENSIVE and CHEAP. For less than $400 I could have taken that LBS mechanic's advice and bought an INEXPENSIVE "real" mountain hardtail, more suited for its intended use, with better quality components (as in stronger and longer lasting), a lighter yet stronger frame, stronger rims, and as I’ve found out, a more dirt worthy bicycle overall. Instead, I sank too much money into a CHEAP, thinly disguised mountain bike that ended up costing me more money in the long run. AAARRRRGGGHHH! If I only knew then what I know now................... |
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Submitted by
Brian "He-Man" Buell
a Racer
from Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: 12/9/2000 8:54:48 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Northshore |
| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Purchased At: | dunno |
| Strengths: | Strengths? this pos does not even know the meaning of the word |
| Weaknesses: | But knows this word VERY very well |
| Similar Products Tried: | Never did, I ride a Sugar 1 |
| Bike Setup: | CUstom built Gary Fisher 2001 Sugar 1 |
| Bottom Line: | I work at a bike shop, I cam not say how many time i see hunks of crap like this come into the shop for repair. My god.. save your money and buy a cheap hardtail of QUALITY at a REAL Bike shop, Atleast then you'll get a lifetime warranty on the frame and 2 on teh parts, where as little old Murray says... the day you buy.. the warranty is OVER!! I hate working on these pieces of Monkey crap, so please.. STOP BUYING THEM DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah.. if I could.. I wouldn;t even rate this Hunk of crap... it's not worthy of even a negative number, but since I must it will get 1 freakin' chili |
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Submitted by
charlie
a Cross Country Rider
from kinnelon, nj, usa
Date Reviewed: 6/7/2000 2:10:16 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | watchung |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | all things have their place |
| Weaknesses: | wheels, frame, bars, drivetrain, pedal axels, cranks, probably some more |
| Similar Products Tried: | department store bmx bikes |
| Bike Setup: | not this one anymore |
| Bottom Line: | just to put in a point: i started my mountain biking experience on a murray, and while i wouldnt recommend it for any very serious riding, for getting around town and for minor off road riding, it is not that bad. by the time i was done with mine, the wheels were bent(not just an out of true type bent), the frame was bent, the pedal axels were bent, the cranks had a nice arc to them, and the bars looked like they were melting in the stem, but i had ridden it rather hard(for what they intended). i'm not saying trash your bike to get on eof these, but it is a great way to start. it has no granny gear and weighs upwards of 30 pounds, and if you stay on the bike as much as possible, it is a great way to build strength. by the time i got onto a real bike, i could climb anything because i had never had the possibility to run such low ratios and my bike had always been carrying and extra 5+ pounds. so, if you can pick one up for 70 bucks, go for it. if you ride it around the city and it gets stolen, so what? if you ride your trek 7000 or a bow ti around the city and it gets stolen, that sucks. everything has its place, even huffy's and murray's. |
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Submitted by
Derek Jensen
a Racer
from Edmonds, WA
Date Reviewed: 8/28/1999 |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Snoqualmie Pass #12 |
| Duration Product Used: | tested or demo'ed only |
| Strengths: | It's $100. |
| Weaknesses: | $100 is a lot to pay for a useless peice of mountain-bike-wannabe-crap |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Trek 7000 Specialized Rockhopper A! Comp FS K2/Proflex 2000 Schwinn S-30 My friend's little sister's bike with a coaster brake (better than this P.O.S.) |
| Bike Setup: | Crap all the way around |
| Bottom Line: | I borrowed my friend's for a couple days while my bike was getting a tune-up. nsfd, how DARE you say that a total POS Murray is BETTER than MY Trek 7000?!! Does your Murray weigh 25.2lbs, survive 35-mph runs down NORBA Downhill trails without a single bent rim, and completely smoke anything else even close to it's price?!! Oh, that's right, your Murray can't even take a hit from a POTHOLE. Do yourself a favor and save up a couple hundred bucks and get a basic Trek, Specialized, or other NAME BRAND bike at an actual BIKE SHOP and maybe you'll actually be able to ride a so-called mountain bike on a mountain. |
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Submitted by
nsfd
a Weekend Warrior
from new york
Date Reviewed: 8/10/1999 |
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| Duration Product Used: | less than 1 month |
| Bottom Line: | Just posting a followup from my previous review. The bike actually weighs around 30 pounds. I actually saw this bike for $69 a couple days ago. While I may have been slightly exaggerating in my previous review, I've got to say that it is quite a bit better than most $250-$350 bikes. It's a great bike to take on roads, just as long as you avoid potholes as the rims don't seem to be very capable of handling anything more than slight bumps. I suggest some of you actually try out this bike before you go bashing it. (I've tried out quite a few, which includes Gary Fisher Aquila, Trek 7000, etc). However, MAKE SURE you swap the brakes with something that actually works. The brakes that the bike comes with are very bad and barely stop the bike. |
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Submitted by
nsfd
a Weekend Warrior
from new york
Date Reviewed: 8/9/1999 |
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| Duration Product Used: | less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | Cheap |
| Weaknesses: | none |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Cannondale Raven 2000 Trek 6000,6500,7000 Bontrager Privateer Gary Fisher HKEK, Aquila Ritchey Plexus Airborne Lucky Strike (borrowed from a friend) |
| Bike Setup: | stock |
| Bottom Line: | I've ridden a lot of bikes (see list above). I decided to go out and buy a $100 Murray All-Terrain from Wal-Mart. Of all the bikes I've ridden (listed above), the Murray All-Terrain is by far the best. A lot of people have this notion that a bike from Wal-Mart can't be any good. Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise. Yeah, sure, the brakes are installed incorrectly and the wheels need to be trued after every ride, but the ride is SOOOO GOOOOD. I doubt any of you have actually TRIED a Wal-Mart bike, I think you'd be surprised. The bike is very responsive, light, stable, and wickedly fast. Much better than the Trek 7000 and light-years better than the Gary Fisher HKEK. This not a joke post like many of you are probably thinking, and yes, I have ridden all the bikes listed above. As long as you don't let wal-mart assemble the bike for you, it is fine. (Take the $100 bike to the LBS and have it done properly.) Yes, the brakes don't work very well, but that can easily be switched. |
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Submitted by
Keemo Sobby
a Cross-Country Rider
from Fairchild, TX
Date Reviewed: 8/9/1999 |
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| FavoriteTrail: | name it |
| Duration Product Used: | tested or demo'ed only |
| Strengths: | Heavy, high carbon steel frame; Heavy, low-quality wheels, components. |
| Weaknesses: | Unless you consider high weight and low quality strengths, absolutely none. |
| Bike Setup: | A good one |
| Bottom Line: | I have to believensfd was joking about this bike being very responsive, light, stable, and wickedly fast, especially compared to the other bikes he mentioned. If not, perhaps he should try riding the pieceofcrap Murray on a real trail, where the abundant flaws would come into stark evidence. This bike was not meant for serious off-road use. But if nsfd chooses to repeatedly subject this machine to the kind of rugged terrain the other bikes are engineered to handle, he may be in for a nasty and painful surprise. Better you than me, pal. |
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