I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there), and they just have ridiculous features for bikes costing $99. I highly doubt you could trust a full suspension mountain bike at a two-figure price point.. Can anybody comment on the quality of these bikes? They look... flashy, and... well, cool. I almost know they are complete garbage. I wonder if they would even be good for a few singletrack downhill rides or if they would just fall apart under the smallest amount of stress. I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?
"Next" and "Mongoose" mountain bikes
SpAgetttt
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I've only seen those bikes being riden on sidewalks which is abut all they could handle.
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Old thread, but fun.
Pretty hard to argue with the logic that a box-store bike isnt really a bike...by certain standards.
But I know a 16-year-old kid that has a green Wally fatbike with disc brakes and 12 speeds. Yeah, its still a pig; he's using the 27TPI Nates I'll never ask to be returned, but he's riding.
My stepdad introduced me to an old guy in a little N. MN town a few years ago...he's the "bike guy" in his town. Big old brick garage behind his house, 3 bike stands, and probably 300 bikes in various stages of rot/disassembly behind, and 40 or so out front "for sale/take trades" He's usually got one or two of his retired buddies hanging out and usually a kid or two working off bikes/parts. He probably makes $1 a day at it.
One of his "specialties" is for any parent that buys their kid a box store bike, he will tune, lube, and safety inspect it for $5. For $1 if the kid does it while he mentors.
He does about 50 every year. Because the town is in a somewhat low-income area, that Next bike may be the only shiny new bike a kid gets...and shiny and new has value when you never see it.
I dont think many people buy those with any illusions of substituting them for the real thing. A few will find them a "gateway drug" to better bikes and a more serious attitude. When I was a kid, the local Schwinn store had a dozen or so cantilever cruisers, 25 stngrays, 10 or so "English lighweights" and one of each size drop bar roadies...probably Collegiates with heavy ashtabula cranks, steel rims, and carbon-steel welded frames. None of them was a pro-level bike. You had to drive 120 miles to get that.
Have things changed all that much?
Pretty hard to argue with the logic that a box-store bike isnt really a bike...by certain standards.
But I know a 16-year-old kid that has a green Wally fatbike with disc brakes and 12 speeds. Yeah, its still a pig; he's using the 27TPI Nates I'll never ask to be returned, but he's riding.
My stepdad introduced me to an old guy in a little N. MN town a few years ago...he's the "bike guy" in his town. Big old brick garage behind his house, 3 bike stands, and probably 300 bikes in various stages of rot/disassembly behind, and 40 or so out front "for sale/take trades" He's usually got one or two of his retired buddies hanging out and usually a kid or two working off bikes/parts. He probably makes $1 a day at it.
One of his "specialties" is for any parent that buys their kid a box store bike, he will tune, lube, and safety inspect it for $5. For $1 if the kid does it while he mentors.
He does about 50 every year. Because the town is in a somewhat low-income area, that Next bike may be the only shiny new bike a kid gets...and shiny and new has value when you never see it.
I dont think many people buy those with any illusions of substituting them for the real thing. A few will find them a "gateway drug" to better bikes and a more serious attitude. When I was a kid, the local Schwinn store had a dozen or so cantilever cruisers, 25 stngrays, 10 or so "English lighweights" and one of each size drop bar roadies...probably Collegiates with heavy ashtabula cranks, steel rims, and carbon-steel welded frames. None of them was a pro-level bike. You had to drive 120 miles to get that.
Have things changed all that much?
Tell the truth - you just like to make stuff up on a regular basis, don't you?
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Lol. EVERY bike!
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Haha.. One example debunking his comment would be Intense. They make their aluminum bikes here in California but their carbon frames are made overseas. Trek still makes some of their bikes in Wisconsin as well.
Trek Factory Tour Part 3: US Based OCLV Carbon Bike Production
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Because of price point, what I would need it for (getting to from work) and a brand name I assumed used standard sizes on the frame, I got a walgoose 26" Snarl (2011). In the last 2 years I've upgraded everything! Drive train up to Shimano Alivio, Shimano mech brakes and disks, Rockshox Recon Silver R front shox, Rhino lite wheels (double walled, Shimano Diore hubs)
Sorry didn't upgrade the Shimano rapid fire shifters, cables. (Already Shimano
Next is a 20" Nasbar mtb frame (89.00 plus shipping) that will take all my upgades. Yoy gotta start somewhere when u can only afford a little at a time.
You can buy a $2000+ bike now? Share the wealth and I won't ride a upgraded walgoose anymore.😃😃😃😃
Sent from my Insane KitKat V10 SGH M919 using Tapatalk
Sorry didn't upgrade the Shimano rapid fire shifters, cables. (Already Shimano
Next is a 20" Nasbar mtb frame (89.00 plus shipping) that will take all my upgades. Yoy gotta start somewhere when u can only afford a little at a time.
You can buy a $2000+ bike now? Share the wealth and I won't ride a upgraded walgoose anymore.😃😃😃😃
Sent from my Insane KitKat V10 SGH M919 using Tapatalk
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Uncle happy meet Mr. Troll.
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What's below alivio?
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Junk that comes on box stores that has "Shimano" written on them.
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Like fishing reels?
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I meant "Box store bikes".
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I rode a rigid dept store bike for several years and it held up fine doing road rides... at the time I was broke and didnt have a drivers licence.....I would tear it down every spring and repack bearings and adjust stuff..... I had another dept store mtb that I got hit by a car on, that I stripped of the good parts and kept them as spares... ended up trading that bike and some cash for a new rigid roadmaster MTB..... this was in the early 90s... I hated that pos.....so I went to my LBS and bought a diamondback outlook.....it was way better than the roadmaster, which I gave to my dad.....I dont think he ever rode it and sold all the bikes they had at a garage sale......I rode low end bike shop bikes for several years......there was 1 or 2 box store bikes a few times when I was too broke for a car.......in the early 2000's I stopped riding due to not having time to ride... had a used haro hardtail, I sold it after it sat around collecting dust... didnt ride for 10 years and I bought a genesis V2100 to get some exercise becuase prices on craigslist were stupid high and used big box bikes were in the range of what I had to spend, didnt put alot of miles on it during the 2 years I had it due to medical issues..... I got to riding again and started to hate it because of the rear suspention bob.....then the main pivot bushing wore out....so I was gonna sell it and go back and buy a hardtail......about the same time I found the specialized rockhopper at a garage sale for $5... I ended up using parts from the V2100 to get it going due to lack of cash..... once I get working again I will upgrade parts as they break..... some of the really cheap big box bikes arent all that great.... a few are ok for street use if you are kinda broke and need a bike..... right now I mostly ride on the street.....even with the cheap parts on the rockhopper it is hella lighter......like I say.... ride what you got....I have seen people ride up to walmart on a beat to hell next, mongoose etc etc.....park it in the bike rack unlocked and come out 10 min later pushing out a new cheap bike..lol
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