Mountain Biking - More Jeep bike questions!!

I live in a area that doesnt have many bike shops, we only have 2 and they both have a very limited selection. I am a casual trail and pavement rider. I do not race competivatily. I was looking at geting the Jeep Wrangler Sahara. The bike seems to have alot of good features for the money. I know most of you hate Jeep bikes. I believe that the got there bad name because of the "el-cheapos" that they sold at Sears. I have discovered that Jeep makes Low quality to High quality. THe mid-level and high-level bikes are not at Sears.

How do you think there mid-level and high-end bikes are?? I know there not the best qualtiy, but for the money? I cant afford a "real" bike and dont really have a use for one. I like having duel suspension to smooth out my ride a bit.

thanks

Give a link to the available bike. My only beef with jeep is the sheer weight. Every one of the bikes I had the pleasure of lifting were heavy. Considering I ride a heavy bike for the type of riding I do those bikes felt nuts.

If you have a link to the bike we can give you a better idea.

heres the link.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=967523&cp=713103.887561.886961&parentPage=family



Maybe Jeep doesnt use lightweight alloys like the others do, hence they are heiver. I thought i read that it was 37lbs, which is fine for the riding i do.

thanks

To be honest, you can do better for $500. If you look at the specs they are all bottom line parts. Also you can spend just a little more and get a lot better bike. Go to some places on the net that sell disontinued bikes and compare but I think you can do better for the money. One good place for closeout bikes is supergo:

http://www.supergo.com

There are many more than just this one too, maybe someone here will pipe up with more sources. Look around on the net and if you find a place post here about it and someone can probably tell you if they are reputable. I have dealt with Supergo and I can vouch for them, at least.

Here's another one, but I've never bought from them:

http://www.bicycleblowout.com/MountainBikes.htm

For a full suspension. American. I don't know of any bikes as cheap. But be warned the first 1ft drop you do ( I realize you said mild offroad) it will break. Do a search we all reviewed this bike before. :)

Also, look at the location of the rear suspension pivot. Obviously this bike was not designed by anyone who knows how to design a suspension bike... with the pivot located where it's at, chain tension will be extending the suspension no matter what chainring the chain's on. And then there's the benefit of having a dealer who builds it properly, tunes it after it's broken in, and backs it up when you need parts and service.

I have a K2 Attack 2.0 that I bought for $470... here's a pic...

http://www.k2bikes.com/images/bikes/attack2_sm.jpg

www.k2bikes.com

It weighs about 15-20 pounds, I'd say. It's a great bike, I've been riding it for only about a month with no big problems.

MikeOK, I looked at thoes websites. I only found a few bikes that i could afford.

I know most of the components arnt top quality, but do it need the highest quality for just casual riding??

If someone can provide me the link to another brand of bike with similar features for a similar price it would be appreciated.

jons- I forgot about the K2's. Look at jump's link above those are good bikes.

Hey jonspolaris, try checking out Specialized, Giant, and Trek bikes. They make decent bikes for the amount of money you want to spend. The bike from Dick's will cost you more in long term to repair because Dick's does not have a repair shop. It is worth the drive some times to find a good bike shop that will give you better service.

You will not need full suspension for casual riding where there are no bumps, that will make your ride more difficult because of all the energy the suspension will absorb from you; it's called "bobbing".

Look at a hardtail with adjustable preload to set the fork to hard for pavement riding, and tires that are not entirely knobby.

This is only my suggestion.

Thanks for all your help. The only reason i was looking at Jeep is because it was in my budget and had the features i wanted. I know all the companys that you mentioned are good, there just not much selection localy.

I believe that Jeep got there bad name from the bikes sold at sears. Jeep makes low end to high-end bikes. Being that they are a new company, there is very little imformation on them. Most people catagorized all the jeep bikes with the ones sold at sears, which were low-end.

any other thoughts??

jon

You seem pretty set on jeep. If you have test ridden it and find is suitable and in your price range than I think you have a bike to enjoy and love.

Well, I Would just assume buy a bike from a local shop. The selection was VERY limited in the models I could afford. They mostly had low-priced models(they sell a lot of these) and then High-end.
I was only leaning to Jeep because of the features and price. I do not ride on real ruggend terrain, mostly pavement and dirt trails. My current bike is a Motiv from Sams. I know it’s a Cheapie, I had only a couple minor problems with it in the over two years I had it. Now yesterday the frame broke around the rear suspension piviot. Its alumimum so I cant repair it. Even though it was a “cheapie” the brakes and shifter were still working fine. And no dents in the rims either. I just don’t think I am as hard on my bikes as some of your “diehards”. I have never jumped my bike more than 1ft.
If a Trek, Specialized or other good name was available with the features and similar price, then I would get it. I like the duel suspension for the ride, I really don’t care about great handling.

I just wish I could get more first hand insight on the mid to high end Jeep bikes.

I've had first hand bad experiances with Jeep bikes. Although I did get mine at sears I find it hard to belive that there "high end" bikes are much better. If you think about it bikes like trek, giant, norco etc are all good bikes in both their high and low end models. Like if you take a low end trek it's still a good bike but a low end Jeep is not. To me this says that their high end can't be that high end and I personally will steer clear of all Jeep bikes in the future.

Like others have said you don't need full suspension for casual riding do yourself a favor and get a hard tail for the same price but with much better parts.

Go to a bike shop. Trust me on this. They may have less selection but they actually know bikes and will be very helpful. If they don't have the bike you want they can probably get it in for you.

Thanks for your reply,

What model Jeep bike did you get and what was wrong with it??

I was surprised to find out that jeep makes bikes from $175 to $2600 which its a HUGE range. BTW, sears doesnt sell any bikes anymore.

Wow $2600 I didn't expect them to go that high.


I had a Jeep Renagade Classic. I belive it is pretty much their bottom line bike so I probably had it coming when I bought it and should of known better.

Basically everything was wrong with it. :)
It was very heavy
It never shifted well (not even on my first ride)
the brakes sucked (made of plastic same goes for brakes levers)
the shock and fork were of low qualtiy (the rear seemed to have very little travel and I once bottomed out the front fork going over a sidewalk curb

It would shift by it's self or double shift. I remember that going from the 2nd front chainring to the 1st(smallest ring) would take over a minute and usually be the time it actually switched you no longer needed to be in that low of a gear.


I brought it back to Sears and went to a bike shop and got a Miele TT150 hardtail which I really like and has been much much better.

http://www.jeepworld.com/merchandise/bikes.htm
http://www.aboutmountainbikes.com/c/cdlerma/default.asp?S=500&A=F&CategoryID=112952

I decided to do some research. They do use high end components. Not know these bikes I would say it is to save weight. They use monroe forks which are very unproven in the biking arena. Knowing monroe makes solid suspension makes me feel better but more than likely they will be too heavy. Generally they have decent components to high end components but the braking system and the forks leave much to be desired before I would consider any of the bikes quality high end bikes.




WEIGht: 78pounds


I feel like crying. I really hope tha is a mistake of the web page. That is a DAMN!!!! heavy bike...

Anyways after doing some research into they generally put lx to xtr drive train parts on the bike. Generic rims, forks and shocks. It is very difficult to get detailed info about the bike. As far as I can tell there is no jeepbikes.com to find out more info about thecompany or the warranties.

Cheers and best of luck

there is a Jeepbikes.com

The one I was looking at only weighed 37lbs, which is getting heavy. maybee 78lbs is a misprint, or maybe its a training bike. You would train on the 78lb bike then for the race you would switch to the 28lbs one. Maybee that 78lbs one would need duel tires, LOL.


I still think the cheap models that were sold at sears gave the company a bad name. the wanted to have a bike for EVERY price range.

I had a Canadain Tire super cycle bike that I paid 100bucks Canadian for. It worked fine no probs at all and was never maintained at all. It finally died when it was over 7 years old.

I then got the jeep one which cost 2.5 times as much and had problems from day one.


Just something to think about :)

Originally posted by jonspolaris
there is a Jeepbikes.com

The one I was looking at only weighed 37lbs, which is getting heavy. maybee 78lbs is a misprint, or maybe its a training bike. You would train on the 78lb bike then for the race you would switch to the 28lbs one. Maybee that 78lbs one would need duel tires, LOL.


I still think the cheap models that were sold at sears gave the company a bad name. the wanted to have a bike for EVERY price range.

I am possitive it is a misprint. Like I said get the bike and enjoy it. The components on the high end one are good. For the riding you are doing it will be perfect as long as it fits.

From the standpoint of high end. Their high end stuff doesn't seem that great. Until Monroe suspension is proven light and strong they will have a difficult time marketing their 3000$ bike.

thanks for all opnions. If i did get one of thoes Jeep bikes I would try to find a place that carried them and look at it in person.

I did find a place that carried Mongoose, is that a good company?? they seem to have many different price ranges like Jeep.

jon

I must be reading that page wrong. Do these bikes really only come in one frame size each?

That is a dead giveaway that a bike is to be avoided. The three most important things about a bike are:

1) Fit;
2) Fit;
3) Fit.

No bike is a bargain if it's painful or uncomfortable to ride. A bike that doesn't fit will end up gathering dust because you will find reasons to avoid riding it.

"One size fits all" is a dead giveaway of compromised design, of bikes intended to be sold in mass-market outlets by sales droids who know absolutely nothing about bikes. If one of these bikes fits you, it will be a matter of luck.

The most basic bike shop bike -- find a shop that sells Fuji or Jamis if you're looking for low price -- will come in three or four or more frame sizes. Once the correct frame size is determined, the shop will swap stems and handlebars and seatposts and saddles until the bike fits you like a comfortable shoe.

You don't need rear suspension for riding on pavement and easy trails. And low-end suspension components will just break; they add inordinate amounts of weight and complexity to a bike that, if it's inexpensive, should be designed as simply as possible.

Example: for about $350 you can buy a Jamis Durango Sport SX. 28 pounds, quality aluminum frame, all brand-name parts, five frame sizes available.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/spec&geo/durangosportspec02.html

A bike like this -- or comparable bikes from a number of brands like Giant, Trek, Raleigh, Fuji, Specialized -- sold and fitted and serviced at a good bike shop, will last indefinitely and ideal for the kinds of riding you plan to do.

RichC

Mongoose use to make good bikes but they were purchased by a mass producation company. Their bmx's are still solid but I am not sure of their mtb's. I have seen a few ht's and they seem fine.

Another thought occcured to me about the Jeep and Mongoose bikes sold at department stores. Im sure part of the reason they had many problems was Poor setup. Something a good bike shop does. Even a good bike setup poorly isnt as good.

True but low end components do it to. Mongeese and any other dept store bikes are low end, generally the materials aren't as good and the parts are no-name or low-name brands.

Originally posted by jump
It weighs about 15-20 pounds, I'd say.

Ummmmm......guess again there.....maybe 30-35 pounds!!

You want a quality full suspension bike for only $500, right? BUY USED! Either that or readdress you desires. Not to be mean, but $500 is not a lot for full suspension! FS doesn't get to decent quality until the $900 to $1100 range. Below that, the forks and rear shock are generic or super cheap. The components are low end and the frame design is outdated or made with cheap parts that'll flex all over the place after a few rides.

As far as JEEP bikes go, I've yet to see one that is of "good" quality. I rode one that came with XT level parts and it was still junk compared to a similarly priced bike from a reputable BICYCLE manufactuer.

Mongoose, JEEP, Murry, Huffy, now Schwinn and GT, Pacific, ....etc. are all department store brands I would avoid if you're planning on any off-road riding. Riding to the store or to class, then you'll probably be o.k.

If my best friend asked what he should buy for $500, I'd suggest an aluminum hardtail from either Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, Giant, Jamis, Kona or similar bike shop (only) brands. If he insisted on FULL SUSPENSION, I'd tell him check Ebay for a nice used bike! There are a lot out there!

L8R

For what it's worth...

5 years ago I spent $220.00 for a Trek 800 Sport. The bottom of the bottom for Trek, made in Asia. No shocks of any kind. Rode many hilly dirt trails in Minnesota and more recently on all of the trails in the Evansville, IN area. Also ride it around the neighborhood, pulling kids in the trailer, etc. Now thinking about getting a front shock because of all of the trails I ride on now in this area.

My point is that a true bike brand, even bottom end, is better than a Blue Light special. Sounds like your LBS is really limited, but you should be able to get a Trek 4100, 4300 or similar for way under $500. Yes, it's a hardtail, but I guarentee it will work for the riding you described with fewer problems and issues over time...

..or if you really like it, buy the Jeep and let us know how it works out...;)

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Either that or readdress you desires.

I agree with this. As a matter of fact, I don't even think front suspension is totally necessary for many of the light trails. Certainly I don't think it's necessary for gravel bike paths. Not to sound like a retrogrouch but a little over a decade ago many of us rode around with no suspension even on some of the trails where people now believe that suspension is a must have.

Having bad suspension is worse, and I believe more dangerous, than having no suspension at all. For USD$500 you could get a very nice steel frame (which is long-lasting and low-maintenance unless you ride where there's a lot of salt in the winter), quality steel fork along with pretty good components (at least DeoreLX). If all you're doing is gravel bike paths and light trails, this IMHO is a fine setup.



Mongoose, JEEP, Murry, Huffy, now Schwinn and GT, Pacific, ....etc. are all department store brands I would avoid if you're planning on any off-road riding. Riding to the store or to class, then you'll probably be o.k.

Don't forget Magna and Motiv...

Originally posted by khuon


...Don't forget Magna and Motiv...

I wish we could:rolleyes: