Mountain Biking - Beginner looking to purchase

My wife and I want to buy a bike but are scared, like many other thigns we have tried, that we won't use the bikes so much. Everywhere I go the cheapest bikes are around 250$, but at Toys R Us they have some for 100-200.. Like a Schwinn and a Huffy. Of course these aren't great, but do you think they are acceptablt to use to see if we like them and use them, then move up?

or are they just plain old crap?!?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=54317

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=54317

ruthless.

(they are crap)

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=54317

It's so damn annoying when people do that.

Alright bwalsh. Don't go with any department stores. Those bikes are complete crap. I rode my little bros and broke it within a few hours. Of trail riding, no drops or jumps. I'd suggest going with the $250 bikes you've seen around. They're better then anything you could get at Toys'r'us or Wal Mart - "Your source for cheap plastic crap."

While the bikes at department stores might serve you ok for light riding on the road, don't expect them to hold up, come set up correctly/safely, or be in good mechanical shape. I've browsed by some of the dept. store bikes while I've been in them and some of the mistakes that the assemblers make are just plain scary. You just aren't getting anything resembling quality with those bikes. You would be much better off dropping by a few bike shops and even just looking at their least expensive comfort bike offerings. You would at least have the peace of mind that the bike was assembled by a person who does it with care and that if anything were to happen to it you could bring it back to the shop for a fix (probably for free if you bought it there - not true with dept. store bikes). Some of the less expensive Giants come to mind as good choices for you.

Picking up a dept. store bike might seem like the way to go to try out the sport cheap, but you run the risk of buying something that is so sub par that it ruins your experience and turns you away from the sport, while a quality bicycle and a shop that cares might not have.

And one last thing -- Don't be lured into thinking that dept. store bikes labeled as Shwinns or other recognizable brands is a sign of quality - it's not. Schwinn and a few other brands have been bought -out over time and the company name used to sell dept. store bikes.

-Moab

http://www.cripplefight.com/smileys/signdito.gif

I dunno if any of you read Consumer Report. But my mom showed me an article when I was looking for my new bike. It would help you out alot.

I agree with Moab wholeheartedly. I do want to add that if you are just going to ride around the neighborhood, then a $159 X-Mart bike will work fine. It will even handle some off-road trails, just not for very long. The tolerances and quality control on these budget bikes is so bad that oftentimes, when tuned by quality mechanics they soon "loose" their adjustment. This is usually most apparent in the shifting and the braking of these bikes. I've worked on a ton over the years. I'll adjust the brakes take it for a test ride and it's like I never touched them. The return springs are weak, and most of the components are of poor quality.

You really get what you pay for.

If budget is a concern, you could always try used.

L8R