Mountain Biking - Very cheap bike with decent components: Look inside?

Sport Mart: Tribal Shock 4 26 Inch wheel bike (http://www.sportmart.ca/store/2product.asp?countryID=0&category%5Fid=49&product%5Fid=9850&mscssid=SNB90S3MAJD69MXAFW2UB6VPTWCF0QTC)

When I saw the same Manitou 6 fork on the specialized rock hopper I had to look at this bike again.

It's $200 Canadian which works out to about $160 USD. That is ridiculously cheap.

It also has Kenda Kinetics tires (Reviews: http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Tire/product_23259.shtml)

I figure as long as the frame is ok, I can swap out the breaks (assuming they're bad and I'm banking on it), the seat, the rear derailleur and still be under $400.

If anybody has any additional information or feedback on this bike it would be appreciated.

Thanks

i would think the frame would be where they might be skimping... good frame lower end components is better than the other way around....

That's a cheap K-mart bike that they stuck a Brand name fork on so they could charge extra for it. The component group on that bike is obsolete in terms of what the quality brands are using these days. In short (and believe me I'm not being a snob) that bike isn't worth the powder to blow it back to someplace awful.
GO TO A REAL BIKE SHOP where bicycles are them main line of business not every sporting good under the sun.

Would it be worth it to buy it, switch my RST Gila T5 fork with that, and sell the cheap bike?

It may, but you will never be able to sell the bike. . .

~Steve

How much does the manitou 6 cost alone or is it oem?

oem?

OEM means it only comes on bikes and ususally don't get sold alone.

Would it be worth it to buy it, switch my RST Gila T5 fork with that, and sell the cheap bike?
No

That's a cheap K-mart bike that they stuck a Brand name fork on so they could charge extra for it. The component group on that bike is obsolete in terms of what the quality brands are using these days. In short (and believe me I'm not being a snob) that bike isn't worth the powder to blow it back to someplace awful.
GO TO A REAL BIKE SHOP where bicycles are them main line of business not every sporting good under the sun.

I've been to bike shops.

If they just stuck a name brand fork on it, and the fork costs around $150 on its own, it doesn't really make sense to say that they just put it on to charge extra.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=86&subcategory=1183&brand=&sku=12657&storetype=5&estoreid=&pagename=

Do you see the price of the entire bike? $200 Canadian. That's why I'm asking about it because it seems very out of place. A $160 USD bike that has a component that $400 bikes have.
So if anybody has any information on the frame or other components or like a bike website or something, please share :)

Thanks

I've been to bike shops.

If they just stuck a name brand fork on it, and the fork costs around $150 on its own, it doesn't really make sense to say that they just put it on to charge extra.

Bike manufactures get bulk deals not availiable to the public


Do you see the price of the entire bike? $200 Canadian. That's why I'm asking about it because it seems very out of place. A $160 USD bike that has a component that $400 bikes have.
So if anybody has any information on the frame or other components or like a bike website or something, please share :)

Thanks
Nobody has used seven speed freewheels on anything but low end comfort bikes for a couple of years now. The bike is a POS that they stuck a "big" name fork on as a selling point. I stand by my earlier post.

Ok so they're old, but are they necessarily bad?

They still use these components on youth bikes it looks like.

Ok so they're old, but are they necessarily bad?

They still use these components on youth bikes it looks like.
Things change for a reason. The reason they're used on youth bikes is due to the fact that kid's outgrown them and for that reason they are typically "disposable" bikes to begin with.

Hmmm, alright

This is another bike from the "Tribal" brand:

17.5 or 19.5 inch aluminum frame, 26 inch wheel.
Mechanical disc braking system.
Answer Six 100mm travel coil and spring front suspension system.
Oversize downtube, deluxe dropout design, monostay design.
Threadless headset.
SRAM ESP 4.0 rear derailleur, Suntour XC-312 front derailleur.
SRAM 3.0 grip shifters.
Sunrace 8 speed freewheel.
WTB tire, saddle & alloy rims.
Truvativ X Flow alloy crankset.
Quick release front & back wheels.
Quick release seat post.

It costs $500 though.

While I'm at it, does anyone have some suggestions on a $300-$350 MTB?

I was looking at the Hardrock Sport and the Giant Rincon, any others that cost the same as these bikes?

Thanks

check out specialized hardrock. 04's are around 300$ the 05s are a little more. Or look at the giant boulders or the boulder se i think its called. Would be a lot better bike.

giant
http://www.giantbicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8841&range=145&model=10768
http://www.giantbicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8841&range=145&model=10879

Specialized
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=5970&JServSessionIdroot=udj8fw49f7.j27008
05
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9345&JServSessionIdroot=udj8fw49f7.j27008

Trek
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/mountain/4100.jsp
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/mountain/4300.jsp

Theres a lot more like haro, k2, and kona recreational mountain bikes. Which would be a better bike. Your best bet would be to go down to you lbs and tell them you budget and they will point you in the right direction.

looks like a very crappy attempt at duplicating the look of a freeride bike.

first, nothing "aggro" has a kickstand.

Next...that fork is scrawny, I could break it hopping off of a 2ft ledge, and that's sad.

Then you got the geometry....it's ok, but i dont think that bike will make it through a day at tahoe.

check out specialized hardrock. 04's are around 300$ the 05s are a little more. Or look at the giant boulders or the boulder se i think its called. Would be a lot better bike.

giant
http://www.giantbicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8841&range=145&model=10768
http://www.giantbicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2004&bikesection=8841&range=145&model=10879

Specialized
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=5970&JServSessionIdroot=udj8fw49f7.j27008
05
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9345&JServSessionIdroot=udj8fw49f7.j27008

Trek
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/mountain/4100.jsp
http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2004/mountain/4300.jsp

Theres a lot more like haro, k2, and kona recreational mountain bikes. Which would be a better bike. Your best bet would be to go down to you lbs and tell them you budget and they will point you in the right direction.Also check out the $500 MTB thread. We cover stuff in the $500 and under bracket.

I have one of the bikes they are the best for less If you have any Q's contact me at rob1231@hotmail.com and i will reply sorry for the short coment but i have to go to school. But I swear that I have this bike.

I have one of the bikes they are the best for less If you have any Q's contact me at rob1231@hotmail.com and i will reply sorry for the short coment but i have to go to school. But I swear that I have this bike.
Hmmmm why do I not believe this post? Oh yeah the fact that it's bullcrap.

Hmmmm why do I not believe this post? Oh yeah the fact that it's bullcrap.


But I wouldn't think he has any reason to lie though. :o
so feedback us away :p

But I wouldn't think he has any reason to lie though. :o


robguy1231
(Newbie)
Joined 10-11-04
Last Post Very cheap bike with decent components: Look inside?
10-12-04 04:38 PM
Total Posts 1 (0.87 posts per day)
Oh no he seems totally on the up and up :rolleyes:

hmm i did give ti another look, it's still chepa, but yeah i didnt look at the large picture or read much about it...at first it looked like a cheap rig:

manitou six is an ok fork, but its not great. Trust me I own a monitou Axel....something with their feel just doesnt feel right.

oversized steel frame -- this is where it gets scary. no mention of butting....could be very heavy. Also note it looks to be overbuilt for the duty that fork can do, to me that's usually a big warning sign.

kenda makes good tires, but kenda is also a wal-mart brand, so be warned that they make tires for both suits.

twist shifters are often indicator of a cheaper bike. Some folks like, em, but very few bikes that would have a manitou six omn them would have twist shifters.

chainguard on crankset also does not scream "quality bike". No trailbike should have that excuse for a chainguard on it. plastic chainguards usually = cheap bike.

oh, and shimano tourney-level drivetrain is just wack wack wack.

This is about a $200 US non-sale price bike, tops. The components were obviously chose, as posted above, as price-cutting for the fork. My concern is that fork a factory fresh or a refurb fork? If you are going to bite forit, call and gets as much info as you can.

Oh I never really had the intention of buying it, just wanted to know why that bike was the way it is.


Also, thanks for the suggestions crgowo. :D