Steel Frame Mountain Bike $250
 

Hi
I am looking for a steel frame mountain bike with either front suspension or dual suspension

this is probably not doable unless I get one of those CanadianTire/Wal-Mart/SportChek cheapy Iron Horse, Nakamura, SuperCycle, Raleigh, Schwinn bikes eh?

It has to be steel for the purpose. I realize Aluminum is lighter, but it is not as tensile. Tensile is key. (Strength over lightness in this one PARTICULAR case)

How about the Trek 820? Is it any good? The RST shocks are bad though, no?

The Trek 820 would have been my suggestion. It does sound like it would fit your requirements. The RST front shock isn't the greatest but I suppose you could always upgrade that down the road if you felt it necessary. Try riding one and see how it feels, assuming there are any TREK LBS in your area. Next to that you may want to hit craigslist and look for something used.

Although I don't know the specifics of what you want to do with this bike, getting a strong frame and cheap (weak) suspension seems kinda pointless. Why not go a steel frame with a rigid fork or a cheaper aluminium frame with a better fork for the same price?

Just throwing in there... a lot of Raleigh bikes are pricey compared to some of the others on your list (it stands out to me to see it on that list).

Raleigh is crap no? Isn't Trek much better? Or is the lower end Trek just as good, or even worse than the Raleigh? How much torque can an aluminum frame take 6061(Non T6)? Could I strap on a motor to the rear dropouts? Would it be able to handle it?

Is a $50 nashbar steel mtb frame an option? That trek is hi-ten, I believe, while nashbar has a chromo frame for $50.

Fer sure! Post pics and a ride report.

Azonic Steelhead?

My son has a steel 98 Specialized Hardrock - so you might look about for one of those - it's a front suspension. The whole bike was under $500 in the fall of 98, so I'm sure any frame you might find would be under $250....