cnl83

Im not really a fortunate wealthy person, but I want to take my brother, and my wife trail riding.
We are going to be going to Louisiana's Lake Fausse Point state park. They have some pretty nice trails.

Im trying to decide on two different bikes, because I have to buy 3 of them. I found this one at wal-mart..

Mongoose XR-100 26-inch Mountain Bike
it weighs 45 pounds..


Then I found this one..
Next Power Climber 26-inch Dual-Suspension Bike which is real cheap..
it weighs about 50 lbs.

Can I get some input, or does anyone know where I can read some reviews on both of these ???

pyze-guy

I'm not a huge trail rider, but they sound kind of heavy to me. What is your total budget for the three bikes?

stapfam

At the price, forget the Dual suspension, it will be like a pogo stick on anything bumpy. Both bikes seem far too heavy to be a good ride, but if you are on a tight budget, try your LBS for the cheaper range of bikes that are available. You may be surprised at how cheap bikes can be without being overweight C^&p.
Failing that, do as a friend of mine did and advertise in your local paper, "Wanted Cheap bike(s) to get an unfit family healthy." He had so many bikes oferred to him at sensible prices, he was spoilt for choice. It is a fact that many Bikes are sold, many of which finish up in the shed, never to be used again after 1 months use.

trekkie820

That may work...but at all costs, avoid Wal-Mart bikes. Just because it says Mongoose or Schwinn, don't mean its a good bike. My Trek 820 cost just 200 bucks...which is close to what you would pay for a crap-mart bike, and the trek weighs sbout 30 pounds. For that, you get the quality of a name like Trek, and most places(read: LBS's) you will get a lot of extras and a good service plan. It is worth it to shell out a few more dollars to get a good, durable bike. Good luck, and resist the temptation to go the crap-mart way!

a2psyklnut

I'd definately search for some used bikes. Those full suspension cheap bikes are HEAVY and don't work worth a dern! You'll be MUCH better off with just front suspension and a bike that is just a couple of years old, but in good shape.

Now, if you insist on a "X-Mart" type bike, I'd go with the Schwinn but again, with ONLY front suspension. The Schwinn is the best of the worst so to speak. Seriously though, go visit your LBS (local bike shop) and just explain your situation and budget and see if they know of any used bikes that will suit you.

Another option is to visit your local Pawn Shops (LPS), I do this regularly and find some decent bikes just a few years old for about $75.00 Some have front suspension forks, some don't. But, unless you are hitting some rooty technical trails, you don't even NEED ANY suspension.

I saw several Specialized bikes with no suspension about 4 years old with price tags under $80.00, I'm sure I could've haggled and gotten them for $50.00 (CASH!)

L8R

trekkie820

Used bikes are a cost effective solution, but they don't come with lifetime adjustments or a warranty usually, which are good to have if you ride like me. If its just casual cruising with a few occasional bursts of liberal riding, then by all means, go used. Go new if you are going to become serious about riding hard.

cnl83

Well, I am not planning on riding every day. I do like the dual suspension, because it seems confortable. I have a friend that has dual suspension, and I had like it. The trails are semi-rooty, and I think at least a front end suspension bike would be nice. Are the dual suspension bikes not that good on these kind of trails?

If there are bikes that run about 200.00 and are lighter ( dual suspension ) where can I get em?

trekkie820

eh...the FS bikes you're looking at would make the ride softer...let me give a comparison: the difference between a department store bike and a good XC FS bike is like the difference in the suspension in a 1979 Caddy Eldorado and a 2004 BMW M3. night and day. A good route to take, for saving pennies, would be to get the department store Schwinn with front shock, which will hold up very well for your riding, and get a cheapo suspension seat post from Nashbar ( www.nashbar.com ). should come up to under 200.

iamlucky13

I assume this is for more than one ride since you're talking about buying, but if it's only a few times total, maybe just rent. I think that usually runs $20-$50/day depending on quality.

Beyond that, I second what the others have been saying...buy used.

cnl83

It will be for occasional weekend trips..
What is a good weight for a bike like this?

tFUnK

under 30 pounds would be okay. personally, i want my bike to be around 25 pounds, and that's for a hardtail. i think renting would be a good thing to do in your case. you'll enjoy the ride a lot more when you ride a nicer bike, and since you don't know how often you will ride, why invest in bikes, and be stuck with them if later on you decide you don't enjoy riding that much.

notsofast

...besides for an occasional rider dual suspention is overkill. Go for the front shock and a lighter, higher quality bike. Seriously.

I have a Trek 8000 with only a front shock and I love it; even though I can afford a nice dual suspension bike, I find them to be overkill and actually a bit too bouncy as well.

Stay away from the Big Stores bikes if at all possible. I used to work at a department store and watched the people putting these bikes togeather, and trust me when I say you do not want to ride a bike that they built.

cnl83

Well, from where im from, they dont have rental opportunities, and I dont have any friends that have bikes to borrow.

Hunter

I do a majority of my repair work on these bikes. For the most part to fix alot of them parts and labor amount to more than what the bikes is worth. Also over the long run these bikes are not intended for anything other than riding sidewalks.
Depending on your budget I do have 3 Iron Horse models on closeout if you are interested.

kevntri

be carefull with the Dept store bikes. We bouught my 6 yr old a Pacific 20" mountain bike and the book said "not intended for offroad use"
If anything, go over every bolt so they don't shake apart