baknforth101

if you only wanted to spend about $125, do you go to walmart and expect a lot of constant problems, or do you buy used and not know exactly what the history of the bike is, meaning possible problems as well? the budget is $125, not $150 or $200 etc..... this question coming from someone who knows very little about bikes and does not own any of the special tools, but will be buying a crank puller today, is willing to buy more tools, and wants to learn. by the way, the bike is going to be for a 130lb female, if that matters, 24 inch mountain bike and looking for full suspension. thanks a bunch

KBentley57

I would 10,000 times buy a used big name mtb off craigslist, local ad, ect.. before I would spend 1 cent on a big box bike. You're already starting out with a heavy, old tech, rust in progress with one of those, you just don't know it. Terrible tires, junk grip shifters, rusty cables, wobbly rims, ect... aren't worth the hassle of trying to keep up, let alone the cost.

Barrettscv 

Yes, vintage steel mountain bikes are a bargain. Do some research and take the plunge. Expect to buy new tires and cables, new $15 tires at Performance bike are a good investment.

energyandair

Why do you want full suspension? $125 limits the options already. If you find a great bike that only has front suspension, would that do?

What kind of riding is the bike for?

Why are you getting a crank puller now if money is tight. The bike you buy may not need to have the cranks pulled.

Zephyr11

Put the money from the crank puller towards the bike. It'll be better spent that way.

24" as in little wheels? Full-suspension 24" bikes are few and far between, and any of the ones worth getting cost way more than $125. Actually, any full-suspension bike will be well over $125, including used ones, unless you come across some angry divorcee selling off their cheating ex's gear or something to that effect.

Frizlefrak

Spend your time scouring Craigslist and find a good used bike. Also, stop by your Local Bike Shop and tell them what you're looking for and what you can spend. Sometimes they know somebody that is looking to unload a bike that will fit the bill for you. Post a WTB on Facebook or other social media, as well as on Craigslist. Use normal diligence when doing this on C/L to weed out the scammers etc.

Whatever you do, don't succumb to the temptation to buy a dept store Bike Shaped Object....especially a full suspension bike. Problems from the word go, heavy frames, cheap components, you name it. I've seen Giant and Trek MTB's on C/L that were in your range before, but the ads don't stay up for long.

bananafruitcake

x3 second and on craigs or ?
Why the crank puller? full suspension or front shock? where are your riding? 24" wheels...are you petite? (if you are there are usually deals on 24" front suspension bike that younger folks (Especially girls) have barely ridden...
Not really much info to give sound advice...
But do allow time to look at a bunch of bikes and take them for a good test ride... shift through all gears a few times, brake a bunch, spin the wheels to check tru, check tires (even with nubs) for cracks, google the bike before going to check it out... read reviews, etc..., ask the owner questions ....
Try to spend $80 to $100 to give yourself cushion...
Do not exect to find it in an hour... if you do lol great! but more likely at least a week....

Good luck

baknforth101

let me clear this up. my wife wants a bike. she's about 5'3" and 130 lbs. when I speak size (inches), I'm talking about the size of the wheels, not the frame height or whatever. I mean when walking through the store looking at the bikes on the rack, they have 16-20-24-26-29-700c, etc....she is most comfortable on a 24 inch with the seat nearly all the way down. she has nearly no riding experience at all. this all going to be simple cruising on a flat, freshly paved surface. occasional grass, gravel, light trail riding. reason I want full suspension is simply because that's what I have and it rides smooth as butter. I couldn't imagine not having that feeling. and with her lack of riding experience, it seems like a good idea for it to absorb some of the typical bumps in the road to avoid her losing her balance. maybe I'm wrong. been checking CL but I don't live near a large enough city, so most of the ones I find are 50 miles away. will check with LBS, and pawn shops around here have a lot of them too.

GravelMN

Wheel size is not as important as frame size when it comes to bike fit. My daughter is 5' 3" and has a 26" rigid steel MTB and a 700c road bike both 16" frames and both fit her fine and she is of average proportions for her height. IMHO you should forget about suspension for the type of riding you are describing. It adds weight, saps power, and is absolutely unnecessary for paved surfaces and "light trail riding". My suggestion in your price range is a 26" wheel (much more common than the 24 with much better selection of tires and accessories such as fenders and racks) rigid chromemoly steel MTB from the late 1980s early 90s. They are about the most reliable and adaptable bikes around. Look for about a 16-inch (40-42cm) frame and fit it with higher volume cruiser or hybrid tires in the 1.5 inch (35-38mm) width range. A good bet is a used bike from your LBS or a bike co-op. Pawn shops and CL are a crap shoot for anyone new to cycling. While you are at the LBS have them find her a properly sized bike and show her the proper seat height. The seat all the way down on a 24-inch bike sounds way too low. My grandson at 4' 11" had his 24"-wheel bike seat raised to the minimum insertion line and traded up to a 26"-wheel bike. Its a 16" frame and he has about 2" of seat post showing and is currently about 5' 1" tall. If your wife can sit on the seat with both feet flat on the ground, the seat is far too low but that is where a lot of beginners make the mistake of setting the seat height resulting in poor power and sore knees.

Anything in the <$125 range with full suspension from a big box store is going to be a disposable bike as even entry level suspension forks by themselves go for $125 or more. If you must go big box, look for a suspensionless hybrid or cruiser. I still think you would be better off buying used from a reputable source.

bikemig 

2d, 3d, and 4th the recommendation of a used mtb. A quality used mtb is fairly easy to find and they were made in small sizes that will work for the OP's spouse.

bananafruitcake

What gravel wrote x2
My mom is 4'8" and I just bought her a 24"
I'm 5'3", just bought my first full suspension that original was $1k+ and it's much heavier than my hybrid and front suspension MTB.
I think with the riding you describe a hybrid with a 13-16" frame would be great. She will love how it rides and then USE it!
700c wheels are great on pavement/light trails and a hybrid usually has a comfortable saddle with upright (comfortable) handlebars.
Why not share the closest craigslist city and folks here could post some links of bikes they are trying to describe/recommend?
You might be surprised that some postings are actually closer than you think as anyone posting from your neck of the woods has to pick the closest city to post...

energyandair

I generally agree with the advice you have been getting.

For $125 on the 2nd hand market, you can find bikes in good condition that would have cost $500 new and sometimes much more than that.

There is no comparison between riding one of these and riding a bike you can get for under $200 new.

Based on what you have said, I would look for a mountain bike or hybrid either with or without front suspension. I wouldn't care which but would look for the best bike that fitted her well or could easily be made to do so.

For the use you are describing, you should get smooth or near smooth tires from say 1.25" - 2" wide. If the best bike has knobby tires, don't be put off but be prepared to change them straight away. You wife is likely to feel much more secure on paved roads with tires that are designed for them. If you want a plush ride, go for wide tires but still relatively smooth. Not that all things being equal, the wider the tire, the heavier it is.

For someone who is new to bikes, an easy way to get a quick idea of the quality difference between two bikes is to pick them up. The better the bike, the lighter it will be, assuming they are about the same size, are the same type and have the same equipment. This can help you decide which ones are worth taking for a test ride

Zephyr11

If she's 5'3 and you're putting her on a 24" with the seat slammed for casual riding and not dirt jumping, she's not fit on the bike correctly. Most likely, she'd be best suited on a bike with 26" wheels and a frame size of somewhere in the 13-15" range (XS or S most likely). At the bottom of the pedal stroke, her knee should be almost, but not completely, straight.

Parrothead1

I agree, post closest craigslist city and let us scope out whats there, as an example and yes, I know, I live in a much larger market. I recently picked up a 1990 Rigid Diamond Back Ascent for $70.00 off of craigslist, all it needed was a set of tires, hit performance bicycle and 30.00 later got an excellent commuter/light trail rider. They can be found.

bruised

It seems pretty unanimous for the used/craigslist option, rather than a Walmart bike.

At the risk of being branded a heretic, let me share my experience, as the conclusion is somewhat different.

About 5 Summers ago I bought my wife a Schwinn MTB from K-Mart, on sale for $129. She rode it a couple times then it sat in the shed for the remainder of the Summer.

I was riding an older Trek that was on its last legs.

The following Summer my Trek needed a bunch of work doing, and we moved house and I didn't have time, so I started riding around on my wife's 'abandoned' Schwinn.

I rode the bike for 3 Summers. The place we moved to (we live in WI where it snows a lot!) doesn't have a shed or a garage. I left the bike outdoors during Winter for 3 years in a row. In the spring I dragged it out from under the snow, lubed it, pumped the tires and rode it for the Summer. I wasn't doing a lot of miles, but enough.

This Spring I started out on the Schwinn again, but come June I decided to invest in a 'real' bike for myself. I was starting to get just a little self-conscious riding around on a ladies bike!

I went to a LBS and had a look around. I liked the look of a GT Timberline but it was significantly more than I wanted to spend, around $450.
I told the sales guy about my trouble-free riding of the Schwinn and how I'd never needed new tires, brakes, never adjusted the gears or changed anything other than fitting a more comfortable seat. He basically mocked me, insinuating that there could be no comparison made between a $129 Schwinn and the GT bike.

So I bought it.

The first problem was that the bike didn't fit. Not the bike's fault but it was the salesman's fault. He jacked up the seat to suit my 6'4" height and said I could fine-tune it on the trail. Well I'd been used to the Schwinn with the adjustable handlebar height, so when I got the GT home I tried to bring up the bars to match the seat. Of course they weren't adjustable. I noticed while riding around that the gears slipped and crunched a lot. I hadn't been used to that on the Schwinn, it always shifted smooth.
So I took the bike back. The sales guy wasn't real happy, but he ordered me an XL frame for which I waited a week. When the call came that my bike was ready to pick up, I headed over, only to find that he'd ordered a L frame not an XL. It seems to fit OK, though. It's a 29er so maybe that helps.

First ride out went ok, about 15 miles on the road. Second ride out the gears started slipping on the back set. I adjusted the cable to take up stretch and it worked for a couple outings then started to slip front and rear. I spend a month messing around with crunching and the chain falling off and just really having a hard time.

I should've taken it back but the sales guy pissed me off so much that I didn't want to deal with him.

I noticed also that the front wheel seemed buckled, this from new.

I kept the bike in the house at night but after a month of riding and getting caught in the rain a couple times, the brightwork started to rust.

After 10 weeks I couldn't handle the gear problem any longer and took it to a different dealer for an alignment. He quoted $16 over the phone for the adjustment, but when I got there he said the deralieur was badly worn, the chain was stretched, the rear gears needed replacing, the tires were shot and the cable needed replacing….oh and the brake pads too!!. WTF!

He showed me around the problems and it seemed legit. In the end I paid $75 for a basic tune-up which included the front/rear gear adjustment, spoke adjustment, new pads and cables. I didn't change the chain or sprockets. I changed tires a week later.

Now the front gears shift OK but the back set jump and crunch like crazy. I've tried adjusting the cable tensioner but it doesn't make any difference, I can't get it not to crunch, jump and shift poorly.

So with the original purchase, the tune-up and replacing 2 tires, I've sunk almost $600 into the GT and it still rides like a piece of crap.

As you can probably tell I'm a relative novice with bikes. I just want to get on it and ride. I was able to do that for 3 years with a $129 K-Mart bike, but not now. I come home from a ride and my hands and clothes are full of grease off the chain and I'm a friggen wreck!

I don't see how this GT is better quality, or better in any respect than the Schwinn I bought for my wife. It looks nice but the parts quality seem below average, supported by the rate at which everything has worn out.

I'd say if you have $125 to spend, get a Walmart bike with some warranty and enjoy the low investment in an entry level bike, rather than fighting with someone else's cast-off. You might be surprised at just how long it will last, particularly if you're not racking up the miles on it.

Sorry for the long post, I feel better for having got that off my chest!

Good luck.