ngcracing

I am new to this group, I want to get into mountain biking but do not have a bike

I see the bikes at walmart Mongoose xr250 full suspension is the one that caught my eye.
it has shimano gears, a promax front disc brake, mozo front fork. It sounds like it should be a good bike but its at WALMART.

Is this bike junk or what please help me thanks

goodwin

You would be better off buying a used bike from a friend, lbs etc. with good, quality components. Even though it wouldn't be new, it would still perform better, have better durability and so forth. Although I'm sure that bike would be adequate for road riding, getting around campus or other such uses. I don't understand how a bike with full suspension and disc brakes can be so cheap. The parts must be made of scrap metal or something.

Cycliste

Just to save another walfart thread, please check this one for mtbs:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...hlight=walmart,

others available if you use the search function.

jayroc

Bottom line is, regardless of what bike you want, A bike shop has trained people who work on bikes all day long. The money you spend in a shop stays(for the most part) with the shop. You pay for a bike at wal-mart, and it's going right back to arkansas. How do you think the waltons are billionaires? Do a little research, and make a responsible decision. Even if you buy it used, it's keeping money out of their hands. Excellent used deals can be found on the internet, or, try the local shop. Lots of guys have decent trade-ins, and they've all been inspected and tuned-up.

squeakywheel

I bought a Walmart bike once for my wife. I have since afflicted my father-in-law by way of "gift" with the super heavy, noisy geared, brake pad rubbing piece of ****.

ngcracing

ok, I have the same thoughs about walmart but a good deal is a good deal and it is not a good deal. I would like to spend 200-300 dollars on a good bike that i can upgrade, and some that i can beat a little bit

mx_599

find a used bike that has barely been ridden. many people like to get into biking but then sell them because they are not used....i think. someone who is hard up for money will part with it at about 50% cost i am sure. you don't need to be a bike mechanic to see if it has been used a lot...at least i don't think you need to be.

ngcracing

where is a good place to buy a used bike? like ebay, local paper or a loc shop

mcoine

I just saw an ad in the paper for an almost new rockhopper for like $250, barely used. There are always used bikes out there, if you are patient. Don't buy anything at walmart.

ngcracing

there is trek store in my area that sells trek and giant, how good are they

Tag1

I would look up the local bike shops (LBS) in your area, go check them out, and tell them exactly what you said above. Then when you have a few different models available to compare, come back here and everyone can tell you the pro's/con's of each one...

WannaGetGood

Don't buy it. its crap.

ngcracing

what is crap? Trek giants, what brand should i be looking for

nav

It's a bad picture, but I thought it was funny when I took it. Yes, it's of a Mongoose. Look harder if you don't see the funny part.

WannaGetGood

Oh no. I mean the Wal-mat bikes. Sorry about that.

nav

Anyway, to actually contribute something to this conversation:

The important thing with buying a first bike is buying it from a person or store that actually knows more than you. At a place like Walmart, proper assembly is a matter of luck. Have problems with it? Well, they might return it but they surely won't fix it. How do you know if the bike feels good to ride? You'll have to guess at what size to buy (if they even offer multiple sizes!) and there's no way to test ride the product.

Go here for more information (the part about "Go To A Real LBS").

nitroRoo

even something like a trek 820 or 3700 can be had new for $2-300. Much better buy. If you can though, get a good deal on a used bike. You'll get a lot more bike for the money. Oh and my personal rule for dual suspension is that I wont buy one unless I can afford to drop at least a grand. Cheap dual suspension bikes really really suck, I'd rather ride a fully ridgid singlespeed beater.

Maelstrom 

I have always been partial to this site for a good explanation

https://www.bikesrnottoys.com/

mcoine

I saw a little kids bike, that I'm sure was from walmart, with the forks in backward. I told the parents and they were like, "oh, huh".

Hank Rearden

So someone loosened the stem pinch bolts and rotated the fork around backwards (note brake cable wrapped around head tube).

That's not close to being funny on my planet.

mcoine

I think he's trying to make the point that walmart puts the bikes together that way.. not that funny, but it makes a good point about walmart.

DylanTremblay

You might want to check out www.pinkbike.com and look at there buy-sell section. They usually have pretty good used deals...and if you live in a big city im sure you'll be able to find a good used bike near you.

sngltrackdufus

I just happen to have a barely used stumpjumper i can part with for $300. But it's an '04 though

myenzo

Go to MTBR.com they have a huge classifieds section that you should be able to find something in.

valbowski1980

I picked up my Mongoose ALD Pro from my local LBS for 250 bucks. It was built by a pro and has never skipped a beat. Call around and you can find a good deal.