Originally Posted by Rustyoldbikes

The best deals at Wal-Mart are the one speed beach cruisers. From time to time, Wal-Mart will have Schwinn one speed beach cruisers that are sturdy and well built. They sell for under $100 and are comparable to beach cruisers at bike shops selling for $200 or $250. Because they have a coaster brake and no shifting, it is easy for owners to correct any problems from how the store staff assembled the bikes.

But, the Wal-Mart bikes with hand brakes and shifters have a lot of problems. The brake calipers are usually of very low quality. The bikes are usually poorly assembled, which means the owner must reassemble them. Many of the parts are "non-standard", so a bike shop won't carry replacement parts. If a brake caliper part fails, a bike shop would need to install a new pair of calipers...at a cost that would be more than buying another Wal-Mart bike.

Bike shops often have good mountain bikes for around $300 to $350 that have excellent warranties. The bike shop will assembly them, and provide free adjustments when needed. The parts are all standard, and easy to replace. These bikes will take the abuse of daily riding for five or ten years without any problems. A safe, reliable $350 bike that last ten years is MUCH cheaper than a $75 Wal-Mart bike that will be trashed after a year or two of casual riding.