Originally Posted by
Newspaperguy
I've seen a basic but serviceable mountain bike at one local bike shop retailing for $320. It was discounted from that price at the end of the season. An adult bike at a department store is in the neighbourhood of $200 or more. The extra $100 or less would buy a much better bike, quality construction and plenty of service.
I know we're talking about two different countries here, but a new faux-mountain bike at Walmart, Kmart or Target might be only $100, and I saw them before Christmas at Kmart for $79. I totally agree that the LBS bike would be a better value if you had the additional cash. And personally, since I know something about bikes, I would (and do) go with used bikes for good value. I often see decent used bikes that are cheaper than the Walmart bikes, and for the price of the LBS cheapo you can get a beautiful ride.