LBS Mongoose vs. WM Mongoose -- kinda like the difference between jewelry-store Rolex and streetcorner Rolex. NO COMPARISON!!! And FYI, you can't get the same Mongoose at WM that you'll see at LBS -- the factory doesn't DO that, WM & the like has the exclusive rights to the cheap stuff.

Now....

Caroline, if you haven't already done so, buy the Paver; it'll serve you. It's a step above anything WM has sold in the last 6-8 years! The store I work out of got one returned last month (poor assembly at another location, no surprise), so I checked it nose-to-tail, got it right, tested it, and while it's not my type of ride, it's a RIDE!

Ditto on several people who've mentioned learning maintenance; while wheel-truing can be a black art sometimes, once the concept of how the parts work settles in, the fix will become clearer.

You can DO this!

And, lastly, for my own need to vent (this season has been extraordinarily rough!):

WHAT'S WRONG WITH WALMART BIKES?

1. Poorly welded frames;
2. half-dry and badly adjusted bearings everywhere;
3. single-wall rims that go out of true by inflating the tire (I am NOT kidding!);
4. stems so poorly welded, you can see how off-center they are;
5. stamped-steel V-brake arms that flex like a longbow;
6. caliper-style brake levers installed on a bike with V-brakes;
7. poorly cast wire-bead tires that routinely lift off the rim and explode the tube;
8. rim strips so badly applied that they leave a dozen spoke nipples exposed;
9. index shifters (almost always grip-shift knockoffs) that don't index, can be tuned for 4-5 out of 7 possible gears.

You get the idea....