catatonic

All you need is one with a fornt shock only. Any low-cost full suspension will bob like mad while you are pedalling...and it may be "comfy" at first, but it will take far more effort to get where you want.

A diamondback outlook is about $200, and will serve you just fine. Make sure to put some extra cash in it for a rack and get some thorn-resistant tubes, tire liners, and puncture resistant slick or semi-slick tires. Beefing up your tires/tubes is the best way to have a good time commuting, since flats will be fewer and farther apart.

I used to use an Outlook for commuting...very nice bike...upright stance, so it's not hard on the back, and it's got more gear range that most people would even know what to do with...as well as reliable.

tomcryar

Yeah........I forgot about the tire liners. For average commuting, you absolutely have to have them-- I have not had a flat since......I've actually worn two tires down to bald but no flats.......a little tool kit would be a good cheap investment, too...

tomcryar

About what Emmett said..............My walmart roadmaster has genuine shimano parts.............never had a problem.

operator

So does every other low cost bike. Genuine shimano parts doesn't mean they are quality components. Just as there are high end parts there are also low end parts, the latter being found in dept store bikes.

biodiesel

THIS IS WHAT'S WRONG WITH A WALL-MART BIKE!!!


Seen too many people wondering what's wrong with a Wall Mart bike? As if there's no difference in quality for hundreds of dollars. Same people that would buy a $4000 Wall Mart car (watch 5 will now post that there's nothing wrong with that...) and argue on Car Talk that it should last as long as a $35,000 BMW. And then complain when it 'amazingly' dosn't. Then annoy everyone with silly questions about how to get it fixed by a BMW mechanic, for free.
Same people in the south that would rush to buy 5 gallons of milk for a 2 day snowstorm. When they live alone. And are lactose intolerant.

OF COURSE THEIR BIKES SUCK!!!
You can't get something that cheap made well! You can't even pay a mechanic to put together the parts for that ammount of money! The people putting the bikes together have no idea what they're doing! The parts are the cheapest parts made anywhere! The aluminum or steel is the cheapest and worst stuff anywhere! Every part of the Wally Mart bike is cr@p! You know how many WM bikes are still around after a year? One, (it's Machka's i'm sure...) other than that NONE.

Save up, buy used, buy single speed or less bling and get something that'll last not some super sized Mattel my first mountain bike piece of Cr@p.

Okay, now everyone can start arguing how Wall Mart should make cars...

Rick G

Hang on a minute.
While I am not exactly proud of my $53. cheapy bike it has been just fine for me.I could not afford to go out and give a couple of hundred dollars for a new Raleigh mojove m2.0 like I want.so I had to make due.I have had it for a couple of years and have several hundred miles on it now.no you are right it is cheap all over.no lie and I am not going to tell ya that it is the best thing ever built.but it is mine and I like it.
I will be upgrading pretty soon I hope.maybe for christmas.the mojave looks to have everything I want but I am not just going to shoot my beast (thats what I call it cause that is what it is and I know it.)
if that was all he could afford then more power to him.
Us walmart bikers need support too.
I know that my LBS likes the wm bikes cause they make good money from them by having to do tuneups and fixes.
by the way I am getting ready to ride to work.it is a 15 mile one way trip.it should be a good trip.hope so
Rick g

AtlPirate

i was jsut at my brand new LBS just opened today, and they have a GT avalanche 2.0 05 model for $349.00 is this a good bike/deal i need advice

ChroMo2

I agree with this guy. KONA seems to have some good stuff out lately.

littledog

That is great! I too have a made in china bike. But it's a Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe and cost 500$. That's because it has a 7 speed internal gear hub. The model without that costs 300$. I have ridden it maybe 1200 to 1500 miles and love it. Much more than my Trek 7300 hybrid. Not everyone wants or even needs an expensive bike. The only adult bike riders in my neck of the ghetto as junk scavengers who ride old castaways with baskets galore and usually carry more stuff with them than you could cram in a SUV. And they make their living with these bikes and put a lot of miles on them. So it's not only what you can afford but what you want. The Roadies wave to me as I go to the state park and attempt to climb hills. But the ASP bikers won't even acknowledge me so I joined here and gave them 25$ to keep this great forum going. Ride what you like,like what you ride.
littledog

GP

I have the single speed Schwinn model. I bought it used for $50. We also have a 7-speed Electra but I use the Schwinn more. I've never had a problem with either.

mike

It sounds like money might be an issue, Atlpirate. That is sure understandable. I would suggest that you buy the best bike you can afford and treat you bicycle as the legitmate form of transportation that it is.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a good bike. In fact, the Wal-Mart bikes will work, if that is your budget. Typically, they are heavy, but they still ride OK. Walmart and the other super-stores are good about taking back faulty merchandise, so you can't complain about that. I have to say, however that I work on a lot of neighborhood bicycles and that means I work on a lot of the super-store bikes like Pacific, Vertical, etc. Sometimes I see some really poor workmanship. Often, the bikes are not assembled correctly. Sometimes, the bikes have unbelievable quality flaws like the rim I saw once that was barely seemed together where the ends came together. That really was bad. I try to keep an open mind about the super-store bicycles. I love all bikes. I have to say, though that some of the stuff I see coming from the super-stores really are toy-grade merchandise - correctly priced for the 1/2 block riding that most kids do these days, but not really meant for anybody who will be using the bike for any distance or function.

A bicycle purchase is very gratifying and the rewards will be realized every time you ride.

You might consider buying a used bike or maybe even a well-made older bike from a garage sale ($30.00?). There is a wide array of really nicely built older bicycles being sold at garage sales today for nearly nothing. Many of these bikes would cost more than a thousand dollars to reproduce today.

Another good place to look for bikes is at the police bicycle auctions. I have seen some lovely bikes there for cheap. The only concern is, of course, that one day you meet up with the owner who thinks you stole his bike and he beans you.

In any event, get the best bike you can afford. You will appreciate the quality.

rningonfumes

i say people could get away with a walmart bike if they treated it like glass. i mean keep it on the road and nothing else. Don't buy it and expect it to do what a bike from the LBS would do, well you could but expect walk or carry it back home after an outing or two i'm sure of it.

my first MTB was from K-mart. It looked so nice for 100 bucks, i was even glad i got a little discount because i worked there. Where is it now? lets say its hanging under my avocado tree in early retirement.


i was at the LBS today, i saw some decent bikes for 200 +. With them, at least you know it will be something decent and you might walk out with lifetime tune ups==saves you some 50 to 80 bucks already.

mike

I wonder if we put too much faith in LBS bicycles?

We poo poo the Walmart bikes - and often rightly so.

However, we tend to assume that ALL local bike shops offer better grade bicycles. I wonder if this is true. Aren't some local bike shops selling some cheap-o- bikes to stay competitive with the "Big Box" retailers?

AtlPirate

wwe just had a new LBS open up here in ATLANTA, and one of the mongoose bikes they are selling is the exact same kind as the one wal-mart is selling right down the road, and they are the ones who want me to buy a GT avalanche 2.0 05 for $350 is this a good bike/deal please any advice would be good.

biodiesel

The bright news is you can get a good bike for not too much... LBS's are selling sora component road bikes for under $700 and though sora's not the best i rode about 5k miles on one... retired the beast after some frame damage...
Look for better components and less bling. Stay with a hardtail less travel in the forks and try for sturdy long lasting components. I've bought mtn bikes from Preformance or Supergo for under $500 and ridden the holy crud out of them, beat them to hell and kept riding till they got stolen and could have kept riding with some repairs.

Rick G

the GT's are a good bike.I have seen alot of them and the people really do like them.
I gotta look at the Walmart bikes like this.champane taste on a water budget.(sorry guys the wm bikes being the water end)Your LBS will get you a better bike.one that can ridden farther and faster than a dept store bike.it will last longer too.but I cannot afford to buy from them.yet.have had an idea for the last couple of days,gotta work out the details.
Most of what I have seen on a Walmart bike is poor assembly.that has hurt worse than anything.
Do I shop at my LBS,yes I try to get what I can.have I bought a bike there.no.But they have 3 or 4 bikes I would like to have really bad.They also have one that is nothing more than a dream for me.I would almost give up certain body parts for the Orbea that they have there right now.(pant pant drool drool) the whole idea is to get a bike and ride.doesn't matter what you ride it is the ride that counts.
Rick G

Dang

How can anyone even go into a Wal-Mart in the first place? Thier goal......"The United States of Wal-mart"

"Not in my neiborhood"

ChroMo2

What's an LBS bicycle?

Dang

- Local Bike Shop. -
Owned and operated by a real human.

cruentus

Try eBay and limit the search for bikes that are within driving distance of where you live so you can pick up the bike and save on shipping.

Last June I bought a NIB Trek 3500 for $175. The owner was an elderly man who won the bike in a contest. Since he was local, I picked up the bike at his place.

ViciousCycle

Cheap Wal-Mart bikes actually costing you a lot of $$$:
"Most [Wal-Mart] workers' salaries are near or below the official U.S. poverty line, so those without second jobs qualify for government food stamps. With 1.3 million workers, Wal-Mart has the nation's largest payroll, if you call that pay. Taking over the care and feeding of the Wal-Martyred workforce is a huge government welfare program." -- from Greg Palast's The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

catatonic

If money is an issue, find a bike shop that does consignment sales.

I sold my outlook at a shop that did that...$125 for a very nice customized bike.

littledog

It should get so good as being able to shop at Wal-Mart. For the less fortunate there are the Dollar Stores.liquidation stores,Salvation Army-Sallys,Goodwill-Goodies,garage sales and dumpsters. I know a lot of people who ride refurbished dumpster diggings bikes. Hey if it gets you around. Sometimes ya just gotta do with what ya got.

littledog

catatonic

Hey....you can find greaty bikes at the goodwill....I still regret not buying that chicago schwinn that I saw there a month back....beautiful green "ladies" roadbike...that step-through frame would have been perfect for a high quality beater bike....throw full fenders on it, and put some english racer style bars on it, and it would have made a very nice city bike.

nolageek

Um. It doesn't snow in the south. I think you're thinking of Huricanes. And we don't buy milk... we buy vienna sausage and spam.