In the very late 60s & very early 70s I forget when exactly my grandfather bought me my first 10-speed (to big for the Sting Ray). At the LBS he pulled out a wad of cash that to this day I still have not seen again. he only used a few bills and put the wad back in his pocket. The bike was $300. I remember. It was a Schwinn and I don't remember there being any choice. I do think I remember other brands advertised on TV like Huffy but for us it was Schwinn all the way. Anyway there was no choice and we got quality. I think nowadays, like for cars, there are way too many choices. Maybe I have no point and my post is not a reply, maybe just wanted to give kudos to Grandpa Sal for his big wad of cash ...!

He said he would race me home and let me win. I pedaled my ass off.

Good story. Sounds like Grandpa Sal had a good day at the track the day before!

I suspect a lot of tools and musical instruments get bought at Walmart. But more importantly, people don't see bikes as tools/instruments. They see them as toys/recreation. Most people aren't willing to shell out big bucks (and $350 is big bucks for most people I know) for a toy.

When people believe bikes are useful, they will spend more for them.

I bought a $100 mountain bike from Academy (seems to be the same basic price ranges as Wallyworld). I had it about a year. I took it offroad twice, riding slowly on fairly smooth terrain, not jumping or anything, and both times, I had to replace the rear wheel. I was forever adjusting the derailleurs, and most of the time I had it, it either would not go into high gear or into low gear, and would pop out of one gear into another or make the awfullest racking sounds when you put the power to it. The brakes were okay when new, and went downhill from there, until it was getting scary there at the last. So the bikes may "last", but that doesn't mean they're in good riding shape, either. That bike was finally stolen, and I pity the idiot that stole it. It wasn't worth hauling over the fence.

By the way, if I remember right, that bike was an "Ozone 500". But I have seen other "Ozone 500" bikes that look nothing like it, so don't pay much attention to the names.

my personal experience.
i bought a mongoose crossways 250 which was 200 bucks back in 2000 and had to have the bottom bracket replaced after about 2 years of light riding. cost was 25 bucks. then in 2007 the cluster gave out and i bought a redline 520 for 300 bucks and upgraded the tires to panaracer tourguide tires as i was getting alot of flats, cost 50 bucks. so that is where i stand with my bike history. i ride everyday and my bike is left outside. seems you get mixed results buying the big box store type bikes. a friend of mine bought a 100 dollar bike from walmart and he swears by it, has had nothing but a good experience.
personally i think you are taking a gamble buying a bike for less than 300 dollars. you may or may not have a good experience but i don't think it's worth the gamble. i would rather pay 300 plus and have peace of mind that i will have a hassel-free experience with my bike.

About a month ago in the middle of a snow storm as I was leaving a McDonalds drive-thru I saw a nice looking red MTB leaned up against a light pole in the parking lot. Usually if a kid is working they will tuck their bike in next to the building and lock it. This one was obviously abandoned. It was all encrusted in ice and nothing worked but it all looked intact. Cabin fever got the better of me and I brought it home. I looked it up and it sold new at Walmart for $60. NEW for $60!! I didn't touch it for a long time and was thinking I should have left it there. Cabin fever got to me again and I took another look & started working on it and it became obvious the last person to work on it didn't know what they were doing. Within an hour I had everything working again except the chain, rear derailer and the back wheel is a bit funky - the hub or something is not right. I was out of time so I plan on getting back to it. The back wheel may have to be replaced. I already have a MTB so I'm gonna mess with this one and see what I can do with it just for fun. The bike is gonna live on because someone can make it live again. Yeah, it's cheap, but someone can get on it and ride it ...

Exactly (see bolded text)

Good story. I got my first Schwinn ten-speed about the same time. It wasn't a nice fresh one, but a used rental bike. Your Schwinn could still be in use today with minor servicing. That's the advantage of quality. I still ride my 25 year old Univega weekly. Good value for the dollar.

Wish I still had that Varsity. It was stolen. I bought a new one with my own money and didn't tell my grandfather it was stolen. A few years later my brother says it was stolen from the garage with the door open while he was doing yard work ... I doubt it but it was gone. By that time I wasn't biking anymore and didn't buy another. When I moved to Boston I found scraps on the street and built and painted a Frankenstein with crooked crank - oh well. Those days are gone and I'm enjoying this blue LeTour (plus others).

I rode a Huffy rigid mtb for a while - the brakes never did much to slow the bike, so i had to replace all four brake pads. The rear brake froze after 2 months, the front derailleur froze after 4 months, and the rear derailleur never stayed adjusted - I still use the bike, but as a singlespeed.

The Ozone where I live has a big hole in it... not a word we hold in high regard, here in the Southern Hemisphere.

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A lot of them will last forever, collecting dust in garages across the land.

I just discovered yet another missing part from the Wallmart special MTB I'm nursing. Its that little metal washer that is custom shaped to fit in the axle slot and hold the derailer on. Anybody know where to get one of those?

make your own.

interesting idea, but it's good to have the right part. I already made my own part for one of the brake cables with an old pen ...

If you are going to go with a Walmart bike stay away from the roadmasters they are cheaply and poorly crafted. All the bearings in the one i purchased needed replaced and there was a defect in one of the rims where the tire would not stay seated and nearly killed me and my daughter,

If you want to go with a department store bike then you should go with a Target bike. I have had no complants about the one i purchased and has lasted through many adventures and crashes.

Yeah, Target likes its customers more than Wally World does.

Really, the advice for cheap bikes is simple: shocks don't, and stick to single-speed drivetrains. If you follow these two rules, you can end up with a passable bike. If you don't, you can hurt yourself badly.

My primary bike is a Wal-Mart $75 special. It's a hard tail, won't shift worth a darn, and has terrible brakes; but works. Hey; it was free (at least to me). = ]

The handlebars have a little play from one side to the other.

Like others have said before me: if you go Wal-Mart, go with no suspension, single speed. Much less chance to go wrong there.

Have I failed to mention the inexperienced employees assemble it, leaving a lot to go wrong.

EDIT: It's a Mount Fury Roadmaster.