Raiyn

You think THIS is a flamewar? You obviously haven't been to the mountainbike.com forums. They would have BBQ'd this guy to oblivion rather than even TRY to persuade him to a sensible alternative

rwan

my buddy bought a magna "eXcitor" to compensate for his 3-4 mile/one way commute. i must say that although new (bought in may04) it is in considerably poor condition. i'm the only one who works on the bike (since he's too cheap to take it to an LBS). i can't understand why this bicycle still is in one piece and manages to run (and i am known to have done some very ghetto things).

i think the key here is just a little bit of effort. good things can come from a tight budget if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease.

AMD

Keep in mind that most big discount stores, such as TARGET, have tightened up their return policies to be 90 days or less on most items. To think that you could buy a bike now and "just return it if things go sour" is a little optimistic. For one thing, how would anyone determine what is a bonafide warranty issue and what is an issue related to just plain wear and tear on a cheap bike? Plus, do you really believe Wal-Mart has a big old bicycle repair facility to cover said "warranty" issues?

I know you are dead set-against (HORRORS) a used bike, but consider the fact that even the lowest level used Trek, Fuji, Specialized, Giant, etc. etc. has parts that are easily swapped out and replacable by your local bike shop. Think the guys at the local bike shop just happen to have extra derailleurs for your broken X-mart bike just lying around? So then, you just decide to throw it away and get a new one? Right, that's a good use of resources...

With regard to the size issue...rather than trying to cram yourself onto a too-small bike so you can get it to fit in your trunk, why not consider an inexpensive trunk rack to carry the bike? You could probably find one of these (OH, NO, here she goes again... )used.

Please try to see the perspective of lots of folks here who truly want to see you make a good choice. Consider the collective experience of lots of folks here who've bought lots of bikes. You asked for advice; why be so rigid if you didn't want to be open to suggestions?

Raiyn

Very well put but I fear your words are wasted.

ultra-g

You can get a nice pair of shoes for under $100 and walk to your destination! Much better than having a broken frame from a cheap bike sticking up your ass after you endo off the trail.

ultra-g

By the way, you don't happen to be one of those guys who ride a cheap Magna bike from Target and then put on the whole USPS team gear and a $200 "Lonestar" Giro Atmos helmet, I hope not.

Orion

What's interesting is that at these stores [Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc], they draw in people by having nice looking paint jobs and such. Let me explain, . . . . . no, there is too much. Let me sum up. While going to Wal-Mart a while back, I saw a very nice looking Schwinn bike that it's color jumped out at me and said, "Buy me!" I'm partial to green, and it had a green/silver frame. I was wanting to get away from a heavy bike mountain bike set up, and this one had the comfort geometry. Well, after trying to pick it up, I realized that it seemed as heavy as the bike I had. Of course, it had the cheap components, but the way it looked, . . . . . . . . . .it tempted me.

Of course, had I bought it, it would have negated one of the main reasons why I wanted a new bike. Lighter weight. Fortunately, I opted to take the expense of a GOOD new bike, and bought a TREK 7100.

But while at the bike shop, I noticed that TREK now has a 7000 that looks like it has the same components as the 7100, but has a non-suspension front fork. It was for around $250.

Here's the thing for target to consider. First, I must say that it IS ultimately your decision as to what you'll buy. My wife purchased a Schwinn Suburban from Wal-mart and it has been fine for her for this past year or so, though I AM noticing more component noise than when it was new. Probably will have to spend the money to have the LBS do a tune up on it. Back on topic, if you purchase a $100 bike, then in a half a year, or even a year, have to go back and get another $100 bike, by saving up now, rather than buying now, you may be able to pick up something in the least amount of money a LBS carries, and in many cases, they'll give you free adjustments if you need them.

On another note, I about wore myself out on a bike that was sold by Sears. It didn't pedal or roll well at all, and I could barely keep up with my wife. Not an issue now, with the new 7100.

Regardless of what you buy, though, the suggestion of the bike rack is a GREAT suggestion. I picked up one on Ebay for around $30, and it has been wonderful to have. Trying to stuff a bike in a trunk is a headache I'm glad I won't have to endure anymore. I had to do it when I first bought that POJ Sears bike and ended up scratching the paint on my bumper.

Anyway, really, do what you want. You may get lucky with a department store bike. But there is an old phrase that says, "Good things come to them that wait."

Good luck in your decision!

target

AMD, return and warranty is really 2 different things. I would say, I can tell if something is wrong in 2 weeks. So that's a return. Its not like I've going to abuse it and then shamelessly return it as if it were defective right out of the factory. If it really broke a few months down the road, I would seek warranty from the manufacturer. Maybe they can ship me some parts. If they won't, I will just call it bad luck. As I said, I had a cheap bike before. What I didn't said was, I used it almost everyday for a whole year and put up about 500+ miles on it. The only thing I invested on the bike is a lock. I didn't even bought a pump!

To those who are trying to help. Thank you. So far, I plan on going to Walmart and compare the Mongoose and Next Power. If the Mongoose is really 7 pound lighter than the Next Power. I will take the Mongoose. But I'm open to other suggestions. I did went to Costco a few months back but I wasn't impressed by their collection some how. I can't remember their inventory much. They were quite expensive ($100+) too! Yet their bikes don't feel lighter.

Now for those mean people like ultra-g and Raiyn, can you just leave my thread alone? I don't need your help. Period.

Raiyn

I'm not being mean - I'm being HONEST. Just because you don't like the opinion of a Bike mechanic doesn't make the mechanic giving the opinion mean. Wal-mart bikes ARE junk. God knows I've worked on enough of the turds to know what I'm talking about. Just because you're too stubborn to listen to sensible advice from myself and others doesn't give you impetus to call anyone mean.

target

You couldn't understand my requirement and insist on stuffing your value down my throat. If you are not mean than you are just an .....

** EDITED **

royalflash

Raiyn and Ultra-g are just giving you the best advice that they can. They are not trying to be mean. Maybe they are guilty of thinking too much about what they would do in your situation rather than your requirements but that is the nature of this forum. If you dont like their advice then just ignore it and move on. Its your money. From your posts it just seems that you basically were just asking which is the best bike for under 100 dollars and can be bought new from X-Mart. You had quite a few posts that were helpful in this regard. Just pick the answer you like best and then you have to live with the results. We don´t have to agree with you though.

Raiyn

You never gave any valid reason for your' requirement and now you're stooping to profane name calling which is a big time no-no here https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...rum+guidelines

Smash

I noticed at my local wally world they had a adult size folding bike with 20-inch rims and I think it was a 3 or 5-speed. It was right around $100.. not a bad idea for something to ride occasionally or take with in your car trunk.

I'm not gonna comment either way about bike quality, let people ride what they want as long as they ride.

blonde

"Tell somebody what they know and they will thank you for it, tell them something they did not and they will hate you for it"

While I'm here, if people are going to insult then could they please spell correctly:

ass - a donkey
arse - the posterior

******* - a donkey's hole or hole for donkeys
arsehole - the correct insult

[ This is going to be like one of the guardian articles on spelling that is riddled with errors - shoot away ;-) ]

[edit: what's going on? The site puts cute little *** instead of a s s h o l e ]

moet

It's the Grauniad isn't it?

Raiyn

That's because profanity is not allowed on the forum. It has a filter to get most of it.

target

Let's see. You first told me to go to a pawn shop. Then you say I am "beyond reasoning". But you agreed to "stop bothering with me". Then proceed to endorse another member's suggestion on a toddler's bike. And continue on to add flame to others flame even though you know you provide absolutely no help to me. What should be the most appropriate name of you?

If the mod think I should be banned. So be it.

moet

Can't we calm down a little here? I doubt very much if this slanging match would have happened if we were all sitting in front of each other face to face over a couple of beers.
Raiyn obviously knows his stuff and is really only trying to offer some good advice based on his experience, as are the other posters.
In terms of the $100 bike I don't think anyone is going to have much useful to say; at this price we really aren't going to be arguing over the choice of Campy or Shimano groupsets, just cheap components that most people have probably never even heard of - if they are even branded.
Would you let us know what you get target? now, mine's a Guinness.

Raiyn

The Pawn Shop was a valid suggestion, another would be to go to a Bike Shop and see what they have as far as used bikes.
If you want to act like a child and stick your fingers in your ears and sing La La La so be it.
I still say you'd be better served getting a quality used bike that any piece of garbage at Wal-Mar,t "Target", K-mart, Costco, Sports Authority, Dick's or ANY OTHER MASS MERCHANDISER. You haven't given a valid reason for getting a X-mart bike other than not wanting to have to do any kind of simple work on the bike.
Read and learn https://www.bikesrnottoys.com/

rykoala

Look I don't care enough about your hard-headedness to hold back my opinion. I spent $100 on a wal-mart bike, started riding it 50 miles a week and it gave out within 2 months. Not a good return over investment. I bought a used bike for $100 in the paper, and its the best bike I've ever owned. Simple as that.

Friend needed a bike. Gave him a used one I had laying around. It broke when a pedal came loose.

Went to wal-mart, got him a $60 24" bike. He rode it for a month or so and it got stolen. So he's riding one of my other bikes that I gave him, a 26" frame full suspension wal-mart bike.

The point? They all ride. If you honestly don't care what the quality and stuff is, then go for it. Make sure the bike is setup correctly from the beginning. I had to go to 2 wal-marts to find a bike that was OK for my friend. Same model, just not screwed up right off the bat.

My last point: quit worrying about what sub-$100 bike to get and just get one and GO RIDE and stop talking about it, just DO IT.

EDIT: Don't plan on taking your bike back to wal-mart if there is a problem. There is NO service there, and NO returns on bikes.

WorldIRC

Guys....watch it. No flaming is allowed -- that is no way to welcome a new member into the forum.

target

No service, no doubt. No returns, not true. I've seen people returning bikes to Walmart and Target.

nolageek

target: Bottom line, I think some will agree: If inexpensiveness and smallness is more important to you than fit and quality then so be it. Buy whatever color bike you like at Wal-Mart.

If you don't care enough about your $100 to go to a used bike store, write down all the bikes they have in your price range, then go home and do a bit of research online, then it doesn't matter what dumpy bike you buy at xMart. Asking for subtle nueances between two crappy bikes, with crappy componants, that are both too small for you isn't going to get you more than "they're both crap".

Portis

My God, we are talking about a $100 bike. (or less) There have been umpteen replies telling you to buy a used bike and you will get a better deal. You obviously know better so go pick out your favorite color at Walmart. You will likely be happy with your purchase if you don't ride it very often.

Most of the people replying to your post would not do well with a toy bike from Walmart. However for the people that buy bikes and don't ride them, Walmart bikes are a pretty good fit.

qmsdc15

Just kidding about the trike, buddy! We're mainly angry that your needs are met by a ride that cost less than a pair of our pedals...

One guy rode Huffys at the messenger company I work for. He had a couple and if one quit working right, he replaced it. A very dependable, hard-working, smart guy, he was named vice president of the company within a year, after doing sales for a while. But, I can't help but think he was brought in off the streets because the company was embarassed for one of our guys to be seen on a bike like that!