# "Next" and "Mongoose" mountain bikes



## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there), and they just have ridiculous features for bikes costing $99. I highly doubt you could trust a full suspension mountain bike at a two-figure price point.. Can anybody comment on the quality of these bikes? They look... flashy, and... well, cool. I almost know they are complete garbage. I wonder if they would even be good for a few singletrack downhill rides or if they would just fall apart under the smallest amount of stress. I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

this thread will end badly..

please use the search as this has been covered (in depth) a million times...

but the short of it is this:
- for 'real' MTB'ing these brands will not hold up well.
- for paved bike path/sidewalk they will work fine.

my .02...and I am outta here!


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## jorgerunfast (Dec 20, 2010)

i went to Oleta about 6 months ago with 2 friends who showed up with a pair of "Next" FS bikes. They grew up riding BMX so they know how to ride a bike. Oleta is not particularly brutal on bikes. Within 30 minutes the rear derailleur snapped off and the crank bent. 20 minutes later the rear suspension of the other bike literally snapped, and the stem detached itself from the bike.

hope that helps.

and like i said relative to the photos I see on this forum, Oleta is NOT hard on bikes.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

You get exactly what you pay $100.00 for, a $100.00 F/S bike. As far as trying one, no I have not felt the need to buy one. Logic tells me that when a decent rear shock for my Trance X costs about $300.00 that on a $100.00 F/S bike they cut some corners to meet the price point. Good luck.


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## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

I dont plan on getting one. I have a Giant MTB already, I just find it funny that they make these bikes with all these fancy "components" on them when in reality making a less flashy bike would be more benficial.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

SpAgetttt said:


> I dont plan on getting one. I have a Giant MTB already, I just find it funny that they make these bikes with all these fancy "components" on them when in reality making a less flashy bike would be more benficial.


Flash is what sells it to the uninformed. Every industry is like this in one form or fashion. It is not unique to the cycling world.


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## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

Yeah that's why I see these bikes all over the place.


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

i have an old 90's mongoose  back when it was a bikeshop brand. it is NOT my sole mtb, i just use it as a store cruiser.

did you know NEXT has disc brakes now? scary!
anyway, we were discussing how funny it would be to all grab a NEXT and take it out on our normal trails just to see what we could do with them. Reminds me of a "top gear" challenge. just beat the piss out of them to see what happens.


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

....sometimes though, they have crappy bike builders too. could explain why people have stuff just randomly falling off


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

Funny how they call these bikes mountain bikes when they have stickers on them that say not intended for off road use.


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## CasteelG (Sep 19, 2009)

If you're looking for a bike in that price range, buy used or go for a rigid bike.


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

of course as a kid the whole neighborhood rode cheap bikes. i had a pacific that costed maybe 170, which was more thn most of them at toys r us. i actually loved it. but i was 12, so i didnt know any better. but it fit me well and it was comfortable. i "mountain biked" in it for years, if you can call it that. i think it worked out fine because it was a rigid bike. it didnt have any fancy components to "go wrong". no suspension. Fast forward 15 years, and i started riding my local easy trails on a dept store schwinn. It did the job, it was comfy...but heavy. but i only rode it about 4 months until i got myself a 700 dollar bike (on sale for 360!) and i was like wow....DISC BRAKES ACTUALLY STOP!!!


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## ae111black (Dec 27, 2008)

NicoleB28 said:


> i have an old 90's mongoose  back when it was a bikeshop brand. it is NOT my sole mtb, i just use it as a store cruiser.
> 
> did you know NEXT has disc brakes now? scary!
> anyway, we were discussing how funny it would be to all grab a NEXT and take it out on our normal trails just to see what we could do with them. Reminds me of a "top gear" challenge. just beat the piss out of them to see what happens.


Dirt Rag did a nice write up in that a few months ago. if I could find it I would give the linky


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## BoomerBrian (Jun 27, 2011)

The mongoose deception is actually a decent bike for 200. The Next bikes are pretty much junk and I wouldn't take them off road.


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

BoomerBrian said:


> The mongoose deception is actually a decent bike for 200. The Next bikes are pretty much junk and I wouldn't take them off road.


Should we all assume you ride a Mongoose Deception?


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## woodandsteel (Jul 28, 2010)

I repair these bikes all week long at the shop. Trust me, they're junk. Aside from poor quality parts and materials (off brand shifters and derailleurs often cannot be made to actually index correctly; flexy brake housing instead of shift housing, etc.), They are never assembled or adjusted correctly. They use freewheels instead of cassettes, which results in bent axles. Brakes are junk, and don't return consistently, The "shocks" are just springs with no damping. 

Please do not try to ride these off road. We had a customer use one for dirt jumping, and ended up with a catastrophic fork separation followed by reconstructive facial surgery.


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## BoomerBrian (Jun 27, 2011)

mullen119 said:


> Should we all assume you ride a Mongoose Deception?


I don't.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

BoomerBrian said:


> I don't.


Genesis, gotta be.


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## wyatt79m (Mar 3, 2007)

BSO(bicycle shaped object)=junk. Terrible products. I really wish they would just sell rigid bikes with decent components instead of trying sell bikes that look "cool". At the $200 price point, with big box buying power they could sell a functional safe bike if they wanted.


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## BoomerBrian (Jun 27, 2011)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Genesis, gotta be.


Lol...very good Sherlock. I do have their 29er. For 200 the bike is decent. They are definitely better than the Next bikes which I would not take off road. I have a couple of hundred miles of single track time on it and it is holding up fine. It is a matter of time before I have to replace the BB and cranks but I knew that going into it. I wanted to ride now and at the moment due to other financial obligations I couldn't afford the bike I wanted.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

I wonder why department stores haven't been sued over the failures of bikes that result in injuries. On the flip side CostCo sells a decent bike and target has the Forge line.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Kona0197 said:


> I wonder why department stores haven't been sued over the failures of bikes that result in injuries. On the flip side CostCo sells a decent bike and target has the Forge line.


They have, it takes some searching but there are a litany of lawsuits over bicycles in general, not just Dept. Store bikes.


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## nvr2low (Jul 26, 2009)

here is the answer....

http://www.dirtragmag.com/printrag/deals-wheels-how-masses-do-it


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## Twisted1 (Aug 24, 2010)

SpAgetttt said:


> I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there), and they just have ridiculous features for bikes costing $99. I highly doubt you could trust a full suspension mountain bike at a two-figure price point.. Can anybody comment on the quality of these bikes? They look... flashy, and... well, cool. I almost know they are complete garbage. I wonder if they would even be good for a few singletrack downhill rides or if they would just fall apart under the smallest amount of stress. I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?


They use them at red bull rampage. Get you one!


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

Gotta give respect to Dirt Rag for running that story. Surely MBA wouldn't even think about it.


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## Sorebuttbiker (May 1, 2011)

I went through a tough financial spell back in the early 90's and my 1st wife and I wanted to ride bikes so we bought crappy Huffy MTBs. I was in between decent bikes at the time. We never did anything beyond street riding with them and we got a few years out of them and sold them. They were heavy and the components were terrible even compared to current dept store bikes but they served the purpose at the time. I've been on nice bike and crappy bikes and certainly prefer the nice bikes but at least I was riding. Riding crap still beats festering on the couch mastering the latest X-box 360 game...


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## milkbaby (Jul 8, 2011)

woodandsteel said:


> I repair these bikes all week long at the shop. Trust me, they're junk.
> 
> Please do not try to ride these off road. We had a customer use one for dirt jumping, and ended up with a catastrophic fork separation followed by reconstructive facial surgery.


Thank you for the warning. I was half joking with friends about buying one of these bikes and beating it to death jumping it and stuff but now it sounds like it's more likely to beat me to death than vice versa!


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## milkbaby (Jul 8, 2011)

A coworker bought one of those bikes to commute to work (on sidewalks and bike lanes) and within a year he broke the frame in half. He went to a bike store for his next bike...


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

Spagette, you siad:


> (don't ask why I was there)


 there is nothing wrong with shopping at Walmart, UNLESS you are looking for quality bike. I heard someone say, "Everybody complains about Walmart except the consumer". 
Sorebuttbike said:


> I've been on nice bike and crappy bikes and certainly prefer the nice bikes but at least I was riding. Riding crap still beats festering on the couch mastering the latest X-box 360 game...


Good statement.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

> Riding crap still beats festering on the couch mastering the latest X-box 360 game...


Agreed.

As I said earlier though the Costco Northwood bikes and target Forge bikes seem to be decent entry level bikes albeit coming from a department store.


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## Sorebuttbiker (May 1, 2011)

We had beat the living snot out of Huffy Stalkers we got from the PX when I was stationed in Korea in the early 90's. Those were terrible bikes. Side pull steel caliper brakes, nothing was aluminum, they weighed a ton. We did eventually break them but they seemed to be more tough than the current cheapie bikes sound. They were fully rigid of course. When we did break them we just went and got another one.

I think the new ones are more fragile because they are over complicated. I agree that they should be rigid or at least a suspension fork. I think rear suspension is just not possible to execute cheaply and safely and it encourages riding beyond the capabilities of that cheap bike despite the warning stickers. It also seems that final assembly is the biggest problem. I have seen who works at Wal-Mart, no way am I trusting even my most hated enemy on something assembled by these individuals.


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## jeffw-13 (Apr 30, 2008)

Saw a 29er at walmart earlier that I swore had plastic rims. Could be wrong


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

Had a next and its what got me interested in real Mountain biking, as noted by chum they can get a person around light riding but there is simply no comparison on quality to any level with a "real" bike. 
Mine did get my ass around town for five years, I sold it to a guy who has been riding the piss out of it in town for over a year now as his to work commuting bike and loves it, go figure. 
As for components, everything works on them, barely, the initial setup friggin sucks and I took mine in and had it tuned at the local LBS, that helped but again, still not a real comparison.


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## muddytire (Aug 27, 2009)

See this thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=8143023#post8143023


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## old'skool (Jul 2, 2011)

Mongoose used to be a good name.

I have a Tange steel rigid SS which I ride (IBOC Zero G) and a Looptail 7000 series aluminum that I'm ready to sell (IBOC Pro). I'd keep it, but it's too big a 20".

They even had a nice Ti bike. I think Tomac rode Mongoose for a while, too.


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## sluggo69 (Sep 14, 2009)

i went to dicks to buy my 13 yr old son his first "real " mtb. not a good idea.after 2 trips back returning bikes that broke on their first trip to the trails,i ended up just asking for my money back and went to my lbs and bought him a giant boulder se.you get what you pay for for sure.


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## sayzawn (Jul 15, 2011)

My lady friend bought a couple walgooses for herself and her son just the other day. I warned her not to. Then again, they will rarely ever ride the bikes...


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

jeffw-13 said:


> Saw a 29er at walmart earlier that I swore had plastic rims. Could be wrong


was it orange and white ? if so i saw it too and no i dont think it did. the one i saw was 200 bucks


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

i have seen alot of kids riding wal mart bmx bikes at the my local skatepark. its scary lol


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## Kneescar (Feb 26, 2009)

jeffw-13 said:


> Saw a 29er at walmart earlier that I swore had plastic rims. Could be wrong


Did they have stickers saying "carbon-inspired"?


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

nailtrail said:


> i have seen alot of kids riding wal mart bmx bikes at the my local skatepark. its scary lol


I have seen kids with type II diabetes, heart troubles, morbidly obese, no creativity, nothing going on. It's scary.

Kids riding cheap BMX bikes = good.
Kids turning into blobs = bad


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

Dion said:


> I have seen kids with type II diabetes, heart troubles, morbidly obese, no creativity, nothing going on. It's scary.
> 
> Kids riding cheap BMX bikes = good.
> Kids turning into blobs = bad


no i am all for them riding, its great seeing younger kids being active. i just wish there parents could afford safer bikes for them


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

NicoleB28 said:


> did you know NEXT has disc brakes now? scary!
> anyway, we were discussing how funny it would be to all grab a NEXT and take it out on our normal trails just to see what we could do with them. Reminds me of a "top gear" challenge. just beat the piss out of them to see what happens.


I heard Top Gear did something like this.

They picked up some department store bikes and had a trials guy ride them. He destroyed them, mostly within minutes.

I'd really like to see that episode, but haven't found it. So maybe it doesn't exist. It certainly seems plausible, though.


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

i love top gear lol


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Not that its extremely relevant but as an old school Mongoose fan I have to state something. Back in the late 90's Mongoose bought out Huffy. At that point Mongoose used the huffy manufacturing plants to make sidewalk (walmart) bikes for mass production and sale. At the same time they also started manufacturing bike shop quality Huffy bicyles. So basically by your mongoose at walmart, get a huffy. Buy your huffy at a bike shop, get a mongoose.


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## the_owl (Jul 31, 2009)

Couple of years ago we were riding porcupine rim on our $6000 steeds when a group of high school kids on Nexts and Mongooses cut through our group wearing Jeans with water bottles in the cages..


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

the_owl said:


> Couple of years ago we were riding porcupine rim on our $6000 steeds when a group of high school kids on Nexts and Mongooses cut through our group wearing Jeans with water bottles in the cages..


At least they were riding instead of sitting on their asses playing warcraft or smoking dope lol. Everyone has to start somewhere.


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## 918biker (Jan 23, 2011)

Quite a few years ago I had a Gary Fisher Big Sur that cost about 900 give or take, and I rode it to work every day and was allowed to keep it inside at my work. One a fellow employee commented on how nice my bike was and asked how something like that costs, I told her about 900, and she about fell over backward. She told me that you could get the same thing at Wal-Mart for a 100 bucks, thats a waste of money she said, and just told her that I like to waste money.


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

I don't care what types of bikes strangers ride.

/endthread


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## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

918biker said:


> Quite a few years ago I had a Gary Fisher Big Sur that cost about 900 give or take, and I rode it to work every day and was allowed to keep it inside at my work. One a fellow employee commented on how nice my bike was and asked how something like that costs, I told her about 900, and she about fell over backward. She told me that you could get the same thing at Wal-Mart for a 100 bucks, thats a waste of money she said, and just told her that I like to waste money.


Good reply lol

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

SuperSlow35th said:


> Not that its extremely relevant but as an old school Mongoose fan I have to state something. Back in the late 90's Mongoose bought out Huffy. At that point Mongoose used the huffy manufacturing plants to make sidewalk (walmart) bikes for mass production and sale. At the same time they also started manufacturing bike shop quality Huffy bicyles. So basically by your mongoose at walmart, get a huffy. Buy your huffy at a bike shop, get a mongoose.


Are you sure about that? According to Wikipedia Mongoose was sold to Pacific in '01. No mention about Huffy. I know Huffy recently bought airborne and mongoose is owned by Dorel along with Schwinn,Pacific, Iron Horse, and Cannondale.


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

SuperSlow35th said:


> Not that its extremely relevant but as an old school Mongoose fan I have to state something. Back in the late 90's Mongoose bought out Huffy. At that point Mongoose used the huffy manufacturing plants to make sidewalk (walmart) bikes for mass production and sale. At the same time they also started manufacturing bike shop quality Huffy bicyles. So basically by your mongoose at walmart, get a huffy. Buy your huffy at a bike shop, get a mongoose.


mine is from the late nineties. i forget the name, but when i looked it up, it was about 400$ in its day. its also aluminum and not terribly heavy. but its rigid and honestly, i just cruise it around to stores when i'm shopping. i do lock it up, but i wouldnt risk any of my more pricy bikes to get stolen.

i remember as a kid, being so excited to have the "Huffy White Heat" it was all over the commercials. i broke the brakes pretty early on. but my childhood Pacific was one of my favorite bikes. never had a problem. then again, i was 12!


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## seano26 (Jul 22, 2010)

Mongoose makes REALLY crappy bikes and they also make pretty nice ones. Go to their website at www.mongoose.com and check them out, you may see something you like. You get what you pay for.


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Kona0197 said:


> Are you sure about that? According to Wikipedia Mongoose was sold to Pacific in '01. No mention about Huffy. I know Huffy recently bought airborne and mongoose is owned by Dorel along with Schwinn,Pacific, Iron Horse, and Cannondale.


I never bothered to look it up but thats what a representive at Dan's Comp told me when I was looking into buying a huffy bmx race bike. It may not have been a full on paperwork buyout but I know one of the huffy bikes shared a frame with a mongoose bike, they even had the same serial number on the bottom bracket. I personally havent ridden another mongoose except for my 1977 Mongoose Motomag.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

Between Huffy/Mongoose/Schwinn/ buyout/sellout/Some companies own several brands/etc. I'm getting dizzy. Makes me wonder if some of the companies know what they own or if they know who owns them.
P.S. Pacific comes in here somewhere. I ride a *Road*master *mountain* bike?? which is owned by Pacific (Chinese) after AMF shut them down. Vely interesting, as the little German on Laugh-In used to say.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

Roadmaster is owned by Dorel now as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorel_Industries


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

its kind of a shame. the old schwinn bikes are really cool. and like their headbadge 
i just love old bikes in general. my boyfriend's boss has a bunch of old bikes in his basment. some are from GT before they went cheaper. and there are old schwinns down there, and old skinny steel roadbikes. i swear, its like a bike porn shop! i just go down there and drool.


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## Modded_Mongoose (Jun 28, 2011)

the_owl said:


> Couple of years ago we were riding porcupine rim on our $6000 steeds when a group of high school kids on Nexts and Mongooses cut through our group wearing Jeans with water bottles in the cages..


Oh my gosh, they had water bottles in the cages?


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## queevil (Feb 17, 2009)

SuperSlow35th said:


> Not that its extremely relevant but as an old school Mongoose fan I have to state something. Back in the late 90's Mongoose bought out Huffy. At that point Mongoose used the huffy manufacturing plants to make sidewalk (walmart) bikes for mass production and sale. At the same time they also started manufacturing bike shop quality Huffy bicyles. So basically by your mongoose at walmart, get a huffy. Buy your huffy at a bike shop, get a mongoose.


I too was an old school Mongoose fan. I had a Decade Pro back in the early 90's. Chrome, spin rotor, burly cromo frame, 48 spoke aluminum rims. It was a beast. I abused the hell out of it and it just took it. I was the envy of every kid in the neighborhood. I mowed a lot of lawns for that one. My heart was broken when it was stolen. :sad:


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## Mojo Troll (Jun 3, 2004)

Mongoose still makes some highend bikes complete with XO, Fox shocks and FSA carbon cranks. As someone else mentioned. Check out thier website.


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## flatliner (Jun 23, 2011)

wtf
SRAM
SrSuntour

still dont trust it.
Walmart.com: Mongoose XR-PRO 29" Men's Mountain Bike: Bikes & Riding Toys


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## Waltah (Aug 5, 2011)

my parents have 2 FS "NEXT" bikes for riding around at mostly paved RV parks and such. they enjoy them for what they are. they just need them to put around and just wanted something cheap.

they are not something you buy to use as an actual off road bike.


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## DaricHughes (Aug 11, 2011)

Kona0197 said:


> Funny how they call these bikes mountain bikes when they have stickers on them that say not intended for off road use.


My words exactly.


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

SpAgetttt said:


> I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there), and they just have ridiculous features for bikes costing $99. I highly doubt you could trust a full suspension mountain bike at a two-figure price point.. Can anybody comment on the quality of these bikes? They look... flashy, and... well, cool. I almost know they are complete garbage. I wonder if they would even be good for a few singletrack downhill rides or if they would just fall apart under the smallest amount of stress. I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?


I have one, yes they are sh*t. And hell no I can't trust it. But it gets me out riding and that's fine by me! Till I can replace the thing.


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## knutso (Oct 8, 2008)

I consistently see Stanford University students riding these bikes without helmets ..
I am like wtf you can pay 60k+ a year for private school , but can't bother to research a decent bike for $200 or wear a helmet to protect that investment in your brain .. 

but then again I see those same folks eating crap food too , come on peeps get your priorities straight .. safety and health first and then flashy colors, try to avoid arrogant disinterest in the things that support your livelihood


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## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

knutso said:


> I consistently see Stanford University students riding these bikes without helmets ..
> I am like wtf you can pay 60k+ a year for private school , but can't bother to research a decent bike for $200 or wear a helmet to protect that investment in your brain ..
> 
> but then again I see those same folks eating crap food too , come on peeps get your priorities straight .. safety and health first and then flashy colors, try to avoid arrogant disinterest in the things that support your livelihood


maybe they spent all their money on school, bikes aren't everything dude, and yeah almost all college kids don't eat 5 star meals..


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

Besides that if I was cruising around campus I wouldnt wear a helmet either. I only wear my helmet when I have an accelerated chance of falling.


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## Lotus78 (Jul 22, 2009)

At least the Wal-Mart/big box store cheepo bikes are well…..inexpensive. They fulfill a need and get a lot of people outside on a bike who could never justify even paying $300 for a bike. The biggest problem I have with them is how poorly they are assembled. 
It is not like they are pulling a fast one on the unsuspecting Joe like Bose or those other “lifestyle” companies. Selling cheep stuff at ridiculous high prices


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## Waltah (Aug 5, 2011)

Lotus78 said:


> At least the Wal-Mart/big box store cheepo bikes are well&#8230;..inexpensive. They fulfill a need and get a lot of people outside on a bike who could never justify even paying $300 for a bike. The biggest problem I have with them is how poorly they are assembled.


in the bikes defense its the sporting dept people that assemble them.


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## queevil (Feb 17, 2009)

the_owl said:


> Couple of years ago we were riding porcupine rim on our $6000 steeds when a group of high school kids on Nexts and Mongooses cut through our group wearing Jeans with water bottles in the cages..


Owl, you win the snarky, elitist bs post of the day award. And don't even try to pretend that it could have sounded any other way. But that's usually how it goes with these threads. Congrats!


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

sluggo69 said:


> i went to dicks to buy my 13 yr old son his first "real " mtb. not a good idea.after 2 trips back returning bikes that broke on their first trip to the trails,i ended up just asking for my money back and went to my lbs and bought him a giant boulder se.you get what you pay for for sure.


I was lucky enough to buy my Ironhorse Maverick 4.2 at Dick's... I rode the bike hard for 3 years without issue. I mean I got the occassional flat and had to replace the derailleur hanger but I wasn't exactly gentile with the bike. Check the reviews for Bear Creek Pa...
Bear Creek Pennsylvania Trail Reviews

I had no problem trusting the build quality of the bike...

I still have the Ironhorse and is now my loaner for friends without bikes....


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## BoomerBrian (Jun 27, 2011)

flatliner said:


> wtf
> SRAM
> SrSuntour
> 
> ...


Guess SRAM X4 line sucks now since you can get it at WalMart.


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

BoomerBrian said:


> Guess SRAM X4 line sucks now since you can get it at WalMart.


 Isn't the X4 line their "sucky" line, anyway, regardless if it is on wallmart bikes?


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## whoda*huck (Feb 12, 2005)

queevil said:


> Owl, you win the snarky, elitist bs post of the day award. And don't even try to pretend that it could have sounded any other way. But that's usually how it goes with these threads. Congrats!


I may be wrong but I thought he was giving props to the kids for being out there, crappy bikes and all. I guess it depends if they cut through his group going up or going down. Care to elaborate Owl?


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## BoomerBrian (Jun 27, 2011)

net wurker said:


> Isn't the X4 line their "sucky" line, anyway, regardless if it is on wallmart bikes?


It is low end but I see them hung on bikes twice that price at the LBS.


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## jmmUT (Sep 15, 2008)

knutso said:


> I consistently see Stanford University students riding these bikes without helmets ..
> I am like wtf you can pay 60k+ a year for private school , but can't bother to research a decent bike for $200 or wear a helmet to protect that investment in your brain ..
> 
> but then again I see those same folks eating crap food too , come on peeps get your priorities straight .. safety and health first and then flashy colors, try to avoid arrogant disinterest in the things that support your livelihood


Having gone through way too much college myself, the reason that everyone has cheap bikes is bikes are constantly stolen on college campuses by both shady students and the local tweeker population. On some campuses it's a matter of "when" not "if".

The second reason is that students are transient. They want something that be ditched in some way or another without qualm if it doesn't fit when they move.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

> Isn't the X4 line their "sucky" line, anyway, regardless if it is on wallmart bikes?


Better than Shimano Tourney...


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Hey, I could simply buy one of those $100's bike and build them back with $3000 worth of components and then call them high end bikes 

But it's all about the frame. And those frame are not worth the time to fool around with. Get a nice bike at Dick's for $200 on sale and then you are on a better way.


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## bikefun (Jun 15, 2006)

I was never impressed with Dick's bikes. I've had my Forge Sawback for years with thousands of miles. Still going strong, by far this bike still surprises me and is the best bag for the buck in my view.


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

i saw a guy that took a next to a local ski resort here outside boise when they had the lift on for bikes. must have worked for him.


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## SpAgetttt (Jul 19, 2011)

Well that guy is probably dead right now.


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## nailtrail (Jul 13, 2011)

maybe lol


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

Kona0197 said:


> Gotta give respect to Dirt Rag for running that story. Surely MBA wouldn't even think about it.


Actually about 10 years ago or so MBA ran a full "wrecking crew" test one of these types of bikes. I can't remember what it was or when exactly but they documented the poorly assembled aspect of the bike(backward fork , brake levers pointing to the sky, etc), the broken handlebar after riding, essentially what everyone is saying and believes about these bikes, they just haven't done one recently...I guess there are too many $10000 specialized bikes and tubular tire how to's to give glowing reviews about.


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## SuperSlow35th (Jul 22, 2011)

^Not sure if serious, or troll.


Edit: The post this was referencing is now gone, and it looks like im calling rockcrushroller a troll. Not the case.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

Could the warning tag about "Not for offroad use" be a "liability " thing? In other words, "Ride offroad at your own risk, we're not responsible if you crash offroad".


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## dexetr30 (May 8, 2008)

I have a 2005 Mongoose that I purchased from a reputable bike shop. Mongoose sells essentially two lines of bicycles. "One is a line of discount bikes offered through mass-merchandisers like Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us and Target. The other featured on their website, are higher-end models sold through specialty bicycle shops." You can get the full story if you search "Mongoose Bicycles" on Wikipedia.

The problem is that most consumers don't know the difference. It sucks when people riding Wal-Mart bikes compare what they are riding to what I'm riding. But, I guess it doesn't matter really. At least they are riding. I do worry about their safety though.


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## mongoosevpp (Dec 27, 2011)

*Bikes at $99*

Good for kids or parents riding paths at park. not good for offroad of any kind. Tighten bolts before you ride.


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## old'skool (Jul 2, 2011)

I like my 'gooses ('geeses ?)

Here's sub 22 lb Zero-G rigid Single Speed, and my Sub 24 lb all XTR NX 7.1 "Newman"

Both ride wonderfully. The Newman is my race bike. 

Unfortunately, like Schwinn, the mighty have fallen......

Yeah, the seat needs to be adjusted on the Newman


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

I had one of those IBOC's back when dogs could talk, that was a great ride.


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## HardRk2011 (Dec 18, 2011)

Great article by Dirt Rag.........the truth! I owned a couple of those bikes, and i had issues with them, my wife did too. We rode them mostly on paved trails.


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## cigarlover (Oct 24, 2011)

I'll be the thorn in the bush... But I got started into mountain biking with a cheap mongoose maxim bike that I rode my local singletrack trail with. I rode it hard 2-3 times per week for about 4 months until I realized I loved the sport. Then I started upgrading my bikes. I ended up giving the bike away to someone who doesn't have a car and rides it to work every day. It's still going strong. Now, I do realize the major difference now between a good bike and a cheap one. But I said that to say this- It got me into the sport without having to spend a lot of money on something I may or may not like. Then I was able to buy some very nice bikes off Craigslist from people that did the opposite of me- bought expensive bikes and rode them once and realized they didn't like mountain biking...


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## Heavy Fluid (Mar 31, 2011)

Taken from the Mongoose site.

2012 Slayton Comp

All-New Mongoose Freedrive XC Frame 120mm travel with RockShox Ario 3.2 RL rear shock & Suntour Raidon X3 LO Suspension Fork
SRAM 30-speed drivetrain with SRAM X5/Shimano Deore derailleurs & SRAM X5 shifters
Avid Elixir 1 Hydraulic Disc Brakes

*MSRP reflects US pricing and does not include freight & assembly and may vary by region

* *Unfortunately, Mongoose 2012 bikes are not available for purchase in the United States.*

For their asking price of $2k, I think that one could find a better equipped bike, for less. I could think of a few right off the top of my head.

For $2k, I better be getting something better than X5 and basic Elixir brakes.


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## socalkev (Dec 19, 2011)

If their from the LBS they are the real deal some LBS's do still carry Mongooses Schwinn Gt's and DiamondBacks its always better to get them there they will cost way more than wally worlds but will last longer just ask my Ancient Ex 1993 xD


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## BajaWFO (Jun 20, 2010)

*On the other side of things....*

:thumbsup:I run Junk-Bikes-Ride-Again, a non-profit org. I just gotta say that yes we all hate the Chinese-Walmart-K-Mart-Target etc bikes. But....We all started somewhere. These 'cheap' bikes are the reason we got into biking. Yes our parents bought us our first bikes. And thinking that we would just get board with it and let it rust in the yard they bought us the cheapest ones they could find. But if you were like me, I always thought there was a better bike out there. Bicycle racing wouldnt be that big a deal if they had to ride our bikes. They must make a super fast bike somewhere...? And they do. But.. if it wasnt for the super cheap crap we all started with, would we have ever got into the high $ bikes of today ? I stopped riding bikes as soon as I could drive, cause I could afford a 66 Chevy truck, ($600) while working at Fry's. But kids of today...? Good luck. Do you remember your first bike...? The crazy freedom you felt..? The feeling your parents were going to stop you because they realized they made a mistake by letting you ride such a dangerous contraption ...? But you had the wind in your face and you wernt going to stop until they physically stop you. I still get that feeling today.Its great. So when I get donated a kids Walmart bike that weighs as much as my downhill bike, I think. I hope the kid that gets this will get the same feeling I have and be hooked. Hooked on the solitude that solo biking gives and will spread his passion to others. I'm not religious but there is a certain feeling from surfing and biking that makes me feel complete.I wish everyone to feel what I do.
Junk Bicycles Ride Again, Prescott, Az


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## sorebuttcheek (Nov 18, 2012)

If the bike comes with a sticker that says not for off-road use, then that pretty much sums it up


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## joseph0139 (Mar 2, 2013)

i have the same bike its a next 4.0x with duel shocks index shift 24 inch bike and i been rideng bikes all my life i had my next for two days and ride it 3 miles to work pushing the frame with four foot bunny hops. it handles well as i do about 50 mph as i make my way down an overpass the breaks are holding up well the frame is holding up great i put the bike threw a lot of stress i ride it like im mad at it.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

joseph0139 said:


> i have the same bike its a next 4.0x with duel shocks index shift 24 inch bike and i been rideng bikes all my life i had my next for two days and ride it 3 miles to work pushing the frame with four foot bunny hops. it handles well as i do about 50 mph as i make my way down an overpass the breaks are holding up well the frame is holding up great i put the bike threw a lot of stress i ride it like im mad at it.


This guy looks like he knows his stuff. I often achieve speeds of ~40mph going uphill and bunny hop over pedestrians on my daily commute. The shocks are making it look badass too. Haven't ever broke a single thing or had any issue with my bikes.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

How are bikes still that cheap, yet are able to get more useless parts on them, despite inflation, fuel cost increase, freight costs, etc.?

I don't doubt that guy. I did similar feats on my old $200 Huffy. Could use a bit of clarification on the 4 ft bunny hops. I'm thinking a hop off an uneven sidewalk block, or off a lip of a curb maybe, or maybe 4 ft distance-wise.


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## citiznkain (Jun 11, 2012)

Varaxis said:


> How are bikes still that cheap, yet are able to get more useless parts on them, despite inflation, fuel cost increase, freight costs, etc.?


Economies of Scale. these bikes are in every walmart store i've stepped foot in. I'm betting that walmart receives entire containers of these bike on a monthly if not weekly basis.

Not to bore anybody with logistic details but Walmart does receive containers directly from China at their DC's. This cuts down the cost by as much as 20% if not more depending on the products.


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

I will agree with anyone who said that these bikes are cheap because they are, well.... Cheap.  I had one of these bikes a while back, and nothing about it made me want to ride on a mountain.
Heavy,
Rattly,
Slow,
Terrible to ride on on the road.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

joseph0139 said:


> i have the same bike its a next 4.0x with duel shocks index shift 24 inch bike and i been rideng bikes all my life i had my next for two days and ride it 3 miles to work pushing the frame with four foot bunny hops. it handles well as i do about 50 mph as i make my way down an overpass the breaks are holding up well the frame is holding up great i put the bike threw a lot of stress i ride it like im mad at it.


A 24" bike? That must be huge. I am 6 foot and ride a 19" large. 21" is extra large for most frame manufacturers.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Holy 2 year old crappy thread re-launch Batman.


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Holy 2 year old crappy thread re-launch Batman.


It is a sign spring is starting to shine.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

heyyall said:


> It is a sign spring is starting to shine.


Sad but true!


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## Rodog50 (Feb 28, 2013)

Saw an entire team use 1 bike between all of them for the 24 Hour Old Peublo, team name "BLue Light Special". Anything that could fall off did in the first lap, but they finished from what I heard.
Anything is possible with the right mechanic I suppose.

Fun read though


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

Rodog50 said:


> Saw an entire team use 1 bike between all of them for the 24 Hour Old Peublo, team name "BLue Light Special". Anything that could fall off did in the first lap, but they finished from what I heard.
> Anything is possible with the right mechanic I suppose.
> 
> Fun read though


My usual riding partners put on that team. I didn't ride as I was support for my wife, otherwise known as watching the kids, but they reported that it made it through the race but it was really really sad by the end. It was pretty beat after 10 laps at 16 miles or so. So after 160 miles of riding, including maintenance to the extent that the bike would continue to operate between laps it was done. That is what you get, ~160miles of singletrack, 1 technical descent and numerous tweaks to the bike to keep it operating safely. Wish I could have participated, if only from a purely quantitative standpoint.

You get what you pay for. Though it was still cheaper than most people spend to set their bikes up for the 24hr race, much less when 10 odd people share the same bike.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

160 miles is more than the majority of those sold will ever see sadly. Most get ridden once or twice and then put away never to be ridden again.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

Dirty $anchez said:


> 160 miles is more than the majority of those sold will ever see sadly. Most get ridden once or twice and then put away never to be ridden again.


I would wager that based strictly on sales for those that continue on to mountain biking and those that buy them and are turned off of bikes for good, they have done way more to hurt cycling than they have ever helped. If you figure 100 people go on but they sell thousands and thousands of each model that is like 1% retention rate and I am also willing to bet that people that buy a $300 and up bike from a bike shop stay in the sport mostly due to LBS support.

I can only imagine thinking that your NEXT mountain bike is going to be this epic awesome adventure and then it miss shifting on that first hill, throwing you over the bars, tires flattening, wheels wonking etc, and going to Walmart and being told you can get a new bike on warranty and having it happen again or worse taking to a LBS and being told that it will cost you twice what you paid to have it fixed. Bet that cures the awesome mountain biking adventure right fast.


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

RC-yep, you are on to something. We take a lot of scouts out biking. Some will show up with walmart specials that simply don't work. Sure, they work for tooling around the neighborhood at 6mph, but when paced out, they ruin they day. The under prepared kids end up having the worst experience of their lives and often give up on biking. It breaks my heart.


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## rti27 (Dec 9, 2012)

You tube has a video: these kids on a Next bmx at a skate park, after a few 180's out of the bowl he folds the bike and breaks it into two pieces. He did get about an hour out of the bike.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

rockcrusher said:


> I would wager that based strictly on sales for those that continue on to mountain biking and those that buy them and are turned off of bikes for good, they have done way more to hurt cycling than they have ever helped. If you figure 100 people go on but they sell thousands and thousands of each model that is like 1% retention rate and I am also willing to bet that people that buy a $300 and up bike from a bike shop stay in the sport mostly due to LBS support.
> 
> I can only imagine thinking that your NEXT mountain bike is going to be this epic awesome adventure and then it miss shifting on that first hill, throwing you over the bars, tires flattening, wheels wonking etc, and going to Walmart and being told you can get a new bike on warranty and having it happen again or worse taking to a LBS and being told that it will cost you twice what you paid to have it fixed. Bet that cures the awesome mountain biking adventure right fast.


Agreed, I believe they hurt more than help in bringing new people into the sport.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

The kids bike club I'm involved with gets about 40 new members (aged 10 to 14) every year & about half show up with some kind of department store bike. The first few rides are pretty tame & we'll let them ride their Wal-bikes. We happen to have about 20 donated entry-level real bikes. If the kids make it past the first month, they get a loaner "real" bike and then we go to work on the parents. With the help of the local bike shops, other parents who have upgraded their kid's bikes and our own donation programs we can get most of the kids who want to ride, on reasonably good bikes whether the parents can afford it or not.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

Trail Ninja said:


> The kids bike club I'm involved with gets about 40 new members (aged 10 to 14) every year & about half show up with some kind of department store bike. The first few rides are pretty tame & we'll let them ride their Wal-bikes. We happen to have about 20 donated entry-level real bikes. If the kids make it past the first month, they get a loaner "real" bike and then we go to work on the parents. With the help of the local bike shops, other parents who have upgraded their kid's bikes and our own donation programs we can get most of the kids who want to ride, on reasonably good bikes whether the parents can afford it or not.


This is fantastic! Between this type of effort and NICA mountain bike teams it should help kids find mountain biking. There was great article in Dirt Rag a couple of issues following a young woman's move through being a noob to being a NICA racer. Very good story and makes me hope that people, kids, will still find mountain biking without the requirement of their parents introducing them to it.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

rockcrusher said:


> This is fantastic! Between this type of effort and NICA mountain bike teams it should help kids find mountain biking. There was great article in Dirt Rag a couple of issues following a young woman's move through being a noob to being a NICA racer. Very good story and makes me hope that people, kids, will still find mountain biking without the requirement of their parents introducing them to it.


This bike club is a middle school club. Grades 6, 7 & 8. It's been in existence for 14 years & I've been with them from the beginning. The school has a population of 250 to 350 students and at their best there were 90 kids in the bike club. Between myself and one other person we've built them over 20 miles of easy to intermediate singletrack. I've taught well over 400 kids how to ride & maintain mountain bikes and how to build, maintain and respect trails. This area has produced some very well known mountain bikers and some of them have been through our club. Darren & Ryan Berecloth, Dylan Tremblay, Jordie Lunn, Dharma Joe Fontaine are all local boys and come out and ride with the club.

I been in fights with *NIMBY neighbours* and *black bears* over the trails. I've damaged my back permanently. My wife left me because I spent too much time building trails and riding bikes & I've spent every spare cent I've had on trail tools, bikes and gear for other peoples kids, gas and materials.

If I had it to do all over again I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe pick a different wife, my girlfriend loves mountain biking).

As it turns out, the logging company that owns the land the kid's trails are on is just finishing up a major clear cutting operation that has destroyed half the kids trails. So I DO get to do it all over again.

I love my life!

/ thread derail

Back to the serious topic of risking your life on department store bikes.


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I heard Top Gear did something like this.
> 
> They picked up some department store bikes and had a trials guy ride them. He destroyed them, mostly within minutes.
> 
> I'd really like to see that episode, but haven't found it. So maybe it doesn't exist. It certainly seems plausible, though.


My son is a Top Gear enthusiast and claims the dept store bike episode does not exist.

However, here is one where they race a bike and car etc thru city traffic. Not a dept store bike tho .






It's season 10 episode 5.


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

DennisF said:


> My son is a Top Gear enthusiast and claims the dept store bike episode does not exist.
> 
> However, here is one where they race a bike and car etc thru city traffic. Not a dept store bike tho .
> 
> ...


That was a Specialized.
I am a TG fanatic too!


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## maximous (Feb 16, 2013)

SpAgetttt said:


> I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?


I once was a biking moron, (only slightly better now!!) and bought a FS Mongoose, and i have to tell you, i thought it was a decent bike, of course all i ever did was ride on the road with it, it was slightly damaged during shippment to italy but seemed fine, that is until we went out for a family ride one day, about two or three miles from the house my pedal fell off!! completely worn out inside the arm, yeah probably should have done some upkeep, but hey, like i said, i was an extreme fake MTB'er

now as far as the frame goes, i actually saw a guy on base not to long ago that had the same model, albiet spray painted flat black, but he had locked out the rear suspension with a cable or something (dont remember) and turn the bike into a street bike, not a commuter with narrower tires, but a street bike with the skinny @$$ street tires, i had learned a lot more about bikes by then and found the guy to ask him how it was as i still had the frame in my garage, he spoke like it was heaven on wheels!!! So i decided he was a moron and threw the frame away that night


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## maximous (Feb 16, 2013)

rockcrusher said:


> I would wager that based strictly on sales for those that continue on to mountain biking and those that buy them and are turned off of bikes for good, they have done way more to hurt cycling than they have ever helped. If you figure 100 people go on but they sell thousands and thousands of each model that is like 1% retention rate and I am also willing to bet that people that buy a $300 and up bike from a bike shop stay in the sport mostly due to LBS support.
> 
> I can only imagine thinking that your NEXT mountain bike is going to be this epic awesome adventure and then it miss shifting on that first hill, throwing you over the bars, tires flattening, wheels wonking etc, and going to Walmart and being told you can get a new bike on warranty and having it happen again or worse taking to a LBS and being told that it will cost you twice what you paid to have it fixed. Bet that cures the awesome mountain biking adventure right fast.


while you make a good point, think about it in reason, how many BowFlex home gyms, or Total Gyms get sold every year, and think about the number of people who bought those and then moved on to real gym equipment or gym memberships, most home gyms turn into Clothing Storage Accessories (CSA's for short!), i myself started on a Mongoose crapper (i believe i may have the model name incorrect) and instead of deciding the sport sucked, i realized the bike sucked,

point being, i dont have percentages, but i bet if you gave those same millions of people real entry level bikes, that the outcome probably wouldn't change much


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## bikedreamer (Mar 27, 2010)

My first year or so of mountain biking was on a $100 Supercycle HT (the Canadian version of a Next). While it shifted poorly, had pretty much no useful suspension, and the wheels needed to be trued after every ride, it did last a year of my abuse (mud, stairs, poor maintenance, and the like). 

Now I look at those discount FS bikes, and just get mad. Not at the riders, but at the stores selling them. They are selling crappy bikes with all these "features" to people who don't know any better. I love to see people riding, but not these poorly assembled 45 - 50lb monsters that are just slowing them down.


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## Le Pirate (Aug 12, 2012)

I just read the last page or so of this thread, but it has me wondering what has changed over the years. I am arguably a MTBer because of the fun I had on a Walmart bike.

I like every other kid out there had a BMX bike (from Sears, I think?) for years, and on my 11th birthday, my parents gave me a brand new 10 speed huffy MTB. It was purple, and I'm pretty sure too big for me (but my parents had no idea, of course). That bike went EVERYWHERE. I road miles through town on it to my friends house, down deer trails around the lake...I mean everywhere. One time I taco'd the front wheel when my buddy and I collided at the bottom of a levee (also broke my finger!). My dad took me to Western Auto (closest actual bike shop, around 60 miles away probably), where they ordered me a new front wheel. When I moved to college, I didn't take it, as it was early 90's bright purple, and somewhat embarrassing. That first semester I went to my first real bike shop and bought a Specialized, and learned what riding on real single track was like. I was hooked, but my love of cycling was already there.

So what I'm wondering is: Has the quality just gone to crap, or am I remembering that bike through rose tinted glasses? I mean, maybe I didn't realize it because I was having fun, but it didn't seem to fall apart like these bikes now days. The shifters worked fine the entire time (though they were the older style that didn't click into gear...you had to find the sweet spot on your own. The brakes probably weren't safe towards the end...but I usually stopped in plenty of time. Sometimes. Of course, it didn't have suspension. Maybe that is the key? Maybe they were able to build a better bike, because it was a simple bike? Compared to these crazy contraptions you see at walmart now days?

I'm really curious about this now. I just wish it was still in my parents garage so I could pull it out and see if I'm imagining the entire thing....


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## zeppy (May 21, 2011)

Le Pirate said:


> I just read the last page or so of this thread, but it has me wondering what has changed over the years. I am arguably a MTBer because of the fun I had on a Walmart bike.
> 
> I like every other kid out there had a BMX bike (from Sears, I think?) for years, and on my 11th birthday, my parents gave me a brand new 10 speed huffy MTB. It was purple, and I'm pretty sure too big for me (but my parents had no idea, of course). That bike went EVERYWHERE. I road miles through town on it to my friends house, down deer trails around the lake...I mean everywhere. One time I taco'd the front wheel when my buddy and I collided at the bottom of a levee (also broke my finger!). My dad took me to Western Auto (closest actual bike shop, around 60 miles away probably), where they ordered me a new front wheel. When I moved to college, I didn't take it, as it was early 90's bright purple, and somewhat embarrassing. That first semester I went to my first real bike shop and bought a Specialized, and learned what riding on real single track was like. I was hooked, but my love of cycling was already there.
> 
> ...


Quality has gone to crap. The old huffys we all had as kids [and it sounds like you had, too] were rigid. They didn't try to fit a whole lot of "functions" into a $100 pricepoint. That, and $100 20 years ago was more expensive than it is now [100 in 1990 is 173 in 2012 per the inflation calculator I found].


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

most of the dept store bikes we rode as kids were fine... for kids who weigh 70 pounds. if you, as an adult, ride that same bike with any sort of intensity on modern trails, your body weight is going to do more damage. that counts for some of us more than others! (and by that I mean some of use have gotten fat with age.)


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## Xaphan (Mar 9, 2013)

Lol


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## Xaphan (Mar 9, 2013)

Most of us had the enjoyment of starting out on a "big box" bike and yes the majority of them were junk but served one main purpose. to learn. Whether its how to ride on unpaved surfaces, or how to change out the crappy components. Either way you're learning.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I heard Top Gear did something like this.
> 
> They picked up some department store bikes and had a trials guy ride them. He destroyed them, mostly within minutes.
> 
> I'd really like to see that episode, but haven't found it. So maybe it doesn't exist. It certainly seems plausible, though.


I'm fairly sure that UK BBC Top Gear have never done that. I don't remember ever seeing an episode where they did it anyway. Their focus is more on cars. They've had a few races of car vs bike, and also the special where they rode cheap motor bikes across Thailand but that's about it for two wheels.

The UK Channel 5 Gadget Show did do a test of cheap mountain bikes in 2011 though. That's probably what you were thinking of. They took a selection of sub £100GBP budget department store bikes out and rode them offroad. Most of the bikes broke, although they did quite like the B'Twin Rockrider from Decathlon. You can watch the video of the test here: 

http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-show/videos/feature/budget-bikes

They also did some tests of more expensive mountain bikes in 2012 with Guy Martin. That video is here:

http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/gadget-show/videos/jon-test/mountain-bikes

.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

It was a sad sight yesterday. Beautiful sunshine... the parks were filled with cabin-crazy folks just dying for some fresh air, and here comes this young guy pushing what looked like a new Mongoose; crank arm in the other hand.

It was not the bike's fault - it was more likely the assembler's fault for not checking torque. It had to give the brand, the store chain, and the "mechanic" a collective black eye. I really felt bad for the guy. It's hard to enjoy a bike if you can't depend on it.

-F


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## HitmenOnlyInc (Jul 20, 2012)

Fleas said:


> It was a sad sight yesterday. Beautiful sunshine... the parks were filled with cabin-crazy folks just dying for some fresh air, and here comes this young guy pushing what looked like a new Mongoose; crank arm in the other hand.
> 
> It was not the bike's fault - it was more likely the assembler's fault for not checking torque. It had to give the brand, the store chain, and the "mechanic" a collective black eye. I really felt bad for the guy. It's hard to enjoy a bike if you can't depend on it.
> 
> -F


Even sadder still is the fact that he may spend more to have the cranks fixed (replaced) and installed than he paid for the bike in the first place.


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## sfgiantsfan (Dec 20, 2010)

All you guys that are saying that your love of biking started bacause of a big box brand of bike, don't you think that if you started with a decent bike you would have loved it anyway. 
I would think these bikes actually do turn some people off of biking.


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## Ladmo (Jan 11, 2013)

In 2009 I bought a Mongoose Teocali Elite which is still my spare bike. A little heavy but I got a lot of use out of it for 3 years riding all the trails. Of course it doesn't hold a candle to the Santa Cruz Tallboy Ltc I bought last June, but I enjoy riding the old bike when I do. The Teocali model isn't what they sell in the big box stores though. The Mongoose I have is a tank and for what it cost me, I think I got my money worth.


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## The_Devin_G (Mar 9, 2013)

The only bikes I've seen that I would personally thing are somewhat dependable for being really cheap bikes are the completely rigid frames with almost nothing that can go wrong on them. 
When I was about 8 or 9 my parents got me a $70 Next "bmx" bike, rode that thing for years, probably rode it for about 6 or 7 years solid, everytime we were outside, we jumped dirt jumps, wrecked them. 
Handlebars had to be readjusted all of the time . . . but wow, it was fun, probably the main reason I love biking still and did enough to get a real bike was because of my memories of that. 
But, went out and rode it about 1 year ago, cracked the weld on the steering stem, thats when I realized that those bikes are mainly for kids, they are not sturdy at all. So, that thing is still sitting out in a shed, but likely will never ride it again, because I'm not willing to risk ripping the handlebars off and falling forwards and either impaling myself or doing some other serious damage. 
Because, technically, its still ride-able, but you can move the handlebars about 1 cm and if you look on the stem you can see the crack shift.... not a good feeling. Oh, and the thing is about 1/2 the size of my Giant but probably weighs twice as much. Quality has no replacement.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

My son-in-law bought a "real" MTB and gave me his Mongoose. I realize I will not win the "giant downhill suicide race" but since I'm 64 years old, that's not a problem. It is much lighter than my "iron horse" not the brand what it's made of. It also has lower gearing which make hill climbing easier. Cadence? Rhythm? All them other fancy words? Haven't got a clue, I hit high gears going downhill and low gears going up hill. I bike by the KISS method. Besides, don't want to take a chance of getting hurt, that would interfere with my surfing. Really.


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## TheMaz14 (Jul 17, 2013)

Even for riding on pavement they would probably fall apart...


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> My son-in-law bought a "real" MTB and gave me his Mongoose. I realize I will not win the "giant downhill suicide race" but since I'm 64 years old, that's not a problem. It is much lighter than my "iron horse" not the brand what it's made of. It also has lower gearing which make hill climbing easier. Cadence? Rhythm? All them other fancy words? Haven't got a clue, I hit high gears going downhill and low gears going up hill. I bike by the KISS method. Besides, don't want to take a chance of getting hurt, that would interfere with my surfing. Really.


If you thing that a Mongoose climbs well and is lightweight, then you should try out a $10,000 Cannondale F29 Ultimate.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

Christian Kirkou said:


> Even for riding on pavement they would probably fall apart...


So far, so good. But that's what the man said when he jumped off the empire State Building as he went past the 50th floor. I realize it ain't the best, but it is sufficient for my needs.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

CannondaleF9 said:


> If you thing that a Mongoose climbs well and is lightweight, then you should try out a $10,000 Cannondale F29 Ultimate.


I can't even afford to LOOK AT IT!


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## Thumpy69 (Mar 1, 2013)

Dept Store bikes have thier place. I setup a Genesis 29er hardtail for a friend and he rides it on the trails all the time. For his lack of money he got what he could afford and keeps up with me on my HiFi. I will say mine weighs at least half as much as his, and with all the cartilidge I'm missing in several joints it would kill me to have to ride his, but he rides it just fine.


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## Tone's (Nov 12, 2011)

SpAgetttt said:


> I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there), and they just have ridiculous features for bikes costing $99. I highly doubt you could trust a full suspension mountain bike at a two-figure price point.. Can anybody comment on the quality of these bikes? They look... flashy, and... well, cool. I almost know they are complete garbage. I wonder if they would even be good for a few singletrack downhill rides or if they would just fall apart under the smallest amount of stress. I know the components are crap but what about the frames? Has anybody, out of curiousity, tried a $99 full suspension mountain bike?


Mate, you cant by a FS for 3 figures let alone 2.
But youve done the right thing and come and asked before you bought one, cheers


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

SpAgetttt said:
"I saw a slew of these bikes at Wal Mart today (don't ask why I was there)".
If you're like me, you probably wanted to save money on groceries and other items. I drink a lot of coffee, Walmart coffee, $7.99, grocery store, $10.00. I can find almost anything i want at Walmart. I live out in the country several miles from a small town, and if it weren't for Walmart and Lowe's, I'd be in the hurt locker for things I need. 
"Everyone complains about Walmart except the consumer".


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)




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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)




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## robbnj (Jul 19, 2013)

In 1980, a Mongoose BMX bike with cast-alloy wheels was $300 and it was "the shi*".
Today, the Chinese are making them for 1/10th the production cost and selling them for almost as much, but they are considered "junk".
You need to spend the same $300 (or more) to get a decent kid's bike.

In 1980, a personal computer with 1/2 meg of 8" floppy disk memory and 32K of RAM was over $3000.
Today, $3k gets more computer than most people would EVER need; a fine system can be had for WELL under $1K.

What's wrong with this picture?


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## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

Having ridden a department store MTB (mongoose XR75) which was .... $99, I can tell you save the $ and buy a real bike. There is a reason these things are in the TOY department.

1) They are heavy as a horse - you might as well buy a downhill bike and ride it XC with the weight of these beasts. The XR75 weighs more than my AS-X.

2) They come in one size only. For most of us that means sore knees and uncomfortable riding.

3) Slide out and watch the wheels taco and the fork bending. I slid out on a wooden bridge that was wet and totalled out the bike (Both wheels tacoed and the fork bent) - I had a nice separated shoulder out of that event as well.

4) The brakes on department store bikes also work nice as horns - you can hear a department store bike 3 miles away in the woods when the rider brakes... they squeel like a pig getting nailed by a cow. 

5) The sticker on the top tube - not for off road use. The one thing the department store bike is being honest about.


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## Thumpy69 (Mar 1, 2013)

Theres alot wrong with it. LOL, I not a fan of cheap bikes, but there are alot of dept store bikes in the 150 and above range that are decent. they are using tech thats been around forever. If you bought the GMC Denali, or the Genesis 700 hybrid, or a 200 buck mongoose hardtail and zapped it back to the mid 90s it would be considered an awesome ride. I agree some of the materials are the cheapest available and rust after getting wet once but to say their junk and fall apart after one ride like some people do is just a ridiculous statement.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

I have looked over my Mongoose, it has an aluminum frame, and the welds look solid and well made. I realize the components are not top-of-the-line, but they appear to be sufficient for what I will put it through. the bike is probably capable of taking s beating better than I am. Besides, with no health insurance other than VA (Not belittling VA, they just overloaded), I can't take a chance of getting a serious injury, which is a possibility in almost anything you do. I WILL NOT give up surfing, the few times I get to paddle out helps keep me sane. Ya'll have a guoodern.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

as a general rule....big box bikes are not the 'best bang for your buck' in relation to Mountain Biking (although they may get you hooked on the sport).

And now we run into "what is Mountain Biking"?


Some people think MTB'ing is flying off the sides of cliff's and gap jumps...you would die on a big box bike doing that.

Some people think it's a combination if rooty tight ST and chunky tech climbs....you would not be happy on a bog box bike doing that after a while.

Some people like buff swooping ST railing through forests....a big box bike might work for a bit, enough to get you hooked - but you would need to get a new bike in short order

Some people like smooth fireroad...a big box bike would be fine provided you stayed up on the maintenance.

All of the above takes into account that the cyclist is riding on a consistent basis....not every month or so for an hour or 2.

If you are a true believer in the big box cheap bikes, MTBR is really not the best place to get useful and supportive information. What you will get here (for the most part) is "you need a new damn bike because you're gonna get yourself clobbered/stranded"...then you'll get all butt hurt and defensive.

For supportive discussions on the Wal Mart, K-Mart, etc bikes you can visit here:
www.bigboxbikes.com ? Index page

Continue here on MTBR trying to promote super cheap department store bikes is akin to beating your head against a wall...


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

Please do not misunderstand me. I AM NOT promoting big box stores. As for dying doing wild things, sometimes while the bike may hold up fine, one good crash might break YOU, but the bike will come through fine. One question, I looked at a "brand name", LBS bike and it was made in China, how would the quality be on a Chinese LBS bike?


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Gawd, were still doin this sh!t?


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

Dirty $anchez said:


> Gawd, were still doin this sh!t?


Apparently so.


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

If you are buying a child/young teen a bike i always recommend an inexpensive platform. There is no point in spending big dollars on a bike they will treat like crap and out grow. As well as maybe not being as involved in the sport as you as a parent might want them to be so the bike would end up sitting in garage collecting dust or sitting outside rusting away. To put things into prospective to those who think you need to buy a $3,000 bike for quality and for those who think some are "snob'ish" for not spending $3,000+ you are mistaken. You can easily spend less then $3,000 on a bike from 2002-2008 with the desired high quality and pay 1/2 as much. Components from today will still fit bikes from yesterday  .. My Straight 8 DH bike ( one of the best of it's era) cost then about $5,000-$7,000 brand new. I bought it in 2006 for $1100 and haven't put much into to it and it's still kicking ass. My 2000 Homegrown hard tail cost about $2,500 brand new. The frame was $200 off ebay and I built the rest for less then $1,000. Two(2) very high end bikes purchased and built at a very low cost. :thumbsup:


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

I promise not to say anything more on this subject.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> Please do not misunderstand me. I AM NOT promoting big box stores. As for dying doing wild things, sometimes while the bike may hold up fine, one good crash might break YOU, but the bike will come through fine. *One question, I looked at a "brand name", LBS bike and it was made in China, how would the quality be on a Chinese LBS bike?*


Made in CHINA does not equate the same quality between manufacturers and 'level' of frame...

you can say the same about USA made items...some items are freaking rad and some are total junk.


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> Please do not misunderstand me. I AM NOT promoting big box stores. As for dying doing wild things, sometimes while the bike may hold up fine, one good crash might break YOU, but the bike will come through fine. One question, I looked at a "brand name", LBS bike and it was made in China, how would the quality be on a Chinese LBS bike?


EVERY BIKE is made overseas except for a few carbon fiber boutique lightweight racers here and there.
It does not matter if a "name brand" bike is made in China, as it can cost many times the cost of a department store bike. This means that the quality will be much better. 
Your question at the end does not make sense, because most bike brands are still considered American, Swiss, etc.


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## Cedarbranchbiker1 (Apr 7, 2011)

cannondale, I think I was trying to say if you see a Chinese-made bike in a "real bike store", would the quality be much better than the BB store bikes? One more question, even though the frame may be made in China, where are the components made? All lot of criticism I've seen against the BB bikes is that the components will not hold up.


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> cannondale, I think I was trying to say if you see a Chinese-made bike in a "real bike store", would the quality be much better than the BB store bikes? One more question, even though the frame may be made in China, where are the components made? All lot of criticism I've seen against the BB bikes is that the components will not hold up.


It all depends on what components you are talking about. Most components are built where the bikes are built, either China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan (If you are lucky). Some high end components are built in Europe in France, Switzerland, Italy, etc.
The quality will be better for LBS bikes and components because they were designed and engineered better than their Department Store counterpart.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> I promise not to say anything more on this subject.





Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> cannondale, I think I was trying to say if you see a Chinese-made bike in a "real bike store", would the quality be much better than the BB store bikes? One more question, even though the frame may be made in China, where are the components made? All lot of criticism I've seen against the BB bikes is that the components will not hold up.


This thread has degenerated into nothing more than broken promises.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

Cedarbranchbiker1 said:


> cannondale, I think I was trying to say if you see a Chinese-made bike in a "real bike store", would the quality be much better than the BB store bikes? One more question, even though the frame may be made in China, where are the components made? All lot of criticism I've seen against the BB bikes is that the components will not hold up.


dude. you question has already been answered.

depends on the model and 'level' of the build.

and yes, BB bikes components will absolutely not hold up riding on a regular basis for what most of us consider Mountain Biking. Dirt paths and smooth fireroads will be fine for a BB bike. Take that same rig on chunk, roots, drops, etc on a regular basis and the bike will frag.

go to the site I rec'd - you will find real support there from true enthusiasts.

here - you'll be told the same thing over and over.


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## LonelyRider (Jul 14, 2013)

When you take a 130 dollar FS bike down a steep, rugged path, you're going to get hurt, it's that simple. Wheels can come loose and cause you ro wobble and fall off, rear derailers can be wacked into the spokes easily from frail, soft hangers, chains will skip under high loads, which is dangerous. 

Good bikes for street bashing and for going camping, light trails and sport adventure, but anything more, get a solid, well built, tough bike that was meant for slapping rocks and landing big air, right from the blueprints on. Otherwise you will be getting broken noses, legs, nd even kill yourself.

I think it's BS to be selling these cheap bikes that look like they can take big hits, they cannot, but people that don't know bikes, assume those bikes are safe, because they look like they can take it. I agree Walmart should only sell rigid, well built hard tails spending money more on things like well built heads and axles that will hold up. screw the flash.


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

woodandsteel said:


> I repair these bikes all week long at the shop. Trust me, they're junk. Aside from poor quality parts and materials (off brand shifters and derailleurs often cannot be made to actually index correctly; flexy brake housing instead of shift housing, etc.), They are never assembled or adjusted correctly. They use freewheels instead of cassettes, which results in bent axles. Brakes are junk, and don't return consistently, The "shocks" are just springs with no damping.
> 
> Please do not try to ride these off road. We had a customer use one for dirt jumping, and ended up with a catastrophic fork separation followed by reconstructive facial surgery.


Basically, this. Every now and again, you'll find a Walmart that has correctly-assembled bikes...mine, for example. But that doesn't help much, when what you pull out of the box today is the same thing you'd have boxed back up and shipped back to the factory five years ago. No such luck now, they either get built or scrapped.

The absolute and complete lack of QA in those Chinese factories is just HORRIFYING. HOLES IN welded tube joints, bubbles in welds, slag in the TOP of seat tubes, butter-soft steel stems/bars, tire beads that shred during inflation, single-wall wheels that deform during inflation (enough the have to re-set brake pads, I kid you not!)...the list goes on.

Don't even CALL 'em MTB's, or BIKES, for that matter; call 'em BSO's, "bike shaped objects".


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

every "now and again"? is that like 2% of the kids putting these together know how to actually true a wheel or properly set up the brakes?


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

I'm sorry to bump this thread, but one of my friends bought a Genesis full suspension bike (it was a piece of crap to begin with).
In three weeks of mountain biking he broke the rear shock, both wheels were out of true, it didn't shift, and the brakes didn't work well. 
I admit he wasn't the most careful rider, but a real mountain bike would have held up a lot better.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

I sure see a lot of Walmart bikes come in the shop.


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## laherna (Jun 14, 2009)

Wal-Mart bikes are for tweakers not trail riding!


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## xmrevo8x (Jul 12, 2014)

Ill only buy a walmart bike if theft is very common in my neighborhood.


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

I've only seen those bikes being riden on sidewalks which is abut all they could handle.


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## Oldfatbaldguy (Nov 4, 2010)

Old thread, but fun. 
Pretty hard to argue with the logic that a box-store bike isnt really a bike...by certain standards.

But I know a 16-year-old kid that has a green Wally fatbike with disc brakes and 12 speeds. Yeah, its still a pig; he's using the 27TPI Nates I'll never ask to be returned, but he's riding.

My stepdad introduced me to an old guy in a little N. MN town a few years ago...he's the "bike guy" in his town. Big old brick garage behind his house, 3 bike stands, and probably 300 bikes in various stages of rot/disassembly behind, and 40 or so out front "for sale/take trades" He's usually got one or two of his retired buddies hanging out and usually a kid or two working off bikes/parts. He probably makes $1 a day at it. 

One of his "specialties" is for any parent that buys their kid a box store bike, he will tune, lube, and safety inspect it for $5. For $1 if the kid does it while he mentors.

He does about 50 every year. Because the town is in a somewhat low-income area, that Next bike may be the only shiny new bike a kid gets...and shiny and new has value when you never see it.

I dont think many people buy those with any illusions of substituting them for the real thing. A few will find them a "gateway drug" to better bikes and a more serious attitude. When I was a kid, the local Schwinn store had a dozen or so cantilever cruisers, 25 stngrays, 10 or so "English lighweights" and one of each size drop bar roadies...probably Collegiates with heavy ashtabula cranks, steel rims, and carbon-steel welded frames. None of them was a pro-level bike. You had to drive 120 miles to get that.

Have things changed all that much?


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

CannondaleF9 said:


> EVERY BIKE is made overseas except for a few carbon fiber boutique lightweight racers here and there.


Tell the truth - you just like to make stuff up on a regular basis, don't you?


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

slapheadmofo said:


> Tell the truth - you just like to make stuff up on a regular basis, don't you?


Lol. EVERY bike!


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## Gordon Shumway (Sep 17, 2012)

slapheadmofo said:


> Tell the truth - you just like to make stuff up on a regular basis, don't you?


Haha.. One example debunking his comment would be Intense. They make their aluminum bikes here in California but their carbon frames are made overseas. Trek still makes some of their bikes in Wisconsin as well.

Trek Factory Tour Part 3: US Based OCLV Carbon Bike Production


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## unclehappy (Sep 11, 2014)

Because of price point, what I would need it for (getting to from work) and a brand name I assumed used standard sizes on the frame, I got a walgoose 26" Snarl (2011). In the last 2 years I've upgraded everything! Drive train up to Shimano Alivio, Shimano mech brakes and disks, Rockshox Recon Silver R front shox, Rhino lite wheels (double walled, Shimano Diore hubs)
Sorry didn't upgrade the Shimano rapid fire shifters, cables. (Already Shimano
Next is a 20" Nasbar mtb frame (89.00 plus shipping) that will take all my upgades. Yoy gotta start somewhere when u can only afford a little at a time.
You can buy a $2000+ bike now? Share the wealth and I won't ride a upgraded walgoose anymore.😃😃😃😃

Sent from my Insane KitKat V10 SGH M919 using Tapatalk


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

unclehappy said:


> Because of price point, what I would need it for (getting to from work) and a brand name I assumed used standard sizes on the frame, I got a walgoose 26" Snarl (2011). In the last 2 years I've upgraded everything! Drive train up to Shimano Alivio, Shimano mech brakes and disks, Rockshox Recon Silver R front shox, Rhino lite wheels (double walled, Shimano Diore hubs)
> Sorry didn't upgrade the Shimano rapid fire shifters, cables. (Already Shimano
> Next is a 20" Nasbar mtb frame (89.00 plus shipping) that will take all my upgades. Yoy gotta start somewhere when u can only afford a little at a time.
> You can buy a $2000+ bike now? Share the wealth and I won't ride a upgraded walgoose anymore.
> ...


Uncle happy meet Mr. Troll.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

What's below alivio?


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

girlonbike said:


> What's below alivio?


Junk that comes on box stores that has "Shimano" written on them.


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

CannondaleF9 said:


> Junk that comes on box stores that has "Shimano" written on them.


Like fishing reels?


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

heyyall said:


> Like fishing reels?


I meant "Box store bikes".


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## rockhopper97 (Jul 30, 2014)

I rode a rigid dept store bike for several years and it held up fine doing road rides... at the time I was broke and didnt have a drivers licence.....I would tear it down every spring and repack bearings and adjust stuff..... I had another dept store mtb that I got hit by a car on, that I stripped of the good parts and kept them as spares... ended up trading that bike and some cash for a new rigid roadmaster MTB..... this was in the early 90s... I hated that pos.....so I went to my LBS and bought a diamondback outlook.....it was way better than the roadmaster, which I gave to my dad.....I dont think he ever rode it and sold all the bikes they had at a garage sale......I rode low end bike shop bikes for several years......there was 1 or 2 box store bikes a few times when I was too broke for a car.......in the early 2000's I stopped riding due to not having time to ride... had a used haro hardtail, I sold it after it sat around collecting dust... didnt ride for 10 years and I bought a genesis V2100 to get some exercise becuase prices on craigslist were stupid high and used big box bikes were in the range of what I had to spend, didnt put alot of miles on it during the 2 years I had it due to medical issues..... I got to riding again and started to hate it because of the rear suspention bob.....then the main pivot bushing wore out....so I was gonna sell it and go back and buy a hardtail......about the same time I found the specialized rockhopper at a garage sale for $5... I ended up using parts from the V2100 to get it going due to lack of cash..... once I get working again I will upgrade parts as they break..... some of the really cheap big box bikes arent all that great.... a few are ok for street use if you are kinda broke and need a bike..... right now I mostly ride on the street.....even with the cheap parts on the rockhopper it is hella lighter......like I say.... ride what you got....I have seen people ride up to walmart on a beat to hell next, mongoose etc etc.....park it in the bike rack unlocked and come out 10 min later pushing out a new cheap bike..lol


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