# Harley Davidson 26" Mountain Bike



## Learjet35A (Jul 1, 2008)

A buddy of mine picked up a dark blue 26", 21 speed Harley mountain bike for $150. What can you guys tell me about this bike, all I know is it's above specs and that it's dual suspension, equipped w/ disc brakes but I thought with a size like 26", that that would indicate a kids bike but it seems large and he said it's called a "men's 26". Any info or reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Ryan


----------



## oldskoolbiker (Jun 2, 2005)

I'm sorry to say that bicycle is not a mountain bike, but a mountain bike style bicycle with a Harley Davidson Theme. It is similar to bikes you can get a Target and Wal-Mart for about $150.

The bike is designed for a casual cyclist who will only ride on paved or dirt path. It will not last very long for any true mountain biking.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/26-harley-davidson-boys-bicycle


----------



## Hardtail Rider (Dec 21, 2008)

i think its a ToysRus bike


----------



## Jwiffle (Jan 26, 2004)

26" is the wheel size. Most mountain bikes use 26" wheels, but the frames differ in sizes for different rider heights. From the name, price, and description of the bike in question, it is clear that the bike is a department store bike. Only one size, sized for a young teenager (or shorter adult).

See the thread titled "Beginners and Dept store bikes." If reassembled at a shop (the assembly job done by most department stores doesn't normally deserve to be called 'assembled'), the bike will probably be fine for riding around the neighborhood or paved paths. It's not really designed to be ridden like a true mountain bike (I wouldn't be surprised if it had one of those little stickers that says, "do not ride off-road" on the top tube).

For reference, a quality full suspension bike will start in the $800-900 range (and some may argue you would need to spend much more than that for a quality dual suspension).

Hope that helps.


----------



## EndersShadow (Jun 27, 2008)

Learjet35A said:


> A buddy of mine picked up a dark blue 26", 21 speed Harley mountain bike for $150. What can you guys tell me about this bike, all I know is it's above specs and that it's dual suspension, equipped w/ disc brakes but I thought with a size like 26", that that would indicate a kids bike but it seems large and he said it's called a "men's 26". Any info or reviews would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank You,
> Ryan


I can guarantee that it's a POS. Why do you care?


----------



## mike_d_1583 (Feb 12, 2008)

I think it is just meant to be looked at. Any off-road riding could spell dire consequences for you and your entire city.


----------



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Your Troll-fu is weak....*



Learjet35A said:


> A buddy of mine picked up a dark blue 26", 21 speed Harley mountain bike for $150. What can you guys tell me about this bike, all I know is it's above specs and that it's dual suspension, equipped w/ disc brakes but I thought with a size like 26", that that would indicate a kids bike but it seems large and he said it's called a "men's 26". Any info or reviews would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank You,
> Ryan


You have a 2008 Specialized. You shouldn't share your bike specs and then troll.


----------



## Learjet35A (Jul 1, 2008)

Ken in KC, I don't understand your comment. Yes, I do have a 2008 Specialized but I was asking about the bike that my buddy picked up on craigslist that I'm not fimiliar with, so I posted it here.

Thanks for all other responses.


----------



## mike_d_1583 (Feb 12, 2008)

Ken in KC said:


> You have a 2008 Specialized. You shouldn't share your bike specs and then troll.


What you were you trying to say? Explain what "troll" is supposed to mean.:skep:


----------



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Google is your friend*



mike_d_1583 said:


> What you were you trying to say? Explain what "troll" is supposed to mean.:skep:


internet troll. Happy Googling.


----------



## Learjet35A (Jul 1, 2008)

Ken, I just read the definition and I assure you that I did not post this to start crap like you're saying. I simply wanted to know if my friend got a good bike or a POS and I found out that it is indeed a POS. That's all, sorry if I pissed you off by asking an innocent question.


----------



## SlimTwisted (Jun 14, 2006)

As others have accurately stated, whenever you see the spec 26" in the title, it's a bad sign. All department stores tend to label their bikes this way (wheel size) but your bike shops are going to use the frame size (either a number which is often the length of the top tube or a letter: s,m,l, xl and so on) for identification. 

For the most part, 26 inch wheels are accepted as the norm on adult mountain bikes while 29 inch wheels, 650B (27.5 inch), or combinations of these sizes are usually integrated into the name. Examples: Salsa Dos Niner, Carver 96er, Niner R.I.P.9 and so on.


----------



## cyrix (Jan 29, 2008)

Learjet, tell your buddy good luck with his worthless bike. I'll be sure to keep him in my prayers if he ever attempts to take it on some real trails. Next time he feels like dropping coin on something like that here's what I want you to do. Sit him down. Explain to him that bikes of that ilk are useless and not worth the price, nay, the excrement the man who designed them dropped in the toilet. Then sit back and slowly raise your right hand back behind your head and move it forward in a fast arching motion until the palm of your hand meets his face. Rinse, and repeat until he understands your point. If he still doesn't understand.... One word: Chainsaw.


----------



## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

SlimTwisted said:


> ... your bike shops are going to use the frame size (either a number which is often the length of the top tube or a letter: s,m,l, xl and so on) for identification.
> 
> .


FWIW bike sizes normally indicates frame size based on the seat tube length (and how that's measured is all over the place, too).


----------



## Learjet35A (Jul 1, 2008)

Thanks again for the replies! I almost feel bad for my friend because he was so excited to get a "great" bike for cruising around town on and we were both under the impression that Harley actually manufactured the product. He bought the bike to get in shape and plans to ride it between 30 and 45 minutes a night after work, no off-roading.

You guys rock,
Ryan


----------



## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

I am sure that bike can be used for cruising around town. Just check that no major components (wheels, fork, bar, seat, ...) are about to fall off.


----------



## yokine (Aug 31, 2007)

oldskoolbiker said:


> I'm sorry to say that bicycle is not a mountain bike, but a mountain bike style bicycle with a Harley Davidson Theme. It is similar to bikes you can get a Target and Wal-Mart for about $150.
> 
> The bike is designed for a casual cyclist who will only ride on paved or dirt path. It will not last very long for any true mountain biking.
> 
> http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/26-harley-davidson-boys-bicycle


I'm stunned that Harley Davidson agreed for a bike like that to be branded HD. As much as I don't care for their motorcycles, they are brilliant marketers and brand image masters.

Ride it till the wheels fall off.......


----------



## shopcat_cycles (Dec 28, 2007)

perttime said:


> I am sure that bike can be used for cruising around town. Just check that no major components (wheels, fork, bar, seat, ...) are about to fall off.


Yeah, run some wrenches over it for sure. And tell him to get a helmet.


----------



## BeatAFool (Jan 14, 2008)

> we were both under the impression that Harley actually manufactured the product.


Sorry, but that made me lol...............


----------



## dewthedru (Nov 8, 2004)

tell your buddy to have fun riding. hopefully he'll get addicted to it and make the move to something decent. while i've got a few nice rides, i try not to be an "a"hole to those that have cheap bikes. 

riding bikes is fun. riding nice bikes might be more fun, but it's silly to be condescending to those with inferior bikes.


----------



## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

Ken in KC said:


> You have a 2008 Specialized. You shouldn't share your bike specs and then troll.


Who pissed in your cornflakes?

If you can't handle dumb questions, stay out of the beginner's forum:thumbsup:


----------



## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

yokine said:


> I'm stunned that Harley Davidson agreed for a bike like that to be branded HD.


Why? Harley makes more money from T shirts than motorcycles. They brand everything from trucks to bean bags to beer. Someone should inform the marketing gurus there that branding a beach cruiser would be a better fit for their image.


----------



## cobba (Apr 5, 2007)

Learjet35A said:


> He bought the bike to get in shape and plans to ride it between 30 and 45 minutes a night after work, no off-roading.


If your friend is not going to ride off-road why did he buy a dual suspension bike?
I suppose your friend will get fitter much quicker on this bike as there'll be so much more energy used and wasted with the suspension bobbing up and down as he rides.


----------



## Iridethedirt (Jan 20, 2008)

cyrix said:


> Learjet, tell your buddy good luck with his worthless bike. I'll be sure to keep him in my prayers if he ever attempts to take it on some real trails. Next time he feels like dropping coin on something like that here's what I want you to do. Sit him down. Explain to him that bikes of that ilk are useless and not worth the price, nay, the excrement the man who designed them dropped in the toilet. Then sit back and slowly raise your right hand back behind your head and move it forward in a fast arching motion until the palm of your hand meets his face. Rinse, and repeat until he understands your point. If he still doesn't understand.... One word: Chainsaw.


wow. you guys are amazing. this bike will indeed not hold up to riding serious singletrack, hopping logs, etc etc etc.... but that doesnt make it worthless... if it helps him catch the cycling bug, its worth something. if you run some wrenches over it, adjust deraileurs, etc etc... he could have a halfway decent experiance riding around paved trails for some exercise. I cannot believe how many gear snobs we have on these forums. 
your advice is for this guy, who's trying to find out a bit more about a bike his buddy picked up for less than some of you spend on a freakin seat, is to basically make his friend feel as bad as he possibly can about it? you're the same kind of person who would pass someone on a dept. store bike with a flat tire, laugh at him, tell him "thats what you get sucka!" and ride on, maybe even scold him for buying such a worthless bike, then tell him that he should have been "...prepared for a flat, how stupid are you to ride into the woods without patches and a pump anyway!?" I've said it before, and I'll say it again... while the addage "buy it nice or buy it twice" has a real place in the world of cycling, and especially in mountain biking, why would you discourage someone from riding a bike just because its not a high dollar name brand bike, he isnt even planning on shredding his local singletrack... good grief people.... yes, if he find that he likes riding his bike, and keeps up with riding it regularly, eventually that bike will become a frustration, and you could help your friend buy a quality used bike for a couple hundred, maybe a touch more, and he would be much more satisfied with his experiance on the bike.... but wow, way to be an ambassador to your sport.


----------



## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Or....*



Iridethedirt said:


> wow. you guys are amazing. this bike will indeed not hold up to riding serious singletrack, hopping logs, etc etc etc.... but that doesnt make it worthless... if it helps him catch the cycling bug, its worth something. if you run some wrenches over it, adjust deraileurs, etc etc... he could have a halfway decent experiance riding around paved trails for some exercise. I cannot believe how many gear snobs we have on these forums.
> your advice is for this guy, who's trying to find out a bit more about a bike his buddy picked up for less than some of you spend on a freakin seat, is to basically make his friend feel as bad as he possibly can about it? you're the same kind of person who would pass someone on a dept. store bike with a flat tire, laugh at him, tell him "thats what you get sucka!" and ride on, maybe even scold him for buying such a worthless bike, then tell him that he should have been "...prepared for a flat, how stupid are you to ride into the woods without patches and a pump anyway!?" I've said it before, and I'll say it again... while the addage "buy it nice or buy it twice" has a real place in the world of cycling, and especially in mountain biking, why would you discourage someone from riding a bike just because its not a high dollar name brand bike, he isnt even planning on shredding his local singletrack... good grief people.... yes, if he find that he likes riding his bike, and keeps up with riding it regularly, eventually that bike will become a frustration, and you could help your friend buy a quality used bike for a couple hundred, maybe a touch more, and he would be much more satisfied with his experiance on the bike.... but wow, way to be an ambassador to your sport.


He could hate it because it's a POS and people filled him full of false hope. Because the bike was such a poor representation of what a mountain bike is, the guy quits in frustration.

We can all play the hyperbole game.


----------



## damion (Jun 27, 2003)

*I agree.*



Ken in KC said:


> He could hate it because it's a POS and people filled him full of false hope. Because the bike was such a poor representation of what a mountain bike is, the guy quits in frustration.
> 
> We can all play the hyperbole game.


It is at least a 60/40 split in Kens direction.


----------



## cyrix (Jan 29, 2008)

Iridethedirt said:


> wow. you guys are amazing. this bike will indeed not hold up to riding serious singletrack, hopping logs, etc etc etc.... but that doesnt make it worthless... if it helps him catch the cycling bug, its worth something. if you run some wrenches over it, adjust deraileurs, etc etc... he could have a halfway decent experiance riding around paved trails for some exercise. I cannot believe how many gear snobs we have on these forums.
> your advice is for this guy, who's trying to find out a bit more about a bike his buddy picked up for less than some of you spend on a freakin seat, is to basically make his friend feel as bad as he possibly can about it? you're the same kind of person who would pass someone on a dept. store bike with a flat tire, laugh at him, tell him "thats what you get sucka!" and ride on, maybe even scold him for buying such a worthless bike, then tell him that he should have been "...prepared for a flat, how stupid are you to ride into the woods without patches and a pump anyway!?" I've said it before, and I'll say it again... while the addage "buy it nice or buy it twice" has a real place in the world of cycling, and especially in mountain biking, why would you discourage someone from riding a bike just because its not a high dollar name brand bike, he isnt even planning on shredding his local singletrack... good grief people.... yes, if he find that he likes riding his bike, and keeps up with riding it regularly, eventually that bike will become a frustration, and you could help your friend buy a quality used bike for a couple hundred, maybe a touch more, and he would be much more satisfied with his experiance on the bike.... but wow, way to be an ambassador to your sport.


tl;dr

Get your panties out of a bunch. I honestly didn't even bother reading all of that just because you had to whine so much during the first few sentences. The bike is junk. Simple as... It's one thing to encourage someone to get into a sport, it's completely another to give them junk to start out with. He could buy a decent used hardtail that will last him FAR longer. Or ya know....just piddle away the cash on something that looks cool but will break if he takes it on some real trails thus making him feel that having a bike break so easily is the norm for the sport so he decided to just quit. Going the decent used ht route at least he'll have something he can take on some trails before really investing bank and he'd be better off from a safety standpoint as well. I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you really don't take those kinds of things into consideration when giving people advice about getting started in the sport.

I can't wait to see what asinine hyperbole you'll spew out next. I'll make popcorn.

EDIT: I went back and read that and wow...you are ridiculous. I wasn't discouraging anyone from riding. I NEVER even came remotely close. Most of my comment was a joke. Jesus effin christ you are astounding.


----------



## Iridethedirt (Jan 20, 2008)

All i was saying is that there's no reason to be an ass to someone. 
you say "...Then sit back and slowly raise your right hand back behind your head and move it forward in a fast arching motion until the palm of your hand meets his face. Rinse, and repeat until he understands your point. If he still doesn't understand.... One word: Chainsaw." and "tell your buddy good luck with his worthless bike"
you sound like a real nice guy. You can politely say to someone, that bike will not hold up to riding real singletrack, but if you adjust everything as best as can be adjusted, you can ride it on paved trails and maybe some gravel paths untill it becomes too frustrating anymore, then buy a decent used HT. his friend can help him in doing so. your attempt at making a nice little joke out of telling his friend not to ride that bike offroad, came off a lot more like you being a total ass. as far as being a discourgement to a new rider, telling someone what thier bike is capeable of, and what its not for safety's sake is one thing, telling someone that their bike is "worthless" is something all together different.


----------



## eat_dirt (May 26, 2008)

the strange use of orange, black, and silver makes it look like an older cannondale rush if you drink enough and view it from far enough away.


----------



## cabintroll (Oct 9, 2011)

*Give a guy a break, I have had lots of fun on low end bikes*

I have had a blast over the years on bikes that cost me $20 to $75, I now have bikes that cost more than several cars I have owned, and not sure that the hi tech are any more fun they just have greater capabilities. Lets keep everyone having FUN! Remember we are all just big kids riding bikes! Cheers Ty


----------



## Caffeine Powered (Mar 31, 2005)

BeatAFool said:


> Sorry, but that made me lol...............


I know where he can find a Jeep full suspension bike cheap. :thumbsup:


----------



## Caffeine Powered (Mar 31, 2005)

Learjet35A said:


> Any info or reviews would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank You,
> Ryan


you're welcome


----------



## FLMike (Sep 28, 2008)

cabintroll said:


> I have had a blast over the years on bikes that cost me $20 to $75, I now have bikes that cost more than several cars I have owned, and not sure that the hi tech are any more fun they just have greater capabilities. Lets keep everyone having FUN! Remember we are all just big kids riding bikes! Cheers Ty


I love it when someone replies to a 3 year old thread like it was just posted yesterday and theyre commenting like theyre doing everyone a favor..

at least with a name like cabin troll, there is no guessing


----------



## cabintroll (Oct 9, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the favor of keeping a 3 year old thread going by posting 2nd reply and your welcome for the (favor)really? , will be looking forward to more insightful observations/comments CT


----------

