Decent, <$200 mountain bike?

[49erinnc]

Saw a similiar thread but it was discussing bikes $300 and up for the most part.

I'm just looking for something to ride maybe once a week, on a local "greenway" that is far from being "rough terrain." I have no desire to become an avid biker or tackle any extreme trails. This is just for a little exercise, fresh air and possibly to run short errands instead of taking my car. Is there any (new) bike out there in the sub-$200 range? What about the Mongoose line that Target sales? Pieces of crap? Not really looking to buy used via Ebay either.

Emphasis here is on new and $200 or less. So please don't suggest spending another $100+ to get something nicer because it's not an option. Yes, I know you get what you pay for but as I said, this will get very little use and on very mild terrain. What's the best mountain bike $200 or less can buy these days or is it an impossible notion?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Saw a similiar thread but it was discussing bikes $300 and up for the most part.

I'm just looking for something to ride maybe once a week, on a local "greenway" that is far from being "rough terrain." I have no desire to become an avid biker or tackle any extreme trails. This is just for a little exercise, fresh air and possibly to run short errands instead of taking my car. Is there any (new) bike out there in the sub-$200 range? What about the Mongoose line that Target sales? Pieces of crap? Not really looking to buy used via Ebay either.

Emphasis here is on new and $200 or less. So please don't suggest spending another $100+ to get something nicer because it's not an option. Yes, I know you get what you pay for but as I said, this will get very little use and on very mild terrain. What's the best mountain bike $200 or less can buy these days or is it an impossible notion?

I'd check out craigslist and/or local garage sales. It's easy to pick up a nice garage queen for little money at those and you'd likely be able to pick up something that normally sells for several hundred dollars new.

 

[RightIsWrong]

You could buy mine. I have a Cannondale M700 but want a road bike instead.

 

[sygyzy]

How about a $50 bike at Wal-Mart?

 

[Eddieo]

Target and Wal-mart is not bad, most cheap ones are not lemons anyway but you usually get less weight and better features the more you pay.

 

[49erinnc]

I know very little, if anything about them but was looking at this one. In my range and the reviews seem to be good. No clue about the components though to know if they're crappy.

Schwinn SX2000 at Target

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
You could buy mine. I have a Cannondale M700 but want a road bike instead.

You'd sell it for that price? What's it got on it?

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Saw a similiar thread but it was discussing bikes $300 and up for the most part.

I'm just looking for something to ride maybe once a week, on a local "greenway" that is far from being "rough terrain." I have no desire to become an avid biker or tackle any extreme trails. This is just for a little exercise, fresh air and possibly to run short errands instead of taking my car. Is there any (new) bike out there in the sub-$200 range? What about the Mongoose line that Target sales? Pieces of crap? Not really looking to buy used via Ebay either.

Emphasis here is on new and $200 or less. So please don't suggest spending another $100+ to get something nicer because it's not an option. Yes, I know you get what you pay for but as I said, this will get very little use and on very mild terrain. What's the best mountain bike $200 or less can buy these days or is it an impossible notion?

..go check out costco. they got a bunch of em.

 

[Papagayo]

Buy it used..

 

[everman]

You'll probably be able to get more for a use bike, but more difficult to find the right deal.
One thing is to make sure the bike fits you (correct size dimentions).

 

[laurenlex]

Add $50 for a tune up to a brand new wal-mart or costco bike. It won't shift properly, it wont brake properly, because it wasn't assembled properly.

In my opinion, it's best to find a used quality bike, or up your budget to 300-400 bucks. The quality difference between a entry level "real" bike, like a Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, etc... and a huffy is HUGE.

Wal mart bikes have bad frames, bad wheels, bad shifters, terrible brakes.

A real bike will have a decent frame, and some decent shimano drive train parts.

Stay away from shocks and disk brakes on entry level bikes. They just add weight and lower the quality of the important parts, like wheel hubs, shifters, and derailluers. They are put on cheap bikes so little kids think they are cool. A decent suspension fork costs $200 minimum by itself.

In summary, department bike stores suck. Get a real bike by upping your budget a little or getting a used one.

 

[tbike06]

Originally posted by: laurenlex
Add $50 for a tune up to a brand new wal-mart or costco bike. It won't shift properly, it wont brake properly, because it wasn't assembled properly.

In my opinion, it's best to find a used quality bike, or up your budget to 300-400 bucks. The quality difference between a entry level "real" bike, like a Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, etc... and a huffy is HUGE.

Wal mart bikes have bad frames, bad wheels, bad shifters, terrible brakes.

A real bike will have a decent frame, and some decent shimano drive train parts.

Stay away from shocks and disk brakes on entry level bikes. They just add weight and lower the quality of the important parts, like wheel hubs, shifters, and derailluers. They are put on cheap bikes so little kids think they are cool. A decent suspension fork costs $200 minimum by itself.

In summary, department bike stores suck. Get a real bike by upping your budget a little or getting a used one.

QFT

 

[TripleAAA]

I'd go on Craigslist and buy a used one. You'll get much more for your money.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: laurenlex
Add $50 for a tune up to a brand new wal-mart or costco bike. It won't shift properly, it wont brake properly, because it wasn't assembled properly.

In my opinion, it's best to find a used quality bike, or up your budget to 300-400 bucks. The quality difference between a entry level "real" bike, like a Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, etc... and a huffy is HUGE.

Wal mart bikes have bad frames, bad wheels, bad shifters, terrible brakes.

A real bike will have a decent frame, and some decent shimano drive train parts.

Stay away from shocks and disk brakes on entry level bikes. They just add weight and lower the quality of the important parts, like wheel hubs, shifters, and derailluers. They are put on cheap bikes so little kids think they are cool. A decent suspension fork costs $200 minimum by itself.

In summary, department bike stores suck. Get a real bike by upping your budget a little or getting a used one.

Yay! Here come the bike snobs!!!

Funny how the bike I bought at Toys R Us 5 years ago is still in perfect shape, even though it was supposed to have fallen apart and had bad parts and poor construction etc etc. As for $50 for a tuneup- just do it yourself. It's not like it's that hard.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Paid $90 for my Ironhorse used of coarse. Better then anything new you can get for $200.

 

[DaShen]

Yes, they exist, but they are hard to come by.

Go on craigslist or ebay, find a used MTB bike. buy it maintain it yourself.

Most really good MTB bikes are much more expensive.

 

[bwnv]

I'd say just get a used 10 speed for now. They are cheaper and usually lighter than a cheap mountain bike. Later on if you find that you're actually like riding you can always fork over the bucks for a good one.

 

[nd]

I think I'm in the same boat as the original poster. I'm looking to buy a bike that's decent, but not so expensive that I have to worry about it getting banged up or stolen. Want to be able to handle non-road terrain but will probably rarely go over anything too rough/extreme.

Would prefer to not get the ~$150-$200 ones at Target/Wal-Mart, but I'm not ruling it out since they are in fact functional. I think $300 would be my price limit.

Maybe the solution really is to just settle for a nice used one from a local bike shop -- but I sure would like the satisfication that goes along with owning a new bike.

Anyone ever try one of those MTB/road hybrids?

 

[Rapidskies]

I don't know, last time I was in Walmart I looked at the bikes and they all had quality components. In fact alot of them had the same shimano diore sp? shifters/components that my more expensive bike cost. I *might* buy the "its not assembled correctly" argument, but I think Wallyworld bikes have decent components on them.

 

[Slew Foot]

Unlikely since a Deore drivetrain by itself is a couple hundred (I think). Seriously, If all you're doing is biking 2 miles on a flat surface to the local Burger King, than any POS bike will do.