Walmart MTB frame any good?

pinoy

Well folks I dont know if this path had been beaten to death. But when I did a search a lot them said bad thing about the whole bike. Pardon my ignorance but my question is about their "Full Suspension" MTB frame. Is this puppy any good for all around commute, beater and off-road MTB? I already gathered some parts from freinds for a build up and I can spare a little of money for some newer parts to complete the project. Lastly, what do you think about the NORTH FACE MTB sold at DICKS. Is it any good? I kind like the set up because of thier front and rear mech. disk brake for $350 to $380 USD. I already have a full ULTEGRA road bike and I dont want to spend more money on a beater bike. Thanks a bunch folks.

triguy98

You've got an Ultrega roadie and are thinking of a Wally world POS? you'd end up throwin the thing far, far away. If its jsut a commuter, beater, and occasional offroader, find a cheap hardtail frame. Most mail order companies have em. Someone has theirs on sale for $100. Better than anything wally world is gonna stock. Lighter and stronger.
Low end FS is a joke. I see idiots riding around town (on the sidewalk, or course, and not the bike lane 2 feet to their left) bobbing and bouncing away. Dumba$$es.

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madisongrrl

Let me get this straight, a bike with mechanical disc breaks for 350-380.. That should be the tip-off.....so don't waste your money! If all you want is a bike for commute, beater and off-road (not racing), just buy a low end hardtail. How about a specialized hardrock or a Raleigh or Kona entry level. All these manufactures make bikes under $400. Or you could buy used. I also don't see the point in cheap mechanical disc breaks.....they aren't as good as hydraulic and if they are cheap mechanical breaks, then they aren't going to hold up and work well.

RockyRides

My wife thought she wanted a Walmart mtb- a Schwinn Aluminum Comp. The components were good low end, but the whole package- ride, steering ,etc. left a lot to be desired. She realized the error of her ways when she rode my Trek- now she has a Trek of her own and is very happy. I'll soon be happier with my new Specialized Rockhopper- a leftover '05 for $400.

tyler_derden

I haven't actually ridden one of them, but being in a small town with no bike shop and a Walmart that employs half the population, I see a lot of their bikes on the street. I have looked at them closely and would say the frame doesn't look so bad.

The problem with them is the crap components they are loaded with and the minimum wage high school kid assembly job that gets done on them. If you wanted to get one for the frame and build it up with quality parts, it might be OK. Probably not ultralight, nor ultra rugged. They probably come in only one size though, so if it doesn't fit you, you're SOL.

I've seen them putting full suspension bikes on sale for $75 once in a while. It's hard to find an aluminum frame for that kind of price, nevermind a suspension type frame.

TD

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konaman132

I would not do it! A couple of months ago in Dirt Rag Magazine the was an article about Walmart and some other compant being sued for selling Death Traps, if that tells you anything!!

Good luck on what you decide to do!

ptlwp

I should get a K Mart Special; In my mind I think I am still 12 but my body knows otherwise. I should get a cheap piece of junk since I havent ridden in a long time and then work up to the bike that I am destroying piece by piece, my Trek 7100...wahhh!!!!!!

hard_rock_god

ok here is my take on W-mart bikes... From what I have seen stroling the isles of W-mart and checking on there bikes is not really a good idea to buy one of there bikes. the reasons why are:
1.crapy component choices often with old stamped steel derailures (starting to see some aluminum derailers but only of low end shimano)

2.the frames seem to be a "visual reproduction" of higher end bikes. and from previous ownership flimsy and week in my oppinion like riding on a rubber band

3.the wheels, pedals and forks sold on these bikes I personaly can absolutely destroy on these bikes with a "just having fun commute"

the list of destroyed parts (this is mostly bragging but you'll understand)

two wheelsets
I am currently siting next to a set of pedals I have bent the left spindle at a 30* angle sold at W-mart, and totaly busted the cages off of another replacement set for thoes pedals (bought at W-mart)
the forks were off of a FS W-mart bike really give the wrong impression of suspention bottom out doing 1' drops. bent quite abit after doing a couple 2-3' drops
totaly striped the threds on a heavy steel crankset w/a non sealed BB square taper

these are expencive components to replace that if you were to replace just the BB and crankset with decent components you would have quickly doubled the price of the bike

you may say thats just a case of me being tough on my equipment but thoes components replaced by used "name brand parts". the forks for example, replaced by GT rigid forks not a problem (these were on a hard-tail not the orriginal FS bike, wich reminds me 1" steer tube is still top of the line at W-mart). a decent set of aloy caged pedals (wich W-mart dosn't sell) no breaking cages, still having trouble finding the "un bendable spindles" (I think it's time this over size craze that is taking the MTB industry by storm move up to a 5/8" or 3/4" spindle size)
I havent had any problem with my 2003 modle LX cranks yet in the way of stripping threds

in short... W-mart bikes bad. my suggestion... check the local pawn shops for a decent used bike. prices are usualy lower than expected and if you get lucky you might even stumble across a middle of the road - higher end bike for a decent price under $200 (some pawn brokers arn't "bike types" so you could get a really good deal) also I've seen cheep hard-tails (frames, complete and everything inbetween) sell on www.ebay.com that would be a better place to start.

ok thats all I have to say tah tah

ptlwp

I am still waiting to get my bike back from the shop; the right brake gripper (hand part) got busted in my recent spill.....they need to get one from the distributor apparently...which is Trek and I imagine shouldn't take too dern long.


My black and blue marks are healing nicely. I approached a steep incline, an overpass, and bang!!!!
Now I know....

Verewolf

Thought this excerpt from an article was interesting re: "Metallurgy for Cyclist II: Steel is Real"

"......Muffys. (That's the generic name for the Murray-Huffy style of bike you can buy at those fine American institutions like K-Mart and Wal-Mart.)
Muffy-grade steel is barely above rebar on the steel "food chain". Rebar is essentially a blend of melted 1956 Chevys, washing machines and shopping carts."

As far as the North Face MTBs go - Galayns originally sold the NF bikes. They were made by Iron Horse for NF. Dicks bought Galayns. Dicks wanted to clear out the some of the inventory so they reduced all the NF bikes by $200 and also had other specials on the bikes.

I wanted an entry level HT for XC so I bought the Yavapai HT orig. $499 -$200 -$20 -$20 for $259. This is a really good entry level bike with good components. I've had the bike for 2 months. Put over 100 miles of rugged mtn. XC and have not had any problems. I am very happy with the bike.

The price range for the NF bikes is $299 HT to $799 DH/FR. You might want to check these out. Iron Horse makes good bikes.

scoutmaster

Take it from other peoples experiences- never buy a cheap bike from a department store, no good can come from it.

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pinoy

Thanks for the input guys I realy appreciate it. After some research and LBS hopping I finaly decided to stay away from wally world bikes . I found the frames to be less desirable for long term use and the welds at the joints looked like "pigeon poop". I went to a local Dicks sporting goods store and I found a 2005 NORTH FACE Talkeetna full suspension bike. This is the same frame made by IRON HORSE. The frame is originally the 2004 IH "Hollowpoint" with the DW-link. It has front and rear discbrakes and mix deore LX / Truvative parts. The rear suspension is made by Fox(coil/air and It has a rebound adjustment) front suspension is 2004 Marzocchi EXRcomp(spring/air). Now the best part is I only paid $250+tax on this baby . Well not bad for a starter bike. Thanks again guys.

Verewolf

Good choice!

I think you'll really be happy with the Talkeetna.
You simply cannot beat the price on these bikes for what you get.
Like I said above -
I have the Yavapai and I couldn't be more satisfied.
I ride XC and the bike does everything I'd expect and more.

Good luck and ride safe.