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walmart bike
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 2007-04-04 10:10 AM |
New user  16 Ionia, Michigan |  Subject: walmart bikeI would like to do my first tri this summer but only have a walmart mtb, thinking of doing a off road tri. would it better to do a off road tri or put road tires on my mtb and do a road tri? |
| 2007-04-04 10:16 AM in reply to: #748514 |
Extreme Veteran 332  Chicago, IL | Subject: RE: walmart bike depending on the off-road tri that you do I'm not sure the bike would make it through. i did an xterra last year in milwaukee (thunderstorms and not mountain biking but mud biking) and i saw guys with expensive top of the line mountain bikes taking DNF's because they couldn't finish the bike. if you have never done a tri before i would say to do a sprint and just use the bike you have for that to see if you like it. odds are you'll get hooked like i did and spend every available dollar on tri gear... good luck |
| 2007-04-04 11:41 AM in reply to: #748514 |
Giver 18427   | Subject: RE: walmart bike I'd be scared to death to ride a walmart bike in an off road tri. |
| 2007-04-04 12:54 PM in reply to: #748514 |
Expert 675 West Metro Atlanta, GA | Subject: RE: walmart bike I rode Walmart bikes offroad and downhill etc like crazy when I was a kid. I now realize how lucky I was that none of them disintegrated under me on a downhill. There was the endo into the thorn bushes though. That was pretty sweet. Put slicks on it and race it in a regular tri. It won't be fast, but it will get you where you're going and let you see if you like racing. (I'm still riding my Walmart special for this season... praying to the benevolent god of bicycling cash that I can pick up a roadie that fits at the end of the season) |
| 2007-04-04 5:51 PM in reply to: #748875 |
Expert 758 Morgantown, WV | Subject: RE: walmart bike shepherd - 2007-04-04 9:54 AM I rode Walmart bikes offroad and downhill etc like crazy when I was a kid. I now realize how lucky I was that none of them disintegrated under me on a downhill. There was the endo into the thorn bushes though. That was pretty sweet. Put slicks on it and race it in a regular tri. It won't be fast, but it will get you where you're going and let you see if you like racing. (I'm still riding my Walmart special for this season... praying to the benevolent god of bicycling cash that I can pick up a roadie that fits at the end of the season) When I was younger, me and a buddy used to do some serious Mtn. biking. Real steep rocky stuff. I had a giant, and he had a brand new walmart Mongoose. The thing had to have weighed 30 pounds. It was TERRIFYING for me to ride, but some how he did it. One time the front wheel fell right off! That was scary, he got hurt pretty bad. I would advise against riding the walmart bike off road, but would encourage you to do an on road tri. Who cares what you've got on road. It's for fun! Off road can just be dangerous. Don't let people discourage you becuase of what bike you've got, but also be logical and safe about stuff. Agreed, you will be slow on it, but it doesn't matter. Just doing it is important for the first 1/2 dozen or so sprints you do. Edited by greenmtnman 2007-04-04 5:57 PM |
| 2007-04-05 11:46 AM in reply to: #748514 |
Veteran 158 Southeastern PA | Subject: RE: walmart bike I would say get some slicks on that mtn bike and do a road tri for the reasons stated above. I see mountain bikes at sprint road races all the time. You can always upgrade to a road or tri bike later if you want. Good luck and have fun.! |
| 2007-04-05 2:38 PM in reply to: #748514 |
| Master 1384 Brooklyn, NY | Subject: RE: walmart bike When I was a kid I used them a lot but today I'm well over 175lbs and at least a foot taller since then. I would not put my limbs or life on a mtn bike built for anything less than the real purpose. Pay now or possibly pay later...if you know what I mean. |
| 2007-04-05 3:12 PM in reply to: #748514 |
Master 1748 Port Moody, BC | Subject: RE: walmart bike My wife won't let me buy a new bike. I have an issue with maintaining interest in sports, such as kyacking, dirtbiking, mountain climbing...etc....I have an awesome Marin MTB, I have put slicks on her and I maintain 18 - 20 mp/h average anyway. So give'r on your MTB, by the way if you need any other sports equipment for other various sports, let me know! |
| 2007-04-06 8:22 AM in reply to: #748514 |
New user 16 Ionia, Michigan | Subject: RE: walmart bike Ok I think i will get a set of road slicks, (i dont know much about bikes) would it be worth it change to a different gear set fir road racing, or just buy a good bike? |
| 2007-04-06 8:52 AM in reply to: #748514 |
Extreme Veteran 411 Abilene, Texas | Subject: RE: walmart bike Neither here nor there but I Googled "Walmart bikes" and found that they have Schwinn Varsity road bikes. Hey, this is not your grandfather's Schwinn Varsity, heck no. It's got 700 c wheels and an aluminum frame "wrapped" with carbon fiber.... WTF? Good thing it's wraped in all that carbon fiber otherwise it might weigh more than the 32 pounds it's listed as weighing.  |
| 2007-04-06 9:27 AM in reply to: #748514 |
New user 16 Ionia, Michigan | Subject: RE: walmart bike I talked to the local bike shop and the guy races trek mtb he said that the bike would hold up in an off road tri but it due to the weight and gearing it would slow me down. does this sound true to you? ( the only reason i trying to keep this bike longer is lack of money and my wife bought it for my birthday thinking it was a good bike) |
| 2007-04-06 9:50 AM in reply to: #751303 |
Extreme Veteran 411 Abilene, Texas | Subject: RE: walmart bike If it's a true $50 department store quality bike then I can't see how anyone can say with any confidence that it would withstand the rigors of an off road event. IF you intend on riding very hard at all I would be pretty suprised if it makes it through the race. Go ahead and try it but I'd hate to get a DNF in my first race. |
| 2007-04-06 1:26 PM in reply to: #748514 |
Elite 3488 Lakewood, CO | Subject: RE: walmart bike Maybe you could provide more details as to make, components etc. It is hard to issue an opinion based upon "walmart mtb" If the guy in the bike shop actually saw the bike and offerred that opinion, then yes you can go for it (although I would recommend a bike shop tune up first - you can't always trust the assembly skills of the walmart stock boy)
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| 2007-04-06 1:38 PM in reply to: #748514 |
New user 16 Ionia, Michigan | Subject: RE: walmart bike well being that i don't know that much about bikes its a mongoose xr200 full-suspension, disc brake, Mozo M30 front fork, it has Shimano Tourney gears and derailer, i had the bike shop tune it up a upgrade the brakes last year. the guy a the shop said i should come in and he will adjust the brakes before any race. |
| 2007-04-06 9:29 PM in reply to: #748514 |
| Extreme Veteran 332 Chicago, IL | Subject: RE: walmart bike seeing that you're from michigan i can assume that you're thinking about doing the off-road tri which is part of the xterra series? i would be very hesitant about doing any "off-road" biking on a bike purchased from walmart. not only do you put yourself at a possible risk to dnf, but you also run the risk of something going wrong with the bike during the race and injuring yourself. now there is that possiblity on any bike, but i would probably use something more proven than a bike from walmart. also i found that an "off-road" tri is far more difficult than your traditional "sprint triathlon" which is what most people start with. for your first race i still recommend a sprint, unless your an avid mtn biker. good luck, and if you do that off-road race in michigan let me know how it goes, i would be interested in it in the future. best of luck. |
| 2007-04-09 8:09 PM in reply to: #748514 |
| Extreme Veteran 398 Charlotte,NC | Subject: RE: walmart bike I would not do anything on a Wallmart bike let alone riding it in a triathlon be it road or off-road. |
| 2007-04-09 8:53 PM in reply to: #754616 |
Master 1810 Morse Lake, Noblesville, Indiana | Subject: RE: walmart bike doubleplay - 2007-04-09 9:09 PM I would not do anything on a Wallmart bike let alone riding it in a triathlon be it road or off-road. Dang Ali, that sounds pretty snotty... A Walmart bike may be all some people can get... The important thing, make sure it fits, and is put together properly, then ride the heck out of it. I've seen alot of people at sprint tri's riding Walmart mountain bikes. No worries - have fun with it... |
| 2007-04-09 9:16 PM in reply to: #748514 |
Champion 11641 Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: walmart bike BT was started by Ron after he did a triathlon on a Walmart mountain bike in 2001.
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| 2007-04-09 10:05 PM in reply to: #754688 |
Champion 13323 Gold member | Subject: RE: walmart bike It was only $100...and I left the knobbys on! http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4232 ...that bike has held up and I still use it to train...when it's warm...although not sure how it will hold-up off-road...you can't 'shift on the fly' with one of these...
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| 2007-04-10 12:10 AM in reply to: #748514 |
| New user 5 hudson, nh | Subject: RE: walmart bike I bought my current mtb at Sam's club 10 years ago and have ridden it hundreds if not thousands of miles with only normal wear and tear. It is heavy, but it gets the job done. If all you can afford is a department store bike then go for it! As long as you maintain it, it isn't going to magically break under you. putting slicks on your mountain bike will improve your speed a little bit, but I find that I top out on road courses with my MTB. I never shift below the top chainring. If you look on craigslist or Ebay, you can usually find an old road bike that will make your life easier on road courses for less than $100. For off-road courses, as long as you take care of a department store bike and have the muscle to heft it, it will get you through the race. |
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