[shiboleth]

Now this advice is strictly personal and I know there are good reasons to disagree with my opinion on this, but I do not ride bikes with conventional suspensions. On my bikes that need a suspension I use a thudbuster. It is probably 'cause I'm old and heavy (250 lbs.) But a thud buster gives as much travel as many suspensions. Happens to move in exactly the right vector to dampen shocks, and encourages the rider to use his /her legs as part of the suspension. I just can't get used to fork dive on a bicycle. Of course, it is $150 for a seatpost, but I have been very satisfied with how mine work. For one thing they are easy to understand and repairable by someone with rudimentary mechanical skills. For another a rider with no mechanical skills can learn to inspect the mechanism and detect potential failure long before it occurs (Okay, I am crouched down now waiting for the brickbats to come.)

[SG-1]

Not knowing whether my 13 year old daughter will stick with it, I got her a Schwinn Sidewinder MTB from Walmart. It took me a good hour to pick out the MTB with the "better" components.

For $169, this bike is not too bad. Bottom-end Schwinn components and a decent paint job. Surprisingly it was put together well, and I only needed to adjust the brake pads.

It got her through 50 miles of semi-rough terrain without a hiccup. Did get a flat tire in the garage afterwards.

There are a ton of things that are nowhere near as good as a decent $800 MTB. First, this thing weighs 30lbs, which is one heavy mofo. All components are "hard & heavy".

Will this bike make it cross country with minimal fuss? I am sure it will. There is one guy that put slicks on it and rode 3000 miles one summer, and did not have a single issue other than flats.

I sure am glad I only spent $169 on this bike...it has been sitting in the garage since last Fall when my daughter was mortified from a 5 mile road trip with me....all because I had a dorky flashing taillight that can be seen from outer space.

[PlatyPius]

Originally Posted by ViBiker

My advice ...
Get the cheap bike! ... ?
For several reasons.
If you decide you don't like biking, you learned a cheap lesson.
If you decide you like biking, you will have learned, much better, what you want, in a "real" bike.
Even a cheap bike is normally adequate, for most people-purposes,

Besides ... you might not appreciate a "real" bike, unless you have something to compare it against.

Most important!
Make sure the bike is properly tuned-adjusted.
Have it done, by a professional, he, (or she), might let you watch.
(Walmart assemblers are not pros)
At least you will learn how the bike should "feel",
Even the "best" bike can seem crappy, or even be hazardous if poorly maintained, adjusted.

PS The expensive bike might be 10 - 20lb lighter!
It's much better to get the heavier bike, and wear off 10 - 20 lb of fat ... faster ...

I can't even count the number of people who decided that they HATE cycling simply because they had a crappy bike from X-Mart. After not riding for several years, they'd eventually wander into a bike shop, try a REAL bike, and then lament the wasted years when they could have been riding.

Your method is the same as trying Corn King rat-hair hot dogs to see if you like hot dogs. Or buying a bottle of $8.99 "Scotch" to see if you like Scotch.