Most people who buy these "mountain bike" bikes would have much more use out of a city or Hybrid bike, but they don't look cool. I'm not judging I just find it sad.
@@TimLevi with 5k I can build you two dream bikes that would retail each for 5k in a bike shop. You spend your money however you want but just know that 😂
@@AdrenalineIsLife yeah i really wish alot more people would look at the hybrids and what not as commuters but they get caught up in all of the "mountain bike" marketing
@@purplegarage05 i got a full suspension hybrid from walmart and its great ik people always say stay away from full suspension but some are good just gotta know what youre looking at
That bike you have, I have the same one, I got it from Walmart used, I dont have those issues, so hopefully mine keeps going strong, my wheel has a wobble but not what you showed, I enjoyed the watch and it was informative
I started fixing up bikes as a side hobby when Covid started and after doing over 40 jobs Im convinced that working on big box bikes are way more difficult to fix or tune up because their components are just harder to make work. Adding to landfills is also a sad truth. Thanks for sharing and providing helpful tips for the viewers.
Headache or not, better components = easier to repair and maintain. I’ve fixed up low quality bikes too because my customers just wanted something they liked to work.
Bikes adding to landfills is just a sad part of life and not exclusive to the cheap bikes. A lot of people turn 16 and forget about their bikes, then their parents toss them. I found a perfectly good Robinson frame in the trash as a kid.
Let me chime in here..... I'm 67 years old and have been riding bicycles for 62 years and remember very well the durable bikes I owned as a kid. In the last few years I bought 4 different bicycles from Walmart:--cruiser, mountain, and hybrid, as I just wanted to get some exercise riding around the neighborhood. However I ended up throwing ALL of them away after some very light use. The issues ranged from rims that kept causing tires to blowout to handlebars that wouldn't stay tight to coaster brakes that didn't work to gears that simply fell apart. None of the bikes were in ride-able condition after a short time so I had no choice but to set them out for the trash pickup. I threw the last Walmart bicycle away this morning and am done with bicycles for awhile. Maybe next year I'll buy a quality bike from a specialty shop, but right now I feel discouraged and don't want to waste anymore money. Cheap big box store bicycles just end up being more expensive in the long run.
A few months ago I saw this bike on "sale" on my local Walmart and at first glance it looks cool. But then I pulled it out the rack and noticed it feels so damn tall, but the frame size is kinda small. Then saw the quill stem and v brakes, and I promptly put it back on the rack. After watching this video, i'm glad I did. I instead bought a Schwinn AL Comp, and no complaints so far. Swapped the cheapo pedals for some Fookers and did a tubeless mod, and I'm all set.
I still have my big box bike and it's 25 years old and running good. Also I rode them on paved roads. One thing is the less fancier or less option (no suspension, less gears or single gear...), the less likely the bike will fail. I have friends who bought cruiser bikes from Walmart and those are built to last.
Always rode big box bikes but I also was only using them for walking trails for exercise. However, when I got my first Trek from my local shop, I will never go back to a big box bike ever and preach the same message. The quality and engineering is far superior even with their entry level bikes.
If I find myself at Walmart for whatever reason…I almost cannot even look at the bikes they have. I don’t even consider them bikes. And feel terrible when I see someone (especially a kid) pushing one toward the checkout. Forget not being setup right. They can’t be setup right! I’d bet one out of 10 even shifts. And 1 out of 20 has adjusted brakes. I always tell people to check Craigslist around here for a 90’s or 2000’s bike. There are some bike guys who find these older but quality bikes, tune them up and sell them VERY reasonably. These were built back when a “cheaper” bike was actually decent quality.
Agree. It's better to get an old bike. There are a few exceptions, but most people don't have the ability a good one or have the mechanic skills to fix one.
Literally just picked this bike off the street 5 mins ago because it was free and I rly needed something to cut down on gas while tryn to get to the gym. Now I regret picking it, glad I didn't pay for it. That was an informative over a brand I've never heard of. Thank you. Now I know what Im dealing with
Got a used electra townie recently. It's not super high end but it's pretty good quality and super comfortable. I don't even care to ever own a walmart type bike again.
I recently won a bike similar to this only difference is that it’s a 26” model number Gs39100 from Kent as well from my work with their brand Is it worth upgrading it if I spent no money on it or should I just buy a whole new bike after it breaks down? I plan on using it mostly to work and back 40min there and back mostly street roads. Thanks
I bought a cheap at Target & it’s definitely low quality…. It was already assembled & every bolt & nut was loose… handle bars not set-up right…. No air in the tires etc… I had both tires go flat within the first 2 months….. Bike shops will repair the tubes but always look at me oddly because I’m spending $30-40 dollars on a bike with less than $200. I really like the TREK Marlin 5 to 7 series.. I commute to work daily on my bike, so I want something faster & more reliable….
That's the problem with many department store bikes. Quality and assembly are generally bad. From my experience it's always something different with each bike. I find myself having to go through the whole bike to make sure I catch every problem.
I'd also add that you should really consider do you even need the front suspension. If you are not going to ride any trails you propably don't need it.
Problem is he medium income in the us for a family of 4 is 55k a year. Those bikes are designed for children of less fortunate families. Most bike companies while super liberal and want to help people, also jack up the prices to afford life. Then they get bought out by dorel or pacific cycles and just slap a brand name on anything less that 2k. You want to fix this problem, then the big boys like specialized and trek need an econo line that puts good cheep components on decent frames. Walmart has started to do this with Schwinn, hyper, and mongoose. But then they jack the price to bike shop hard tail prices. But who knows these days. Niner is just a fancy huffy
I agree with everything you said. Walmart bikes are garbage and that’s actually why I unsubscribed to Kev Central. Maybe he just does it for his channel but I was tired of seeing him push these cheap ass walmart bikes with shitty components and then he “upgrades” them still with low end parts. Like you said, just spend the money for a cheap bike shop bike where it’s well put together. A walmart bike is okay for a kid riding around the neighborhood but no serious rider should ever consider a walmart bike purely for safety reasons. Why would someone spend $400 on a bike at Walmart when you can get a Trek Marlin 4 for around the same price is beyond me. I have a Trek Marlin 7 and every time I ride it I feel the quality
It's very rare to find a worthy Wal-Mart bike. Very rare. Once in a while, you get an anomaly like the Kent Trouvaille. For anyone that is serious about mountain biking, it's much safer to get a bike shop brand or serious direct to consumer brand. To get most of these bikes trail ready, you have to spend the price of a good brand anyway. Buy once, cry once, and you'll be happier for it.
@@AdrenalineIsLife totally agree. I’ve seen many videos about the Trouvalle and it seems to be a decent bike for the price but I can’t say any other Walmart bikes are. Seeing some of those bikes being sold for $200 worries me. That’s what the seat on my bike cost. Again I don’t know if that’s Kev Centrals channel just testing Walmart bikes but from everything I’ve watched it seems like that’s all he rides and all those bikes are garbage. They come with low end parts and he just buys other cheap low end parts with brands I’ve never heard of before. I suppose you could argue he’s doing it for budget purposes but you really don’t wanna skimp out on your bike parts. It’s just like brakes for your car you don’t wanna save money on safety
@ecymbura31 KevCentral has his niche, and he does well with it. There are a lot of people who are curious about those bikes and the mystery parts he uses. I'll watch once in a while. I'll bet most of those bikes don't see much more than green trails. It's not my jam but to each his own.
@@AdrenalineIsLife yeah I mean I kinda figured he probably does it just for the content but still I wouldn’t even consider those bikes. Waste of money as are the parts he gets but yeah whatever makes him happy I guess. I spent years getting bikes from Walmart and Kmart and once I got a bike shop bike even a bmx, the quality difference was night and day
I have two inexpensive big box bikes and one that is a mid-level big box an older one that's built well with SRAM components and rigid fork then I've got a more expensive with mechanical threaded headset etcetera the point that I'm attempting to make is that the two inexpensive big bucks bikes have cool stones and a single bolt holding the handlebars on the quill stem they are constantly coming loose I have to check all the nuts and bolts frequently even though they are tight and they seem to work their way loose the result was a crash when when the quill stem came loose not to very long after it was tight I was just talking to my cousin and family how I believe these two bikes are not they require constant checking to make sure all nuts and bolts are tight
saw the Flexor bike at walmart today, looks very nice for the price, but after watching this video, I'm crying....I figured the parts were older and cheap when looking at it, but didn't think it would be this bad...uughhhh
I've had good luck with a Walmart Roadmaster (steel) for less than $100. That thing you got looks way too embellished. Keep it simple. Look at the welds. Look to see if the fork is on correctly. Learn some basic wrench work. The bottom bracket thing is disturbing, but I'll bet it didn't get that way overnight. And I would never seriously consider a carbon bike as being anything other than a huge design compromise.
The simpler, the better, but people demand flashy bikes. A good eye and some wrenching skills will go a long way. Glad to hear that you've had a good experience with your bike.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Thanks! It's my daughter's bike (24") but I put a few miles on it each day to keep an eye on things and tweak it. I got a longer seat post so I don't strain my knees. I weigh 200 lbs and the bike is rated at 185 lbs with 50 psi. So I put 55 psi in and cross my fingers :)
Just popping in to say that your Huffy series helped me a ton. I have a nicely setup XC bike but wanted something smaller for the local pump track. I picked up the Huffy Scout, and after changing basically everything, it's a pretty fun bike! It was a fun project. For someone just starting, I'd spend a bit more and just buy a decent DJ bike. Now my wal mart bike has a nicer fork than my Diamondback does ha
@@AdrenalineIsLife I'm just gonna go ahead and say yes. Your Mongoose series helped me with my Huffy, especially the fork upgrade portion. Thank you for the great content!
Glad I found this video although I just picked one of these same bikes up used for 75 bucks it's only to ride around our campsite for the summer so ah well. Although with quality I still have a haro vector V2 from 1998 , love that bike! Enjoyed the video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. At the end of the day, it's still just a simple machine. If it gets you where you want to go, it's a win at $75. I like those old Haro Vectors.
I just can never fathom how it will work out cheaper to fit a threaded fork over a threadless one. It's a lot quicker and easier to fit a threadless, therefore cheaper in labour costs. You still have to fit cups and bearings regardless but then you have the faff of fitting the threaded nut, maybe even tapping a thread on the steerer tube, which surely takes as much time if not more time than hammering in a star nut. The big plus for me that buying a bike to upgrade spreads out the cost. It is difficult to find the money in one go for a high spec bike and sometimes paying on finance can be tricky. With upgrading you can upgrade as your budget allows. Knowing parts on big box bikes will failis a good incentive to judge your upgrades on also & you will end up with a bike that you want that is tailored to you rather than just an off the shelf bike. Mind you, I'm the type of person who will see a bike and I'll already be thinking about what I'd change on it so it would suit me best.
It's not hard to build bikes with threadless headsets. But their focus is maximum profits. What you're doing is great. It's fun to make something better. I've done it my self. Unfortunately, for people that don't do that or have the skills and money to do it, they're stuck with a bike that will fail prematurely. It's expensive to be broke.
I bought the same bike and I sm having to work on it every day because nothing was greased, the Crank is popping, the kickstand is loose so it has fell over and broke my light mount, shit like that.
I know mountain bikes are expensive, a brake caliper alone on my "ordinary" trail bike cost more than the price of a kent flexor full sus you understand quality can't match. It's sad but if you're planning to use them you need to spend a bit more...
Bought one of these Bikes 2 days ago and I ride it every day through the hood on messed up roads to work.... only 2 days about 20 minutes there and back and so far let's hope it holds up!
I picked up a schwinn 10 years back and damn, its been flawless for me, shifts good, and goes fast. And also haven't had to do any repairs on it. Best 159 dollars spent on a bike.
I have this bike, and I'm doing a load of upgrades and weird modifications to it (like a hard tail conversion so I can convert it to a fixie maybe since as a mtb it'll probably never be great) but it's my first time working on a bike (or planning to). May i ask what you used to replace the bottom bracket, a shimano all purpose crank set? Is there any sizing i should know about? I asked Kent but the rep basically told me to buy oem and ghosted when i asked about sizings.
The bottom bracket is a square taper cup and cone style setup. You'll need a cone wrench and a pin wrench to do the job. I kept the stock square taper spindle and bought a square taper Shimano 3x crankset. I forgot the model, but it was cheap.
WTH man? When I was a kid. We all got decent BMX Bikes. Most of us had Mongoose or Diamondback bikes and we customized parts like the breaks mainly, Shimano was the best. Sometimes the gooseneck and seats. Anyway they were decent, light enough, and rugged as hell. Now they seem to be pure junk almost everywhere i look unless you spend $500+
Ima buy this onefor 150$ kent iron rock the old school brakes are 10x better than none hydrologic disc brakes i just dont like the steering frame its to much of a high tube with a outer long tube makes it feel like im just steering a long tube ** but oh well it gets the job done
@@AdrenalineIsLife I bought wheels, grips, and pedals. I had to tighten all nuts & bolts. Next up is the goose and crank. Thanks again, now I know what to get.🤣
I was going to buy this bike but I'm definitely not! I had a few Walmart box bikes and No more! Junk! I had a bottom bracket stripped out on a bike ride one time. Then the other bike the rear axle bent going over a curb lol
I bought a shocks bike one time front and rear ,the chain snapped every 10 sec,the stands fall off, discbrakes forget it,gears a no go,wheel alignment uh uh,nuts front and rear wheel axles never worked and that metal isn't an axle,whatever,seat pole too short am six feet above,brake adjustment rim sounds like sshhrr every time,the rubber on front shocks dry rotted,push with thumb gears- too stiff Alan wrench slott in brake block to shallow and bursts screws,wobbling wheels,20¢ handle grip,seats last 15 mins, one ride down hill 7secs disc brakes Mettle rushing in sparks the brakes was done there using slot of trash to build bikes so they won't last 3 days. My last three bike purchases were the biggest bike errors I could had done man they build bikes terribly softy and poor for the amount of years bikes are here it's like those manufacturers don't even test them I'd like to shuv one up there_@$$.
Well thing is, most of us are not made of money, I believe that you do have legitimate points of concern, and are definitely trying to convey safety. With that being said, I know for a fact that most of you bicyclist are dead set against, and heavily mock Walmart bike's, as well as treat them horribly. You tube is full of these very abusive and unrealistic videos, some of these videos are so far fetched and out of touch, that even a middle of the road or even a high end bike wouldn't have faired well. You and others like you, wrongfully mistreat these cheaper bikes with malice and intent, purposely to the point that is unfounded and lacks merit. And you know it. Any bike would fail if the intention is to make it fail. I suspect even I, could purchase a middle of the road bike, harshly, and purposely mistreat it, and by the end of the day, have it broken with maybe some minor injuries to my person, but still causing failure to the bike. I'm not paying $1k or more for any bike, that I still have to pedal it. $500 Is still way to much, but that's as far as I'm willing to go. Walmart bike's are not as bad as you people make them out to be. Allot of the catastrophic failures are due to poor workmanship and build ethics, the young people at most stores are mistreated, or simply don't care to build these bicycles with quality and sound judgement. I suspect you know this. Any way thank you for making this video for all of us to see, and learn your advice, as you do seem reasonably knowledgeable.
Thanks for the comment. Little known fact about me is that I did bike assembly at a local department store in my youth. I used to take pride in building up bikes as best as I could. I've seen some pretty bad bikes and some pretty good ones. I've also spent my entire life up until 6 years ago riding cheap department store bikes ( I just turned 50). Again, I've ridden some gems and some terribly bad bikes. If you are watching these Walmart bike abuse videos, you have to look at them in the context of the channel presenting them. There are a lot of young people with little cash that are looking to ride real mountains and frequently they're looking at these videos for a reference as to whether they will stay in one piece or send them to the hospital. To your point, some are merely for entertainment purposes. For someone that wants a basic bike to ride, virtually any bike will suffice. The key is to get out and ride and enjoy yourself. You just have to know which bikes will get you around town and local dirt paths (95% of people) and which bike will survive a 3000ft rocky descent ( the other 5%). Bicycles are one of the most common products on earth. The goal of my video is to help people find the right bike from among a sea of bad ones. Oddly enough, tomorrow I have a new video on another Kent bike from Walmart dropping. The tone of that video is much different than this one. Thanks for watching.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I've been trying for 3 days straight I can't even get a caliber shaft or even 3 ball bearings They send you nothing they just keep asking for pictures.... Had to buy my own parts And got everything put together Rides fine and smooth...
I have 2 huffy bikes, both more than 10 years old. Both work fine. I do an 80 mile gravel trip few times a year and besides maintaining them every year , they are ok. The bearing set is only $10 or so and I only did that one on my 29inch bike. Both have quill stem and they work fine.
How did I know that after saying "for a little bit more money..." you were going to immediately suggest something DOUBLE the price?! Idk probably because this is like the 4th video to do it. I'm not spending 400 bucks to just find out riding isn't for me. That's ridiculous. Is there really no alternatives actually worth the investment? I'd consider going up to 300 ish if the bike was just...not trash like all these 200 dollar bikes but I'm not trying to spend 400+ and then realize i hate biking or something lol be reasonable
Bikes that end up in landfills after a short time is wastful. People deserve better.
I put 5k on a flexor. Just have to have the know how to fix
@@TimLevi I have this same bike and trying to learn how to upgrade it. I'd hate to throw it away. What all did you get for yours?
Most people who buy these "mountain bike" bikes would have much more use out of a city or Hybrid bike, but they don't look cool.
I'm not judging I just find it sad.
@@TimLevi with 5k I can build you two dream bikes that would retail each for 5k in a bike shop.
You spend your money however you want but just know that 😂
@@LawrenceMacMacster 5,000 miles, simpleton
pretty much one of the main thing i tell people is stay away from the full suspensions and look for a threadless headset
So important. Sadly, people get a little too excited when they see full suspension.
@@AdrenalineIsLife yeah i really wish alot more people would look at the hybrids and what not as commuters but they get caught up in all of the "mountain bike" marketing
@@purplegarage05 Agree 100%. They would work much better.
@@purplegarage05 i got a full suspension hybrid from walmart and its great ik people always say stay away from full suspension but some are good just gotta know what youre looking at
That bike you have, I have the same one, I got it from Walmart used, I dont have those issues, so hopefully mine keeps going strong, my wheel has a wobble but not what you showed, I enjoyed the watch and it was informative
Thanks for watching. I hope you get many years of use out of yours.
I started fixing up bikes as a side hobby when Covid started and after doing over 40 jobs Im convinced that working on big box bikes are way more difficult to fix or tune up because their components are just harder to make work. Adding to landfills is also a sad truth. Thanks for sharing and providing helpful tips for the viewers.
They truly are a headache to work on which further adds to the cost of owning one. Glad you enjoyed the video. 🙂
Only a headache if not knowing what to do
Headache or not, better components = easier to repair and maintain. I’ve fixed up low quality bikes too because my customers just wanted something they liked to work.
Bikes adding to landfills is just a sad part of life and not exclusive to the cheap bikes. A lot of people turn 16 and forget about their bikes, then their parents toss them. I found a perfectly good Robinson frame in the trash as a kid.
Let me chime in here.....
I'm 67 years old and have been riding bicycles for 62 years and remember very well the durable bikes I owned as a kid. In the last few years I bought 4 different bicycles from Walmart:--cruiser, mountain, and hybrid, as I just wanted to get some exercise riding around the neighborhood. However I ended up throwing ALL of them away after some very light use. The issues ranged from rims that kept causing tires to blowout to handlebars that wouldn't stay tight to coaster brakes that didn't work to gears that simply fell apart. None of the bikes were in ride-able condition after a short time so I had no choice but to set them out for the trash pickup. I threw the last Walmart bicycle away this morning and am done with bicycles for awhile. Maybe next year I'll buy a quality bike from a specialty shop, but right now I feel discouraged and don't want to waste anymore money. Cheap big box store bicycles just end up being more expensive in the long run.
Sadly, that is the case for many. Often, people lose interest in riding bikes as a result. I hope you get back on a bike soon!
A few months ago I saw this bike on "sale" on my local Walmart and at first glance it looks cool. But then I pulled it out the rack and noticed it feels so damn tall, but the frame size is kinda small. Then saw the quill stem and v brakes, and I promptly put it back on the rack. After watching this video, i'm glad I did. I instead bought a Schwinn AL Comp, and no complaints so far. Swapped the cheapo pedals for some Fookers and did a tubeless mod, and I'm all set.
Good choice! Enjoy.
Nobody wants to pay that price for a bike that doesn’t even have suspension it’s sad that you have to spend $400+ for a decent bike now days
There is a reason a bike in walmart cost $200 and a bile in a bike store cost $900. Like anything else ,u get what u pay for
Yes. For sure.
My rear wheel tire tube came off. And I had it for 2 months 1 day.
Take it back to Walmart they have a 90 day return policy IIRC
@AdrenalineIsLife we did earlier today but that breaking so quickly from light to moderate use is crazy
@ very much so.
I still have my big box bike and it's 25 years old and running good. Also I rode them on paved roads. One thing is the less fancier or less option (no suspension, less gears or single gear...), the less likely the bike will fail. I have friends who bought cruiser bikes from Walmart and those are built to last.
Simplicity is key. Too many bells and whistles really does increase the likelihood of issues.
Always rode big box bikes but I also was only using them for walking trails for exercise. However, when I got my first Trek from my local shop, I will never go back to a big box bike ever and preach the same message. The quality and engineering is far superior even with their entry level bikes.
💯 At least there's some accountability with bike shop bikes. They'll properly fit you, and the experience is much more enjoyable.
If I find myself at Walmart for whatever reason…I almost cannot even look at the bikes they have. I don’t even consider them bikes. And feel terrible when I see someone (especially a kid) pushing one toward the checkout. Forget not being setup right. They can’t be setup right! I’d bet one out of 10 even shifts. And 1 out of 20 has adjusted brakes. I always tell people to check Craigslist around here for a 90’s or 2000’s bike. There are some bike guys who find these older but quality bikes, tune them up and sell them VERY reasonably. These were built back when a “cheaper” bike was actually decent quality.
Agree. It's better to get an old bike. There are a few exceptions, but most people don't have the ability a good one or have the mechanic skills to fix one.
Literally just picked this bike off the street 5 mins ago because it was free and I rly needed something to cut down on gas while tryn to get to the gym. Now I regret picking it, glad I didn't pay for it. That was an informative over a brand I've never heard of. Thank you. Now I know what Im dealing with
It's a good thing you didn't pay for it. 😀
@@AdrenalineIsLife can you replace the stem with another bar or is it set?
@Ku Brah it's a quill stem. You should be able to replace with another one and install whatever handlebar fits it.
@@AdrenalineIsLife ok can you take the quill stem off and replace it with a threadless or are you stuck with quill?
@Ku Brah They make adapters, but I don't know how well they work.
Got a used electra townie recently. It's not super high end but it's pretty good quality and super comfortable. I don't even care to ever own a walmart type bike again.
Thanks, I bought one of these and then decided to look it up (I know I should have done the opposite), I returned it and got a polygon heist 2
A wise decision!
I went through 4 Walmart bikes mountain bikes,so called.returned all of them.I am sure they were resold,as is.
I wouldn't be surprised at all.
Damn, that was a well done video. Great job with a ton of useful information for beginners and Rico's alike!!
Thanks Rico!
Lol. The comment and the image of the TRex on a bike. Good vid dude!
Thanks! 😁 Glad you enjoyed it.
I recently won a bike similar to this only difference is that it’s a 26” model number Gs39100 from Kent as well from my work with their brand Is it worth upgrading it if I spent no money on it or should I just buy a whole new bike after it breaks down? I plan on using it mostly to work and back 40min there and back mostly street roads. Thanks
@brianduenas4752 I wouldn't invest too much if anything into it. Just replace wear items and maybe spend to improve comfort and utility.
I bought a cheap at Target & it’s definitely low quality…. It was already assembled & every bolt & nut was loose… handle bars not set-up right…. No air in the tires etc… I had both tires go flat within the first 2 months….. Bike shops will repair the tubes but always look at me oddly because I’m spending $30-40 dollars on a bike with less than $200. I really like the TREK Marlin 5 to 7 series.. I commute to work daily on my bike, so I want something faster & more reliable….
That's the problem with many department store bikes. Quality and assembly are generally bad. From my experience it's always something different with each bike. I find myself having to go through the whole bike to make sure I catch every problem.
Thank you for your advice sir, I was about to waste my hard earned money on that bycicle.
I'd also add that you should really consider do you even need the front suspension. If you are not going to ride any trails you propably don't need it.
100% agree! It just adds inefficiency on pavement.
Problem is he medium income in the us for a family of 4 is 55k a year. Those bikes are designed for children of less fortunate families. Most bike companies while super liberal and want to help people, also jack up the prices to afford life. Then they get bought out by dorel or pacific cycles and just slap a brand name on anything less that 2k. You want to fix this problem, then the big boys like specialized and trek need an econo line that puts good cheep components on decent frames. Walmart has started to do this with Schwinn, hyper, and mongoose. But then they jack the price to bike shop hard tail prices. But who knows these days. Niner is just a fancy huffy
I agree with everything you said. Walmart bikes are garbage and that’s actually why I unsubscribed to Kev Central. Maybe he just does it for his channel but I was tired of seeing him push these cheap ass walmart bikes with shitty components and then he “upgrades” them still with low end parts. Like you said, just spend the money for a cheap bike shop bike where it’s well put together. A walmart bike is okay for a kid riding around the neighborhood but no serious rider should ever consider a walmart bike purely for safety reasons. Why would someone spend $400 on a bike at Walmart when you can get a Trek Marlin 4 for around the same price is beyond me. I have a Trek Marlin 7 and every time I ride it I feel the quality
It's very rare to find a worthy Wal-Mart bike. Very rare. Once in a while, you get an anomaly like the Kent Trouvaille. For anyone that is serious about mountain biking, it's much safer to get a bike shop brand or serious direct to consumer brand. To get most of these bikes trail ready, you have to spend the price of a good brand anyway. Buy once, cry once, and you'll be happier for it.
@@AdrenalineIsLife totally agree. I’ve seen many videos about the Trouvalle and it seems to be a decent bike for the price but I can’t say any other Walmart bikes are. Seeing some of those bikes being sold for $200 worries me. That’s what the seat on my bike cost. Again I don’t know if that’s Kev Centrals channel just testing Walmart bikes but from everything I’ve watched it seems like that’s all he rides and all those bikes are garbage. They come with low end parts and he just buys other cheap low end parts with brands I’ve never heard of before. I suppose you could argue he’s doing it for budget purposes but you really don’t wanna skimp out on your bike parts. It’s just like brakes for your car you don’t wanna save money on safety
@ecymbura31 KevCentral has his niche, and he does well with it. There are a lot of people who are curious about those bikes and the mystery parts he uses. I'll watch once in a while. I'll bet most of those bikes don't see much more than green trails. It's not my jam but to each his own.
@@AdrenalineIsLife yeah I mean I kinda figured he probably does it just for the content but still I wouldn’t even consider those bikes. Waste of money as are the parts he gets but yeah whatever makes him happy I guess. I spent years getting bikes from Walmart and Kmart and once I got a bike shop bike even a bmx, the quality difference was night and day
@ecymbura31 same here. Rode cheap bikes for a long time. I'll never go back.
I have two inexpensive big box bikes and one that is a mid-level big box an older one that's built well with SRAM components and rigid fork then I've got a more expensive with mechanical threaded headset etcetera the point that I'm attempting to make is that the two inexpensive big bucks bikes have cool stones and a single bolt holding the handlebars on the quill stem they are constantly coming loose I have to check all the nuts and bolts frequently even though they are tight and they seem to work their way loose the result was a crash when when the quill stem came loose not to very long after it was tight I was just talking to my cousin and family how I believe these two bikes are not they require constant checking to make sure all nuts and bolts are tight
Sadly, these bikes are hit or miss.
This emphasizes the importance to research any purchase nowadays
@@RichardVanMeter-j5x definitely!
saw the Flexor bike at walmart today, looks very nice for the price, but after watching this video, I'm crying....I figured the parts were older and cheap when looking at it, but didn't think it would be this bad...uughhhh
Yes. Sadly is not a good bike.
Don't by it buy a GT avalanche or GT Aggressor
I've had good luck with a Walmart Roadmaster (steel) for less than $100. That thing you got looks way too embellished. Keep it simple. Look at the welds. Look to see if the fork is on correctly. Learn some basic wrench work. The bottom bracket thing is disturbing, but I'll bet it didn't get that way overnight. And I would never seriously consider a carbon bike as being anything other than a huge design compromise.
The simpler, the better, but people demand flashy bikes. A good eye and some wrenching skills will go a long way. Glad to hear that you've had a good experience with your bike.
@@AdrenalineIsLife Thanks! It's my daughter's bike (24") but I put a few miles on it each day to keep an eye on things and tweak it. I got a longer seat post so I don't strain my knees. I weigh 200 lbs and the bike is rated at 185 lbs with 50 psi. So I put 55 psi in and cross my fingers :)
Did 30miles with this bike in San Francisco, at 4miles per workday. 😅not recommended
Lol. You are brave! 😮
Just popping in to say that your Huffy series helped me a ton. I have a nicely setup XC bike but wanted something smaller for the local pump track. I picked up the Huffy Scout, and after changing basically everything, it's a pretty fun bike!
It was a fun project. For someone just starting, I'd spend a bit more and just buy a decent DJ bike. Now my wal mart bike has a nicer fork than my Diamondback does ha
Are you talking the Mongoose series? I don't remember working on any Huffys 😀
@@AdrenalineIsLife I'm just gonna go ahead and say yes. Your Mongoose series helped me with my Huffy, especially the fork upgrade portion. Thank you for the great content!
@@Wynn96 glad I could help! 😁 Enjoy the bike!
Glad I found this video although I just picked one of these same bikes up used for 75 bucks it's only to ride around our campsite for the summer so ah well. Although with quality I still have a haro vector V2 from 1998 , love that bike! Enjoyed the video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. At the end of the day, it's still just a simple machine. If it gets you where you want to go, it's a win at $75. I like those old Haro Vectors.
I just can never fathom how it will work out cheaper to fit a threaded fork over a threadless one. It's a lot quicker and easier to fit a threadless, therefore cheaper in labour costs. You still have to fit cups and bearings regardless but then you have the faff of fitting the threaded nut, maybe even tapping a thread on the steerer tube, which surely takes as much time if not more time than hammering in a star nut.
The big plus for me that buying a bike to upgrade spreads out the cost. It is difficult to find the money in one go for a high spec bike and sometimes paying on finance can be tricky. With upgrading you can upgrade as your budget allows. Knowing parts on big box bikes will failis a good incentive to judge your upgrades on also & you will end up with a bike that you want that is tailored to you rather than just an off the shelf bike. Mind you, I'm the type of person who will see a bike and I'll already be thinking about what I'd change on it so it would suit me best.
It's not hard to build bikes with threadless headsets. But their focus is maximum profits.
What you're doing is great. It's fun to make something better. I've done it my self. Unfortunately, for people that don't do that or have the skills and money to do it, they're stuck with a bike that will fail prematurely. It's expensive to be broke.
Wish I had seen your video a year ago.😭
I wanted the kent bike but is Ozark bike good?
The Ozark is a better option. Also, check out the Kent Trouvaille. I did some videos on the Trouvaille. Much better than the Flexor.
I bought the same bike and I sm having to work on it every day because nothing was greased, the Crank is popping, the kickstand is loose so it has fell over and broke my light mount, shit like that.
So frustrating. Every time I tear one down its the same story.
I know mountain bikes are expensive, a brake caliper alone on my "ordinary" trail bike cost more than the price of a kent flexor full sus you understand quality can't match.
It's sad but if you're planning to use them you need to spend a bit more...
Bought one of these Bikes 2 days ago and I ride it every day through the hood on messed up roads to work.... only 2 days about 20 minutes there and back and so far let's hope it holds up!
🙏 I hope it serves you well.
Update?
@@thatboytrent7499 it was trash i sold it
my entry level bike shop is always sold out on cheaper stuff
Great video. Just bought an Ozark from Walmart.
2:25 the schwinns and mongoose are the only Walmart bikes worth buying. Everything else pos throwaway garbage imo
I agree.
I picked up a schwinn 10 years back and damn, its been flawless for me, shifts good, and goes fast. And also haven't had to do any repairs on it. Best 159 dollars spent on a bike.
I have this bike, and I'm doing a load of upgrades and weird modifications to it (like a hard tail conversion so I can convert it to a fixie maybe since as a mtb it'll probably never be great) but it's my first time working on a bike (or planning to). May i ask what you used to replace the bottom bracket, a shimano all purpose crank set? Is there any sizing i should know about? I asked Kent but the rep basically told me to buy oem and ghosted when i asked about sizings.
The bottom bracket is a square taper cup and cone style setup. You'll need a cone wrench and a pin wrench to do the job. I kept the stock square taper spindle and bought a square taper Shimano 3x crankset. I forgot the model, but it was cheap.
@@AdrenalineIsLife thank you so much! Think I could pick up a a single gear crankset that fits the tapered square?
@Jerry Knudsen yes there should be a few options on Amazon
@@AdrenalineIsLife thanks for real, these answers have saved me hours more research trying to figure out what I'm doing 😅
@@jerryknudsen7898 happy to help. Good luck with your project!
WTH man? When I was a kid. We all got decent BMX Bikes. Most of us had Mongoose or Diamondback bikes and we customized parts like the breaks mainly, Shimano was the best. Sometimes the gooseneck and seats. Anyway they were decent, light enough, and rugged as hell. Now they seem to be pure junk almost everywhere i look unless you spend $500+
Yeah. They've tried to make the bikes more complicated and ruined the quality.
For general use yes but not on any trails
Another way of saying it is buy nice or buy twice.
I like that version. It's more positive 😀
Glad I sold the flexor for 30$ I have 2 GT way better then flexor
There's better bike than that at Walmart, your friend just chose the worst one
Bro a new mtb I got from Walmart had a flat tire 2 days after I got it.
That's a bummer. Hopefully, you can take it back.
Update: I did take it back and got a new, way better mtb.
Kent has a new mountain bike selling at Wal-Mart for 398 and seems to be a decent bike.
Stay tuned. I have a video on it coming shortly.
Ima buy this onefor 150$ kent iron rock the old school brakes are 10x better than none hydrologic disc brakes i just dont like the steering frame its to much of a high tube with a outer long tube makes it feel like im just steering a long tube ** but oh well it gets the job done
good narration bro.
Thanks!
Steel???
No wonder it's heavy. Shit, I should've watched this. I have a 3 day old Kent. 😶
I hope yours is problem free. Kent recently put out a new bike called the Trouvaille that is actually pretty decent.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I bought wheels, grips, and pedals. I had to tighten all nuts & bolts. Next up is the goose and crank. Thanks again, now I know what to get.🤣
I was going to buy this bike but I'm definitely not! I had a few Walmart box bikes and No more! Junk! I had a bottom bracket stripped out on a bike ride one time. Then the other bike the rear axle bent going over a curb lol
So many issue with these Walmart bikes. Luckiky, there are lots of deals right now for good bike shop bikes
I bought a shocks bike one time front and rear ,the chain snapped every 10 sec,the stands fall off, discbrakes forget it,gears a no go,wheel alignment uh uh,nuts front and rear wheel axles never worked and that metal isn't an axle,whatever,seat pole too short am six feet above,brake adjustment rim sounds like sshhrr every time,the rubber on front shocks dry rotted,push with thumb gears- too stiff Alan wrench slott in brake block to shallow and bursts screws,wobbling wheels,20¢ handle grip,seats last 15 mins, one ride down hill 7secs disc brakes Mettle rushing in sparks the brakes was done there using slot of trash to build bikes so they won't last 3 days. My last three bike purchases were the biggest bike errors I could had done man they build bikes terribly softy and poor for the amount of years bikes are here it's like those manufacturers don't even test them I'd like to shuv one up there_@$$.
I need a cheaper bike just to ride around for exercise. Nothing crazy.
Any day on a bike is a good day. Luckily prices on bikes are starting to come down.
Well thing is, most of us are not made of money, I believe that you do have legitimate points of concern, and are definitely trying to convey safety. With that being said, I know for a fact that most of you bicyclist are dead set against, and heavily mock Walmart bike's, as well as treat them horribly. You tube is full of these very abusive and unrealistic videos, some of these videos are so far fetched and out of touch, that even a middle of the road or even a high end bike wouldn't have faired well. You and others like you, wrongfully mistreat these cheaper bikes with malice and intent, purposely to the point that is unfounded and lacks merit. And you know it. Any bike would fail if the intention is to make it fail. I suspect even I, could purchase a middle of the road bike, harshly, and purposely mistreat it, and by the end of the day, have it broken with maybe some minor injuries to my person, but still causing failure to the bike.
I'm not paying $1k or more for any bike, that I still have to pedal it. $500 Is still way to much, but that's as far as I'm willing to go. Walmart bike's are not as bad as you people make them out to be. Allot of the catastrophic failures are due to poor workmanship and build ethics, the young people at most stores are mistreated, or simply don't care to build these bicycles with quality and sound judgement. I suspect you know this.
Any way thank you for making this video for all of us to see, and learn your advice, as you do seem reasonably knowledgeable.
Thanks for the comment. Little known fact about me is that I did bike assembly at a local department store in my youth. I used to take pride in building up bikes as best as I could. I've seen some pretty bad bikes and some pretty good ones. I've also spent my entire life up until 6 years ago riding cheap department store bikes ( I just turned 50). Again, I've ridden some gems and some terribly bad bikes. If you are watching these Walmart bike abuse videos, you have to look at them in the context of the channel presenting them. There are a lot of young people with little cash that are looking to ride real mountains and frequently they're looking at these videos for a reference as to whether they will stay in one piece or send them to the hospital. To your point, some are merely for entertainment purposes. For someone that wants a basic bike to ride, virtually any bike will suffice. The key is to get out and ride and enjoy yourself. You just have to know which bikes will get you around town and local dirt paths (95% of people) and which bike will survive a 3000ft rocky descent ( the other 5%). Bicycles are one of the most common products on earth. The goal of my video is to help people find the right bike from among a sea of bad ones.
Oddly enough, tomorrow I have a new video on another Kent bike from Walmart dropping. The tone of that video is much different than this one.
Thanks for watching.
Bike shaped objects hilarious very very good
Absolutely love it
Nothing in walmart is safe
Actually there's some solid bikes at Walmart
Warranty is fake from Kent.......
I would guess that it's very difficult to get warranty honored.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I've been trying for 3 days straight I can't even get a caliber shaft or even 3 ball bearings They send you nothing they just keep asking for pictures.... Had to buy my own parts And got everything put together Rides fine and smooth...
Hilarious, because i found a tool for removing the cassette. Hard to take you seriously...
A decent person would've simply shared what the tool was and helped others out, but yeah, enjoy your weird flex.
@@AdrenalineIsLife I believe I will. ✌😉
I have 2 huffy bikes, both more than 10 years old. Both work fine. I do an 80 mile gravel trip few times a year and besides maintaining them every year , they are ok.
The bearing set is only $10 or so and I only did that one on my 29inch bike. Both have quill stem and they work fine.
How did I know that after saying "for a little bit more money..." you were going to immediately suggest something DOUBLE the price?! Idk probably because this is like the 4th video to do it. I'm not spending 400 bucks to just find out riding isn't for me. That's ridiculous. Is there really no alternatives actually worth the investment? I'd consider going up to 300 ish if the bike was just...not trash like all these 200 dollar bikes but I'm not trying to spend 400+ and then realize i hate biking or something lol be reasonable
I just bought this used for $100 :(
Hopefully yours doesn't give you any problems 🙏
Walmart bikes are made for children .
Why waste your time making video about cheap adults riding them
Doodoo bike
To get that free wheel off i got it ogg with fr13 parktool one.
If you can just avoid wallmart. Go to a bike store
I agree.