$150 MTB vs. Bike Park | GMBN's Cheap Bike Challenge - US Edition

[@garavonhoiwkenzoiber]

4:16 wow, gear indicators, chainring chainguard, AND a kickstand? My £3000 bike has none of those! This bike is fully kitted out!

[@deviantgaming9726]

Walmart only honestly sells a handful of bikes I would say aren't actually dangerous. You missed the "not intended for offroad use" warning on the fork 😅

[@aether388]

Yep - my main ride is an Ozark Trail Ridge 29" - I've upgraded it a good bit tbf, but even out the door it was able to take on trails (well after a tune-up, at least). Awesome starting MTB for $400

[@deviantgaming9726]

@aether3885 that is literally one of the 4 I meant when I said that lol. I ride an axum and a friend rides an ardor. I like the trouvaille, but the frame was too cramped for my 6'2 frame

[@Accuracy158]

I've logged some mellow miles on a Schwinn Axum and the only real source of "excitement" is going to be the stock breaks. Might occasionally get a thorn going through a tire and inner tube and a chain drop or two is still going happen also.

[@deviantgaming9726]

@Accuracy158 it's not perfect by any means but it's a great place to start. A decent set of hydros and upgrade the drivetrain and its a proper beast. I run maxxis ardent 2.25 tires and an advent 9 xl 46-11 with a 32t oval chain ring. Still rocking a 120mm coil fork from an older project tho

[@Accuracy158]

@@deviantgaming9726 Yeah I don't think they're worth upgrading compared to just buying something nicer to start with. But I still ride it occasionally when I'm ridding varied trails with bit single track mixed in.

[@wmkm7144]

I love videos that give me the justification to buy ridiculously overpriced bikes.

[@dvs620]

Walmart has their own brand that makes a decent hardtail. The Ozark Trail Ridge can be had for $398 and is a good jumping off point for beginners who aren't sure they'll like mountain biking.

[@gmbn]

😅😂

[@dannyphantom121]

@@gmbn Shouldve got a Schwinn or Huffy. Hyper is crazy ngl.

[@Harkins02]

Arrives in Phoenix for Sedona bike fest and immediately does south mountain on a $150 bike! Now that’s what I call a good weekend!

[@rusty2222]

I've got Sam Pilgrim on line one, he wants a word...

[@charliecook6909]

😂 throught the same thing , im sure iv seen this video before 🤔 oh yeah I have 😂

[@itsnot1673]

this is way more impressive

[@Celeon999A]

It is clearly flippable...so much is certain. But only some stairset doomage will show its TRUE potential and limits 😂

[@better.better]

if I recall Sam's bike was still rideable at the end so I think it might have needed some minor repairs

[@KP-ol3tc]

I believe Ryan Taylor hit us with this concept about 7-8 years ago but I don't wanna give him too much credit cuz he a weirdo lol

[@JonCannings]

This reminds me why I love big supermarkets so much. They literally sell everything and you can spends hours inside them just wandering and wandering!

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Is this still a thing in the UK? (Seems it is in the US). In my area, the last one will close at the end of the month. Here in Germany, supermarkets that have more than food are getting rare.

[@johndor1904]

@@chrisridesbicycles in america we call them department stores, and there was a time when walmart didnt sell groceries, just every other random thing on the planet. At one point walmart opened stores that only sold groceries, and im not sure they are around anymore

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@johndor1904 Interesting that they came from that side. The store I wrote about was a Walmart from 1997 to 2006 before they left the German market. Before that, it was some regional chain but it always sold everything from groceries to toys to bikes.

[@Emtbtoday]

Ozark trails ment be their first real bike worth getting, berm peak done the walmart review last month

[@blackhawk65589]

My gf picked one of those up last year for her first mtb. Great entry level bike for the price and you can simply return it if it breaks

[@johndor1904]

I was/am thinking about that Ozark Trail 29er, but on the other hand I might be able to build off a used frame for less than it would be to buy the OT and upgrade it

[@donnovicki9771]

Giordano Valor or Intrepid. Good bike reasonable priced not 150.00. but some quality components. No need to upgrade right off.

[@VFXBishop]

Honestly, I think that cheap bikes like these are important not from a hobbyist/enthusiast perspective, but from a general mobility perspective. They may serve as a gateway for people who are intersted in cycling as a hobby, but really their strongest suit is getting people around on generally smooth surfaces and having a good look for people who like the style. I don't think many/any of the bikes at Wally World are actually meant to be real MTBs with the exception of a couple of their "Most expensive" models.

[@corykayhoe1033]

As a American watching this i couldn't stop laughing, Walmart sells some suspect bikes 😂 , rich your one brave man .

[@Salty_Shredz]

Gotta try the Ozark trail ridge! That’s the only Walmart bike I’d honestly recommend! Definitely worth a rich/blake GMBN review!

[@Silverhaze78]

Schwinn Axum , Ozark Trail Ridge or the Kent Trouvaille are the better options from Walmart.

[@komoonkh]

But the video wouldnt be entertaining, because those bikes can handle a basic trail no prohlem, actually pretty decent.

[@SavageGTI]

Just getting back into bikes since I was a kid. Picked up a 27.5" schwinn Al Comp hard tail from Walmart. But only have done some basic trails nothing like this video

[@justinhays0827]

It's my opinion that since Walmart's founding hometown is Bentonville, Arkansas, which is now a Mountain Biking Mecca, they have exactly ZERO excuses to not offer decent biking options nowadays. This is a huge financial and ethical opportunity for them. It might even influence other retailers to follow suit and stop selling dangerously cheap bikes.

[@trevorturkin9411]

I will say, they do have some decent offerings now that could be considered mountain bikes if they aren't already, like to ozark trail ridge, and the kent trouvaile, or even the schwinn axum. I was kind of hoping he would pick that schwinn taff, cus he would have actually probably had a decent experience with it for like $300.

[@DaveCM]

They have a few bikes that aren't too bad in the scheme of things. But, they can't support really good bikes as that would require mechanics They wouldn't want to pay.

[@saitoman]

Bentonville, Arkansas.

[@Wolit51]

Walmart ethical? lol

[@gmbn]

Don't get us wrong, there are some great bikes and solid brands available through their stores. We set out to find a mountain bike shaped object which just isn't up to task for some of the areas wildest trails!

[@isaacyip7168]

I love this type of video. Keep making these GMBN

[@Velo1010]

Same here

[@gmbn]

Which countries supermarkets should we sample next?

[@lilbruin]

Canadian Tire. No groceries, but any number of suspect bikes. having said that, I rode them for years for just pootling.@@gmbn

[@adamweb]

8:15 This scene cracked me up, they should just make the entire frame one huge warning sticker/owners manual combo 😂

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Should have got the Ozark trail for $398 plus tax hardtail with a suntour fork.

[@antdod1]

The kickstand is so u can leave it any where and hopefully some one will nick it lol 😆

[@gmbn]

Chance would be a fine thing!

[@antdod1]

You should leave it outside gmbn headquarters and see if it gets taken lol 😆

[@riccardonotari9701]

The Garmin on the handlebar costs twice the whole bike... 🤣🤣🤣

[@Jimburgess1977]

A $181 bike turns out to be a death trap on the trails. Who’d of thought 😅

[@lilbruin]

That bike on that cliff edge?!? One of the scariest things I've seen on the internet for a while. You're a brave man (or the other thing…)

[@gmbn]

Potentially a bit of the other thing 😅😉

[@upstatecre8]

Come on! You walked by the red Schwinn Axum…for this ride you would have had 29 inch wheels(29x2.6), dropper post, I want to say 180mm front disks and 160 rear. As a MTBer that knows his stuff, why did you pull the trashiest bike off the rack? I know in the west it took a long time for these bikes with tapered head tubes to show up, but you walked right by at least one of them. I’d like to challenge you to pull off one of their bikes with a tapered head tube and do an honest “Walmart” bike review please.

[@simonm1447]

GMBN is very similar here to GCN, they ride their expensive bike and they ''test'' some very cheap ones. They typically do not really cover the class of decent beginner bikes. This may be the case since they have sponsors, which have an interest in selling their expensive bikes. Schwinn is not a GMBN sponsor.

[@upstatecre8]

@@simonm1447 Thank you for bringing this up. It’s worth noting. We all know that there are some amazing higher level bikes out there. I feel like this KZbinr did themselves a discredit by choosing the bike they did and I just really trying to say it as frankly and respectfully as I can.

[@KarstRats]

@@upstatecre8well this is a good moment for parents to realize they shouldnt buy the cheapest bike they can for their kids. Just the danger factor alone is enough to steer an unknowing parent that doesnt ride out of the way of the cheapest of the cheap. Theyll at least know what not to look for ya feel?

[@echobenav8]

Totally agree with your POV. The Axum is a great gateway into the sport without spending a lot of money. Not everyone can drop $2k on full sus "entry-level" bike. Would be great to see a proper review of entry level bikes at various price points.

[@bonzobanana1]

This is no different to the GCN video where they bought a Eurobike, a very overpriced entry level road bike when there were great quality entry level road bikes from other brands like the Carrera Virtuoso or offerings from Decathlon plus a few other decent options. Instead they chose the Eurobike. They are trying to manipulate the audience to avoid entry level or shop brand bikes and buy the more expensive models ideally from their sponsored brands. Most consumers aren't buying the worst possible option in the store they are looking at what is available and making a value judgement and that hasn't happened here they have selected the worst option to match their sponsorship agenda. The debt level of the USA and UK is staggering. It's something like $35 Trillion for the US for government debt or about $100 trillion for all liabilities. Consumers should be making sensible choices with their money neither entry level junk or overpriced premium products but sensible products between those two. Most bikes come from Asia and are simply rebranded to US or European brands. Here in the UK you can get good quality shop brand bikes for £400 that match the spec and quality of big brands at around £800-900.

[@RAZ423]

These videos make me smile, but in all honesty the bikes are fine for most who buy them. They will be brought out once or twice a year to be ridden around the neighborhood sidewalks. The adventurous will tote round an entire family's worth hanging off the back of an RV and toodle around the campground loop during family vacation. In fact I have more respect for them than the narcissist with the 4X4 carrying $10K MTBs that never leave the pavement either.

[@CoachLo3]

Walmart does have some good bikes now. Ozark Trail and Kent have good ones. Would love to see a video on those instead.

[@steve2084]

Amazzzzzzing soundtrack and ride position!!! 😅😅😅 I had a department store bike right thru until 14 and the difference is obvious! Entry level bike store bike costs $250 CDN more than the “equal” counterpart at Walmart and is worth EVERY cent of it…unless you like rotating handlebars and wobbly cranks!!!! Great video. Really loved it! Those bars were what? 550mm wide? Hahahahaha. Epic. Thanks for doing it!

[@michaelorlando3647]

What trails are you riding in Arizona? Is that South Mountain, Hawes or some other trail system?

[@Derekforeal]

South Mountain.

[@mommamooney]

I’ve been looking forward to this video. It did not disappoint! Hopefully Rich found his teeth and eyeball after this ride

[@vetrakr]

I recently got one of these, took it to the hardest, most technical trails in my area. Can confirm, it does want to throw you over the bars, but both I and the bike survived. A little tune up to tighten the nuts and bolts, it'll be ready for another romp. If you know your limits, and the bike's it's a perfectly fine beginner bike. It will die, hopefully by then you've found the resolve and had enough fun to justify spending more on the hobby.

[@clarencehowell1986]

As much as a didn’t want to watch another one of these. You nailed it! 😂

[@8364687]

Good stuff, this showcases why you should step it up even,100$ more and you start getting to modern MTB builds . I like it .

[@FirestormAA]

Gosh is seriously dangerous heading down hill with a Walmart cheap bike..... lol

[@ripapa6355]

The shot from behind whenever you're sitting and peddaling has some serious mario kart vibes. 😂😂

[@gmbn]

Couple banana skins from Rich is more than likely!

[@mrman26]

I love it when the British lads come out and ride in the western US! I would only consider a Walmart mountain bike if you plan to stay on paved paths. I would also consider adding a couple hundred dollars to the budget and getting a much more-capable “Ozark Trail” bike. I like that people with smaller budgets can at least get something.*

[@artvandelay1720]

The point of a URT suspension is that it throws you over the bars, so the bike was working as intended

[@woozertoo]

I must say: I’m really diggin’ the 70s funk soundtrack 📻

[@tamasimrei]

This video should have a DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME label on. This guy is a pro with many, many years of experience and a ton of skills, suffering from the start. Those bikes are not meant for this.

[@ericzochowski3749]

Wow, that trail is so rough you can't possibly have any fun riding it. But the bike made it to the end.

[@thelocalangler]

that should be your guys next cheap bike challenge, you Blake and The Don all get department store bikes and go head to head.

[@TheFuel89]

That looks like a Carraro I had as kid. Though I'm pretty sure mine was better, but that might just be my fond memories.

[@loginbreaux5855]

This exact model was my first “mountain bike”. What’s funny is that the bottom bracket is on the rear triangle making the rear suspension effectively useless

[@better.better]

definitely go over this shit with a fine tooth comb and a torque wrench before you get on it. remember it wasn't a mechanic (of any sort) that assembled this.

[@davidmcdermott3415]

The assembly is the biggest question. It was unboxed by the same guy that stocks the underwear.

[@jameshowe2074]

I just hope that Rich got to enjoy those rad looking trails on a decent rig!

[@Ignore_This_Account.]

I'm surprised it had that many problems so fast, I have one of those, I've went up and down 7 different mountains in Colorado with that damn thing, it's still fine lol.

[@Ignore_This_Account.]

Like the exact same model as the one in the video.

[@ATouchOfEvil]

Back in the 70s before BMX really hit on the east coast, we used to ride Stingrays on old Motocross trails. I dare say we were safer than anybody trying to ride that thing.

[@robertmoore119]

Thats the way I started the hobby of MTB riding. I grew up riding bmx as a kid. I had a Dyno Detour and Sonic as my favorite bmx bikes. An ex co worker and I say a Nissan commercial around 2002 with the sport ute that they put mountain bikes on the top of. We thought, that looks like fun! He had a bike, but I didn't. Off to Walmart for an mtb. My second MTB cost about $3400. For $150, they do the job of getting people started in the hobby! Those work best on sidewalks or a beginner trail.

[@theferrouslife]

I got my Mongoose Dolomite ALX from Wal-Mart and I love every second on it

[@aer_026]

I waited to see this one when you posted on IG. Did not disappoint

[@gmbn]

Thanks for watching the full vid!

[@cameronjaeger]

I can't wait for the next part of the video where they try and return it.

[@tims_builds]

You did walk past some of the better options at Walmart, pretty sure I spotted a couple Schwinn Boundaries in there. If you were going for sub $200 though I guess this'll do...

[@jonathanzappala]

Seth would be proud

[@raphaelwolff8205]

Rich youve done well mate to get back to the car in one piece.Makes us appreciate riding the expensive bikes we have.

[@nvanpraag]

You're a VERY brave man. 😆

[@brianorourke4530]

Get what you pay for. Great funny video!! 😂

[@brentmitchell427]

Strip it to the frame/triangle then build it back up with decent components and see if the frame can take it

[@pauljackson5326]

How narrow are those bars though?

[@Jusdin057]

Right 😂, I almost thought he grabbed off a Dirt Jumper

[@bulletprufrodo]

I have one of those bikes. The ominous music was right on!

[@talonpatten1561]

We need a video on how to do that fancy trick you did with your foot while sitting down to get the back back up again

[@madtownangler]

All those rocks over and over is why i never went mountain biking out there when i lived close out in Colorado.

[@iamjessieray]

I had one of these when I was in college just to get around town and... yeah it did it but I always has issues with shifting and the brakes are HORRID. Recently decided I wanted to get into trail riding/mountain biking and was looking for an entry point that doesn't make my wallet cry, thank you for reminding me how bad this one is lol

[@krehme]

My first mountain bike was at Walmart mountain bike and after I broke it three times I decided to go ahead and get a standard hard tail. They just aren’t made for trail use. I would say gravel roads would be the gnarliest surface that makes sense for department store bikes.

[@JB50713]

"if you were thinking of getting some like this" lol That was funny Rich!

[@chinabicycle]

Well, I asked you not to show my first bike, now everyone will laugh at me

[@gmbn]

🤔What is the cheapest bike you've ever bought? How long has it lasted? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

[@nicklowe536]

Raleigh Mantis £200 back in 91 got.me.into mountain biking had three great years together till passing it on to my dad

[@nakitojimo2001]

2021 Genio Scappa steel gravel bike with Sensah Reflex 2x8 groupset for less than $150. Surprisingly it's a bad-ass, it can even handle steep single tracks!

[@keithwestwood4640]

94 giant boulder shock from Deganwy cycles £250 in a sale ,thought it was the bee's knee's back in the day.

[@simonm1447]

My cheapest bike is a Cyclewolf teenager bike which was thrown away a couple of years ago. I found it during a scrap metal collection and refurbished it, however it's still working fine and it did not need a lot of things replaced. It does not have the safety hazards of the bike in the video

[@superdomestiquesd]

Lean back, lean back - the early 90s MTBing mantra

[@dirtshart]

Man I miss both my 2000 and 2001 CR250s those were the best bikes I raced never could get the hang of a 450. And would still love to have either one of those year even though I no longer race MX. They would make awesome off-road bike they had gobs of low end power especially with a fmf fatty pipe, porting and v-force reeds.

[@mtbmadman187]

Rich with the cannons out for the like!

[@delyrium_]

8:27 that's an epic warning :)))

[@gabrys187]

Time for upgrades now!

[@evanbrom1]

I am so happy to see rides on my local terrain in the local "park"

[@keebaeklim]

Thats how I started with mtb, crapo walmart bike. Crashed hard, almost lost a few teeth and decided I needed a proper bike, so ended up with the Specialized Camber FSR in 2013

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Yeah sure Rich could have looked for a "better" Ozark trail or Schwinn at Walmart but Hyper has a DH entry so it's legit 😂😂😂

[@tom93r1]

I can fully appreciate how terrifying it must have been to ride a $150 Wal-Mart bike on South Mountain from the towers to Telegraph. Hopefully you were able to get a ride down National trail on a nicer bike.

[@samcragg88]

Had a huffy that looked just like that. Got it when I was 12 now 35. Crazy how cheap mtb tech hasn’t changed.

[@gmbn]

Do you still have the Huffy? It would be great to see if it's survived 🤘

[@artofcod2913]

My main issue with this type of video is places like Walmart do sell some bikes which would have been fine on that ride, but they always choose the cheapest dodgiest most dangerous bike on the shelf.

[@jriff21]

my only question: did you have to tighten anything because it was loose? or did you Trust that the walmart assembler properly torqued everything?

[@madtownangler]

One of my friends bought a Pacific like twenty years ago. He brought into a bike shop and swapped out the bottom bracket for a "real one" and his daughter rode it for a few years to school and back a little bit offroad but not much.

[@craigweightman799]

Omg i thought rich was going to die taking thing down a track 🤦 balls of steel richard.

[@chiefsilverback]

I run a small bike service business on the side and last year I had someone bring over their daughter's new bike she got for Christmas and hadn't been able to ride because the gears didn't shift properly. I looked it up and my pedals cost more than her whole bike! I got it running for her, but they are nearly impossible to setup well because the stamped steel chainring has 3mm+ runout and the front mech just can't handle that amount of wobble.

[@denaude7058]

Tge first thing that usually fails is the rear axle. Best first upgrade would be a hyperglide freehub wheel and a narrow wide chainring.

[@stanley3647]

You need do series - every cheapest MTB of reputable brands like TREK, Orange, SCOTT, Rockrider (Decathlon)... Some can be good, some bad.

[@allanfoster6965]

Fun video. But i think Walmart sell more serious kit on line.

[@powerr46]

This is better content guys than remaking the same ‘how to’ videos over and over again. Nice job.

[@mdtrx]

Looks like the 90's, which reminds me of a friend (in the 90's), who had his fork snap where it meets the headtube. I'm just waiting for when someone of you brave youtubers, have that happen to you.

[@mtbrallday3209]

Still in Phoenix area? You should hit the McDowell Mountain area

[@GF-cb8rr]

Hawes is a favorite. ...I would hope he went to the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival.

[@jantandrup1986]

If you put on some better brakepads, tyres, and a better fork. You actually have an okay starter MTB. We have these bikes in Denmark to, there name is just Greenfield. And I have rebuilded a LOT of these bikers, and upgraded them

[@andybiker-hiker4343]

Ya get what ya pay for! When it comes to Mountain Bikes, if we ask them to do ridiculous, tough, demanding things on our gnarly trails then we should not be surprised if they cost ridiculous amounts of money to buy

[@MTBr-of-SoCal]

That's just crazy! I'd be wearing a full face, pads and perhaps up my life insurance policy!

[@richardbabb1408]

I love the soundtrack guys but my wife thought I was watching something very inappropriate from the 70’s !

[@dallasangler]

Let's see.. Mongoose...no, Shwinn ...na wait a tick Havoc! That's the ticket.

[@travelbug8244]

I'm just going to ride around the park on a level surface so the Walmart bike should be good for me right?

[@danielb6472]

Just last weekend I took my son on his first real mountain bike ride on one of these... (it was a gift, his other, better, bike got left outside at his grandparents for a winter and is a rust bucket now). Im pretty sure that the child sized version of this thing weighs close to 40lbs (~18kg). I was actually shocked that you said aluminum frame, I'd have guessed lead at minimum. At least that would explain the cancer warning. Needless to say he didn't have a great time and I need to get his other bike going.

[@AHappyZeebra]

I’m American. And while WalMart is great to buy socks, shorts, and toothpaste, Bikes of steer as clear as possible from there 😂

[@xavierhulbert5849]

I would love to see a technical breakdown of one of these cheap forks and how the components compare to something like a suntour XCR (or equivalent) form. What makes these Walmart forks so cheap and unreliable?

[@thedoubleyellow9066]

I was just waiting for a crank to go! 😂

[@stefanprodanov5851]

I have a old Shimano full sus. bike, it's ok if you stick to non technician trails but I will not go on some dimending trails with it out of fear that the forks will snap off. Cheap coil shocks have a weird quark, if you overdo it they kick bak like a pogo stick, so fun 😁.

[@AliasHSW]

Somewhere on the bike frame there is a sticker states: not for off road use.

[@trail_sleighah]

I think the Mongoose that I got from Walmart was better than that. 😂

[@mkenyon7429]

You should have held out for the Kent 29 inch Flexor. The description says suitable for off load adventures.

[@blueengel68]

I might be able to finally keep up with Rich.

[@gazziboy]

and now for our next trick, we are returing the bike for a refund

[@davegravitt210]

Just how hard would it be to find a 1" steerer? All your parts would have be vintage finds.