expired Posted by Wyvern1 • Apr 28, 2022
Apr 28, 2022 12:35 PM
Item 1 of 1
expired Posted by Wyvern1 • Apr 28, 2022
Apr 28, 2022 12:35 PM
Mongoose Men's Grit Adventure Road & Gravel Bike (Blue)
+ Free Shipping$378
$498
24% offWalmart
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Also, it looks like they went to a 44mm head tube on the current version with a ZS headset (the prior version was a 34mm with an external cup headset), so it should be able to to take a tapered fork with a conversion headset.
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This is a bike to buy and use for what it is, not dreaming about "upgrading" to what it was not meant to be. If you don't have all the $ down, just don't bike an expensive bike, or look into financing one vs. upgrading piece by piece.
The bike should be ok for mild fire-roads w/o extended descents (would not trust the brakes much for steep singletrack/prolonged fast descents, unless you are super light).
Correct, there are deals out there, but if you go 8 speed (or 9 speed or whatever), you will need at least a right briefter (brake/shifter combo) to match the cassette, you will probably need a rear Derailleur too, and if more than 8 speed also a new chain, and yada-yada to the bottomless rabbit hole.
If you are patient in the used bike juju hunt, better wait for the $500-600 deal on a $1000-1200 bike that comes with a 2x8 or 2x9 (or even 1x10), perhaps has better wheels and spokes and "everything" vs trying to upgrade the $400 bike to $1000 spec.
For every person that dumps their wheelset on the cheap, there are others who buy bikes thinking of riding seriously and regret it after the 3rd ride or the 2nd flat tire etc.
I got my current gravel bike at 60% MSRP, 2 month old with maybe 30 miles on it: owner got it and regretted it, wanted to go back to MTB. Does that happen often? No, not after CoVID, but "maybe" it will. I actually think the used market starts recovering from the flippers gradually and more ok deals become more regular.
This walmart bike is not bad for the price. I would actually rate it favorably vs equally priced horrific ful-sus 3x7 MTBs and whatnot. But again, if I wanted a bike now, I would get it to ride as-is. Doesn't worth upgrading, anymore than a prius does. And this is fine.
If you can spend a bit extra coin and you are after something bit more "all-road" capable with better drivetrain, look into a Poseidon X, which is good value. Also comes with flat-bar that might suit more people and also makes upgrading to better brakes a much easier endeavor, as you can mix-match components from the MTB world vs. the much more expensive briefters (a pair of hydraulic shimano brake / shifters alone might be more than this bike, before the calipers and the discs etc, while you can get a complete pair of MT200 brakes that are a notable upgrade over the single sided bottom of the barrel mech calipers this comes with for like $60-90).
Something like the defy will likely have shimano sora, 25mm tires. If you really want to gravel, find inexpensive 32-35mm (depending on fork sizing allowances) tires to replace whatever is on the Defy. If you are trying to gravel with friends, they'll help you out with advice, maybe even spare parts (tires, tubes) while graveling.
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BLUF: THis is a faster bike (33c tires vs 40c tires) you can race with - if you want comfort the mongoose is better as built. Both are made for "off-road".
EDIT: Better groupset on the Schwinn (they tend to not skimp on parts - they build a solid inexpensive bike - I always recommend Schwinn).
More than adequate and high quality. The main difference between entry level Shimano and mid-grade and professional is the number of gears and weight. The shifting performance is near identical.
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More than adequate and high quality. The main difference between entry level Shimano and mid-grade and professional is the number of gears and weight. The shifting performance is near identical.
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BLUF: THis is a faster bike (33c tires vs 40c tires) you can race with - if you want comfort the mongoose is better as built. Both are made for "off-road".
EDIT: Better groupset on the Schwinn (they tend to not skimp on parts - they build a solid inexpensive bike - I always recommend Schwinn).
The 700x40s on the Mongoose are just barely enough but I'm sure you can fit wider tires to do decent rocky trails.