I think you covered the problems that 90% of bikes have. I have this bike. The brakes are garbage, that's true. I have new pads on the way. Other than that, I think the capability and upgradability of this bike far exceeds it's price tag. I will be changing the seat post, pedals, and stem soon. I have two other bikes that were a lot more than this one, but for an entry-level bike that doesn't break the bank, it's the best in the market right now for any style of riding.
It's a good bike to do upgrades and build we as people that like to tinker it's a good platform but to the unexpected person that's going to go in Walmart and think they're going to ride this bike and it's going to be a specialized, trek, or any of the big bike brands because most people that are reviewing this bike are not telling them it's at the end of the day is a Walmart bike with cheap components are going to be highly disappointed
I have had no problem with my brakes since I adjusted them! They work well! The gearing is a little light for me, that's true. I find this to be a very good bike for the money. It's even a good bike to ride stock. As far as your bike not fitting you, you picked a bike that is too big. You should take it back and get the small size. No Wal-Mart bike is safe leaving the store. You have to go through and basically rebuild them, because their assemblers either don't know what they're doing, or just don't care.
In my opinion there are very few good and safe mech brakes for drop bars. Any entry hydraulic drop bar brakes can perform as well as premium mech brakes like Paul Klampers and Grotec Equal, although they might need bleeding once a year. Imo the sweet spot for upgrading brakes on this bike is Tektro MD-550C or TRP Spyre.
@@JFacko If people don’t have the common sense to understand that a $250 bike doesn’t compare to a $600+ bike, it’s not on the creator for catering to their audience -who are usually already bikers that know better.
I would consider myself a pretty serious cyclist. I race XC mtb. I do a lot of gravel biking for training. I have a bikes direct gravel bike that I have had for 5 years and have done major rides on it. This bike is exactly the same build as mine!!! My bike was $500. I have upgraded bike over the years. Now I have tubeless wheels, hydraulic disk brakes, and a 1x11 speed(this upgrade takes a little axle modification). This bike is 100% upgradeable. I just bought it for my wife. I am putting flat bars, juice breaks and a 1x for her. It's REALLY nice!!!
I think more people need to understand is that it comes with ultra budget parts to meet it's price point. It really wasn't intended to remain "stock" and with under $100 in parts it actually punches well above it's weight. My upgrade path would be this: (and all amazon purchases fyi) Aluminum seat post Seat post clamp Pedals IXF cranks with 32 & 46 tooth chainrings Zoom cable operated hydraulic brake calipers. If wanting more range on the cheap, shimano mega range 14-36 freewheel ($17).
The reason why the seat post don’t clamp good is because it’s a steel seat post, a aluminum seat post will clamp and grip better! But I don’t have a problem with the bike and my 1x 32tooth 104bcd Crankset upgrade on the bike! 🙂
I recently got this bike , first ride was about 20 miles . And it was way better the my mountain bike which is a ozark trail vibe 2.0 ( better for off trail) . The Explorer I found it easy to find my gear and rarely needed to shift honestly. Seat a little uncomfortable bit over all great bike . My brakes were fine but this bike is upgrade ready. So not a bad starting bike that you csn slowly upgrade over time.
JFacko the things you listed as "flawed" are either personal preference or your lack of bike repair skills. Living happily with finicky mechanical disc brakes requires a certain level of brake repair skills you clearly don't have yet. If your remove the wheel, you MUST reinstall the wheel in exactly the same location, without bending the rotor, or the brakes will rub. You'll eventually gain those repair skills and understand my point. The issue you're having with the seat post clamp not getting right enough is because of the grease on the seat post. The issue you pointed out with the drivetrain skipping gears, cable damage, derailleur misaligned, etc. are all simple fixes for bike mechanics. Just cap the loose cable end, don't bother replacing the whole cable. Your issue with the tires is a person preference, you prefer a more road friendly tire and that's just what it is. I also wouldn't like those tires at all for mixed riding, but like I said that's a personal preference. New bikes will require more frequent adjustments as the parts get broken in, but if you clean, degrease and tune the cheap Ozark bike well, it will not need to be adjusted as frequently. You didn't need to add grease to everything, but adding the right grease to the right places is the key to success.
I’m literally right now at Walmart doing a curb side pick up of this bike. I think your video is legit. I ride mountain bikes and love tinkering with them, so yea, this looks like a good bike for me. Before committing some serious money to a gravel bike I want to make sure I try it first. And $248 is a good entry point.
Just got mine today. I’m about 5’8” I normally ride medium sized frames. We may have different length arms, legs and different riding styles so “height” isn’t a perfect judgment. I hope to ride some distance the next couple days. I’ll try to reply back my impression of “fit”
Weather has delayed my fun a bit. First trip maybe 6 miles wasn’t fun, but I don’t blame the bike. I usually ride “flat bars” so drop bars aren’t my thing. The stem was angled down and so were the bars. Seating and pedals felt fine, but I felt awkward and stretched no matter what position that I chose on the bars. 2nd trip out, about 1/2 mile in I stopped. I flipped the stem to an angled up position and adjusted the bars “flat” if that makes sense. I then had an enjoyable ride for about 12 miles. Sitting upright my fingers just touch the top of the bars. I can comfortably use the “hoods” to ride also. The drop position just isn’t comfortable to me at all. But that’s any drop bar for me. 3rd trip out was probably 8 miles and I could have gone longer but other obligations required my attention. I would consider a shorter stem to shorten my reach if the rise is the same. But I would not shorten the wheelbase with a smaller frame. It’s been my experience with some “small” sized frames that the bike feels like it’s trying to tuck underneath me. Hope this is somewhat helpful. If you get one and don’t like it, maybe your local Walmart will accept a return or exchange. $260 isn’t a lot of money to be out if you’re stuck with it, but it might be more than some want to gamble with.
This is a good bike for a beginner. You can always upgrade the components. And upgrading is the fun part. I upgrade all my bikes and find tune all of them.
This is the first video I've seen giving negative comments about this bike. I listened to every word. I still think it sounds like a rather good value in today's prices for a bicycle. The brakes seem to be the biggest problem. Would it still have sold with rim brakes? Rim brakes were "good enough" for almost 100 years.
Thanks for udpate. I considered buying this bike but since i have a single speed that does what i need it for. Beginner biker, 5-7 miles, 3x a week avg. Id rather just wait to see if i really take cycling serious before upgrading. But ill probably just upgrade my current SS. Until I drop a chunk of weight. Ill reward my weight loss with a big brand bike like you listed at the end.
I just got this bike--it’s only app. 15 bucks for corkys pads off Amazon, and 40 bucks for upgraded rotors…Mechanical breaks are fine for pedaling around…or you’re too heavyYou can put an extra few hundred in over time and have a great day to day fitness bike for the price. I can put a carbon fork, used suspension seatpost, saddle, crankset, carbon bars all under 300 bucks…😂 Its just fine.
Does left sided shifter work? Mine clicks (the bottom left sided shifter) but I don’t see anything change. The mini left sided shifter has no resistance no matter what gear I’m in and doesn’t do anything either. Not sure what’s it’s suppose to actually do.
your seat post clamp lever is bent inward, doesn't look like it's closing the full way either from the bend. Rear tire is facing opposite direction, diagonal treads should wick water to the outside of the rim, in this direction it directs to the center. Agree about the gearing. feel like the price makes up for a lot of the problems and leaves some room for a few upgrades.
Unless you get a higher level bike at a bike shop where it is measured for you, adjusted and has the grade of features you like, you’ll have issues and at the price of this bike, you need to have realistic expectations.
This is how Walmart bikes go, if your gonna ride alot they're not good bikes. but if you need something cheap for a few rides a year its fine. but i predict they will raise the price of this bike because everyone's good reviews. my issue with walmart bikes is they cost to much for what they are.
Yeah they good for like one season then they become yard ornaments. And your right thier definitely going to raise the price when you can go to your local bike shop or on Facebook and get a good used bike
I don't think it's that bad. As far as I know, it's the cheapest brand new gravel bike in the world. It's way better than those steel full suspension bikes with v brakes, which used to be the only thing in this price range. It's faster, has no suspension to fall apart, and most parts are modern and replaceable. Also, get some hex keys and you'll be a bike mechanic in no time. Keeping a cheap bike running is the best way to learn the skills.
I have the Genesis Bohe, basically this bike without all the mounts. It has street tires, and I wish it had come with these tires. Yeah, it needed some adjustment. But I learned to wrench on bikes when I started. It's gonna get new brake pads sooner rather than later.
You cant find a company that sells a frame for $250. You sell all the parts and keep the frame you could get at least $100 for the parts (low ball could probably get $250). You could just upgrade the frame. This is a great deal for a new bike. Used bikes would be the next best option. The gearing is road gearing not mountain bike.
The frame ain't nothing special and the bike aint a good deal if the first thing you say is upgrade it and sell the parts also you must never been on a road bike because those are not road bike gear ratios
FYI if you "upgrade" to hydraulic brakes, you will also need to buy new Brake/shift levers-for the hydraulic fluid. A better option might be to upgrade to better mechanical brakes. czcams.com/video/QhPJx-FERBo/video.html Best cycling wishes to all.
Says the frame is too big but has 20 feet of seatpost showing..meaning this frame is actually too small...the bar drop from seat height is set up for pro racing...this bike fit isn't optimal to say the least..all those headspace spacers and 20 feet of seatpost...bike is too small.foe this rider not too big.
With this slacker geometry, stack height on the bars should be fairly level with the seat height.Maybe an inch lower..this seat is like a foot higher than the bars..why do people do this? Just love wrist and back pain? Think it looks cool?
@@JFacko no, it's a gravel bike . Wider tires MTB style hubs/cassettes/chain ring not road hub/cassette standard But majority of the stuff you complained about even happens with expensive bikes Other stuff simply just nit picky. Nothing wrong with that, but it just seemed you bought the wrong bike for your expectations.
@@user-yc6wx4sn5n it's a road bike but your idea of a road bike I also got... This bike was never going to stay stock so I know why I got it it's also cheap ain't no sugarcoating that
I bought it… I like it. Rides good.
I think you covered the problems that 90% of bikes have. I have this bike. The brakes are garbage, that's true. I have new pads on the way. Other than that, I think the capability and upgradability of this bike far exceeds it's price tag. I will be changing the seat post, pedals, and stem soon. I have two other bikes that were a lot more than this one, but for an entry-level bike that doesn't break the bank, it's the best in the market right now for any style of riding.
It's a good bike to do upgrades and build we as people that like to tinker it's a good platform but to the unexpected person that's going to go in Walmart and think they're going to ride this bike and it's going to be a specialized, trek, or any of the big bike brands because most people that are reviewing this bike are not telling them it's at the end of the day is a Walmart bike with cheap components are going to be highly disappointed
I have had no problem with my brakes since I adjusted them! They work well! The gearing is a little light for me, that's true.
I find this to be a very good bike for the money. It's even a good bike to ride stock.
As far as your bike not fitting you, you picked a bike that is too big. You should take it back and get the small size.
No Wal-Mart bike is safe leaving the store. You have to go through and basically rebuild them, because their assemblers either don't know what they're doing, or just don't care.
In my opinion there are very few good and safe mech brakes for drop bars. Any entry hydraulic drop bar brakes can perform as well as premium mech brakes like Paul Klampers and Grotec Equal, although they might need bleeding once a year. Imo the sweet spot for upgrading brakes on this bike is Tektro MD-550C or TRP Spyre.
@@JFacko If people don’t have the common sense to understand that a $250 bike doesn’t compare to a $600+ bike, it’s not on the creator for catering to their audience -who are usually already bikers that know better.
I would consider myself a pretty serious cyclist. I race XC mtb. I do a lot of gravel biking for training. I have a bikes direct gravel bike that I have had for 5 years and have done major rides on it. This bike is exactly the same build as mine!!! My bike was $500. I have upgraded bike over the years. Now I have tubeless wheels, hydraulic disk brakes, and a 1x11 speed(this upgrade takes a little axle modification). This bike is 100% upgradeable. I just bought it for my wife. I am putting flat bars, juice breaks and a 1x for her. It's REALLY nice!!!
All the same issues some $700 bikes have. It’s a deal for someone wanting to upgrade over time
I wouldn’t buy this bike for me personally but I would get it as a spare for when friends come over.
I think more people need to understand is that it comes with ultra budget parts to meet it's price point. It really wasn't intended to remain "stock" and with under $100 in parts it actually punches well above it's weight.
My upgrade path would be this: (and all amazon purchases fyi)
Aluminum seat post
Seat post clamp
Pedals
IXF cranks with 32 & 46 tooth chainrings
Zoom cable operated hydraulic brake calipers.
If wanting more range on the cheap, shimano mega range 14-36 freewheel ($17).
The reason why the seat post don’t clamp good is because it’s a steel seat post, a aluminum seat post will clamp and grip better! But I don’t have a problem with the bike and my 1x 32tooth 104bcd Crankset upgrade on the bike! 🙂
that’s what you tell yourself to make yourself feel better lmaooo i’m dead
I recently got this bike , first ride was about 20 miles . And it was way better the my mountain bike which is a ozark trail vibe 2.0 ( better for off trail) . The Explorer I found it easy to find my gear and rarely needed to shift honestly. Seat a little uncomfortable bit over all great bike . My brakes were fine but this bike is upgrade ready. So not a bad starting bike that you csn slowly upgrade over time.
Oh yeah it's not a bad bike it's a good commuter bike after some upgrades and adjustments
JFacko the things you listed as "flawed" are either personal preference or your lack of bike repair skills. Living happily with finicky mechanical disc brakes requires a certain level of brake repair skills you clearly don't have yet. If your remove the wheel, you MUST reinstall the wheel in exactly the same location, without bending the rotor, or the brakes will rub. You'll eventually gain those repair skills and understand my point. The issue you're having with the seat post clamp not getting right enough is because of the grease on the seat post. The issue you pointed out with the drivetrain skipping gears, cable damage, derailleur misaligned, etc. are all simple fixes for bike mechanics. Just cap the loose cable end, don't bother replacing the whole cable. Your issue with the tires is a person preference, you prefer a more road friendly tire and that's just what it is. I also wouldn't like those tires at all for mixed riding, but like I said that's a personal preference. New bikes will require more frequent adjustments as the parts get broken in, but if you clean, degrease and tune the cheap Ozark bike well, it will not need to be adjusted as frequently. You didn't need to add grease to everything, but adding the right grease to the right places is the key to success.
I’m literally right now at Walmart doing a curb side pick up of this bike. I think your video is legit. I ride mountain bikes and love tinkering with them, so yea, this looks like a good bike for me. Before committing some serious money to a gravel bike I want to make sure I try it first. And $248 is a good entry point.
Nice video. Thanks. How tall are you? I'm trying to figure if the medium will fit me - I'm 5'-8"
Just got mine today.
I’m about 5’8”
I normally ride medium sized frames.
We may have different length arms, legs and different riding styles so “height” isn’t a perfect judgment.
I hope to ride some distance the next couple days.
I’ll try to reply back my impression of “fit”
@@helidude3502 any updates? im also 5'8
Weather has delayed my fun a bit.
First trip maybe 6 miles wasn’t fun, but I don’t blame the bike.
I usually ride “flat bars” so drop bars aren’t my thing.
The stem was angled down and so were the bars.
Seating and pedals felt fine, but I felt awkward and stretched no matter what position that I chose on the bars.
2nd trip out, about 1/2 mile in I stopped. I flipped the stem to an angled up position and adjusted the bars “flat” if that makes sense.
I then had an enjoyable ride for about 12 miles. Sitting upright my fingers just touch the top of the bars. I can comfortably use the “hoods” to ride also.
The drop position just isn’t comfortable to me at all. But that’s any drop bar for me.
3rd trip out was probably 8 miles and I could have gone longer but other obligations required my attention.
I would consider a shorter stem to shorten my reach if the rise is the same.
But I would not shorten the wheelbase with a smaller frame.
It’s been my experience with some “small” sized frames that the bike feels like it’s trying to tuck underneath me.
Hope this is somewhat helpful.
If you get one and don’t like it, maybe your local Walmart will accept a return or exchange.
$260 isn’t a lot of money to be out if you’re stuck with it, but it might be more than some want to gamble with.
@@helidude3502 Thanks for the detailed response. Much appreciated.
This is a good bike for a beginner. You can always upgrade the components. And upgrading is the fun part. I upgrade all my bikes and find tune all of them.
This is the first video I've seen giving negative comments about this bike. I listened to every word. I still think it sounds like a rather good value in today's prices for a bicycle. The brakes seem to be the biggest problem. Would it still have sold with rim brakes? Rim brakes were "good enough" for almost 100 years.
Thanks for udpate. I considered buying this bike but since i have a single speed that does what i need it for. Beginner biker, 5-7 miles, 3x a week avg. Id rather just wait to see if i really take cycling serious before upgrading.
But ill probably just upgrade my current SS. Until I drop a chunk of weight. Ill reward my weight loss with a big brand bike like you listed at the end.
Yeah ss are cool bikes it teaches you how to save your energy more then a geared bike would
I just got this bike--it’s only app. 15 bucks for corkys pads off Amazon, and 40 bucks for upgraded rotors…Mechanical breaks are fine for pedaling around…or you’re too heavyYou can put an extra few hundred in over time and have a great day to day fitness bike for the price. I can put a carbon fork, used suspension seatpost, saddle, crankset, carbon bars all under 300 bucks…😂 Its just fine.
Does left sided shifter work? Mine clicks (the bottom left sided shifter) but I don’t see anything change. The mini left sided shifter has no resistance no matter what gear I’m in and doesn’t do anything either. Not sure what’s it’s suppose to actually do.
It's supposed to shift it might need to be adjusted
your seat post clamp lever is bent inward, doesn't look like it's closing the full way either from the bend. Rear tire is facing opposite direction, diagonal treads should wick water to the outside of the rim, in this direction it directs to the center. Agree about the gearing. feel like the price makes up for a lot of the problems and leaves some room for a few upgrades.
You get what you pay for. It looks like great value for the money.
The best thing to do with a bike at that cost is to get it for a frame and fork set and upgrade everything for your needs.
Mine gets delivered today. My goal is to upgrade it so much it will be absurd. Carbon Everything 😂
Seat post tighten the other side with Allen key normally have a hole
That's too bad , it looks like it'd be a great starter bike or city commuter. 9 speed would be optimal for any modern /current bike
Unless you get a higher level bike at a bike shop where it is measured for you, adjusted and has the grade of features you like, you’ll have issues and at the price of this bike, you need to have realistic expectations.
This is how Walmart bikes go, if your gonna ride alot they're not good bikes. but if you need something cheap for a few rides a year its fine. but i predict they will raise the price of this bike because everyone's good reviews. my issue with walmart bikes is they cost to much for what they are.
Yeah they good for like one season then they become yard ornaments. And your right thier definitely going to raise the price when you can go to your local bike shop or on Facebook and get a good used bike
The Frame is descent so upgrading components will cost less than a mid level bike. Even the high end bikes are coming from China.
I don't think it's that bad. As far as I know, it's the cheapest brand new gravel bike in the world. It's way better than those steel full suspension bikes with v brakes, which used to be the only thing in this price range. It's faster, has no suspension to fall apart, and most parts are modern and replaceable. Also, get some hex keys and you'll be a bike mechanic in no time. Keeping a cheap bike running is the best way to learn the skills.
I have the Genesis Bohe, basically this bike without all the mounts. It has street tires, and I wish it had come with these tires. Yeah, it needed some adjustment. But I learned to wrench on bikes when I started. It's gonna get new brake pads sooner rather than later.
That's a good bike as well lil fine tuning is all they need
You cant find a company that sells a frame for $250. You sell all the parts and keep the frame you could get at least $100 for the parts (low ball could probably get $250). You could just upgrade the frame. This is a great deal for a new bike. Used bikes would be the next best option. The gearing is road gearing not mountain bike.
The frame ain't nothing special and the bike aint a good deal if the first thing you say is upgrade it and sell the parts also you must never been on a road bike because those are not road bike gear ratios
So, it's priced right then huh? You got what you paid for...
FYI if you "upgrade" to hydraulic brakes, you will also need to buy new Brake/shift levers-for the hydraulic fluid.
A better option might be to upgrade to better mechanical brakes.
czcams.com/video/QhPJx-FERBo/video.html
Best cycling wishes to all.
Says the frame is too big but has 20 feet of seatpost showing..meaning this frame is actually too small...the bar drop from seat height is set up for pro racing...this bike fit isn't optimal to say the least..all those headspace spacers and 20 feet of seatpost...bike is too small.foe this rider not too big.
With this slacker geometry, stack height on the bars should be fairly level with the seat height.Maybe an inch lower..this seat is like a foot higher than the bars..why do people do this? Just love wrist and back pain? Think it looks cool?
Time to sit it to the side of the road for trash pick up
Dude, just get a road bike..lol
Walmart has a 90day no questions ask return...
It is a road bike ..... Maybe not a good one so I just might lol
@@JFacko no, it's a gravel bike . Wider tires MTB style hubs/cassettes/chain ring not road hub/cassette standard
But majority of the stuff you complained about even happens with expensive bikes
Other stuff simply just nit picky.
Nothing wrong with that, but it just seemed you bought the wrong bike for your expectations.
@@user-yc6wx4sn5n it's a road bike but your idea of a road bike I also got... This bike was never going to stay stock so I know why I got it it's also cheap ain't no sugarcoating that
@@JFacko maybe you mean Urban bike?
Road bike, gravel, urban/commuter, MTB are all different bike segments
It is Ozark Trail, company is dogshit.
Co.plsint channel 😂😂
I will never ever buy a Walmart bikes I rather goes to target or get a better quality bikes like treks Cannondale,Bianchi etc.
It's not fast enough for his get away when he robs someone or to pull a ride by on the "opps"😂😂😂😂
Riding in the drops while runnin’ from the cops!
@@milkman2591 ☠️