The Budget Bike War: A Drastic Turn You Won't Believe!
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 2. 07. 2024
- In this video I will be talking about which budget bike is best option between the Mongoose Switchback Expert, schwinn Axum, and the Ozark Trail Mountain bikes.
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I love that you are doing budget bikes now too Matty. Keep it up and don't let the gatekeeper haters win. There is a WHOLE community of budget mountain bikers who are sick of their crap, and we are out there having fun.
A whole community of beginners, you mean. No experienced, serious rider is riding Walmart budget bikes on any serious terrain.
@@eric3007you're an example of what I'm talking about. Nobody is talking about or suggesting experts should be bombing down double black diamonds on trails in the PNW, or going to Whistler on their Ozark Trail or Mongoose. There are plenty of folks with years of experience hitting cross country, pump tracks, blue , green, and black trails on near stock or modified budget bikes with success at a fraction of the price. I'm sorry you had to invest tens of thousands of dollars over the years to have fun because of the bike industry. It is just not necessary for everyone anymore depending on the riding you're doing.
a whole bunch of fools
people that ride twice a year might be fine on budget bikes but reality is that they are fecal and do not last very long
â@bremingtonMTB If you are riding your bike hard on a regular basis, you just need to have good components.
Everything will fail in the end but cheap parts will have a bigger risk of failing faster.
Do you need to spend 10k as you say? No.
But everything sub 1k is just for beginners.
And if you don't have that kind of money then buy what you can afford. Riding is always better than not riding. But remember for the most part you get what you pay for.
2021 Roscoe* lol my bad. Started on a $600 diamond back and I love that thing!
People like Matty are hopefully the reason people get into biking. Donât feel pressured by CZcamsrs or even the some in the biking community to purchase a top end bike as a first bike. Matty shoots it straight. always looking for the best deals for viewers.
no need to buy a top end bike but buying this low end crap is a bad choice
there is a true middle ground
videos like this are closer to virtue signaling than anything of real value
9:00 Hey Matty, you got your clutch off, you need an alen key to turn it on on the acolyte groupset. Turn the hex button until it clicks and it's on. Then (to turn it off), pull up that lever you were messing with. It should solve all the chainslap problem and quiet a lot the bike, also buying a chain stay protector is a good idea as mentioned...
Yup!! Need allen key.
I third this. I have this setup on one of my bikes and the clutch is pretty solid.
One weakness of department store bikes is that they're typically not assembled right, so if you're not handy with bike tools you may want a decent bike mechanic to set it up for you.
To be fair, Dicks has it's own bike mechanics....although I cannot attest to how good they actually are compared to an LBS employee.
Depends on where your buying, dicks has a bike mechnic to set it up
I whent with Poseidon X Gravel Bike great for everything most cyclist will do 700c or 650b tires
there are too many good used bikes out there to throw money at these
â@phillk6751 Dick's is probably the best at setting bikes up but haven't shopped with them since they went full leftist anti America long ago.
This brought back memories. I stoped watching the video and started reminiscing. I had a redline, mongoose, Diamond back. I had all tricked out ( bmx bikes standing pegs, no brakes so the front wheel had 360 turn. And back pedal brake or just free wheel). This was before suspension is what it is now. Rode low to the ground. Etc⊠bikes were simple!!!!
If thats the acolyte derailleur, you need to use an allen key in that screw. turn it to the right and it will set the clutch. I run that RD on my 1x9 setup, its been doing a great job for me.
I just want to say, i really like your pragmatic reviews, which focus on a cost:quality ratio and the actual needs of normal riders. Keep up the awesome work.
What I don't like about that Mongoose is that it's a lower grade of aluminum. This Mongoose series is T1 aluminum, even though it's 6061. Most bikes (Trek, Kona, Giant, etc.) are 6061 at T6 tensile strength, which is 4x more durable than T1.
People can get a much better bike for not much more money than this Mongoose.
You gotta use an Allen wrench to activate the acolytes clutch. That switch is just to deactivate it.
I appreciate this comment. You are giving me knowledge that I was not aware of.
Honestly, unless you're crashing non-stop or loading 1000 lbs on your bike, neither temper is going to matter. 6061 is graded as load bearing for construction purposes even at the T1 base temper. For mountain bike frames designed for basic trail riding, it's already built with more than enough fatigue resistance for a rider.
Salsa Rangerfinder on discount comes really close to the price tag of this bike.
@@drill_fiend1097 Indeed. There are many better options than this bike.
My first mountain bike was a Mongoose hard tail. It was around $750. The year was 1993 though. So was original Mongoose made. Was a awesome mountain bike. Then got a Pro Flex 854 for full suspension. Ah the 90's great music and great Mountain bikes!!
Oh one more thing I love your channel Keep it up Matty!âș
I think the geometry on the mongoose is better than the Ozark Trail too and thatâs something you canât really change. The Suntour is actually a well built fork. It just doesnât really have any damping and itâs coil spring.
Your videos are getting so good man!
The advancements in Walmart or big box bikes over the last couple years has been amazing. Still waiting for the day they start coming equipped with boost spacing thru axles and wheels. Walmart has the Hyper Carbon 29er that comes equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, modern geometry, dropper post, and boost thru axle wheels. The original was priced around $600. Haven't seen any reviews on the above mentioned Version 2.0.
One other thing to consider is that Suntour has an upgrade program where you can get a discount on a new fork.
Good to see you, I wish you would start back making videos, they were great. I hope you are doing well and having a great 4th of July.
Miss your videos too, but hopefully it just means youâre out just enjoying your rides more đđŒ
Happy 4th man, you are making great videos as usual.
I just got a trek marlin 7 gen 2 for the sale price 3 weeks ago. It came with the kovee tubeless ready wheels and it had upgraded maxxis tires. I did have Tektro brakes instead of Shimano, but theyâre hydraulic so not a big deal. It seems that it depends on what they have to liquidate. The dealer said thatâs how it arrived. Honestly, I love it, I do wish it had a tapered head tube and a little more slack, but Iâve been hammering it on the local trails and having the most fun ever! Iâm hooked. I donât know if Iâm even smart enough to tell the difference. I bombed bmx bikes forever so just a front shock is amazing to me. Next season Iâm aiming a Roscoe 9 or a Growler 50, which my brother just got and is freaking GORGEOUS! Keeping options open but I want a solid quality ht trail bike next.
Great video! Btw, That schwinn fork is actually a Suntor it just has Schwinn stickers on it for branding purposes.
Man, you got skills. Appreciate your content.
Bike looks good man, you gave it a great test down that trail. Looks like a lot of fun. I've been looking around for budget hardtails thinking about to get one for my little bro. I think the best bang for buck I've seen is the Poseidon Norton or the Polygon Xtrada. On sale right now.
One big upgrade limitation is the non-Boost axle spacing of the frame. Limits better wheel choices.
I struggle with the 142mm(?) quick release standard. It seems to me, manufacturers should either stick with the older 135mm standard, or go to Boost spacing & through axles. I wouldn't be surprised if this mid-width standard goes away.
The bike is meant for certain trails that it doesn't need boost stiffness for. It can't fit a long travel boost fork. No one is going to ride it Enduro/DH unless they expect to break it on the first run, or be taking trips to the hospital đ
Love your no BS, down to earth, every day budget conscious biker content. Keep it up, bro.
My first mtb was a mongoose tyax 2012, was great for climbing and going fast along single track, still regret selling it.
I bought a hardtail, the NS eccentric, 2 years ago, honestly, a big part of my purchase was the nice paint and geometry of the bike. The components are good for a bike of 1600 dollars, but now, looking at these Waltmart bikes, I would probably change my decision. Thanks Matt for the great content
Longtime bike enthusiast here. I don't understand the distaste for mechanical disc brakes. I do like hydros for feel and power, but properly tuned Avid BB7's are plenty capable. I have them on an S&S coupled titanium travel bike that has handled 5000'+ descents in Telluride (rotors do change colors with that use) Also, Iditarod competitors still use mechanicals due to the reliability / serviceability when it gets stupid cold.
Mechanical isnât bad at all if you have the right ones. I know people who only ride mechanical, I just prefer hydros
Thanks for these enlightening reviews! Fyi on SR Suntour forks, Seth on Berm Peak has a really good video about why their base models are so ubiquitous, including how solid and safe they are compared with anything else at the price point. As another commenter on this video has mentioned, they also have an upgrade program. Personally, I just upgraded from the fork shown in this video, which came with my bike, to a Suntour X1 32 (29-in wheels) coil fork, which I found on an insane bargain, new for under $100 (not sure that will ever happen again), and I am really, really impressed with it. Maybe SR Suntour forks would be an interesting video topic, Matty. Just a suggestion. Thanks again for the content!
I love your videos and itâs awesome that youâre covering bargain bikes. I think what people need to understand though is that you really do get what you pay for and what these bikes are intended for. This Mongoose is a really good price for lite trail riding or fire road. In your video you start mentioning all the upgrades due to the bike not performing to a personâs expectations. The bad fork, chain slap, week brakes.
Bike=600 out the door
Fork upgrade=200 - 400
Brake upgrade=100-200
Front wheel upgrade that isnât quick release to fit your fork upgrade=100-200
Possible derraileur update=100-200
All said and done after these upgrades, you probably could find a very good bike on the used market, that can handle the rougher trails right out, with no upgrades needed.
Trouble with budget bikes I find isâŠalways a bunch of little or even big things wrongâŠfor example the clutch problem, your rear brake etc Iâm no bike mechanic and need my bike to work well, be safe right out of the boxâŠnot being tubeless ready would be a deal breaker for me. I would rather spend a few more dollars and not have the headaches. lol! Appreciate your videos and narratives. Your trails look absolutely amazing!
Great review
The rear derailer clutch is not on. You need to turn the Allen bolt on the side it has arrow next to it.
If those are Tektro hydrualic disc brakes, simply upgrading to the metallic pads will make a big difference. They use standard Shimano type pads so lots of options. As for upgrades, adding a dropper post and converting it to tubeless would make a huge improvement to the bike with no other change. I did the same thing to the Giant Talon hardtail I bought back in 2019 and it made that bike way more capable. Those WTB tires might even be tubeless ready already so you'd only need to tape the rim and add a tubeless valve stem and sealant.
I would recommend Poseidon X Ambition or Redwood $899 Gravel Bikes you can get 700c or 650b tires flat or road handle bars there great bikes I use them for commuting and for the trails
Please, get a hold of Giordano Bikes and have them send you an Intrepid. It's a way better and more capable bike. Suntour XCM air, 10 speed, 760 bars, plus the frame is a work of art. Mongoose/ Giordano shoot out........ Dude remember when looking at that derailleur it ain't no Shimano.
Sounds good,have you done any reviews on a marin bobcat 3? Like to hear ur opinions on that bike
Thank you for the upgrade because even though I name my dog Roscoe and I really want that Roscoe 9876 I just can't afford it living out the United States. And to bring in a new bike I have to pay 38.8% duty plus shipping...
It's a sale price, and no different than they used to do with the GT Aggressor Pro. It was a constant $550 if I remember, but always went on sale for about $350. This bike will probably be what replaces that in that sale category for Dick's. The Ozark Trail is a great deal and I found comparably equipped Marin bikes at the local dealership to be about $200 more. However as you point out, that the Mongoose has hydraulic brakes is a nice upgrade for the price. Upgrading my Ozark Trail to disc set me back about that much alone considering I didn't have the proper tools at the time to install and bleed hydraulic brakes. The fork is ok. Seems the same as the 'Goose anyway. Lots of miles on my Ozark Trail. Factory tires, they're ok. Not great. Had this been available I definitely would've bought this as I'm an old school Mongoose fan. That's exclusively all I would ever race in BMX back in the day.
Budget bikes are so fun. With more and more standardization it's getting really fun to buy cheap bikes and upgrade. You will be able to buy all of these used for
caught me snoopin
Great price to performance insight Matty. I was surprised to hear that you didn't trust the rear hydraulic break going down the trail.
The brake was going down to my knuckle for some reason. Maybe I need to realign the calipers
@@MattyActive if you're talking about lever pull you may need to adjust the tension/pressure in your brake line.
I literally bought this bike at Dicks today for $549. Luckily, it was the last one in the store and needed to be assembled. Will be ready for pick up by Monday. Can't wait!
Hey make sure the rear brakes work when you pick it up, I had a major problem with mine and it took them 2 weeks to fix it but they gave me a 25% refund for the trouble so it's all good. Other than that the bike is awesome! Been riding greens and blues and it's been great.
For that price, I would save a little more and go with the Poseidon Norton.
Indeed. Unfortunately the Norton only comes with 27.5" wheels.
@@barfo281 thats true, but remember that at least they are boost axles and have space for chunky tires
@@GianCuka And the rims are tubeless ready
Love that you are looking at options that a lot of people that turn to YT for ideas on getting into MTB would be considering. I think that if you are considering upgrading the brakes and fork...why wouldn't you save the $150 and get the Ozark Trail?
The brakes arenât an immediate upgrade that needs to be done on that bike in my opinion. Just the fork. You can get a rockshox recon for about $280 and get $120 brakes and I think it would be a hardcore hardtail at that point.
@@MattyActive what brakes are you thinking of ? just rotors and pad ? or the full kit ?
Might as well SUB. I watch your videos. LoL. Love the content bro. Thanks
Thank you!
A bike is just a bike i used to believe and dream of having a highend mtb with rockshox recon air, deore drivetrain etc then i bought one realized the Kona kahuna 2022 wasn't much better than my cube aim race only thing different was the gears and the rockshox air recon performed well below what i thought only slightly better than suntour coil fork. Its all just marketing and hype to get people to part with alot of money for a fairly basic/normal product.
I'm loving the poseidon Norton, great bike under 1k
Always great and entertaining videos! but what is wrong with mechanical brakes? I hear they are less trouble and problem prone than the hydraulic ones.
This is a good deal then maybe a diamondback hook, they had one I really liked on chain reaction cycles, Ragley Marley was up to about $1,000, bikes direct and bicycles online, I build my own so I could ordee anything.
Love this bike, well worth the price imo.
The brakes on the Mongoose Switchback Expert, 8spd shifter combi with brake levers, calipers, hoses, ready to fit externally, cost $38usd in China on Taobao. For the price difference you're paying between those two bikes on the US we can buy XT 4 piston brakes here.
That said, we have to remember where you are, and your audience.
Dicks has dropped that bike below the acceptable price point. To me, a base level solid hardtail, with Suntour fork and budget components and brakes would be about $640usd.
Now this bike is a killer and can sweep the market at beginners level. Let's see how long they have stock for! Buy now! Buy now!
Prices are now settling to where they should have been all along. Same with e-bikes as well.
You gotta use an allen wrench to activate the clutch on the acolyte. That lil lever is for deactivation only.
I've used that derailleur and an advent 9 shifter with an aliexpress 11-50 tooth 9 speed cassette and has worked phenomenally. Maybe an experiment you wanna do for you next vid on this bike. Keep it budget.
Yea it looks like it is back up to $699 in my area they must have also heard your comments. Scott has been slashing prices on Mountain bikes I can currently get a New Scott Scale 970 for $899 you tell me what's a better deal??đ Maybe you can just do best budget bikes under $1000.00.
Do you think this bike would be a good all around option for city/hills and trails? I would like to do all types of riding and canât really afford to have multiple bikes for each type of riding. Thanks for the video and advice!
Honestly, if the ozark trail is 150 cheaper it may be a better buy. You can get a set os shimano hydraulics for way less than that.
As to the Axum, I have the previous version (same frame as the DP). Awesome bike. Got it on clearance for like 250 ish. Got way to much into it now but it is fun.
Great info, what complete mountain bike would you recommend for an occasional mountain bike rider that does not want to do any upgrades on a budget, L frame, disc brakes, front suspension? Thanks
The Schwinn is a better deal imo, you get a dropper post, the rear wheel is QR 141 which will work with boost wheels with an adapter. Also the tires are 2.6 native winch means more clearance for mud and better cushioning for later.
The mongoose is not well spec in comparison. Also MT200 brakes are like 60 bucks so itâs still a better price.
My wife's Tektro mechanicals are very strong. As good as my Tektro hydros. She brakes a lot and has worn them to the point where they are ridiculously good.
Same thing is going on w/ firearms right now. People bought everything during COVID. Current demand is down and supply is up = Prices must come down to meet demand.
DSG frequently runs big discounts on their bikes, every couple of months. For the money, I'd get a GT Avalanche 1X if you can find one at DSG....if that's where you're limited to shopping.
And again, the Mongoose frame being T1 grade makes it really NOT a better deal than a Trek Marlin, which is T6 tensile strength (So is the GT, which is weird, because Mongoose and GT are owned by the same company). It it's something that's going to be gently ridden on paved and dirt roads only, then the Mongoose is probably okay, but if it's a bike you want to upgrade and do serious mountain biking, look past the Mongoose for a better frame if you want it to last a long time.
So if you don't trust the brakes on the mongoose and the Ozark trails main knock was the brake, sounds like both need brake upgrades but the Ozark trail is cheaper. I was able to put hydraulic brakes on a Ozark Trail for $30. Still cheaper than the Mongoose.
It's a Mongoose, Great frame but you're going to swap out all the components anyway, so you might as well just get the Ardor only $350 and has the same frame.
The Mongoose frame looks great, but it is not great.
I picked the ridge v2 for 198 at Walmart. First mountainbike I've bought so for my first it does great . A few upgrades I'm looking at and I'll be set til I get a F.S bike
How did you get a ridge for 198?
Nice review!! Bikes are so out of control. Im 50, this weekend I was riding my Marin from Bikes Direct on the same trails as guys with $5,000 bikes. My dad told me in the 1980's my golf clubs are better than any clubs Arnold Palmer ever had. Its the golfer not the clubs, its the rider not the bike.
$100 more and you can get a marlin
Matty, can you please review the Univega Rover RM-29?
How do these compare to Northrock bikes at Costco?
I would like to see CCM make a decent HT with a tapered head tube.
Love your videos but there is no way that mongoose is competing with the trek marlin 6 gen 3 2023 Iâd love to see a video comparing the two but I donât knwo
The one selling point for the Schwinn Axum Comp X is that you get a dropper post. I like your reasonings for the Mongoose Switchback, however I tried looking for the Mongoose and the price is back to $699. Would the Comp X be a better value at this point if I also upgraded the brakes to hydraulic?
Nothing wrong with saving money and having fun at the same time.
trouble with your point here is that buying cheap bikes is not 'saving money'
it is pissing it away
I don't know if I would take this over a Gen2 Marlin 5 for $50 more though, all the G2 Marlins are on deep discount right now... I am looking at a Marlin 8 Gen2 for $1k with a dropper and air fork and can't decide between that and a used 10 year old Full Suspension bike.
If you have to replace the brakes anyways then why pay the premium? IMO just another reason to buy the cheapest frame and just upgrade it.
Here in Oregon we have a tax on bike sales over 200 bucks and 26 inch wheels or bigger. Wal mart is the biggest seller of bikes in the state, and they donât sell any bikes for 200 bucks on the floor. Theyâre all online were that tax doesnât apply.
What an odd tax
@@hippiebits2071 its supposed to go to bike infrastructure, but only the big cities see any of that money, and only the actual bike shops pay into that tax. How convenient for the largest retailer in the state.
allen key to turn the clutch on. not sure why they made it this way.
Right now your trek marlin 6 is on sale for 649 5 for 550 gen2
looks very upgradeable, how about QR to thru-axel?
you should be able to adjust the clutch
i gotta tell the homies about this!
If i bought a bike at q department store i would take ut to a bike shop to get adjusted and checked over before riding it
Iâd like to know how this stacks up against the Poseidon Norton
Can you review dartmoor rocbird frame thanks
For a budget bike i recomend to my friends brandname bikes like specialized or Trek. They have bike below the 800 dlls. Better bike overall than a mongoose or waltmart bikes.
The Mongoose is much better than any marlin or cheap specialized. Stop spreading misinformation.
A decent bike, sure. But Iâd still go with the trek over the mongoose, even at the higher cost. Why?
1: service. I know that the trek bike store is going to set the bike up properly and can fix anything that goes wrong with it because it uses standard and common parts
2: warranty. Trek bikes come with a significant frame warranty.
3: design. Trek designs bikes and the current iteration of Mongoose doesnât. A trek (or other big brand bikes) will ride better out the store because the parts selected work with the specific geometry of the frame where mongoose and other department store bikes donât necessarily do that.
Looks like the price is already back up to $699 on the Dick's site. I'm out at that price, but I'm sure it'll be on sale again in a couple months when they play the end of season pricing game.
Checkout the Specialized Rockhopper ($649) and GT Avalanche 1x ($595).....apples to apples maybe IDK
Not apples to apples, both of those are superior to the Mongoose.
Need allen key to activate clutch. Finger to deactivate it.
I think that mongoose is a second market bike from Specialized bikes or Trek
Great price I have sentor forks
Used Judy air fork for under $100 and it would be a decent bike
I love my Expert but the amount of hate I get when I post it on the MTB pages is insane. Imma just build it and enjoy it in silence haha
Ignore the haters. Enjoy the ride!
I've been seeing these on several YT channels, and the OPs all saying, and showing $549. But Ive been looking for a while now, online and in store, and the expert is $699. How? How come for a month I haven't seen $549 ANYWHERE, even online
Checkout GIORDANO intrepid or valorâŠ.. and compare in another video⊠Thanks..
Sr suntour isn't trash they have a pretty nice lineup of suspension I believe they use some dvo parts but budget bikes with Sr suntour oem forks are not that good.
Where is this trail, it looks amazing!
Lair o bear park in Morrison Colorado
Would you say itâs better than the ozark trail?
Why the hate for cable disc brakes? I know there are models that are quite good. I would understand if the ones you're specifically referring to are not good. And there are some low end hydro discs I think are not good.
Is this Mongoose a better bike than the Rockhopper please?
What are the gray shoes you ride with called?
I wear the fox union MTB shoes
Looks okay but if Iâm spending 500 plus on a bike, Iâm not gonna get a bike from a department store.
The Axum came with a dropper post tho, hydraulic disc brakes arenât that big of an upgrade over mechanical. Iâd take a good set of mechanical discs over a cheap set of hydraulics any days. That being said the Axum forks are trash. The mongoose is probably the best out of the box do nothing to it budget bike tho.
Up is locked.
Is it truly tapered? Ive see cheap bikes that make it look tapered on the outside, but itâs not actually tapered.