What's the difference between a $60 bike and a $500 one?

[Syringer]

I'm looking to get back into mountain biking, and in the past have used relatively cheap bike that have worked pretty well for me.

However I do plan on biking pretty regularly so I do want to have the best experience possible..and was wondering how much a big difference a more expensive bike would be. Currently I'm considering this one here, which seems to have everything I need for going up those hills..but if I were to spend say $150-$200, what can I expect from it?

 

[frank84]

it is a very good idea to visit your local bike store and try whatever they can offer.
ride them, feel them and ask them

walmart, kmart, target, all those places cant tell you anything but the price

(coming from personal experience)
-frank

 

[akshatp]

About four hundred and forty dollars would be my first answer to your topic....

 

[kalster]

Originally posted by: akshatp
About four hundred and forty dollars would be my first answer to your topic....

 

[DivideBYZero]

The first bike is made from heavy, cheap steel. The components are made by 'Chang-wang' and will wear out in 3 months and the finish of the bike will be poor.

The second bike will be made from a quality material, even if it's steel. The components wil be from a major manufacturer, like SRAM, Shimano, etc, and will last. The finish of the bike will be high quality.

 

[bigredguy]

Meh, you get what you pay for, but sometimes that's just the cost of advertisement for a name brand.

 

[HexiumVII]

Get a $150ish from bike store well be way better than walmart. Other than that anything much higher you wouldn't notice the difference. I've built bikes with many grades of parts and brands, but in general you really wouldn't notice the difference for the casual rider. Each grade up is onl a slight increment where you'd only see a difference between a $150 and the $1500 ones. Also stay away from full suspension, as they are not as efficient as front suspension. You really need to spend 4 digits for a decent full suspension bike. Full suspension bikes from wallmart can easily be broken from a slight jump.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Stolen bikes are cheap.

Just think about it.

 

[herbiehancock]

As an analogy for your question........ever heard ofa Yugo? Heard of a Honda? The Yugo's your $60 bike and the Honda's your $500 bike......both will get you down the road after a fashion, but which would you want....or trust?

Long answer........as was mentioned above.........materials, fit, finish, quality of components, quality of assembly, the $500 will be sized to you appropriately and the $60 bike will be a one-size-fits-all deal (as if a 5' 6" person can hope to safely or comfortably use the same size bike as a 6'4" person), and on and on.

Mountain Bike Action magazine a few years ago took a $60 Huffy down their mtn. biking test track just to see how it'd actually hold up.................and the test rider was lucky he wasn't killed. It literally fell apart underneath him. Bent wheels, broken seat post, broken handlebar, bent the fork and frame.....parts fell off.

You do get what you pay for and it isn't just for advertising in this case..............not by a long shot.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Syringer
What's the difference between a $60 bike and a $500 one?

I'd say about $440.

I used to have a crap buike, then spent some cash on a half decent hard tail. Things that are diffrent on the expensive bike:

Gearing: quicker, cleaner shifts, more gears, lighter.
Frame: lighter, better looking, uses universal, replaceable/upgradable sizes instead of crappy one-off parts
Forks: longer range, actually last (cheap ones just sagged and were pointless after 3 months)
Wheels: lighter, sturdier (didn't buckle if you looked at a molehill)
Brakes: Sharper after 1 year than the cheap bike's were when I first bought it

...etc.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
The first bike is made from heavy, cheap steel. The components are made by 'Chang-wang' and will wear out in 3 months and the finish of the bike will be poor.

The second bike will be made from a quality material, even if it's steel. The components wil be from a major manufacturer, like SRAM, Shimano, etc, and will last. The finish of the bike will be high quality.

Not intirely true in my experances. Growing up and before I had a car all I owned were bikes bought on my dime and they were cheap. I seviced them myself and had many years of service out of a cheap bike. I also collected bikes found in the trash to keep mine going on the super cheap and have owed what used to be high dollar bikes a few years past and they got me where I needed to go as good as my cheaper ones and really never noticed much of a differance onther then weight. And dong give me cheap steel either I weighed in close to 300lbs in my teens (Im big boned ) and broke only one bike and found out you dont jump a skinny ass 12 speed 3 feet in the air when you weighed as much as I did for the fork part will seperate from the rest of the bike. Use a bmx or mountian bike and mountian bike tires on a 12 speed doesnt make it one I found out.

Granted this is back over 19-25 years but I dont think the quality of a cheap bike would of gone to pit, if anything its prolly better today then it was when I was a child. And when I rode my bike it wasnt no down the block either I used to ride it for 2 hours one way to visit a friend because we lived in the sticks. And if it wasnt for biking I would of hated to see how much I weighed if i didnt bike around everywhere.

I would bet anything to answer the OP's question the diff in bikes is the same as it is for cars and its all about bragging rights or being in with the "in" crowd. With a cheap bike it may weigh a little more but really are you going into a race where your going to feel a few lbs differance? OK the seat may suck and break your balls so change it out other then that if your not racing and parking it by multi hundred dollar bikes and worred about your ego get what you can afford. If you do happen to park it near multi hundred dollar bike I can guess yours wont be the fist one stolen and can prolly not even worry about locking yours

 

[oboeguy]

Xmart bike: poor frame welding, inferior parts that will wear out and sooner than that go out of adjustment, heavy, uncomfortable. Go to a shop, get fit for a real bike or for the love of Lance, at least get a decent bike from Craigslist or eBay.

 

[DivideBYZero]

It's not all about braggin rights, FB42. Some people prefer kit that does the job and well. It's not just about weight, that was just an example.

My bike was expensive, but then I ride with an XC club at the weekend and I need a steed that can put up with the technical requirements and not break every trip. The OP doesn't need that, so I'm not suggesting he drops $2000 dollars. Just that he considers paying just a little more than $60.

 

[49erinnc]

Unless you're a hardcore biker who will be riding over some serious terrain, blowing several hundred on a bike is highly overrated IMO. I was in your position several months back. I opted to get a Schwinn Aluminum Comp for around $160. It only weighs about 40 lbs., has quality components and rides like a dream. I take it out on some light-moderate trails and I couldn't be happier with it. The ride is soft, the shifting is smooth and silent, the seat is very comfortable and the braking is great. Looks really sharp too (got the silver/orange trim one). As long as you take care of it and aren't jumping off a 10' drop of concrete steps, it will last you a long time.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
The first bike is made from heavy, cheap steel. The components are made by 'Chang-wang' and will wear out in 3 months and the finish of the bike will be poor.

The second bike will be made from a quality material, even if it's steel. The components wil be from a major manufacturer, like SRAM, Shimano, etc, and will last. The finish of the bike will be high quality.

DING DING DING.

Even the process in making the steel alloy is different.

 

[Gooberlx2]

The difference is in the amount of pain you can dish out to the bike. $50 will break after one true mountain biking trail (as in rocks, steep ascents/descents, treet roots, slippery earth, cacti, etc.....anything that wants to hurt you and your bike).

 

[Tobolo]

Your rear hurting when you leave the store

 

[drnickriviera]

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Unless you're a hardcore biker who will be riding over some serious terrain, blowing several hundred on a bike is highly overrated IMO. I was in your position several months back. I opted to get a Schwinn Aluminum Comp for around $160. It only weighs about 40 lbs., has quality components and rides like a dream. I take it out on some light-moderate trails and I couldn't be happier with it. The ride is soft, the shifting is smooth and silent, the seat is very comfortable and the braking is great. Looks really sharp too (got the silver/orange trim one). As long as you take care of it and aren't jumping off a 10' drop of concrete steps, it will last you a long time.

ONLY 40lbs!!! Is that a tank or a bike? I'm not a weight weenie, but to me having a lighter bike does make it more fun to ride. My bike at 26lbs feels like a slug compared to my brothers road bike.

 

[krunchykrome]

I was looking for a mountain bike a few years ago. I decided to be cheap and buy a $70 "NEXT" brand mountain bike with front suspension and a soft tail. It was steel, and it's a piece of sh*t. I got what I paid for it though. It's not comfortable to ride, it's heavy, and the shifting of gears is not smooth. I'd like to find a decent priced front suspension + soft tail aluminum mountain bike.

 

[glugglug]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock
As an analogy for your question........ever heard ofa Yugo? Heard of a Honda? The Yugo's your $60 bike and the Honda's your $500 bike......both will get you down the road after a fashion, but which would you want....or trust?

Long answer........as was mentioned above.........materials, fit, finish, quality of components, quality of assembly, the $500 will be sized to you appropriately and the $60 bike will be a one-size-fits-all deal (as if a 5' 6" person can hope to safely or comfortably use the same size bike as a 6'4" person), and on and on.

Mountain Bike Action magazine a few years ago took a $60 Huffy down their mtn. biking test track just to see how it'd actually hold up.................and the test rider was lucky he wasn't killed. It literally fell apart underneath him. Bent wheels, broken seat post, broken handlebar, bent the fork and frame.....parts fell off.

You do get what you pay for and it isn't just for advertising in this case..............not by a long shot.

Shens!

I had a $150 huffy with duralite frame back in 1991, which got run over by a car, folding the wheels in half.

It just needed new wheels. There was no damage to the frame. The duralite really is pretty much unbreakable.

The shifters, brakes, and chain were broken off by a ridiculous storm with 18" of larger than grapefruit size hail and 110mph winds less than 6 months later though.

 

[gsellis]

The WalMart bike will be heavy, hard to shift, and it may not handle anything in the intermediate range. Heavy kills you when you need to start pulling the wheel or jinking to get around obstacles on a trail. It will probably drop the chain and have no clips. Might be Ok on beginner stuff. I have a CrMo steel solid frame and it works well, but costs about $400 new. I have now had it on Chicopee and am starting to look at a better full suspension when I can afford it and keep the weight down. Also, the $500 bike might have disc brakes. My wet, muddy centerpulls can get interesting and the Wally World bike my have POS sidepulls (note to purists - top tiers are side pulls, but the order of quality is side, center, side where mfgr and precision determines how good they work, or don't).

My compromise will probably be an Ibex. Some assembly required and direct from the mfgr (here in Atlanta area). The price for what is on it is spectacular especially for some of the FS (full suspension) bikes they have. But, a LBS (local bike shop) will give you that hands on for any questions. Iron Mountain is another name for reliable inexpensive bikes too.

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: drnickriviera

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Unless you're a hardcore biker who will be riding over some serious terrain, blowing several hundred on a bike is highly overrated IMO. I was in your position several months back. I opted to get a Schwinn Aluminum Comp for around $160. It only weighs about 40 lbs., has quality components and rides like a dream. I take it out on some light-moderate trails and I couldn't be happier with it. The ride is soft, the shifting is smooth and silent, the seat is very comfortable and the braking is great. Looks really sharp too (got the silver/orange trim one). As long as you take care of it and aren't jumping off a 10' drop of concrete steps, it will last you a long time.

ONLY 40lbs!!! Is that a tank or a bike? I'm not a weight weenie, but to me having a lighter bike does make it more fun to ride. My bike at 26lbs feels like a slug compared to my brothers road bike.

To each their own but a 40 lb. bike is plenty light enough for me and is durable enough to withstand a little punishment on the trails. Besides, I ride to get a workout, breathe some fresh air and reduce my time sitting on the couch getting fat. Spending more money than I spent would have been a complete waste of money. I'll let you enthusiasts pay big bucks for the featherweight models that wouldn't make my casual riding any more enjoyable.

 

[mugs]

About 15 pounds (a cheap bike will be 40+lbs, a good bike will be in the 20s).
Better components - a cheap bike will have bottom of the barrel components. A $500 bike will have mid-range component.
Durability - the first bike I used for mountain biking wasn't really intended for mountain biking, and I ended up bending the fork.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: 49erinnc

Originally posted by: drnickriviera

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
Unless you're a hardcore biker who will be riding over some serious terrain, blowing several hundred on a bike is highly overrated IMO. I was in your position several months back. I opted to get a Schwinn Aluminum Comp for around $160. It only weighs about 40 lbs., has quality components and rides like a dream. I take it out on some light-moderate trails and I couldn't be happier with it. The ride is soft, the shifting is smooth and silent, the seat is very comfortable and the braking is great. Looks really sharp too (got the silver/orange trim one). As long as you take care of it and aren't jumping off a 10' drop of concrete steps, it will last you a long time.

ONLY 40lbs!!! Is that a tank or a bike? I'm not a weight weenie, but to me having a lighter bike does make it more fun to ride. My bike at 26lbs feels like a slug compared to my brothers road bike.

To each their own but a 40 lb. bike is plenty light enough for me and is durable enough to withstand a little punishment on the trails. Besides, I ride to get a workout, breathe some fresh air and reduce my time sitting on the couch getting fat. Spending more money than I spent would have been a complete waste of money. I'll let you enthusiasts pay big bucks for the featherweight models that wouldn't make my casual riding any more enjoyable.

40lbs? That's almost as heavy as my 19" CRT...

 

[frankgomez75]

My buddy asked me the same question. He bought a brand new mountain bike with front suspension from Walmart new for $175. I bought a used 2003 Trek 4900 from craigslist. My bike had a some upgrades too like a computer, led headlights and tail lights and a fresh complete tune-up from the bike shop. I paid $350 for what was essentially a $550 - $700 bike with all the accessories. He balked at the price of spending that much on a bike.

About 3 months into bike riding on some trails with lots of bumps, jumps and drops.... his bike was falling apart.. literally. Lots of rattling, brakes failing.... and finally bending his rims and forks. I was riding much more than him and harder and my bike feels much safer and rides much better and I can tell will last me a couple of years not a couple of months. He on the other hand will prolly spend $150 every year for a crap bike that is scary to ride, breaks easily and doesn't perform as well.