Someone once told me no one needs bike shops because you can get perfectly name-brand good mountain bikes at department stores. But as anyone who has ever taken one of these bikes into the woods can tell you, they are not the same thing. In fact, those some of the more expensive dept. store bikes may be the rough equivolent of entry level mtbs, many of the "mountain bikes" you'd find in a department store come with a warning sticker on them saying they are not meant for off-road use. What does this mean? Why build a mountainbike for pavement?

The main reason these bikes are less expensive than those found in shops has to do not just with the fact that they are assembled by people who may not have any bike knowledge. It is the fact of their components, and sometimes the frames themselves. I had one of these bikes, once. It handled okay on the trail but the weight was heavy and the gears on the front were too big for off-road use [nearly the size of road bike chainrings]. Normally i'd have just switched out the chainrings, but on this, as many dept. store bikes, the chainrings are stuck together and can't be removed.

Rims are another sticking point -- or should I say another point for getting stuck? I rode a dept. Store mtb for a few months, but on the way back from the local woods i hopped a curb and bent the front rim beyond salvage. This was after only having the thing a few days. Dept. Store bikes may be alright for kids, but anyone who's adult size will break things on them. There's a reason mtbs come with double walled rims.

Then there's the frame itself. One of my local trails cuts across a stream that feeds into the passaic river, and I have to walk across stones scattered across one part of the stream, then climb up a muddy embankment on the other side. This is just one example, but typically riding in the woods involves some obstacles where you have to haul your bike over them, be they downed tree trunks as thick as a barn door or mucky streams. Try balancing on rocks with a big heavy dept. Store bike. The frames on many of these bikes are steel, and it isn't shaped the way steel used in bike shop mtb frames is. It's heavier and lighter, not just when riding, but when hefting the bike. And be wary of dept. store "full-suspension" bikes. I broke one of those in half with a simple fall once.

But Dept. Store bikes have shocks! some might say. Yes, they do, but shocks don't make a mountainbike. Some of the coolest rides I've ridden have been old rigid frames. Moreover, anyone can tell you that the shocks you find on dept. store mtbs will not work as well as the shocks you find on an entry level TREK or SPECIALIZED hardtail, or even an entry level MARIN or other such company. Are the bikes in the dept. store made by bike companies? Some of them might. Mongoose makes some, but except for once model which was the highest priced in the dept. store bike section, none of them are listed on Mongoose's website under their product line. And while many entry level bikes for Trek and other such companies are made overseas in Tiawan or Japan, most dept. store bikes are made in China, which is known for using slave labor. Whether this has a role in bicycle manufacturing I do not know but it can't help quality generally speaking. As for shocks, they are not just for mtbs. Many kids bikes, which will never venture off paved paths, have shocks, just to give them the "look" of mtbs -- and though these shocks might work moderately well for some bumps they were not intended to be an alternative to a properly equipped mtb. In fact, many aspects of mtbs are even being adopted by adult commuter and "comfort" bikes, a relatively new catagory that is a semi heir to the role of latter-day cruisers. Front suspensions, adjustable handlebar stem angles and even seatposts outfitted with shocks adorn these bikes, for the reason that these things make bike riding more painless, especially for aging baby boomers. Shocks do not equal off-road-worthiness; and in the case of confort bikes, the shocks were probably not designed for off-road use.

So what's a real mtb? A strong but somewhat light frame with two hollow axles [both wheels quick release], rims strong enough to handle adult riders, at least one set of water bottle mounts and a reasonable gear range, espec. as far as the front chainrings go, they shouldn't be too big. Depending on what you ride over or how much you mind bone-shakin', you might want shocks on the front. Seatpost sahould have a qr lever too, and unless you're a comfort freak a flatter bar stem is better.

Ultimately, a real mtb should be able to survive more than one journey to the woods.

old school mountainbikes

Some good New mountain bikes: Specialized Rockhopper, stumpjumper. Cannondale f700. Trek 4600.

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