Searching for the Best Cheap 29er ?

Hello and Welcome, The other day an acquaintance asked me "Hugh do you know where I can find a good but affordable men's 29er Mountain bike"? I answered "not really but I will do some checking around and get back to you, give me a few days. Personally, I have never owned or ridden a 29er Mountain Bike. But I must admit I am looking forward to the experience. My search will focus on two price levels, the 200.00 to 300.00 range and the 300.00 to 500.00 range. What am I looking for? First a brand name that can be resold, should the the new owner decide "its just not my thing". A quality but not a "super high tech" bike. I think, If He can go without all the latest "bells and whistles", I may be able to find him a decent quality bike for a reasonable price. There are a some brands I wont even bother looking at RoadMaster, Pacific, Kent, Huffy that other one... Magna, well you get the idea. And I will only be looking at hard-tails as that is what most people I know prefer to ride.

Above: We have to start somewhere so I will start with the Polaris Rush 29er. Not much in the description (not a good indicator) Alloy frame, Shimano TX35 rear Derailleur shift intigrated brake levers. front disc (no brand listed) Rear V brakes. I consider the use of a company name like Polaris or Jeep or Hummer a big red flag. Attaching a brand to an inferior product is a common ploy to make you think of the quality of the bike as being on the same level as the attached name. This is seldom if ever true, you might want to watch out for that. At 269.97 this bike is not gonna make the cut.

Above: The Schwinn Elite Fire Wire 4.0 29er Black/Red 24 speed/alloy rims (description lacks detail not a good sign) Saddle WTB (there is a plus) Front brake disc. Rear brake linear ProMax. Shifters "non Series" (what the heck is a non series) Chain Alloy / Alloy Rims (again no details) I was actually liking this bike a little until the last part. Tire width 1 inch (no like) Weight capacity 250 lbs (a little low) 41.9 lbs (too heavy) At 399.99 this is a nice looking bike. But in the end it doesn't make the cut either.

Above: The Mongoose Impasse HD 29er. Aluminum frame. Alloy rims. Suspension fork. Front and Rear Disc brakes. 21 speed with Shimano rear derailleur. Sram Twist shifters. Crank alloy.(description lacks way too much detail) And its ugly too. At 229.13 this Mongoose doesn't even come close to making the cut.

Above: The Mantis Colossus Mt bike 29er. I could disqualify this one on the name alone! But that would be stupid. Steel Frame (not necessarily bad) Shimano rear D. Twist grip shifters. 29 Alloy rims. Front disc brake / Rear V brake (this description lacks way too many details) nice paint and chrome though. Repeat after me.. Chrome wont get you home! Chrome wont get you home! At 197.34 to 199.99 Not a chance. Pass

Above: DIAMONDBACK 2013 Overdrive V 29er. Finally! Butted Aluminum frame (sounds ok) SR Suntour KXCT 29 Fork (an actual brand name) Shimano Atlus rear derailleur (this just keeps getting better). W/EF-51 7 Speed Easy Fire Shifters (I like these shifters) Pro Max Alloy Linear Pull Brakes w Shimano Levers (brand names a big +) WTB Wolverine Comp 29 tires (I am really liking this bike!) DB Micro Adjust seat post and DB Race Saddle. Cranks SR Suntour 22/32/42. Sealed Bottom bracket. Gear Shimano 7 speed cassette. Wheels 32 hole Weinmann SL-7 Double wall. Headset Intigrated FSA drop in ACB upper. Zero stack lower Internal cup 9 cartridge bearings. At $349.31 amazon.com (20inch frame) This bike easily makes the cut! But lets see what else is out there.

Above: Jeep Comanche Mt bike 29er. 18.5 inch frame.(insert red flag here) Satin Copper. Aluminum frame. ZOOM 29er Fork (not pleased at all with my Zoom fork) Over sized 31.8 Alloy stem. Shimano Tourney 21 speed shifters and rear derailleur.(brand name) Radius Front disc. Ship weight 25 lbs (that's probably incorrect) But at 238.88 I am going to pass. The lack of details about the wheels is not good. Branding makes me very suspicious. And as I mentioned I am not a big fan of the Zoom fork. The rubber seals on mine are already coming apart. Burn me once.... PASS

Above:(Sears) Thruster 29er Aluminum frame w forged drop-outs. Zoom 29er suspension fork. Shifters 24 speed Sram X4 w indicators. Cranks Truvativ 26/38/48. Cassette Sun Race ChroMo MFM - 6-13-32. Tires Kenda Nevegal 29x2.1. Wheels Custom Alloy V rim Disc w stainless steel spokes. Pedals VP Alloy platform. While some of the info about the bike is pretty good. I still have trouble getting past the Zoom fork. At 413.18 I will pass with some hesitation.

Above: The 2012 Diamondback 29er. Brakes Tektro Novela Disc w 6 inch Rotors. (there is the big difference from the 2013) Fork SR Suntour. Tires WTB. Shift Sram x4 Trigger. Front derailleur Shimano. Rear derailleur Sram. This is a nice "resell able" brand name bike that makes he cut easily. The 549.00 price is a little out of my specified range. If I was going to spend that much money I think this would be a real good choice. If you found it on sale for 500.00 then yes definitely a winner.

Above: North Woods N 29 (Meijer) Aluminum frame 29er. 21 speed Shimano FF40 shift. 36 hole Alloy rims. Alloy 31.8 stem. Steel Crank 28 38 48. Front disc brake. Rear linear pull brake. Alloy post clamp. Weight Capacity 200lbs. Descriptions lacks some detail. The 200 lbs capacity is too low. Maybe ok for someone about 150 lbs who is just cruising around town. At 293.14 a definite pass. At Meijer's Store 199.99 A much better deal. I did own a North Woods w 26 inch wheels before. And that was it`s weakness as well. Not sturdy enough. Might be ok for lighter rider cruising around town or in the subdivision. Still a Pass for me though.

Above:Genesis Two Nine 29er.(walmart) 18 inch aluminum frame. 21 speed. Front disc brake. Rear lineal pull brake. Large wheels (now there's a detail for you) Alloy bar stem. weight 37 lbs. At 199.00 this Genisis bike did not come close to making the cut. No details in the description at all. Usually an indicator that the cheapest possible components were used. a definite Pass. Nice color though :)

Above: The Iron Horse 4.1 Osprey 29er.(sears) SunTour SR suspension fork. Alloy Bars and Alloy Stem Head. Sram Twist shift. Shimano TX rear derailleur. Front and Rear Pro Max disc. Light SR SunTour Crank. Alloy quick release Front and rear. At Reg 289.99 now 275.49 (available at sears) I like this bike. While I do not like "everything" about it I think it would be a great start for the price. This bike at 275.49 makes the cut. I would consider this bike for myself.

Above: The Raleigh Talus Sport.(REI) It comes in several higher priced levels as well. Frame Atomic 13 SL Custom butted Aluminum forged down-tube CNC machined Head tube. Fork SR SunTour XEM 80mm w/lockout. Threadless head set. Crank set Shimano MC442 Octalink 22/32/44. Front and Rear Shimano Acera shifters. Shimano M3 10 speed cassette. HG 50 9spd (11-34) Brakes Hayes MK5 Mechanical disc 180/160 rotors. Sizes small through extra large. Now this bike is about 650.00 I have seen it on sale for 600.00 Now if you can find one of these in the dead of winter you might get it cheaper. But I really like this bike. And besides I had to include a Raleigh. The folks at Raleigh must think a lot of this bike to name it the SPORT. I think this bike is the winner except it is 100.00 to 150.00 above the 500.00 range. But compared the the "high end" 29ers this is still pretty cheap.

Now if your wondering which of these bikes one "Ole Hugh' would buy. well, If I absolutely had to stay under 300.00 I would buy the Iron Horse. Now if I was trying to stay as close to 500.00 as possible I would buy the 2012 Diamondback. But I have to say for 350.00 I also like the 2013 Diamondback. Now if I really wanted to "Go to Town" and I could afford it, I would go with the Raleigh Talus Sport. Hands down the Best of This Group (in my opinion). In the Under 200.00 Range If I were you...I would Pass on All Of Them (and not just the ones in this group) and fix up a used bike for myself. Because as someone recently reminded me, That is what I am all about. Until Next Time.. Please RIDE SAFELY and Remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers, Hugh

If I had given the people what they wanted, I would have sold them faster horses. Henry Ford....... ATTENTION AMAZON SHOPPERS! You can help Support This Blog by simply shopping on Amazon dot com using the Amazon Search Box located at the Top Right Corner of This Page. It will not effect your cost and I will receive a very small commission. Thanks for your support, Hugh

Hollandia Opa Bike (Made in China)

Hello and Welcome, Once again I am tempted to purchase a "Department Store Bike". The Hollandia bikes style is wonderful but I am sure the quality is everything but. However this is one awesome looking bike! And I would not have to purchase it from Wally Mart. I could even order it from Amazon.com using the Amazon Search on my own blog for a mere 182.19 with free super saver shipping!

Above: I have possible improvements going through my mind already. The vinyl saddle would have to go for sure. And the "brown" grips (their description not mine) I imagine are plastic or pleather. (plastic leather) Cork grips are only 10 bucks and I already have the Shellack. And I just happen to have an extra set or two of block pedals, I am sure one of the sets would be a good fit.

Above: What a profile, absolutely captivating. I can`t find anything in the description that tells me what the chain guard and fenders are made of. I`m not real keen on the idea of plastic chain guards. And nothing listed about the load capacity of the racks. Although the total load capacity is listed at 275 lbs.

Above: The woman's model appears to be right out of the Wizard of Oz. I am not a huge fan of step through frames. But this is a really sweet looking design. Why no luggage rack on the front? From what I have found so far, this model is priced higher than the double horizontal top tube model.

Above: What about the moral issues of buying Chinese products? This is a photo of a Chinese factory with nets allegedly to catch suicidal workers. That is a difficult thing to ignore. By purchasing Chinese products are we endorsing inhumane manufacturing methods? On the other hand, with minimum wages stuck at the same rate in America for longer than I can remember.(Michigan 7.40 per hour) Are these folks expected to fork over big bucks for an American made bicycle? I mean if your knocking down 150 thousand or so a year. Are you gonna tell some poor 7.40 per hour worker He should buy American?

Above: Another issue, one I seldom hear mentioned. What about the pollution caused by the manufacturing practices in China? Are we supporting this way of doing business when we purchase Chinese products?

Above: Can you imagine your morning commute looking like this every morning? This would probably kill me. I am an Asthmatic. Also due to an injury I received in a fall in 2007 I am missing a pretty good chunk of my right lung. So I am not exaggerating when I say living in industrial China would most likely be fatal for me. And I find it impossible to believe that this environment is not fatal to many Chinese people. The key word here being PEOPLE. Do I want to support this?

Above: Yes Chinese products are everywhere? But Mitt Romney has promised He will get tough on China! Why do I have trouble believing that? Click on the picture and read the tag.

Above: Product Description. This comfy, one-size-fits-all, navy blue hat shows you’re a Democrat, with the word ''Democrat'' on the front and the Party’s website on the back. Like all our products, it’s American-Made and union-Printed. Maybe I should be asking myself, What would Barack Obama do?

Above: About the Blogs readers. The posts about the WalMart Thruster Fixed Gear Bike are the most popular (by a huge margin) I have ever written. This makes me ask.. Are these the only "new bikes" many of my readers can afford? If so, is it wrong for me to show them what they can do to improve their department store bikes? This is my dilemma.

Above: UPDATE I am inserting this a few days latter. After doing a little research I have come to the conclusion that rebuilding and upgrading this bike would be too expensive to make it a worth while investment. It appears that the chain guard and fender skirts are plastic. And from what I have read, not very good plastic at that. Also (and I had to read this review twice) the handle bars are welded to the stem. This is something I have seen before, but only on a child's tricycle. Also the saddle is a cheesy looking vinyl p.o.s. that would need a serious upgrade to make this look anything like a real classic. And trying to find, then paint and retro-fit a full metal chain-guard. That sounds like a real costly project in itself. And I would probably have to fabricate the metal skirts. That is if I wanted them at all. And do all this for "from what I have read is" a poorly welded, NOT a lugged frame bicycle. I don't think so. But what really scares me is this.. what about all the "unknowns". If this is how the rest of the bike was built.. What are the headset, hubs, crank and bottom bracket going to look like? I am guessing "not very good". Until I see one of these up close I am not going to risk the money.

Above: Another thought on Chinese made bicycles. I have three bikes that I actually ride. One of them is my Specialized Rock Hopper FS. The Rock Hopper was also Made in China. But it is not a "Department Store Bike" and that seems to make it ok. I have never heard a negative word from anyone about my Rock Hopper. So is it really Chinese bikes people have a problem with? Or is it just "department store Chinese bikes" we have a problem with? Are the workers that build the "better" bikes in China treated better than the workers who build the cheaper bikes? I am guessing probably not. Someone once said "There are 365 ways to look at an Elephant" This seems to apply to the "Made in China" issue as well.

Above: Change of topic. The fork decals decals for the Raleigh Sports have arrived. But as expected the pedals from the UK are going to take a little longer. The weather here has been depressing. Much too cold, way to windy and cloudy all day long. So I have not felt like doing much "bike wise" so far this week. I`ll try to "kick it in gear" as soon as I finish this post.

Above: I have no idea if it looks like the one above. But I heard a rumor that Tim Joe over at "The Trailer Park Cyclist" (Link in the Blogs by Friends and Readers section) recently purchased a Wally Mart bike. From what I have heard it is a Beach Cruiser. No doubt it will be put to good use down there in Fla. I guess now I could make my department store bike purchase and blame it all on T.J. Then I could sleep better at night knowing that I was influenced by one of the better writers on the internet. (He really is an excellent writer) But what kind of person would do something like that? LTMS Seriously I would like to hear your thoughts "pro and con" on the subject of yours truly purchasing the Hollandia Opa bike. And I promise I will wait 24 hours before responding to any negative comments :)

Above: Now that I have the headset and bottom bracket rebuilt I will be moving this project indoors soon. I will do all the nasty stuff out in the shop/garage and do everything else indoors. This will make it much more comfortable for me to work during the colder months ahead. UPDATE: I have taken the L.L. Bean bike in a whole different direction since this photo was taken. I will be doing a blog post about it real soon.. That's about all I have for now. Until next time, Please RIDE SAFELY and Remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!

ATTENTION AMAZON SHOPPERS! You can help Support This Blog by simply shopping on Amazon dot com using the Amazon Search Box located at the Top Right Corner of This Page. It will not effect your cost and I will receive a very small commission. Thanks for your support, Hugh

A Sturmey Archer Dynohub for the Sports

Hello and welcome. I had planned to replace the incorrect front wheel on the Raleigh Sports from the beginning. After searching and not finding anything I liked, I contacted Darrell from Bent Wrench Restorations. I was hoping he could point me in the right direction. He did better than that. He actually had two suitable wheels he was willing to sell. The first was a perfect match. But the other was even better, a perfect match with a Sturmey Archer Dynohub. After giving it some thought, I decided to purchase both of them. I really wanted the Dynohub for myself. And I know that if I ever do sell this bike I would want to keep the Dynohub for my next classic Raleigh.

Above: I am not exaggerating when I say, I had no idea how to hook up the headlamp wiring to this dynohub. All the old Sturmey Archer lamps I found on e bay and elsewhere had two wires coming from them. But all three of my salvaged headlamps have only have only one wire. I did manage to find a UK bike shop online that had some Sturmey Archer headlamps for sale. However I could not complete the purchase on their site. The site kept asking for my "security code" but gave me no place to enter it. After three tries I just gave up. I e mailed Darrell again asking if he knew of some directions or tutorial online that might help. He explained as basically as he could what I needed to do and gave me the URL of a bicycle lighting blog. Between Darrell's description and looking at some pics online. I got an idea of what I need to do.

Above: Even though I was not able to get the lamp to work by wiring it to the hub and spinning the wheel by hand, I decided to mount it on the bike anyway. Once I had the headlight mounted I checked the wire length and cut off the excess. Then with one post on the hub grounded to the frame I connected the headlamp wire to the other and spun the wheel. Then the least expected thing happened, The damn thing lit up! I think I probably had it wired properly "off the bike" but when I shortened the wire and stripped away the cover on the end of the wire I now had a good connection. Either the wire had a short in the part I cut off or the connector was no good. Maybe the lamp itself needed to be mounted to be grounded? So basically I don`t know 100% "for sure" why it is working. But I do know that it is, and that is good enough for now.

Above: The headlamp is actually a "Schwinn Approved" model. However it does look very much like the Sturmey Archer headlamp I was looking at the other night. And knowing that Schwinn imported many parts and accessories from England and France back in the day... I would not be surprised if it really is a Sturmey Archer.

Above: Today I decided to rewire the headlamp. The wire I used was very old and had several spots where it had been kinked. Also the connectors I used did not fit properly and were also tarnished badly. So this morning after coffee I headed to Peter's True Value Hardware to purchase some new low voltage wire and small wire connectors. I began by cutting the headlamp wire about 3 or 4 inches below the lamp. I also removed the wire cover for about the last 3/8 inch on both wires. I inserted the bare ends of the wire into the connectors. Then with the new wire properly inserted into the connectors I crimped on the male and female ends of the connector.

How I insert the wire depends on how much room for the wire there is in the connector itself. If it is too tight I will just insert the copper wire, folded over if necessary for a tight fit. (like the one above) If it is loose I will fold the (exposed copper) end of the wire over the wire cover, running back up the wire. Then insert the cover with the copper exposed on the side into the connector. The main thing is that is is tight and that the copper inner wire makes good contact inside the connector.

Above: Here from the opposite end of the wire I have slid a small piece of shrink tube over the new connection. This should protect the connection from corrosion. Shrink tube comes in many sizes. I chose a size that fits fairly snug over the connectors. To large of a size and the tube wont shrink down tightly. And the connection will not be secured and protected properly.

Above: To shrink the tube I wave a small flame from a Bic lighter back and forth underneath and around the tube as much as I can. (the above pic is actually the new ground wire) I need to keep the flame moving so I do not melt or ignite the shrink tube. Using a torch is not a good idea as it will make too much heat. I imagine a heat-gun would be the proper way to do this. But the Bic is faster and works well enough.

Above: You can see the shrink tube is now pretty snug to the connection. I will heat the ends a little more and try to get a better seal around the wire. If I ever want to access this connection I can remove the shrink tube using a razor knife.

Above: This time I chose to run the wire down the left or back side of the head tube. This will make it less noticeable when I photograph the bike. And I will secure it to the back side of the fork using black zip ties. Again to make the wire less noticeable. I have seen stick-on wire hangers on bikes before, but I have no idea who sells them. If you know where they can be purchased, please post it on the face book page or leave a comment.

Above: First thing I slid a small piece of shrink tube over the white wire. I then used a bare hook connector. (it has no plastic insulation) I strip about a 1/4 inch of the wire and fold it over the side of the wire cover so it is running back towards the lamp. Then I insert it into to connector and crimp it tightly with needle nose pliers. Then I slid the shrink tube into place and warmed it up. Then I just loosened the nut on the Dynohub and slipped the hook in behind it and re tightened it. You can see the connection on the left looks much cleaner than the connection on the right or red wire. The hook connector on the right is called an insulated connector. This is the ground wire and it should be black. Tomorrow I will pick up some bare hook connectors and scrounge up some black wire and replace it. Then it will look cleaner and be sealed up better too. This is why I grabbed a few different type connectors today at the hardware. I wanted to see what would work and look best. And now I know.

Above: Another change I will make tomorrow is the white wire should be outside the fender strut. With it behind the strut I had to add another zip tie to keep it from rubbing the hub. I might shorten the white wire a bit tomorrow as well. Quite often studying my photographs I notice things that I could have done differently or that just need a little tweaking.

Above: Here I have made up a new black ground wire using uninsulated connectors and protecting the connections with shrink tube. I also moved the headlamp wire to the outside of the fender strut and shortened it up a wee bit as well.

Above: I was having trouble trying to find this thin low voltage wire at Hardware Stores. Then it occurred to me that Radio Shack would be the place to go. And yes they had this 3 small spool set for $8.49 Another thing they have that could prove useful is a pretty good selection of flashlight bulbs.

Above: This 3 speed Raleigh has been a lot of fun to work on. And between this "Sports" and Brian's Raleigh "Sprite" I have learned a lot. I will be ordering the correct fork decals for the Sports. To me the modern ones just would not look right. And I did notice after riding the Sports that the left pedal spindle was ever so slightly bent. So for now I have vintage (1960's) English road bike pedals on it. So I will be changing those back to block pedals eventually. I thought the saddle would require a break in period but so far it has been very comfortable. I did read somewhere that Brooks uses a softer leather on their touring type saddles.

Above: Now it is the evening of the day after rewiring the headlamp for the last time. I ordered these NOS (new old stock) vintage Raleigh Pedals from the UK last night. As you might imagine they were "a little pricey". But after close inspection of the other pictures of the above pedals, I could see they are a perfect match both thread wise and spindle end wise. The threaded post ends are slotted for a large screwdriver just like the originals. I have read that, When European bicycle manufactures were attempting to standardize thread type (and I imagine metric sizes as well) Raleigh resisted. This was because Raleigh manufactured all their own parts. So there was no need to justify the cost of doing so. I think my pedals (1964) might have been made before Raleigh complied to the standards. (if they ever actually did) Because "In my opinion" the modern Raleigh 9/16 threading is just a little different than the old. The TPI (threads per inch) looks really close. But the angle of the threads looks different to me. I may be wrong about this, but I don't think so. I will look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on the subject.

CAUTION!! The Modern Dynohubs are much more efficient. And the L.E.D. lights are brighter and better. But I almost never ride in the dark. This was done basically for the "Cool Factor". My Specialized and my flip/flop single speed both have bicycle LED head and tail lights. LED is the only to go if you are riding in the dark or anytime on the road or bike path.

Above: This is the other vintage wheel I purchased from Darrell. Unless someone is willing to pay a "boat load of money" for the Sports with the Dynohub wheel. This is the wheel that will be on it, when and if I sell it.

Above: When I do switch the wheels I will install one of theses vintage bolt on generator headlamp combinations. Please do not ask to purchase one of these from me, as they are among my most prized possessions. Along with my Schwinn "dog bone wrench" and my vintage Schwinn "pen type" pocket air gauge (Made in England). There are some things I will never part with.

I think on the "L.L. Bean" bike I will try to do a step by step on rebuilding the threaded headset. Seems like I am always focusing on the crank, probably because that is what people ask me about the most. Other than the pedals, which are on their way from the UK there is nothing else to talk about concerning the Raleigh Sports.

Until next time, Please RIDE SAFELY and Remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!! Cheers, Hugh

ATTENTION AMAZON SHOPPERS! You can help Support This Blog by simply shopping on Amazon dot com using the Amazon Search Box located at the Top Right Corner of This Page. It will not effect your cost and I will receive a very small commission. Thanks for your support, Hugh