The best PAW bicycle? $165

[Moab]

Will my bike nerds chime in?


https://youtu.be/QV88C5ZK0x0?si=xJMYnee4UX0DNDx1

[Lodewijk]

They're very attractive in their simplicity. I don't think you can get them in the US though.

My ZPAW mountain bike is an old secondhand 26" Rockhopper that I'm upgrading as I go for bushcrafty bikepacking use. Cost effective and the tires I wanted are still easy to get (Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR). I would prefer a 29er in theory but at the price I didn't mind.

In my area, at least the places I like to go, I think you really want a suspension fork and gears to climb in. A single-speed would be rough.

The bike I WANT for this stuff is a fat bike with a suspension fork... so like a Trek Farley 7, a built-to-spec Borealis, or a Rocky Mountain Blizzard with a Manitou Mastodon. But I live in Colorado... one bike for everything means having to deal with snow and ice, which means big, and maybe studded tires. And those things would be like $3K after racks and panniers.

[Moab]

They're very attractive in their simplicity. I don't think you can get them in the US though.

My ZPAW mountain bike is an old secondhand 26" Rockhopper that I'm upgrading as I go for bushcrafty bikepacking use. Cost effective and the tires I wanted are still easy to get (Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR). I would prefer a 29er in theory but at the price I didn't mind.

In my area, at least the places I like to go, I think you really want a suspension fork and gears to climb in. A single-speed would be rough.

The bike I WANT for this stuff is a fat bike with a suspension fork... so like a Trek Farley 7, a built-to-spec Borealis, or a Rocky Mountain Blizzard with a Manitou Mastodon. But I live in Colorado... one bike for everything means having to deal with snow and ice, which means big, and maybe studded tires. And those things would be like $3K after racks and panniers.

It seems like you either have to spend $2000 or it's a POS these days. Lol. I would like to have a few emergency bikes. But what an investment. 

Is there such a thing as a cheap electric mountain bike? Like something you could realistically peddle and use the electric when available?

What about a simple peddle only mountain bike? That doesn't cost to much.

[Lodewijk]

They're very attractive in their simplicity. I don't think you can get them in the US though.

My ZPAW mountain bike is an old secondhand 26" Rockhopper that I'm upgrading as I go for bushcrafty bikepacking use. Cost effective and the tires I wanted are still easy to get (Maxxis Minion DHF / DHR). I would prefer a 29er in theory but at the price I didn't mind.

In my area, at least the places I like to go, I think you really want a suspension fork and gears to climb in. A single-speed would be rough.

The bike I WANT for this stuff is a fat bike with a suspension fork... so like a Trek Farley 7, a built-to-spec Borealis, or a Rocky Mountain Blizzard with a Manitou Mastodon. But I live in Colorado... one bike for everything means having to deal with snow and ice, which means big, and maybe studded tires. And those things would be like $3K after racks and panniers.

It seems like you either have to spend $2000 or it's a POS these days. Lol. I would like to have a few emergency bikes. But what an investment.

Is there such a thing as a cheap electric mountain bike? Like something you could realistically peddle and use the electric when available?

What about a simple peddle only mountain bike? That doesn't cost to much.

Ozark Trail released a mountain bike for about $400 that seems to be "finally, an inexpensive bike that doesn't suck". I have no experience with it.

Used mtbs in ok shape can be had for $100-$200 on Facebook Marketplace [edit: in the Denver area] but you're looking at caliper brakes, 30 year old bikes, routine maintenance to fix worn out chains, etc. And some of the old bikes are priced up a little now because of the surge in people converting them to gravel setups.

My bike was an '06 so it wasn't expensive... but it needed tubes and I did the tires too. And then I converted it to 1x10 and basically doubled my initial investment. But I bought it as a project, so that was OK with me.

E-bikes I don't know very much about, hopefully someone else can weigh in.

[majorhavoc]

Ozark Trail released a mountain bike for about $400 that seems to be "finally, an inexpensive bike that doesn't suck". I have no experience with it.


E-bikes I don't know very much about, hopefully someone else can weigh in.

I have heard talk about that surprisingly decent Ozark Trail mtb.  I think the one everyone's talking about is the Trail Ridge 29

Part of the reason why so many cheap, off brand or big box store bikes positively, absolutely suck (besides abysmal quality and poor initial assembly/set up) is they use off-spec, non-standard, proprietary-sized components.  A quality bike, even one with disc brakes and a multi-gear indexed derailleur drivetrain, is a marvel of simplicity and standarization.  To put it simply, they are design-engineered to be fully replaceable, upgradable and maintainable.  It's the cheap-ass bikes with wacko components design-engineered for economy and ease of manufacture, that create problems, even if they work OK out of the box.  In a PAW scenario, you want a standardized machine that you can maintain yourself, and replace with parts from other bikes (which you acquire ethically from fellow survivors by bartering with some of your massive stores of food, ammo and alcolohic libations medicinal supplies, of course  ).

RE: e-bikes.  I have a fat tire, full suspension 48v/750watt rear hub drive e-bike that so far at least has been reliable (this is my third season with it).  And I finally have a portable solar system that - in theory at least - could keep it going in a grid down situation.  (note: pic is not MY actual bike but it's that exact model/color except I've added a front rack and a waterbottle cage)



But truthfully, if the S ever HTF, I'd rely on my 27" Diamond Back hybrid (half road/half gravel surface) pedal-only bike.  It'll keep going as long as I'm still going. 

[eugenenine]

I wouldn't waste the $ on an ozark trail bike, pretty much anything from that brand is designed to sell, not designed to be used. The people who work for the actual ozark trail park are getting inundated with complaint calls about the crap products.

I paid $160 for my Rockhopper in 2008. Its an old 1996 model but was higher end then with a more modern geometry than others at the time. I've replaced the tubes, tires, stem, brakes, chain, cassette, saddle and seat post.
I still ride it on mountain bike trails, I might not be quite as fast as more modern bikes but it still takes everything I can throw at it.

[Moab]

Whatever happened to @RonnyRonin ? I haven't seen him on here in ages. He was the bug out bike guy for sure.

What's your guys advice for an inexpensive used mountain bike for a large (6'3" 250) and average person? With this criteria? Say in the $200-$300 range?

1) Era?
2) Brands?
3) Major parts - like type or brand of gears ( I remember Shimano being a standard)? How many gears? Rims? Other general criteria Etc.
4) Best for ease of common replacement parts?
5) Ease of repair?
6) Customization you might do with say PAW in mind or long-term use? Thicker tires, tubes?, etc.
7) Steel? Aluminum?
Basic cargo? I'm not looking for a cargo bike per se. But something you could cheaply add front and rear racks to? 

Last time I researched this I think I needed 29" rims for my height? Older Trek mountain bikes seemed like a decent niche iirc. But it's been awhile. I searched used bikes for a bit. But never bought one. The last time I bought a bike a "mountain bike" was a very basic design. And the only other option was a "10 speed" or a beach cruiser. The number of options and prices now is a bit nauseating.

Actually that's not true. The last time I had a bike was when I first moved to Venice CA. I found a mountain bike frame. And scavenged the rest of it from dumpsters and homeless guys I knew. It got me from my apartment down to the beach to work out and swim. I never had to worry about it getting ripped off. It looked like a total POS. Lol. But it was a monster. It took everything I threw at it.

[eugenenine]

Specialized, Trek, Canyon, Canondale, Gary Fisher, Giant, Fuji, Kona, Marin, Pivot, Surly  to name a few. Lots of brands and options.

[eugenenine]

I've posted some on other forums, but I think it fits here too. You need to ride regularly just like any other skill like shooting or fire starting. If you just clean off the cobwebs from the bike thats been hanging in your garage for years and try to ride 100 miles your going to have a lot of sore body parts. Also I track all my rides so I can gauge my speed and stamina.
Here is an example copying from Trailforks, I try to exercise two times per week, though you can probably see from the dates listed I'm a little under my goal. This is a blue (intermediate) mountain bike trail close to my house so its my regular routine.

	Jun 19		EugeneNine	AM		6 miles	525 ft	49 min 19 sec	view ridelog
	Jun 16		EugeneNine	AM		6 miles	518 ft	56 min 13 sec	view ridelog
	Jun 11		EugeneNine	AM		6 miles	460 ft	56 min 16 sec	view ridelog
	Jun 8		EugeneNine	AM		6 miles	441 ft	1 hr 2 min	view ridelog
	Jun 3		EugeneNine	AM		6 miles	499 ft	1 hr 10 min	view ridelog

I'm hitting ~7.5mph on that trail now. Walking/hiking a similar trail is ~2mph so I'm 2-3 times faster on the bike.

[TACAIR]

The Buffalo Bike has some good adverts, and if used in Africa, seems like the real deal.
*****
OTOH, I see small bikes as a good deal, unless for log dx road use.

ZIZZAO - Forte.  300 lb total weight capacity.    What different between 2023 Forte and previous model – ZiZZO Folding bike

Price is now up to $549.00 - shipped to you , CONUS.  I bought mine for $428 + $9 shipping.

Comes with rear rack.
I've swapped out the rear gear cluster, simple enough, to have a bit lower gear (3 teeth)  set for toing a load.  I also swapped out the saddle from my old bike (wreaked by a truck a while ago.

Either you see a folder as a good deal or not for bugging out.  Me - I'm all in. 

The 20 in tires are not for everybody, the current rear gearset is Shimano HG 11-32T; 8 speed cassette - mine was 7 sp and I put on a 12-32T  -- it came with a 14-32T freewheel.

Fits i the back of my Kia Soul with room to spare and all the bags etc that I use while out and about.

[eugenenine]

You don't have to have a folding bike to fit in the back of a vehicle

[TACAIR]

LOL

You do if you are driving a twinkie car (Kia Soul) 

[majorhavoc]

LOL

You do if you are driving a twinkie car (Kia Soul)

You and me both, pal.  I say if you've got it ... flaunt it.

[TACAIR]

Initial ads were targeted at "hip, urban Youth"

Cars were mostly bought by old white guys wanting a decent, cheap ride.

2010 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial Black Sheep Kia Hamsters Video (youtube.com)

2014 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial (youtube.com)

you can see how the ads changed over time



2017
 -  2017 Kia Soul Turbo The Turbo Hamster Has Arrived (youtube.com)

2021
2021 Kia Soul Commercial - YouTube

2023
KIA Soul - Skeletons - Philippe André - YouTube


now they wind up being jacked by "hip, urban youth..."

Times change, eh?

[eugenenine]

I had to drive a Kia once, will make sure I never have to do it again.