Schwinn Knowles Men’s Mountain Bike, Black

I bought this bike from my local Walmart after mine was stolen this summer, and this was the *only* adult bike I could find anywhere for under $3,000. It’s not bad, in fact it’s pretty good for the money….but. It’s very fragile. Before I had ridden the bike for the first time I left it standing in my driveway and the kickstand collapsed dropping the bike to the ground. That bent the pedal/crank assembly. I didn’t realize this and mounted to ride it for the first time. As I began to pedal, the bent crank impacted the front derailleur, destroying it. So, I had to spend about as much as I spent for the bike ($224.00) replacing the kickstand, crank shaft and pedals, the forward gear assembly, and the front derailleur. Then I noticed that the front brake disk was bent (this bike inexplicably comes with a wheel-rim brake on the rear instead of a disk), so I had to straighten that and adjust the brakes. After riding for the first time I noticed that the front wheel was not true, so I had to adjust that (there is still a suspicious “click” as the front wheel rotates which has me a bit worried, I’m keeping an eye on it for now). I also installed a new seat (the one it comes with is rubbish) and a handle-bar riser (the bars are too low for anyone over 6-foot tall). As I tried to install the riser the “star nut” inside the steering stem came apart, so I had to install a more robust expanding nut assembly. I found that I had to change the grips because the stock grips made my hands hurt after a couple of miles. I also bought a few other accessories while I was at it (cargo rack, saddlebags, bottle cage, bell, speedometer/odometer). I also removed all the wild graphics. All in, I’ve spent about $1000.00 on this bike so far, and it is just at the point where I feel I can ride it a few miles with some comfort and confidence. I think my next upgrade will be rear gears (the stock gear cassette and derailleur are, well, not junk but not far off from it) and to go to a single gear on the front eliminating the front derailleur (which never really works right anyway). Then I think I might change the rear wheel, add a disk in the rear and switch to hydraulic brakes (you can find a kit on Walmart or Amazon for about $100). I think I will also add a real adjustable front fork (the stock suspension is way too soft and not adjustable). Even after the upgrades, note that this is *NOT A MOUNTAIN BIKE*. If you take a stock Knowles on a typical mountain bike trail, you will probably die. You won’t be able to stop and the bike will come apart from underneath you. But, with a few upgrades, it makes a pretty good level-ground cross-country trail bike. It tracks true on pavement (but the knobby tires mean that you will do a lot of pedaling) and those big 29 inch wheels perform well on soft ground. I give it 4 stars in terms of value for money (it is after all a cheap budget bike). But expect to spend a few hundred more to make it a really useful machine.