Last year I was feeling a bit exhausted and put upon by my aging body so I sold that nice Specialized Hardrock 2002 bike I won at PrideFest the year before. It was just sitting there unused. As a result I started to increase my daily walks. This spring a friend gave me a Murray bike he got at a low-end department store a few years back; he was upgrading and I was happy to take it off his hands. My rationalization for accepting this inexpensive bike was monetary, that and the fact that if you casually ride expensive bikes around the city and they get stolen, it smarts.

I stashed my new used bike in the laundry room on the bike rack our building manager put in. It's a crowded place and the contents change from month to month as tenants arrive and leave. I put it completely out of my mind, but a few weeks ago the weather warmed up considerably along the lake and I decided to give it a try. I did a cursory dusting and cleaning, sprayed the sockets and chain with a can of WD-40 I keep around to help get sticky labels off of products. All I needed to do was get rid of accumulated dust and give the tires a few pumps of air. Not long after that I was tooling along through the park. I found that the old body wasn't quite as wretched as I thought. I actually did pretty good on the flat surfaces of the park sidewalks. There were lots of benches in case I decided to stop and have a rest.

The bike was in relatively good condition. It's a bright turquoise in color and has those motorcycle-type-shifting mechanisms on the handlebars that everyone seems to covet these days. I got on the Internet and found a technical description, which I'll quote: "This 26" bike is great for any occasion. It features a deluxe dual suspension frame, 21 speed index shifting with grip shifters, front & rear steel cantilever brakes, alloy rims, and deluxe bar ends. " That says it better than I ever could.

I found that the brakes weren't as sensitive as my last bike, but a tune-up did wonders. I know that these young kids who ride mountain bikes today want to ride them fast and hard. I don't think that will ever happen to me . . . I’ll avoid riding over bumpy, rough open ground, trying to jump pot-holes and anything else that's mildly dangerous. I think this will be fine for me for an occasional ride through our lakefront parks; either that, or nothing longer than the few-mile trips it takes to get to the beach. There, I can lock it to one of the many bike stands, catch some rays and then slowly return home to water my tomato patch in the late afternoon sun.

I got on the Internet to find out what I could. Murray Men's, Women's, Teens' & Children's' Bikes are assembled in USA per Murray Inc. customer service. Murray Inc. is a United Kingdom owned company. I've seen advertisements on the web with prices of $70 and down.

I read a few reviews that seemed to have been written by young, hotshot bikers who frowned on anything cheap. From what they said, the rims don't seem to be able to handle anything more than slight bumps. A lot of people have the mistaken idea that a bike from a low-end department store can't be any good. Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise. This Murray bike is just fine for me. The brakes ain't as good as I'd like, so I'll have to be careful, but everything else seems fine for me.

As far as repairs go, most department store bikes have name brand components on them. Bike shops don't seem to like working on these bikes. Repairing them yourselves shouldn't be hard if you or friends are capable of doing the work. The bike guy at my regular shop said I'd really have been better off buying one of their lower end bikes rather than repeatedly sinking money into fixing my cheapie as he called it. When he found out how old I was and that I got it for nothing, his tune changed, he wished me luck and advised me to take it easy.

I think everything has its place. Even a Murray bike has a place in the scheme of things. This is a good bike for a beginner or anyone who likes to tool casually along bike paths on back roads. It's a great bike for the city and light trails, but it's not a true mountain bike like some of these young kids want.

I find it a bit disconcerting that this MEN'S bike is placed in the database among toys in K&F.

Happy riding and be safe!

This is an entry in Logimom's one-year anniversary This Isn't My Usual Category Write-off. Congratulations on your first Epinions anniversary, Donna. For other participants and the instructions to enter, please visit the following link: http://www.epinions.com/content_3392184452.

© Ed Grover – 2003

Related bike review: Specialized Hardrock 2002: http://www.epinions.com/content_65555369604

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): free-used
Type of Toy: Sports
Age Range of Child: Other