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Walmart Gets Serious with New Ozark Trail Mountain Bike Lineup

walmart ozark trail mountain bikes ridden on berm
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If you were a big box brand and wanted to launch a mountain bike line, you’d be hard pressed to find a better testing grounds and culture than Bentonville, which is Walmart’s backyard.

And if you wanted to get more people on bikes, which also happens to be one of their corporate missions this year, offering a lineup of reasonably good MTBs ranging from $198 to $398 would be a good start.

walmart ozark trail mountain bikes being ridden through a stream

The new Ozark Trail mountain bikes will come in three wheel sizes: 24″, 27.5″ and 29″. They have lighter aluminum frames, and the 24″ Youth Glide models (not shown) have 1×8 drivetrains and retail for $198.

walmart ozark trail mountain bikes
All images courtesy Walmart.

The larger two get tapered headtubes with 100mm SR Suntour suspension forks, mechanical disc brakes, Shimano and MicroSHIFT drivetrains, and even partial internal routing. Thankfully, there’s not a front derailleur in sight.

“We have developed a bike for the weekend warrior that is ready to hit the trails,” said Maddy Johnson, associate merchant for adult bikes at Walmart U.S. “Many of the bikes in this sport come with a high price point. We wanted to offer our customers a more affordable option while maintaining the quality and versatility that the sport requires, and I think we’ve done that with the Ozark Trail bike!”

walmart ozark trail vibe 27.5 mountain bike

The geometry and 1x drivetrain’s gearing are more for the casual trail wanderer, and the bikes get reflectors and a kickstand, making them ready for riding around town or from trail to ice cream shop or school, too.

The Glide is the 27.5″ bike and is aimed at mid-sized riders. The longer chainstays should keep handling neutral and smaller 8-speed cassette and larger chainring make it more suitable to the flowing singletrack winding its way through Bentonville’s downtown. MSRP is $298.

walmart ozark trail 29er mountain bike

The 29er gets tighter chainstays, a smaller chainring, wider range cassette, and sleeker frame with lower standover height. Additional cable ports could even make it dropper post compatible, and it gets an extra bottle cage mount on the downtube. If you’re definitely hitting all the trails, this one’s the more mountain bikey of the bunch, and it carries the top price of $398.

Clearly not designed for the average Bikerumor reader, but we’re stoked to see higher quality frames and components (and no front derailleurs!!!) offered on affordable bikes that, just as with many of us, can be the gateway drug to more mountain biking.

ozark trail bicycle helmet and hydration pack hanging from handlebars

The bikes join Walmart’s existing outdoor gear housebrand Ozark Trail, which includes helmets, hydration packs, tool kits, and more. Available now in store and online.

Walmart.com

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Fake Namerton
Fake Namerton
1 year ago

This is a good thing. I’ve always thought 1x is a great fit for lower end bike (more intuitive to use, less maintenance) was hoping the Waltons would channel their MTB enthusiasm and leverage Wal-Mart’s scale to bring a cheap useable hardtail XC bike to the masses.

Joenomad
Joenomad
1 year ago

I feel a true “weekend warrior” would be better off spending just a little more around $600 at a LBS for a hardtail with a better fork, which ensures the bike fits and has been proper assembled and checked out.

Fake Namerton
Fake Namerton
1 year ago
Reply to  Joenomad

50% more isn’t “a little more” in this segment.

J D
J D
1 year ago
Reply to  Fake Namerton

Concurred, I remember those day of eating beans and clearance chicken to afford rent, let alone bike gear.

Patrick
Patrick
1 year ago
Reply to  Joenomad

Those spring suntours are only good for the pogo trail sections.

CoftheT
CoftheT
1 year ago
Reply to  Joenomad

Agreed a true weekend warrior will spring a few hundred more for something a little more ligit. A newbie or someone who has intentions of being a reg rider will probably go for this thinking if I end up not really riding then who cares it only a few hundred instead of several (600-1000). Just my thoughts.

Mark P. Can you or someone recommend?
Mark P. Can you or someone recommend?
1 year ago
Reply to  Joenomad

I’m looking for a X country versatile mountain bike. I need one that allows me to ride some city streets and roads to get to the mountain bike trails. I don’t do well with 29 inch bike set ups. I like a 27.5 wheel. I’m 138 lbs and 5’9 What would you recommend for about $600 ish?

MtbBiz
MtbBiz
11 months ago

The Ozark vibe is 27.5 and the geo is more XC vs the trail geo of the Ozark ridge or Kent trouvellie..you can also just buy the later mentioned bikes and swap on a 27.5 wheel set or even a 26er wheel set.
Hell I’ve done a 69er setup on a Giordano Intrepid (factory upgraded Kent trouvellie)
Stock 29er front wheel with 26×2.4 rear.
I eventually upgraded into a 140mm front fork but dropped to a 27.5 by 2.8 front wheel

Dan Shilling
Dan Shilling
1 year ago
Reply to  Joenomad

A lot of comments on the front fork and go to a bicycle shop to spend a couple hundred dollars more.
Well let see that suntour xcm fork is on a lot of entry level bikes and that includes bicycle shop bikes. Entry level specialized rockhoppers entry level treks or giants for example come with the same exact fork believe it or not.
For what you get on this bike it’s a good deal this is very upgradable especially with that frame.
FYI though if you don’t know how to work on a bike and adjust things you might want to take it to your local bike shop to get it tuned up though.
If you’re somewhat mechanically inclined just make sure everything is tight torqued properly and straight.

Last edited 1 year ago by Dan Shilling
MtbBiz
MtbBiz
11 months ago
Reply to  Joenomad

Walmart sells better bikes under the Giordano brand
Valor can be had under 500
And 649 for the Intrepid(120mm thru axle fork/66° HTA), they’ll both rival or beat alot of bikes in the 800 and under segment

Angstrom
Angstrom
1 year ago

It’ll be even better if these are shipped assembled. One of the problems with big-box store bikes is that they’re often assembled by untrained staff, with predictable results.

BIKEFX
1 year ago
Reply to  Angstrom

Sersly? What, you think its free to ship a bike assembled, almost twice as large a box??
NO. This is why almost ALL bikes are shippd to be assembled for good reason!

Dan Shilling
Dan Shilling
1 year ago
Reply to  Angstrom

You made a statement that you wish they all came assembled which will never happen. That require a box double the size and the shipping costs will be ridiculous.
And then you mentioned that they are assembled by untrained staff with predictable results.
If you know how to assemble bikes, no problem but if you’re on the same level as the people you’re saying that are untrained with predictable results then I can understand what you’re getting at.
Assembling bikes is not hard it does take some mechanical know-how though.

King County
King County
1 year ago

These are good enough for someone to get on the trail with and they are better than the bike I started mtb-ing on.

Moose
Moose
1 year ago

I am an LBS, and do appreciate what they are doing. Frankly anything below this quality being paraded as a “Mountain” bike is fleecing the people. Are at least not disposable bicycles.

Dinger
Dinger
1 year ago
Reply to  Moose

“Frankly anything below this quality being paraded as a “Mountain” bike is fleecing the people.”

Most bike companies have different testing thresholds for mountain bike category bikes. I don’t know if that’s compulsory (CPSC?) or not. I wonder what standards these were tested to?

Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
1 year ago

Somebody needs to take one of these down the black in Pisgah and see how it holds up. That will be the real test.

Dan Shilling
Dan Shilling
1 year ago
Reply to  Jimmie Johnson

Watch Berm Peak on YouTube. Seth reviews this bike and he’s picky and he ends up liking the bike.
But it can handle up the blue trails perfectly fine depending on your skill level but this is a XC bike the way it’s assembled now so asking to perform phenomenally on a black diamond trail would be asking a bit too much with this setup.

Last edited 1 year ago by Dan Shilling
Craig
Craig
1 year ago

I saw the 29er being assembled in Taiwan the other week. Was impressed by some of the features of the bike. It was running L-Twoo drivetrain on it not Microshift or Shimano.

BIKEFX
1 year ago

NORTHROCK has been an *excellent* sub-$500US MTB thats Giant manufactured.
In fact, probably the best at that price point.

johnny
johnny
1 year ago

does anyone know where to find parts catalog for ozark trail 29″? or happen to know the spindle size for the cranks? looking at getting a 3 piece crank set for it.

Dan Shilling
Dan Shilling
1 year ago
Reply to  johnny

You mean bottom bracket size?
This bike comes with a square tapered three-piece crank set now.
Not exactly sure of the bottom bracket size but it’s probably a standard size.
Might be able to find that information on YouTube.

Last edited 1 year ago by Dan Shilling
MtbBiz
MtbBiz
11 months ago
Reply to  johnny

Most likely 24mm square taper
With a different BB you can use cranks that use 30mm

Thomas Sharp
Thomas Sharp
1 year ago

I’ve been out of the sport for a couple of years now (my bike was stolen while I was going through a lot) and I’ve been looking at these. I’m at the stage that I could pop a grand on a bike right now, but man, honestly is just don’t really see that this and the Schwinn Axum are really lacking too much. This is far and above the Giant I used to pedal. I’m going back and forth between this and the schwinn (love that black and gold combo with the chainset as I’m a BoilerMaker fan).

I’m going to save my $$ on this and spring for the Bontrager helmet to keep the noggin’ safe and ditch the cheap bang stopper.

MtbBiz
MtbBiz
11 months ago
Reply to  Thomas Sharp

I’d choose the Ozark ridge or the Kent trouvellie over the axum, as they’re ready for the trails (could technically use a clutch derailleur in some eyes)
Where the axum nis going to need the same along with a fork upgrade.

Axum does use a 141mm dropout n(boost wheel converted to QR) the others use the old 135mm rear dropout..
Non seem to use the newer 142 or 148 boost reset yet.
Springing for the Giordano Intrepid is an excellent bike for the $$ 66° HTA, 120mm thru axle fork, hydro brakes, awesome looking frame etc

Robert
Robert
5 months ago

I got the 27.5… great bike, I saw the replacement parts were cheap… $100 for the replacement derailleur, crank/arms, back wheel… Bearings are in cages… Been researching upgrades to derailleur, back rim, bottom bracket bearings… Bought the special tools… Basically replacing parts and bearings to hold my weight researching for upgrades

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