Nashbar 29er Single-Speed Mountain Bike

First time purchasing a bike like this online, sight unseen. So far I’m really happy. Out of the box there were a few bolts to tighten and some threads to grease but the whole assembly took 30mins. My first time with a 29er and first single speed - I’ve had this bike now for a few weeks, ridden 30+ miles of very tough mbt trails with rocks, roots, technical riding and aggressive down hills. My fitness and stamina since getting this bike have rocketed, and way faster than I was expecting. The first few rides are gruelling, then when you get stronger and more attuned to the gearing it becomes a joy. After a few rides I gave the chain a little tighten and nipped up the headset, both easy adjustments.This bike is not light, as noted by others, but it inspires lots of confidence and so far the weight is a non-issue. No rattles or clicks or squeaks from the hardware, just the sound of tires on the trail and panting from my exertion.********** UPDATE *************I’ve now been riding for just over a month. I took it to my local shop to get an inner tube and while I was there ended up buying some tougher walled tyres to help with punctures (had a couple). When we got the rear wheel off they got the wheel on a stand and then saw that the freehub wasn’t rolling! The person who had assembled it had tightnened a side locator nut against it hard, jamming the bearings together. The jokes on me really because I was pedalling like crazy, thinking that amount of resistance was normal and that I wasn’t used to a single speed! Now we’ve freed the hub up it’s actually rolling properly and my legs can rest. This seems like a pretty poor piece of assembly work from Nashbar and if I hadn’t gotten lucky with my shop catching it the hub bearings and my legs would we worn out in short order. For that reason alone I’m going from 5 stars to 3. It’s a lot of bike for the money, but have someone look it over who knows what they’re doing.

This bike is as described. Simple, rugged and a blast to ride.ProsSturdy AF. Every piece on it is about as tough as you can make it. The frame is chrome moly and is nigh on indestructible. The cranks are attached to the front chainring with almost half inch thick pieces. The pedals are cast aluminum and sturdy as can be. It's not going to break.Gearing. For where I live and the trails around me, the gearing is about right. For every full turn of the pedals, the rear wheel is powered for about 1 and 2/3 turns. Not the fastest, but makes even steep hills manageable.Rigid fork. I admit I was leery of getting this bike because it had no front suspension. I tried it out on a hill near my neighborhood, steep, bumpy and grass covered. It was pretty smooth coming down. I was shocked at how little a front suspension fork actually does (comparing to other bikes I've taken down that same hill)! It seems like the tires and large wheels actually smooth things out more than at least a cheap fork does.Size. Just about perfect. You can throw it around pretty easily. It's large enough to be stable. It's not the lightest thing ever, about 30ish lbs, but not really heavy either.Upgradability. The hubs have spots for disc brakes. The frame and fork do as well. It comes with a derailleur hanger. There's room for a multi gear cog on the rear hub (I don't think it's necessary). The fork could be replaced with a suspension fork if you wanted to.Geometry. This bike is easy to climb on, partly because of the tires, but mostly due to the geometry. It distributes your weight effectively for stability and traction.Cons.Color. The only thing I don't really care for is the color selection. I would have liked some choices in frame color. Blaze orange is OK, but some others would have been preferred. Not a big deal.Bottom line.I would recommend to anyone looking for a lower maintenance bike that's tough as nails. This thing is an absolute blast to ride and you don't have to worry about messing it up. Nashbar really did it right with this bike!