Remember the time when there were only crappy bikes at walmart, but only a few expensive exceptions? When you needed to upgrade everything to get a good bike? This has changed. And I like to think that it is all because of KevCentral.

Schwinn is getting better and better at making quality and affordable mtb’s well done!

I mean, DP is not an abbreviation I would use.

i find it gratifying to see schwinn making a comeback, they used to be a decent brand. i put many thousands of miles on my old schwinn world. i already have an entry level cannondale otherwise i would grab one of these. mine just doesnt have a dropper post. nor tapered head tube. although it does have the sram nx groupset.

At this rate in a couple years air forks and hydraulic disc brakes will be found on Schwinns at walmart

Bought one for my 5’11” 16 year old daughter. Truth be known, I love riding this bike!!! Crazy value for the money and a highly capable bike.

I have the same bike Love it In shop right now getting a Rock Shox 30 Gold RL120 mm Tappered, new saddle and Shimano Hydraulic Brakes installed... Great bike Great video And I love the dropper post I had a issue with barrel on seat post got it fixed thou called Schwinn before I got it repaired and they sent me a whole new seat and post to replace a screw well a barrel for a cable !! Told them that all I needed was a new barrel but they said no sending whole setup we don’t have parts. Thanks for doing the video on the bike !

This video is literally on Walmart's website right now, it's in the description, so I think it's safe to say that Walmart watches your videos, keep doing what you do! I honestly think you have a big impact on big box store bikes, especially these days!

Finally a new video! This is one of the only channels I sub to that I have the notification turned on for.

I love my dropper... not only is it super useful for obstacles when on trail rides, it’s super useful for “regular” riding on a 29er bike that is more “monster truck” feeling than I really want...Getting off and on is not a big problem, this just makes it that much easier for me.

Really wanted to buy one of these, but I truly believe you're the reason they are sold out of both models. You should be very proud of that. Thanks for recommending big box bikes like these that I otherwise wouldn't bother glancing at.

"To me, dropper posts were kind of a novelty" ; I'm with you brother. "I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the dropper post" ; Dang it, why'd you have to go and say that.

I’m gonna be honest with you Kev, since I started watching you (a few years ago), I’ve always had bikes in the $3k+ range and they all had high-end components and droppers, but you’ve definitely given me a different view of the lower-end market, and who knows, maybe I’ll even invest in a bike like this one day to see what they’re like. Thanks you all your hard work and always being a quality source of entertainment. Cheers

Don’t know about everyone else but every Walmart in a 100 mile radius of my house is completely out of stock of all mountain bikes ...

This is probably one of the best looking bikes I've seen, I love that frame

Awesome! I’ve been waiting for this video. I think the DP model is worth it if you have $500. Although I think bike shops should only be worried if Schwinn starts doing frame sizing.

Thanks for all of your great content Kev. I was leaning toward the regular Axum, simply because that black finish is the most beautiful! But now that the regular Axum is $448 and the DP is still $498, I got the red DP instead after watching this video. You admitting you weren't a dropper guy resonated, as I've never had one, but all those advantages seemed worth second choice of color and only $50 more. Thanks again dude!

I’d pick the DP. One: it’s blue, and I love blue. Two: it has a dropper, that’s one thing you don’t need to buy later. Three: you can build it up into something badass and I’ve already dreamt up a build idea that takes a bit too much advantage of that tapered headset.

I have 2 wishes : 1- hitting the powerball. 2- seeing Mongoose upgrading the xr pro frame keeping the same design . I guess hitting the powerball numbers is more realistic !!!

I was going to buy the first Axum you reviewed before they went out of stock on the Walmart website. I really hope that they restock soon, but since these are trying times, I'm more than willing to wait

Why does a Walmart bike have a dropper and my trek doesn’t

I’ve been waiting all week for this video! Finally it’s here!

Thanks for the Videos! I just discovered your channel. Thanks to the Pandemic I'm rediscovering riding my 1988 Diamondback Ascent EX (gravel bike, OG mountain bike) on some light park trails to get back into bike riding and I am really enjoying the trails vs school parking lot and neighborhood streets. I bought it back in 89 when I lived in Huntsville, AL. I'm not sure I'll be riding all the time so when I found your channel I was like, YES! Thank you! So now, I'm torn between the Axum DP and the Boundary. I was looking at the Axum but then you showed the real-world use of that witchcraft "Drop Post"...what the... I'm 53, I grew up riding my 1977 Blue Roadrunner, one speed with slick rear tire and banana seat, then 1980 BMX Mongoose Blue Max...so I'm cheap and old school. I'm getting rattled to death via my "Sweet Red" Diamondback (love this bike) on the trails due to no fork and it's getting a bit old now, like me...help! Again, thank you for all your videos!

Kev, you’re killing me with these videos, but keep them coming!!! You have the best channel on KZfaq for us folks who aren’t going to be riding double black diamond trails, but want a capable bike for intermediate trails without breaking the bank. Almost all the new Schwinn offerings are great bikes to start on, with minor upgrades as our skill increases, or in my case, the rust gets knocked off from not riding in years!!! A fork, pedals, bars, grips, hydraulic brakes, and maybe tires, and rims depending on the terrain you ride, and you have a great bike. You can add your upgrades on as you go, so you can still ride, and not have to fork out a lot of money at one time. Obviously Trek, Giant, Yeti, Cannondale, and others have fully capable bike right off the showroom floor, but the majority of casual riders don’t want to spend that kind of money for a bike. Looking forward for your next video!!!

I put a dropper ($135, Amazon) on my Marlin 6 (a $650 entry level hardtail from Trek) immediately, and loved it from day one. When I said I wanted a dropper the bike shop guys were like, "you don't need one of those on and entry level bike." But, oh, I beg to differ. It makes so much difference, it's like two bikes in one. And for all the reasons you said Kev. And I am very happy to see a DP on this Axum. The only drawback is I think you said previously there's just one size for the Axum frame, so smaller guys like me are out of luck. BTW, Trek advertises internal routing for the dropper but on my 2020 it turns out Trek did not drill the seat tube hole so I had to go with an external routed dropper. So, yah, I think this Walmart bike has one upped Trek, in that department at least. I mean I love my Marlin, but after all the research I did on it before buying only to find the dropper hole not drilled after all, it made a lasting impression of the brand on me.

Your experience installing the dropper cable was a lot easier than mine. The bar at the end wasn’t tight enough and popped right off when attempting to pull down to seat the cable shredding the end. I proceeded into a learning experience about cable cutters and and bike cables and had to remove the dropper post cable from the bike altogether just to get it fixed. I figured it out and fortunately was able to return the purchase of an additional bike cable that I thought I had needed. I wish there were clearer instructions on how to install the dropper post.

Its amazing that there know exists a bike under 500$ with a dropper

Great video man! First of yours I’ve seen. Please keep making quality bike videos! Love that Schwinn is making a nice comeback.

This is probably going to be the bike I get next for the trails. I’m currently using a genesis rct 27.5. It is a great bike

Hmmmmm, $500 for Axum, $180 for deore 10 speed 1x groupset, $80 for Shimano MT200 Brake Set, $250 Rockshox Recon = $1010 for a good quality bike with good components. While this is a nice bike, to me, the Trek Roscoe 7 is looking better as a new bike this summer. Will admit though, Schwinn has done good on this bike to get people into the sport with a solid priced bike. That is a good looking paint color!

Hey Kevin! I found a way to adjust the non-adjustable cheap suspension forks: 1. Take out the caps on top (same way as cheap bar ends: with a flat screwdriver) 2. Take a torque wrench with a super long adapter and an allen bolt remover 3. Tighten for stiffer suspension and loosen for a softer one It might only be that the suspension I tested it on was seized but I highly doubt it.

I really didn’t know much about a dropper but rode my brother-in-law’s Salsa fat tire that he added a dropper to…game changer…especially for the practical reasons you highlighted. I like the regular Axum color more (black with gold)…but I do like the idea of a dropper and the blue color is nice…reminds me of the color “blurple” that has been used by various companies for years for stuff (like Spyderco for their handle scales).

Personally, I would love to try one. Slap a thudbuster on that sucker (for those of us with backs that are gone) and I think it would be a pretty cool ride. And, that's from a full suspension former racer. Only had one hard tail back in the day. It was fast and super light, but I just preferred full suspension. Very informative video as always from Kev Central. I like it!

As a former Kuwahara BMX racer from the early 1980s, now north of 50, this is my beginning down the path of getting back into riding, hitting the trails, and eventually back into catching some air like I used to. I've settled on riding the 29" mountain bike style. The other direction considered was 24"+ dirt jumpers. But... Let's get to riding first, jumping later. The obligatory and numerous visits to local bike shops had me wanting to go with the $3,000+ higher-end equipment, of course. But I also don't want to spend that kind of cash if it's just going end up sitting in the garage most of the time. From all the online reviews the Schwinn 29" Axum DP appears to be the best bang for the buck. And after some hard searching I eventually found one, brand new, untouched, and still in its shipping box, within Facebook's Marketplace: $600. Considering the original Walmart price + tax is $540, an additional $60 is a no brainier when resources are scarce, as they are during the current COVID-19 lockdown still going on. I picked it up, built it, being sure to grease the axle and head bearings and dial in all the components, and started pedalling! (Note: Most anything from China requiring grease should be double checked, whether automotive, garden, sports, etc. You'll be amazed at how much longer those things last when you do that right at the beginning!) After having ridden the Axum DP over the last two weeks (and redialing in the components) I can definitely say it's an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to get into riding a 29er without breaking the $1,000+ mark. As I'm 6'5" tall having the dropper post is absolutely fantastic! At full extension it holds the seat at the correct level for my leg length. With the seat that high getting on and off the bike would be obnoxious if it weren't for the dropper post! I absolutely love that thing! When I'm on a ride I use it whenever I change from riding standing up to sitting down, which is frequent. For now it works smoothly, quickly, and feels like a solid quality piece. The rest of the components are decent enough IF you're not already an advanced and seasoned rider. Except for the pedals - those are absolute crap and sized for little kids! I find the derailleur adequate enough (again, for now) and have to be cautious when shifting gears to keep it from jumping while applying power. The brakes seem to work well enough, but can tell I'll want more finesse as my skills improve. Everything else, shocks, cabling, grips, shifting controls, seems to be of equal quality and feels good enough for now. Back to my height of 6'5": with the seat post fully extended, the handle bars are far too low, causing me to be hunched over. That's the first upgrade immediately needed. I found a head tube extension at the local bike shop (overpriced but I wanted it now!) which did the trick. The night before I found online and ordered a FlatBike kit which also elevates the handlebar an additional inch. The FlatBike kit let's me detach the pedals and rotate the handlebar by 90° making the bike fit in a very narrow space like hanging it flat on the wall or ceiling. It works amazingly well and is excellent quality. So are the pedals that came with the kit. I also opted for the behind-the-seat storage bag, which is also excellent quality, to put the detached pedals in. However, it doesn't bode so well on a dropper post setup and competes with the wheel when lowered only halfway. Bummer! But that's okay, I'll just figure out how to mount it within the frame instead. The front brake cable is just barely long enough to accommodate the handlebar elevation while still being able to turn the front wheel around 180°. However, if I wipe out and the bars turn more than 180° it'll likely snap the cable. So I'll be putting a longer one on in the near future, but likely not before I break it first. Because then I'll probably just upgrade to hydraulic brakes. The next immediate area in need of upgrading is the chainring. At current I find myself riding around in 6th or 7th gear most of the time. I figure a few additional teeth up front on an oval chainring will do the trick. The cranks feel a little short for me as well, but ground clearance will become an issue. So for now I'll 'try' to refrain from replacing the whole groupset and only get an oval chainring. Chain slap is not too bad, but if you want to keep your frame's finish looking nice, I suggest immediately wrapping the chain stay. A neatly wrapped inner tube will suffice for now. The forks...do their job. But they're heavy and I know I'll quickly outgrow their limits. Plus, when I replace it, I'll no longer need the head tube extension. And I'll likely get something longer to pick the front up a little more, too. But that's for a much later time. It's nice having the 2.6" tires as there's a tremendous difference in stiffness between 20 and 45 psi giving you the ability to really dial it in as you like. Like after you've ridden enough to wear out your saddle muscles already but you still need to make the journey home. Just drop the pressure down... ...pssssssssssssssssssss... ...and ahhh...that feels so much better! Enjoy the soft ride back home. So, all in all, this bike is a winner! Just don't forget to grease the bearings! The head and rear axle bearings were practically dry! Heat during storage and overseas shipping caused most of the already thin grease to melt and run out. I could tell because it had oozed all over one side of the rear axle.

Bought the original Axum for myself based in part on your review. Loved it so much I bought a second one with the dropper post for my 17 year old son. Amazing bikes for the price! Already have new bars and pedals on mine.

Great review for both of these Axum models! In a way, I feel like I should have waited a few months to get my 29er MTB so I could have gotten this...but I had no way of knowing the Axum was coming. The Schwinn Santis I bought and put several hundred dollars in drivetrain and fork upgrades has been totally worth it though and the bike is awesome now...just without a dropper post...which will likely be my next upgrade. Keep up the great bike reviews Kev! They are the best on KZfaq!

Also to note it is a quick release, but not a standard quick release. The spacing is 141mm. It’s a boost hub converted to a qr.

I am a proud owner of the Axum. Took me weeks to get it since it was sold out. Love this bike....Thank You KevCentral....

Thanks for the upload 🔥✊ Dropper posts are good, dropping the seat going down hill good! Racing down hill with you’re seat all the way up bad ! Because you are liable to go Over the handle bars on a tricky down hill section Especially on a hard tail, It’s all about keeping a nice low centre of gravity to prevent this & be more in control going down hill... Yup it’s gotta be the Schwinn DP I KNOW I WOULD!, Thanks Kev. I think the Schwinn DP would make quite a good bike to upgrade.✅ UPGRADE HER!

Dropper post is best thing ever right after hydraulic disc brakes, proper suspension and derailleur made for comfort and focusing on what's important in bikes - having fun! Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? YES!

I got this bike for Christmas. The dropper was completely new to me. Messed with me a little bit when the seat wouldn’t adjust right. Great bike smooth ride looking forward to really getting out there with it!

As a bike mechanic, these look fairly compelling. If these are the new standard I just hope the derailleurs and brakes are better to work on than the hyper lineup. Those are a nightmare to service after a year or two of use.

Schwinn just reached peak big box bike spec, next year offering in this market wil be competitive. And I want to see that.

I've had mine for a week and on the whole I'm liking it, however I've already started making changes to make it comfortable. I'm 55 fit 5 foot 10.5 and found the bike just a tad large for me. Leaning so far over makes my hands hurt so I installed a riser bar and also raised the stem an additional 30mm. I'm more of a trail rider as apposed to a serious mountaineer and find the over all quality of the factory parts to be really good with the possible exception of the brakes. Don't get me wrong because they work well enough but they scream bloody murder. I replaced them with the Shimano mt200s which simply blows the doors off the OEM mechs. For me upgrading my bike is half the fun so I intend to turn this into a project bike right out of the box. If upgrading isn't your thing and you want a good quality trail bike then the AXUM is a good choice but DO replace the brakes. Personally I could live without the dropper post but I'll give it a chance to win me over.

I was really looking hard at the boundary. But after watching the standard and the dp video here im really considering the aluminum dp now with the longer travel yet, and cassette rear wheel as well as even slacker geometry. I'm still short but my haro fligtline two 27.5 bike has a 8 speed cassette as well so maybe worst case scenario I do a 27.5 conversion like you did to the boundary.

I haven't watched this channel in almost a year and now this is what is sold at Walmart

I have the Exaform on my Polygon and the thing just plain works. I never had a dropper before, but I'll never ride without one again. The ability to raise and lower the seat makes a huge difference in your riding.

My local Wal-mart never has any of the bikes on your videos,still enjoy the videos,not your fault our Wal-mart sucks.

This, like most of the Schwinn $300-500 offerings, looks awesome. Great features for the price. An additional benefit is that you can upgrade this model little by little. I think that I would purchase the blue dropper post version if my budget was around $500. But, if I didn’t quite have that much to spend I wouldn’t be afraid to purchase the dropper post ready version and upgrade later. A lot of people that bash the walmart/ target bikes are people that have the money to purchase $5000 bikes, but the bikes are way more bike then they can ever get the use out of. It makes them feel superior as a rider because they have the best equipment. But, I’d say... how embarrassed will you be when I pass you with my entry level mountain bike?

Just ordered it from Walmart!!! Was waiting for a Boundary to come back in stock, but when i saw this one today I jumped. All the extra features should be worth it - with dropper post for under $500 (not counting tax.) I would have grabbed the Boundary if it and been available first, but I'm sure I won't regret this with a dropper post, both wheels removable, preload and lockout 100mm forks, and an extra gear (8,) Yea!

here at 97.5 k....100k soon! congrats kev

Dropper posts are great. I live in Colorado so my terrain gets pretty nasty, they come in handy. Super stoked to see a big box bike with one, awesome budget friendly aspect, with a taste of some serious components. That being said I’ll go with the dropper post version. And just got my sticker in the mail, thanks Kev.

I ordered online the Axum DP. It's in the bike shop for assembly. The headset lower bearing was damage on arrival. I contacted Pacific cycle and requested a new bearing. The new headset lower bearing arrived today via UPS and I'm taking it to the bike shop in the morning. The bike shop cost me 70 bucks. Can't wait, I just hope I don't fall because I'm too old to heal now

Mine arrived yesterday and finally got it together and tuned. I haven't ridden in a while and this is a TALL bike! Even at 6'2" I can't imagine taking this out without the dropper post. Those plus-sized tires must add another inch of height. Anyway -brakes were very touchy to get calibrated, but seem sweet now. Haven't really tested the forks yet but at first pass they seem pretty strong. (Just ignore the disclaimer sticker that says not to ride downhills... right?) Will do some neighborhood riding to get the feel before hitting any trials. I've also ordered a better seat - this one is only good for road-racing and then only with padded shorts. Hard and ultra-narrow.

A decent aluminum hardtail frame alone, with a threaded BB, routing for a dropper, and tapered HT will cost $500. And this bike is pretty upgradable. Only limitations are the rear hub spacing, but not a big deal. Very nice job Schwinn!

Really enjoy your reviews, very un-biased and informative.

If Belgium had walmarts and had this bike, id buy it without a second thought. looks like a great upgrade platform, just add like a extra 400 bucks for a new fork and either sram NX or shimano slx groupset.

Yup. $498 at my Walmart for the blue dropper post. $398 without the dropper post. You have gotten me interested in checking them out. Like I need another bike.

Schwinn is knocking the ball into outer space with what they're doing, crazy to see what they've made when compared to what was available 5 years ago.

I really like the frame with the square tubing on the lower half of the bike.Great bike for upgradeing.

Sheesh. Seems like for a novice that would be a great start in trail riding. When you get more advanced adding a better fork will keep you going for a while. By the time you get to needing a better bike, if you ever do, you will have saved a ton.

You’ve convinced me to get the Axum just ordered it. I’m a new rider and I will upgrade it later on!

Hi, KevCentral, I really enjoy your channel and as you take low cost bikes and get into upgrading them, you may appreciate this; I have an 80's Huffy beach cruiser that I can ride like a road bike because I replaced the hard pushing tires with Maxxis Hookworms. Really LOW rolling resistance. I also replaced the short, high stem with a stem from a Schwinn Varsity. It basically doubled the cruising speed. Anyhoo, keep up the great work.

What I’ve heard is that the rear triangle isn’t a thru axle, but actually QR141. It’s the boost QR standard.

KS (kind shock) were one of the first higher end dropper posts in the early 2010s. I had a KS i900 on my 2010 Scott Genius

Just finished my own project hydro. Yes inspired by yours. Was looking for a way into mtb-ing. Took a year to save and build but got it done. After watching these on the axum/dp I'm definitely going this route when I build a hard tail.

Riding Giant Trance with dropper for 3 years now. If I had to pick rear susp or dropper... I would ride a hartail with dropper.

I think this would be a winner for me IF I could find one online somewhere. I've searched Schwinn's and Walmart's sites directly along with a general search in Google and found zip, zero, NADA. Can't even find it as a listed bike. However, I did find a whole slew of comments for it (all coming from Pacific-Cycle.com) and one listing within eBay for $750. Other than that, I'm not finding "Axum DP" anywhere. Clearly I'm missing something. For now. But I'll keep searching. The link to it you provided DOES pull it up on Walmart's site (and lists it as out of stock). But when I search for it by name it doesn't come up. Edit: After reading through the comments posted thus far, I see I'll have to make a point of taking the search old-school: physically going to the store and cornering an employee to verify their stock. Keep up the great work! You're creating a lot of good value for others!

One of my best friends bought one for a little under five hundred bucks and it turned out to be too tall for him so he sold it to me for $100!! This side of an adjustable stem to raise the handlebars (30 bucks for the stem 30 bucks for the install), I'm riding a really sweet mountain bike for 160 bucks... Couldn't be happier!

I was waiting for the 2020 Boundary to come back into stock but this is might be a better option 🤷‍♂️

I don't know, I seen those tapered head tube up close. They don't quite look standard, Maybe I'm Wrong, but it looks like you may have a problem finding a good replacement fork. Doesn't look like a standard 1 1/8 It's super wide at the bottom maybe just need special Hardware.

I'd love to see this one as the new project bike. I don't think it would take much to make this an AMAZING bike. A mid-range fork, maybe handlebars and stem, hydraulic brakes, done!

I really like the DP model and would buy it in a heartbeat. The only thing I'd really want to change is the brakes. I ran mechanical disks for a couple of years on my current bike and finally upgraded to low end Shimano hydraulics. I absolutely love them and would never go back.

My wife and I bought this model. Love it.

First off great channel. I ordered mine a week ago got it Thursday with a lower head set bearing bent and missing bearings. Got it up and running ,found bars to be too flat and seat not very comfortable. New riser bars and seat makes it a great bike for the money

no joke one of my favorite things about having a dropper is the ability to use your bike as a chair

Damn you Kev and Schwinn! You are making it harder and harder for me to make up my mind!

My first 'real' mountain bike was a Schwinn High Plains (back in the 1990's). I added A LOT of extras on it and made it a bike I rode more than I drove. I have had a Giant ATX 27.5 for about 5 years now. It is a NICE bike (I have added lights, water bottle cages, rear shelf, and lots of bags). It does not get a lot of use anymore because I live in Iowa and the weather is just starting to get nice (weather speaking). Now that I will be turning 50 next month, it is time to get back on the saddle and get some of that mobility back I lost when I quit riding. I LOVE this new Axum. At 5' 8", it might be a bit big for me, but with the dropper post, it may just fit right. This new Axum may be added to my stable of bikes and get a lot more use. What say you?

Nice find and good video. As soon as you pulled the dropper out I thought it sure looks like the KS I installed on my wife's liv.

Would you ever consider looking at other budget bikes outside of Walmart? I know bikes direct has cheap bikes, but they never really get reviewed. Itd be interesting to compare a $400-500 bike from there to some of these Schwinn's.

If I had this bike I think I would go crazy and do a "mullet" bike. Get a 130-140mm fork on the front and then to help counter the added bottom bracket height I would switch out the rear wheel for a 27.5+, which would in turn slacken the head tube angle even farther. It would be a weird ride but I also think it would be an absolute blast. You could get away with a completely unique monster of a bike for under $1k easily and it would be the only one like it

I'm gonna get this bike. $449 for DP version. You can't beat that price!

the action of a dropper post is to hold your butt when your hard-tail rear wheel kicks up, when the rear wheel goes up and your butt lifts up this droper post catches you, you have to set the lever on the handle bars where its stiff some what but still rises and drops. your still sitting where the rear wheel flew up, I like the droper is able to hold a firm shock like rebound too. ..

Just picked up the DP and I am stoked on it!

I like the DP. It's a great looking bike and a good value, but I wouldn't buy a 29er. I'm 5'10" and shrinking, so this bike sounds like it would be just above my comfort level. Nice review.

Great video Kev ! I purchased this same seat post off the web for my trek roscoe ht..for an inexpensive dropper it works just as good as my rockshox reverb on my full suspension bike..

Love your videos! You should consider doing a series on the Diamondback Recoil 29er and compare it to big box bikes like the Mongoose XR-Pro.

I've been considering getting a Diamondback Overdrive 27.5, which is the same price before tax, but after seeing this video, I'm beginning to think that $500 is much better spent on the Axum DP. Comparing what you get out of the box DB OD: 3x8 hardtail with Shimano Acera groupset, 11-32 cassette, 42-32-22 SR Suntour Crankset, 27.5 x 2.125 Chaoyang knobby tires, SR Suntour 80mm fork with a straight steerer, 680mm bars, 60mm(?) stem, and a standard seatpost Axum: 1x8 drivetrain with AXE groupset, 11-42(correct me if I'm remembering wrong) cassette, 30t chainring, 100 or 120mm fork (can't remember) 29x2.6 knobby tires, AN INFINITELY ADJUSTABLE DROPPER POST, TAPERED HEADTUBE, 720mm bars, and a 60mm stem Yeah, I'd say this is the better buy for $500

Personally I would rather ride a hard tail with a dropper than a full sus with a rigid post. Getting your seat out of the way allows you to maneuver the bike a lot better. Glad to see decent bikes at these lower price points now. Hopefully the trickle down continues.

Nice bike. Great color. Just picked up a Haro Double Peak Sport and gave my GT Aggressor to my wife

Kev, excellent video as always! You should take a gander at the 2020 Vitus VR. It's a lot of bike for the money!

That exaform dropper is actually made by Kind Shock which is known for the KS eten and KS Lev droppers. This is an incredible value for money buy. My new recommendation for new riders first bikes is a Schwinn. Who'd of thought.

I took it out for the first ride with a bucklos lutus fork and even me being a beginner it rips. It’s fairly light and the dropper post is OP

This is one hell of a deal. For extra $100, even a generic dropper, it's worth it. Just wish it has a smaller frame like 17/18"...

I like the dp model. It looks worth the extra hundred bucks for a dropper post. Keep up the good work and the good finds. Makes me question my expensive bike.

Id absolutely pick the dropper i started using them a year ago and for some of the trails around here it keeps me from having to get off the bike and drop the seat

Been waiting on this. Saw it on another channel and was waiting for Kev

i’ve always ridden bmx before i got into mtbing, droppers to me seemed like something that were kind of a perk that extremely expensive bike had. to me sitting down in a bike wasn’t cool lol. when i got a real mtb with a dropper i never realized how essential they were, i could go on much longer flat ground rides and could send it on some gnarly single track, with a dropper you have the advantages of both a high and a low seat. and i never realized how essential high seats were until my mtb journey began.

Just a heads up for those buying this bike. Mine just came in yesterday. The front tire was missing a total of 5 ball bearings, 3 on one side 2 on the other. The front axle isnt long enough for the front tire... I believe its supposed to come with some cheap pedals and it did not.

Awesome looking bike I have an alert set up for when it's back in stock