Bigbus

I have a friend that rides his bike on grass all the time too. He keeps running into things but it keeps me motivated to stay well ahead of him! With regard to your question, I too am tempted by the Big Box offerings all the time, especially when you look closely and see SRAM, Shimano, and other components on the bike. Some of the frames used on these low end bikes are made by the same mfg that make Giant and others. But unless you want to learn first hand how to fix and tune a bike and spend lots of money buying parts to make it into something you could have found at the LBS or second hand, you'll be disappointed. Also, like a lot of people have said, "One size does not fit all."