Originally Posted by
Herzlos
If you can push up to $600 then you can start buying "real" bikes from mainstream bike manufacturers, like the Giant Talon 4:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/talon-4
It's basic, but it'll got decent parts and will be well built and hold up well. Or look to ebay for used bikes and see if you can get something shipped for under your $400. At that budget a good used bike it going to be better than a crap new bike.
What parts are decent? Certainly not that 7sp freewheel or the hub its attached to which is the weak spot in most lower end bikes and this is a lot of money for a very low end part that shouldn't have been made in the last 20 years.
OP, you're going to be in a tough spot since the cost of bikes has spiked due to a pandemic related increase in demand with plunging availability. Bikesdirect can offer some options but you will still be out of your range if you want trail worthy. For riding around to at 370 they offer a 1x8 mtb looking bike that will be fine. But, like the giant suggested above it uses a freewheel, a very outdated technology that doesn't hold up well under anyone when it comes to actual MTBing.
https://www.bikesonline.com/2021-pol...h-mountain-bik
and
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...tain-bikes.htm
are probably going to be your most affordable, somewhat decent, trail usable MTBs. Sadly, the rest aren't joking when they say you have to go higher to get really trail worthy. Better could be made at this price point but these companies recognize that to the average consumer, more is better. So instead of a double or really much cheaper to make, a single, they're still doing triples to have high gear numbers and lousier rear wheels.