psystemupdate

its a steel frame for 240$ out the door at walmart...was wondering if anyone put the bike up to some abuse.

psystemupdate

anyone know if its the cheapest gravel bike with double disc brakes out there? or can someone top the kent nazz?

katsup

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kent-700c...lack/795789960

The bottom barrel components are not going to like abuse. Frame is probably over built steel so that may be survive abuse.

Look past the "double disc brakes", any decent rim brake will stop better than cheap disc brakes.

Lazyass

I would almost rather have no bike at all instead of that one. It's a piece of crap. You can find decent or very good bikes with low miles for that price on craigslist and facebook marketplace.

dsaul

I hope you don't live somewhere that has hills.

Ghazmh

What a piece of junk.

shelbyfv

Great choice! Buy one or two and report back.

70sSanO

I would imagine few if anyone here has that bike, but many here have seen similar bikes after they have been used for a while.

Low quality bikes generally have such poor bearing surfaces and are so poorly assembled that bearings disintegrate over time. I’ve often wondered if all the loose and caged bearings were replaced with quality bearings, with adequate grease, and proper adjustment, probably ongoing, if the result would be the same.

It uses a 7 speed freewheel and stem shifters. It would be possible to use friction stem shifters and the bike would function well enough to be ridden, although gravel riding enjoyment might be significantly diminished. The rear axle will probably need to be replaced if it bends, but that is a cheap fix.

Aside from weight and probably low performance. Cheap disc brakes are probably the biggest problem. Even though cheap rims are usually never straight and cheap stamped calipers are not good, replacing the calipers with even slightly better ones is an inexpensive fix.

I’m not sure what can be done with cheap disc brakes other than just replace the system. I would think setup and maintaining the proper gap so the bike will stop would be a nightmare.

John

psystemupdate

you guys are right about needing to replace all the bearings to at least mid grade products, lots of creaking coming from the bottom bracket...disc brakes work fine with adjustments, but definitely not as well as shimano hydraulic discs...most people would have their bike crap out because of walmart assembly, thankfully i know how to optimize most parts with some repair skills.

gringomojado

The minute you mention Walmart, you lose the snobbish riders!
gm

psystemupdate

some people got money, some dont, at least its steel and can have a few upgrades to bring it up to par with something entry level worth taking out on long trails

Vintage Schwinn

Todd Rundgren does.

mstateglfr 

I dont understand why that is considered considered gravel bike.
It has 40mm tires...and that's it. The gearing is atrocious.

Note- I am staying away from discussing the component level.

This just looks like pure marketing for the laggards.

Reflector Guy

Most likely almost any other bike will top the Kent Nazz.

shelbyfv

Thinking Walmart may now have stores in Manila.

Earl5607

I own a Kent Nazz, I own a Rocky Mountain. The Kent Nazz fills a gap for most casual riders. I wanted a drop bar bike that I could use for road, light trails and everything in between for fitness. I put most of my biking budget into my Rocky Mountain so I needed something that didn’t break the bank, enter the Nazz. I’ve logged thousands of miles on this bike over the past 2 years and haven’t had any issues other than braking the plastic chain ring guard. With normal bike maintenance the bike has held up great it fits the bill for a budget friendly bike that I can use over different surfaces as a tool to maintain my fitness. Yes it’s steel, it’s heavy, that only makes training better. The only people who would turn their nose up at a guy riding a Nazz are bike snobs. At least they are on a bike and not the couch is my opinion.

Rolla

That's why all the pros ride cheap, heavy, steel bikes when they train.

Nah, it's not snobbery, it's just knowing better. And it's "their."

Earl5607

4130 chromoly is used a lot on professional frames and forks and guess what it’s still steel.

Trakhak

You said that heavy steel makes training better.

In any event, it's been a couple of decades since professional frames (i.e., those used in races by riders on professional teams) were steel.

That said, your Kent Nazz looks as if it would be an enjoyable ride, especially since it sounds as if you know what you're doing with respect to maintenance. I have a bunch of high-end bikes in carbon, aluminum, and steel, but I'm just as happy riding my old hybrid that weighs around 36 or 38 pounds with rack and panniers. It's still the same rider, regardless of what bike I'm on.

Rolla

No professional outside of BMX rides a 4130 chromoly frame. And that Kent is not 4130 chromoly. Now, you can rationalize buying the thing any way you want to, but the myth that riding a heavy bike "makes training better" has long since been debunked. A watt is a watt.

mstateglfr 

All my bikes are steel, but even I can see that your claim is incorrect.

Rcrxjlb

What a beautiful piece of junk...

koala logs

The threaded headset and the freewheel hub won't stand up to the abuse.

For a budget modern gravel bike, it should at least have sealed cartridge bearing wheel hubs with freehub rear cassette, sealed cartridge BB bearings, and threadless headset with sealed cartridge bearings. 1x drivetrain would be advantageous as cheap as these go, having less # of parts will be beneficial. These would be more expensive, probably at least $350 but is sure to stand up to the abuse of gravel riding.