Walmart’s FS.2 Slalom: The full-suspension bike that shouldn’t work (but kinda does)

Let’s just get this out of the way: as much as Walmart tries, it’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas is not the mountain biking capital of the world. But between its growing trail network and Walmart’s bike department having a full-blown glow-up, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The Ozark Trail FS.2 Slalom is the latest move in that long game—a $498 (US) full-suspension mountain bike that looks suspiciously like something you might actually want to ride.
So naturally, Mahalo My Dude took it straight to B.C.’s North Shore to see if this budget brawler was a hidden gem… or a polished turd.

Shiny parts, sketchy potential

On paper, it sounds impressive: 120 mm of travel front and rear, a Shimano CUES 1×9 drivetrain, internal cable routing, and—brace yourself—a legit Boost 148×12 rear thru-axle. That’s right. Walmart is selling a bike with the same axle spacing as your buddy’s boutique rig, for less than the price of his front wheel.

With 29-inch wheels it comes in 15, 17 and 19-inch frame sizes. It features mechanical disc brakes and if you skip mounting the kickstand, it looks nearly legit.

It rides… better than it should

A couple of reliable reviewers (Mahalo My Dude and Berm Peak) claim the FS.2 climbs without complaint, shifts more-or-less reliably and descends with all the chaos and commitment of a homemade soap box. The suspension? The 850-lb rear coil barely budges. And most of us have experienced the clunky top-out of a low-end SunTour fork, but it keeps your front wheel pointed forward. And if you build it yourself, you can be confident the forks weren’t mounted backwards.

Designed by real bike people

The rumour is that Walmart’s bike team now includes actual cyclists who care. And that’s a huge step forward. Now someone’s introduction to cycling could potentially be endearing. And if they truly get the MTB bug, well, that’s a good thing right? If they want to continue progression they’d just need to replace a few parts (like maybe the front shock, rear shock, tires, rear triangle, front triangle, pedals, cranks, seat post, stem, handlebars, brakes, etc… ).

There’s just one catch

Currently you can’t buy this bike in Canada. Not yet, anyway. The FS.2 is a U.S.-only affair, and unless you’re smuggling it over the border in your van, you’ll have to wait. And even if it does cross the 49th parallel, the yo-yoing effect of Trump’s here-today-paused-tomorrow tariff debacle may hinder any kind of price incentive.

Final verdict: A boosted bargain or budget boondoggle?

If you’re hoping for high-end suspension kinematics and a race-ready spec sheet, this ain’t it. It won’t make you faster. It might make you crash harder. But if you’ve read this far, you’re probably already addicted to bicycles. The true potential of a low cost MTB that is accessible for anyone is that maybe—just maybe—it gets more people on bikes. And that’s rarely a bad thing. On top of that, kudos to Walmart for at least putting in an effort. Can Canadian Tire make that same claim?