I am looking to replace my mountain bike very cheaply. Halfords are advertising one of their own models, the Apollo Eco in the papers, reduced from £299 (allegedly) to £119 which is about the price bracket I am looking at. It has 24 gears, front discs and dual suspension. Anyone any experience of this bike at all or any thoughts on it?
I would refer the learned gentleman to the following article:
www.aryana.co.uk/webdesign/images/robert/explained...m
Written by yours truly about three years ago. Most of it still applies, although steel has all but vanished as a frame material due to improvements in design and manufacture of Alumuminium frames.
At your budget I would suggest you avoid suspension of any sort. It will be poorly executed and will add an enormous amount of weight and general rolling resistance. You would be far better off scanning your local paper for a 2-3yr old bike that may have cost £400 new and has been reasonable looked after.
If you really must have new I can recommend the Carrera brand at Halfords as probably the best of the budget brands for a straightforward rigid bike. If you intend taking your bike offroad don\'t consider doing it on anything costing less than a couple of hundred. Plastic brake levers??? No thanks.....
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NoDosh is right Bobby - if you're looking at that price, there are oodles of good bikes sitting in garages across the country. Avoid anything well used (as with cars, if they've not been maintained, you might end up spending lots on new drivetrains etc.), but I bet if you start looking you'll find something with the taggy bits still on the tires, no wear on rubber handlebar grips etc.. - you'll get a better bike for your money, and be more inclined to use it.
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No Dosh, thanks for the information so far. Realistically though I am talking only of using my bike around the streets etc and the occasional cycle path. My current bike is a 12 year old Raleigh mountain bike.
I have today bought this Halfords one but can take it back as long as its not used. My current bike has a 21" frame but this one only has 18" frame. My inside leg is 29". I am 5'8".
Guy in shop tells me that the frame size is the distance from the top of the seat pillar to the pedal crank middle.
Also , they normally say that the frame size is dictated by inside leg minus 10 inches?
I now have the two bikes side by side, both wheels are same size, distance from seat to handle bars is same, seat height and handle bar height are the same in each bike. So should it make any difference that one is 18"? The only noticeable difference I could see was that when peddling the 18" bike felt as if my knees were coming up higher, although I don't understand how if the pedals and seat are the same distance?
I am missing something? Is this frame too small for me?
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Sorry for the delay in replying.
At 5\'8\" an 18\" frame is fine. Mountain bike frame geometry has changed somewhat over the years. 12 years back they were little more than beefed-up road frames with high crossbars and little clearance between the base of the saddle and the frame.
These days it is common to have a pronounced slope on the toptube, giving ample clearance to move your weight around on the bike. It is also common for the bottom bracket (where the pedals pass throught the frame) to be higher to give more ground clearance between the chain ring and any obstacles the bike may be passing over. Although this tends to be countered with a shorter crank arm (distance from bottom bracket to pedal) this would still leave you with your knees rising a little further at the top of each pedal stroke.
I wouldn\'t recommend a full suspension bike for town use as a lot of your energy is going to get absorbed by the suspension action, with the bike bobbing up and down with each pedal stroke. More expensive bikes counter this with variable oil damping or similar, but at the lower end on the price range there will little or no damping.
For road use you are better off having either a short-travel suspension fork or rigid fork. In either case you should really look to get a rigid frame. See if you can get a cheap set of road/trail tyres as well. You would be astonished the difference a semi-slick road tyre can make to the ease with which you cycle when on road. There are some tyres around that have a very light off-road tread, suitable for bridlepaths and hardpack tracks that will also improve road speed and control, but for 100% street I would suggest full-on road tyres.
In summary, the frame size seems fine, it\'s just the bike itself I would have reservations about.
I will see if I can locate some suitable alternatives online and post a link or two.
No Dosh
mailto:Alan_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
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Here's a good source of bikes and bike stuff:
www.evanscycles.com/dept.jsp?dept_id=1001&subdept_...5
The above link shows a couple of excellent "hybrid" bikes, that is bikes that are tough enought to handle bridlepaths/towpaths/hardpack trails but offer a more upright seating position and tyres that will allow a much better ride in and around town.
The Scot Atacama at £149 is a peach of a bike for the kind of riding you are likely to do and will seem like a Ferrari in comparison to the apollo.
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Sorry for the delay in replying
Delay - must have been at least 15 mins between posting and getting a reply! Much much appreciated!
Round here the roads are in a hellish state and I am fed up with the bone rattling, not to mention the jarring I receive when cycling, thus the suspension. (Also, my son and daughters bikes both have them and I really can't let them get one over me!)
My budget is about the £120 mark. However, being honest, it is not life or death that I get one just now, just a case of having some xmas money, sale being on etc etc (I am turning into a woman!!)
Do really like the quick release front wheel - I took it off and only removed one of the seats in my Scenic and was able to have the bike standing up.
Due to financial reasons, I am going to have to give up my gym membership, I feel that if I have a shiny new bike then it will encourage me to go out on it and exercise!
Any more advice is appreciated!!
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Fair comment if the roads are that bad. If comfort is your key factor then yes, full suspension will hit the mark but will, as mentioned above, be harder work to pedal at a given speed than, say, just having a suspension fork.
Given your desire to use the bike to keep fit in preference to joining the gym you may have accidentally stumbled upon the ideal bike! Just don't let the extra effort needed to keep the bike going put you off.
As soon as budget allows I would suggest you have a look at putting some road tyres on your bike. To maximise the fitness potential it is worth remembering that a higher pedal rate with lower effort will do you a lot more good than labouring along in too high a gear. Aim to spin the pedals at around 70-80rpm and you will find your fitness and stamina will increase rapidly without your legs bulging like a premiership footballer's! The smoother tyres will help with this.
Although it can lead to adverse comments from younger members of the family, do get your hands on a helmet. £20 will get you something adequate from Halfords and is a small price to pay for the protection it offers. Kerbs, vans and errant pedestrians can be really unforgiving! I speak as someone who had the misfortune to spend 4 months off work once as a result of a bike accident. Had I not been wearing a helmet I would have spent the last 8 years in a pine box. Lights and some form of bright/reflective clothing should also be a priority, even if it means sticking a white t-shirt over your coat!
Above all else, remember that all motorists will see you as a moving target. Paranoia is your friend when riding on the road - although it's not really paranoia if they really are all out to get you......
;o)
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ND, re the helmet, already have one and so do the kids! They're not allowed to leave the driveway without wearing them! I don't care what their pals think!
My brother once cycled full pelt into an orange barrier that was placed at bike head height across a cycle path to prevent cars from going along it. Unfortunately, Harlow council had placed it directly under an orange street light so it , in effect, became invisible!
He lost a couple of teeth but without the helmet he would have, by all accounts, been joining you in that pine box!
Re the bike, I am in catch 22 here, Halfords say they will take it back as long as its in a showroom condition ie. its not been ridden on the road. However the only way I will convince myself that it will be OK is to go round the block a couple of times!!
Maybe wait till tomorrow to see if the roads are drier!!
Thanks for all your help!
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No Dosh & BobbyG
I am not sure where you are located in this great country of ours, but have a look at
www.lloyds-auction.co.uk
They have the Met Police lost and stolen and recovered bikes (and lots of other things) they are located in Southfields, SW London and bikes CAN go for silly money. Avoid half term time. Sales every other wednesday starting at 3pm.Viewing from 11'ish.
You can download the catalogue from the web site, or buy one on the day for £2. They also sell lots of stuff like laptops, pcs, power tools, cordless drills etc.
Good hunting
Don drbe
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drbe,
Thanks for that link.
ND
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Strathclyde, only 500 miles away !!!
Thanks anyway - might try my local police for more info! :)
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