What's wrong with cheapo bikes?

simmo2

Check this out:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7137/btnResultSort.x%3d13/btnResultSort.y%3d8.aspx
90 quid for dual suspension - who needs to spend £1000? I reckon this'll get me down some narly trails for a fraction of the price - it's all a marketing ploy! Anyone agree?

Andy B

See you in A&E

I build & sell very similar bikes at work.

They are not designed for 'proper' off road riding.

The forks are pathetic, there's play in the bushings from new, neither the shock or fork have rebound, which is essential, unless you like to ride a pogo stick on the trails.

The wheels will buckle at the sight of a proper trail.

The tyres have as much grip as Bambi on ice.

The brakes are as useless as a chocolate fireguard.

It will weigh as much as a detached house, personally I prefer to lug as little weight around as possible.

No replaceable mech hanger, so if you snap it off you'll need a new bike as getting a new swingarm is next to impossible.

If that's not put you off Chav's love 'em, if they're not riding a ladies shopper bike it's a cheap ass Full Suss bike just like the one in your link.

cjw

Andy_B wrote:

No replaceable mech hanger, so if you snap it off you'll need a new bike as getting a new swingarm is next to impossible.
.

Agree with all you wrote, but that just made me laugh. The whole bike costs less than ... well.. probably my cables!!!! So replacing the bike isn't really an issue

I'd love to see a test of the bike though, if anyone had the legs to lug 10 tonnes up a hill and was prepared to risk a visit to A&E :twisted:

z000m

only a hero would go down narly trail on that, get the right size and keep it good order and it would be fine as a commuter.

Ciaran500

z000m wrote:

only a hero would go down narly trail on that, get the right size and keep it good order and it would be fine as a commuter.

Terrible as a commuter aswell. Extra weight and uncontrollable pedal bob from the rear suspension would make it horrible to ride.

bigave

haha i agree. it would be a good watch seeing someone go down a narly trail on that.
probly break 1/4 of he way down

dav1

I borrowed my GFs bike which is similar to this a few weeks back (needed it whilst I was having my new forks fitted to my decent bike)

It felt heavy, lacked any acceleration and i feared for my life tring to slow it down when coming up to the back of a bus.

It also turned out after I used it that through what I consider normal pedalling and shifting that I bent the middle chain ring.

I'm surprised to see this from tesco, not sure what they are up to TBH http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-6296.aspx think this is an attempt to take on wiggle and focus or something? if I was spending £700 on an MTB I don't think id go to tesco somehow.

Only thing thing i ever got (and probably will get) for my bike at tesco was a hosepipe to clean it with.

nicklouse

and they cant even get the discription correct.

prophet_1000

I think that bike from tesco is a great buy, it comes with a 19 inch frame!! perfect for everybody as we all ride the same size bikes and who needs different sizes anyway? one size fits ALL.

supersonic

Absolutely awful bike, will put you off biking for life.

The BIG GT

simmo2 wrote:

Check this out:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7137/btnResultSort.x%3d13/btnResultSort.y%3d8.aspx
90 quid for dual suspension - who needs to spend £1000? I reckon this'll get me down some narly trails for a fraction of the price - it's all a marketing ploy! Anyone agree?

Somewhere, there's a bridge pining for it's resident to return....... :roll:
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rwsbike971

Look at this, you can have a Lamborghini for 280 quid!

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-6955.aspx

mistercrabb

Look at todays POD on pinkbike.com:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1604659/
And theres your answer


Apart from the reasons other people have mentioned, you will be lucky if the bearings last for more than one off road ride..
The wheels will fold like a peanut butter sandwich.
Theres no suspension. Sure, it looks like there is, but its just a spring. No rebound etc. Your be better off with a rigid.
Everything will make unpleasant noises.
Small cute little furry animals will die at the sight of it.

Really. Not good.

sam1234

I'd rather spend 1000 quid on a bike rather than a 100 quid on bike any day as you will get something that is alot better all round and will last years not weeks.

Noodoo

the missus has a £130 full susser from Halfords and I wouldn't take it on anything other than canal tow paths.

This whole full suss thing on cheap bikes is just for comfort. It takes a load of jolts out of the ride, and it's very comfortable, with it's big Gel seat, but if you hit 2 bumps, one after the other, it feels like it's going to spring you off it. As stated earlier no damping just makes it into a pogo stick.

deanvw

wouldnt bother, save up and buy a decent bike!

chrisjsmith

mistercrabb wrote:

Look at todays POD on pinkbike.com:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1604659/
And theres your answer

LMAO! I can see his pants now.

I bought a cheap-o apollo full sus MTB "thing" for £109 from Halfords. They put it together wrong to start with. It tought me how to ride in about 40 minutes (yes at 27 I couldn't ride a bike). I did about 6-8 miles on it before it died. In that time, the brakes fell to bits, the deraillers both fell to bits and the seatpost got bent. That was all on road. Plus the tyres were shite. Add shite tyres plus my crapness together with a drain cover and I ended up on crutches for 2 weeks. I'd probably be dead if I took it off tarmac.

I am now the proud owner of a Dawes Sahara (bought on recommendation from a friend) and have never been happier even though I still can't ride the thing more than 1/4 mile because my ankle is knackered.

I might leave the remains of the Apollo in the front garden for a couple of days and see if it culls some of the pikey population

Just to defend the Apollo in one thing: I learned to ride a bike on concrete with pedals attached (against recommendations!). The weight of the thing plus the concrete taught me how to ride very quickly due to the fear of serious injury.

zero303

I love the Tesco spec sheet for that...

Brake: Front and rear

Oh well that's alright then... I was half expecting it to just say Brakes: YA RLY!

adover

Is this matey smoking something more than medicinal!? jeesus!

I especially like this bit

Category:
Dual Suspension Bikes
Features
Rear Shock

is it really a rear shock, or is that what u get when u hit a speedbump? :shock:

funnisam

I would love to see someone do a jump on that. They'd probably majorly bruise lower parts of their bodies.

I dont know why CHAVs think they are cool, because they ride an unknown brand of bike that has a rear shock shorter than one of my fingers.

I doubt that those sort of bikes would even last one year. Many people i know comment on my bike being sh!t, but it having lasted 7 years of major abuse and less attention than it deserved, i think it has done alright. BTW it is a spesh rockhopper a1 fsr 2000 with a fox vanilla rear shock (year 2000) and manitou magnum forks (with post mount for disk brakes)

zero303

You've been lucky with those forks! My younger brother donated me his 2001 Orange P7 which has those forks - they'd only seen road use in 6 years until I got them so seemed fine. One trip to Cwm Carn and now they're toast

cunning-stunt

simmo2 wrote:

Check this out:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7137/btnResultSort.x%3d13/btnResultSort.y%3d8.aspx
90 quid for dual suspension - who needs to spend £1000? I reckon this'll get me down some narly trails for a fraction of the price - it's all a marketing ploy! Anyone agree?

Wind up.

mistercrabb

cunning-stunt wrote:

simmo2 wrote:

Check this out:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7137/btnResultSort.x%3d13/btnResultSort.y%3d8.aspx
90 quid for dual suspension - who needs to spend £1000? I reckon this'll get me down some narly trails for a fraction of the price - it's all a marketing ploy! Anyone agree?

Wind up.

Yeah.. You're right. Must be.
Surely?

chrisjsmith

I actually saw someone riding one of them today - shopping basket on each handle.

Re the Apollo - I chucked it on my front lawn and it was still there after 2 days. Not bad considering I live opposite a massive council estate.

Freecycle it is then

liam333

Chavs think cheap full susses are amazing. In an IT lesson and the chavs were crowded around a computer looking at crappy bikes from halfords in awe.

funnisam

only one of the bikes that i have seen from Halfords is actually any good is their budget specced GT I-Drive 5 at £899

bullcross

LMAO