I Confess: Halfords...

meagain

...has some lovely bikes at excellent prices! Went to get a bottle cage (H is next to supermarket), had to exert maximum will power to leave credit card in wallet.

Full range of the Boardmans (I'll have the flat barred 700c wheeler.please). AND some delightful Voodoos (I'll have one of the steel framed h'tails with sliding dropouts - 780 quid - a bargain. Oh alright, AND one of the cyclo crossers please). And at that sale price, mught as well take a Subway 8 just for the cleanliness of hub gears and brakes...

Lots of buyers in there - none seemed to be buying the top end stuff - although it is I reckon at very good prices. I think I'll go in every Sunday when shopping just in case the Voodoo Wanza ends up "reduced".

grayo59

Here in Bristol we have two halfords - the further from me on the A4 at Brislington has an upstairs dedicated to cycling. The nearer to me at Cribbs Causeway has a smaller but adequate biking section.

Halfords has it's place and I'd hate for newbies to think we're infested with insufferable snobs on this forum.

The more average Joe's we get cycling the better I say!

(I've bought bikes from Halfords and from a LBS and I think there is a place for £200 man or woman at Halfords whereas the LBS needs to sell at £400 plus to provide the service)

dnsmiff

I'm a bit of a Halfords junky.

In the last 2 years or so I've brought a GT i-drive XCR, Carrera Kraken (complete with bikehut hydraulics) for my eldest son, Carrera Valour and now a Carrera Virago (full Carbon frame, ultegra etc).

I've even got the youngest an Apollo 16" kids bike (<£40) and great value.

I'm not exclusive to Halfords, also used my LBS for 2 trek mtb's (3700's) and a trek MT-60 kids bike (complete waste of money!), Giant SCR 3.0w and Haro BMX.

Still try to use the LBS for some bits as opposed to Wiggle / CRC as well, even though it costs more.

meagain

"the LBS needs to sell at £400 plus to provide the service)"

LBS service an oxymoron, surely?

And I've nowt against H's bikes! I've had (2nd hand) a Virago race bike and an LRS 1 full susser (when both built by Merida) and I even bought a NEW Subway 8 in the sale 18 mths ago.

Just that the Voodoos really caught my eye - the steel h'tail must be about the best vfm offering out there.

redddraggon

meagain wrote:

LBS service an oxymoron, surely?

Not really.

nick hanson

meagain wrote:

"the LBS needs to sell at £400 plus to provide the service)"

LBS service an oxymoron, surely?

.

You must be unlucky with your LBS.In the Leeds/Castleford area,we have an excellant choice of LBS

meagain

Don't think I've ever come across more than maybe one or two shop staff who weren't patronising or plain dim or both. Presumably a function of the pay rates.

Nice that not everywhere the same.

dnsmiff

meagain wrote:

Don't think I've ever come across more than maybe one or two shop staff who weren't patronising or plain dim or both. Presumably a function of the pay rates.

Nice that not everywhere the same.

Is this in your LBS or Halfords

meagain

Both!

gumball3000

I still buy Muc-off from there. They always seem to have the cheapest price on the 5L one....

meagain

Halfords no longer show Boardmans in on-line catalogue - is this association already ended, I wonder? If so, watch out in your local store for a clearance sale! When Merida ceased being the supplier of the high end stuff, some excellent bargains as I recall.

dnsmiff

Never been available from the Halfords site as far as I was aware, only via a link to the Boardman site.

Plus Halfords is sponsoring a British cycling team all riding Boardman bikes, so I doubt the relationship is over.

giant_man

Halfords? Wouldn't go near the place, and if that makes me a snob, fair enough I am one!

snakehips

I have been commuting on a Subway 1 for the last couple of years. No complaints about the bike , very good value for money.
A guy at work has just started commuting on an £80 H'fords job. At least it has got him off his RRs and on to a bike!

Snake

stevechambers34

I know several people who have bought bikes from Halfords mainly Carrera's , apart from some initial set up problems(which I end up sorting out being known as a bike loon) they have all been happy with the machines.
I myself have had my Carrera Krakatoa for god knows how long, steel Tange butted frame, Shimano canti's, 21 'speed'(Altus/Alivio)...everything still works, wheels are still true and smooth ,Shimano BB is still fine as are Tioga head bearings.
I cannot fault it and it refuses to die, paint is still good with no rust, worst bits erm I bent the Girvin (copy) stem 1st month after dropping it down a steep wooded bank(no other damage) and the rims especialy the rear is about worn through NO other complaints.
I have been looking at the Boardman bikes and to be honest if they did a triple road bike with mudguard eyes I would buy one!

geoff_ss

meagain wrote:

Don't think I've ever come across more than maybe one or two shop staff who weren't patronising or plain dim or both. Presumably a function of the pay rates.

Nice that not everywhere the same.

I see you're from Nottingham. Did you ever try Syd Standard's in Beeston? It had an excellent reputation when Syd ran it, not sure what it's like now. Apart from anything else Syd must have done more to encourage youngsters to cycle than just about anybody else by taking a group out every Sunday.

When I worked in Derby I used Mercians and still know some of the staff. They were fine. I now use Stanley Fearn's in Matlock (a more pleasant ride for me) and I get superb service there. All the staff are knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic cyclists.

Geoff

ndodd

i use to go to syds when i was a young lad top bloke

meagain

"Did you ever try Syd Standard's in Beeston?"

Not while the man was there - went in once and the new guy was friendly enough!

"Stanley Fearn's in Matlock (a more pleasant ride for me) and I get superb service there. All the staff are knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic cyclists. "

Richard Thoday, one time frequenter of this place, awe-inspiring fixed T/Ter and all-round good guy, tells me he now works there - so should indeed be worth your patronage! Must call in there one day when I'm out on a PTW.

Peyote

Apparently the Bike-Hut part of Halfords is a completely separate business from the motoring Halfords-proper, hence the increase in quality (of stock at least!) over the past few years.

There's a Bike-Hut only shop open in Dorking now, some nice bikes and no motoring stuff at all. It's effectively an LBS in the Evans-style chain mould. I believe they are looking to open up more Bike-huts accross the region too.

fairweather_cyclist

Blimey I haven't been on this site since August last year! What's wrong with me?!

Saw the Halfords thread and felt obliged to say that I don't have any problem with bike hut at all. Bought my kids a couple of Apollo hardtail's last year and pound for pound they're excellent value. Same goes for their commuters but not so convinced about their range of folders, ch white in malmesbury gets my vote there!

Nuggs

I'm usually very sceptical of Halfords, especially when it comes to getting questions answered or their own-brand stuff.

However, the Halfords Professional Tool range is very good. Half the price of Teng etc...

Soreknees

Bought a Carrera Valour a couple of years ago on my return to cycling and it gets slung in a bike bag, carried in a box under an articulated truck, used and generally abused, is seldom washed/lubed and everything still works fine. It's good for shopping, school runs and 50 mile training runs in winter. It makes me appreciate my Cannondale when I get the chance to use it, and it was (relatively) cheap. OK, so the frame's a bit flexy but you get what you pay for. Who cares what the badge says..............?

batch78

Blimey, is this to be the first ever Halfords related thread without berating them?
Quite often worth a nose in their bargain bucket but I'm always a little dissapointed with my local one, admittedly they don't stock the same level of bike some have been talking about though so maybe up to local managers? Been tempted by the Boardmans and a couple of Carreras though, crap should'nt be saying that!!