Apollo bike from Halfords

daniel_owen_uk

Toys back in prams

Bonus of buying second hand is they don't depreciate like new bikes either. Letting you try without risking lots of cash (probably less than buying a £170 apollo).

daverey

Pennywise wrote:

daverey wrote:

Pennywise wrote:

More improtantly, it was an inexpensive way of finding out whether I am likely to be keen on mountain biking or not. The good news is that yes I am - even at only the 3mph you claim I go.



Dave

It was you who said you go out for up to 3 hours, 20 times and have done 200 miles. I din't make the claim, i just did the math.

Touche!
Fair point - I kind of walked into that one I guess (will also teach me to respond before reading the posts properly).

In any case, the 3mph you mention is a huge average. The colossal weight of the bike means its more like 0.3mph uphill, but 30mph downhill under the force of gravity!!

lat297

ShaggyRS6 wrote:

Something I would like to add, from a COMPLETE newbie point of view. Only buy second hand unless you know what your doing. If your a newbie to the sport like me, then don't do it. I nearly made that mistake and would have wasted a lot of money.

I had weeks of research behind me in the end, culminating in posting here asking for second advice and new. My advice would be to go to your local bike shop and seek their advice as well.

In the end, after looking for a bike that would cost me no more than £600, I spent £2000. I really know I done the right thing.

Sorry Shaggy, I'm a bit confused... this thread started because someone bought a bike for £80, and you're suggesting that to spend £2000 was 'the right thing to do'?

Most people don't spend this kind of money on a car, let alone a bike. I don't know what's more stupid, for someone to buy a basic bike from Halfords, or for a self-confessed 'Newbie' to spend two grand on a bicycle.
:?
Lol

deadliest

lat297 wrote:

ShaggyRS6 wrote:

Something I would like to add, from a COMPLETE newbie point of view. Only buy second hand unless you know what your doing. If your a newbie to the sport like me, then don't do it. I nearly made that mistake and would have wasted a lot of money.

I had weeks of research behind me in the end, culminating in posting here asking for second advice and new. My advice would be to go to your local bike shop and seek their advice as well.

In the end, after looking for a bike that would cost me no more than £600, I spent £2000. I really know I done the right thing.

Sorry Shaggy, I'm a bit confused... this thread started because someone bought a bike for £80, and you're suggesting that to spend £2000 was 'the right thing to do'?

Most people don't spend this kind of money on a car, let alone a bike. I don't know what's more stupid, for someone to buy a basic bike from Halfords, or for a self-confessed 'Newbie' to spend two grand on a bicycle.
:?
Lol

I suppose that suggesting a one of these is a NO NO then.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... gn=froogle

lat297

Yeah, great for jumping off hills and stuff, but unless you're rich or do this as a sport all the time, the you'd have to be insane to go over £300-£400.

If you're a 'total novice' then Halfords is absolutely the right place to go. Apollo bikes are great for what they do. They don't sell you these bikes under the pretence that you'll be able to compete in the Olympics, they're just cheap, honest bikes.

Bikes are like everything else in life. Cars, electric guitars, wangers. It ain't cos you've got the biggest and best that you are the biggest and best, but for some reason (and this is for blokes in general, less for women), people think this sort of thing works.

I've got a mate who bought a Fender Strat for £2.5k. Nice piece of wood. But he still plays like a baby hitting a rattle against a harp.

Banned!

lat297 wrote:

Yeah, great for jumping off hills and stuff, but unless you're rich or do this as a sport all the time, the you'd have to be insane to go over £300-£400.

thats really not a lot of money at all in mtb world.thats about the very least i wouls advise spending, even on a commute to work bike. unless you can afford to buy a cheaper bike but spend hours and £££ maintaining it over the course of a year.

lat297

Jesus_Christ wrote:

lat297 wrote:

Yeah, great for jumping off hills and stuff, but unless you're rich or do this as a sport all the time, the you'd have to be insane to go over £300-£400.

thats really not a lot of money at all in mtb world.thats about the very least i wouls advise spending, even on a commute to work bike. unless you can afford to buy a cheaper bike but spend hours and £££ maintaining it over the course of a year.

You are of course aware that not all people have lots of money, aren't you?

When I was 18 (and a student) I had a steel frame mountain bike bike, which I got for £50 brand new. Even back then it was cheap as chips. I cycled all over southern France on it, averaging 15km a day (for the daily commute) and then on weekends going up and around the Massif Central like a mountain goat, freewheeling down hills and cycling along river beds.

Yeah, it needed tweaking every week, but an allen key costs 15p.

There are two groups of people out there: people who spend a lot on bikes, and everyone else. All of them can find this stuff interesting, but you have to be aware that the vast majority of bike owners would never spend over £500 in their lifetime on bikes.

Banned!

i know a lot of people dont have a lot of money, im one of them. but this isnt the commute bike uk or canal path bike uk, its the mountain bike uk forum. £400 isnt an insane amount of money to spend on one of those mountain bikes, its the very barest minimum.

Torres

I think everything needs to be taken in to prospective a bit.
YES, £400 is a lot of money.
BUT, a £400 bike may appear cheap when compared to something like the 8K scott mentioned earlier.

If you value the sport of moutnain biking, and it's you passion then £400 may seem cheap.
But each to their own, i have friends who spend £150 on football boots and think i'm mad because i ride a £600 bike. But each to their own.

There is no denying that in order to aquire a new bike, capable of off road riding you will need to part with the best part of £200-£300.

Yet if all you want is a bicycle to ride around town, or on the lanes, maybe even venturing on to some towpaths or fireroads; just to build up fitness and have fun then spending over £200 will seem excesive.

Sometimes i think everyone just has to sit back and take things in to perspective.

On a side note though, i have no idea why Apollo produce such overengineered bikes with dual suss. Surely a fully rigid steel bike would be cheaper to produce, and hence would benefit from better components [such as the drive and brakes] and be lighter, which would make them much more enjoyable to ride.

Is it even possible to buy a cheap fully rigid any more?

geordiefreerider

True, this is a forum for mountain bikers and mountain bike related topics, an apollo doesnt even come to close to being a mountain bike, I dont know why people dont just buy a hybrid or tourer if there going to ride along towpaths and seafront promenades with there raybans and bumbags on !! instead of people trying to stick up for apollos why dont you all just admit there crap and go on "what cheap crap mountain bike forums", not meaning to sound snobby but i have to agree with jc, anything (bought new) worth taking offroad your talking about 350-400 as a start point, someone said they toured south france on a crapper, good for him but we're talking about serious off roading, therefore you need a serious bike you either want to mountain bike or you dont !

ShaggyRS6

lat297 wrote:

ShaggyRS6 wrote:

Something I would like to add, from a COMPLETE newbie point of view. Only buy second hand unless you know what your doing. If your a newbie to the sport like me, then don't do it. I nearly made that mistake and would have wasted a lot of money.

I had weeks of research behind me in the end, culminating in posting here asking for second advice and new. My advice would be to go to your local bike shop and seek their advice as well.

In the end, after looking for a bike that would cost me no more than £600, I spent £2000. I really know I done the right thing.

Sorry Shaggy, I'm a bit confused... this thread started because someone bought a bike for £80, and you're suggesting that to spend £2000 was 'the right thing to do'?

Most people don't spend this kind of money on a car, let alone a bike. I don't know what's more stupid, for someone to buy a basic bike from Halfords, or for a self-confessed 'Newbie' to spend two grand on a bicycle.
:?
Lol

I was suggesting that:

A) If he was looking at second hand there are pitfalls
he Should seek advice from his Local bike Shop
C) It was the right thing to do in my case

lat297

geordiefreerider wrote:

someone said they toured south france on a crapper, good for him but we're talking about serious off roading, therefore you need a serious bike you either want to mountain bike or you dont !

Not wanting to start an argument or anything (wouldn't be the first time a forum saw one of those), but you need to know what you're talking about before you start to talk about 'serious' mountain biking.

Yeah, I admit I'd rather sit on a bike worth several grand, I have tried a few and they're amazing. Good brakes and gears are essential, as is a strong frame that won't break when you hop of a rock. But I wasn't talking about 'touring' south of france, I lived there. I biked dried up river beds across boulders the size of your head, and hopped from rock to rock to get across streams.

That is serious mountain biking. And 20 years ago you did it with a steel frame, no suspension, and a rigid frame.

Nowadays, Halfords sell bikes for £200 that would suit that no problem. Yeah, you wouldn't want to compete with one, but then seriously, of the thousands of people registered here, how many do you think do so called 'serious' mountain biking competitively?

Banned!

yes, and you can still do it today, but the sport has progressed and anybody who wants to get into the sport will often start out riding trail centres and they are built with modern technology in mind. trying to ride innerliethen on a 20 year old rigig bike will result in serious injury. thats why i said that around £400 was the least that should be spent. the sport demands it.

if you just want a cheap 26" wheeler to get around then buy one, but its not a mountain bike

lat297

Jesus_Christ wrote:

if you just want a cheap 26" wheeler to get around then buy one, but its not a mountain bike

I disagree. That would be like me saying a Fender Squire isn't an electric guitar.

What I would say is that you wouldn't want to race with something cheap, in the same way that you wouldn't want to perform at Wembley with a Squire. But there are well priced, entry level bikes, like the Apollo, that will let you do things other than the simple muddy-track-in-the-forest Sunday riding.

It is pretty snobbish to say that a mountain bike purchased for under £400 isn't a mountain bike. A bit like going up to a kid who plays football every day at school and telling him his £25 football boots aren't football boots.

blister pus

Within the last few months I've had a £90 Townsend steel frame 18 spd bike marketed as a 'mountain (atb) bike', A 24 spd, disc brake. Giant Boulder Trail which I've seen retail for £350 bought for 195 and marketed as an entry level hardtail. And today, ridden an Apollo full suspension and talked to the lad who owns it.

The Apollo can handle what I normally do but there's no chance it'd take it on a regular basis over a few months, you'd be replacing bits on it in no time. It definitely doesn't like being bone-shaken at moderate speed over light / medium rocky trails.

90 quid hardtail with steel frame was excellent actually but obviously let down by it's spec, the only thing that was any use on it over time was the frame which had a really nice spring to it (going over the same terrain as the Apollo) but you could do nothing with it like replace with a decent fork. And there's no doubt the fork would have crapped out on that route given a month or two longer, the springs were going softer and softer day by day. I actually sold it for £55 in the new year to a guy who wanted a post xmas fitness park bike.

The Giant 'entry level' hardtail is a world apart from either, sure it's a bit dead compared to the steel frame but I can rip round my routes on it all day every day secure in the knowledge that it's going to be exactly the same each day, nothing is going to crap out prematurely on it and as I said on the other page it's got it's faults but it's also got plenty of scope.

nation

lat297 wrote:

Jesus_Christ wrote:

if you just want a cheap 26" wheeler to get around then buy one, but its not a mountain bike

I disagree. That would be like me saying a Fender Squire isn't an electric guitar.

The difference perhaps being that the Squier doesn't stand a very real chance of causing you serious injury.

The principle problem with Apollo bikes and their ilk is that they're sold as having the capabilities of a "mountain bike", when most people familiar with the sport realise that they aren't.

There's a very real possibility of someone being misled by the marketing and actually going out and trying to huck six foot drops on their Apollo. That's a legitimate concern.

Banned!

that analogy doest work at all. the squire is quite clearly an electric guitar, just an inexpensive one.

the apollo looks like a mountain bike but close inspection will reveal its true identity.

it is not an inexpensive mountain bike, it is a 26" wheeled bicycle with a mountain bike sticker on it.

geordiefreerider

lat297 wrote:

Jesus_Christ wrote:

if you just want a cheap 26" wheeler to get around then buy one, but its not a mountain bike

I disagree. That would be like me saying a Fender Squire isn't an electric guitar.

What I would say is that you wouldn't want to race with something cheap, in the same way that you wouldn't want to perform at Wembley with a Squire. But there are well priced, entry level bikes, like the Apollo, that will let you do things other than the simple muddy-track-in-the-forest Sunday riding.

It is pretty snobbish to say that a mountain bike purchased for under £400 isn't a mountain bike. A bit like going up to a kid who plays football every day at school and telling him his £25 football boots aren't football boots.

Well each to there own, go and get yourself up the mountains on your apollo then mate best of luck to you !! As for not knowing what im talking about I've been riding for twenty years now so I think I have some idea, I have owned the very type of bikes we are discussing albeit not for long because they are RUBBISH end of and now I buy the best I can afford, I'll have you know I have spent the last 2 weeks wiyh no gas on the meter eating beans on toast just so I can afford to buy new bits for my bike so I would say im a pretty dedicated rider. As for hopping across boulders the size of my head well you must be a hardcore rider because my head is massive !!!

daverey

Right, despite me sticking up for the Apollo "mountain bike" I bought last year in this thread, I have an update.....

I undertook some diy brake repairs during last week and completely knackered the back brakes of my Apollo.

I decided a trip to the local bike repairer was necessary, and when I got there he gave the whole bike a quick once-over. The verdict - the bike is completely bust and he recommended I don't get back on it cos it isn't safe. I got a bit lost in all the terminology of what he said, but the back wheel bearings have gone, the bearings where the pedals go through have gone, the front forks are bent, and the front wheel bearings are on their way.

So, the upshot of all this is that my moderate off-road biking has bust the Apollo in less than 12 months.

However, I still think buying it was the best thing I did. It cost me £80, which has worked out at less than £10 per month. I now know I love the sport and will probably go out and buy a better bike from somewhere like Evans Cycles for £300. I managed to avoid coming into the whole thing as a novice and shelling out a few ton for something I might not have enjoyed, and, more importantly, I have learnt to love going out on the Apollo, so anything half decent will be much more enjoyable.


Talking of which, (the guy in the shop recommended a Kona Liani (?) or a Gary Fisher G2 Advance 2009 for around £300 - any thoughts?

So overall I reckon the Apollo was perfect for what it was - a cheap and nasty bit of kit to try to get you invovled the sport. I do agree that they are mis-sold by Halfords and are not up to the task, but they are a cheap way of having some fun - a damn sight cheaper than renting bikes regularly to try out.

The biggest downside - having to get the lump of cast iron to the tip now it's not rideable..........

llamafarmer

lat297 wrote:

If you're a 'total novice' then Halfords is absolutely the right place to go. Apollo bikes are great for what they do. They don't sell you these bikes under the pretence that you'll be able to compete in the Olympics, they're just cheap, honest bikes.

But the point we're making is that they're not cheap honest bikes, they're cheap lying bikes. Halfords do some of the best budget MTBs out there, but a full sus Apollo is NOT one of them. At sub £100 the novice should be getting directed towards an uber-simple rigid bike where that precious budget has not been frittered away on undamped, over complicated, useless suspension systems. And that super cheap rigid should be intended for at worst a bit of hucking around in the woods over some roots and mud, not crashing around trail centres.

You could probably buy a helmet for £10, but I wouldn't trust my head with it!

markiemc13

i have the hardtail version nd i do loads of mtb nd im finding kewl with a few upgrades
e.g forks, pedals,stem,bars

ThanksBye

What forks your upgrade it with?

markiemc13

rockshox s.i.d theyre really kewl !! :>

Mark_K

markiemc13 wrote:

rockshox s.i.d theyre really kewl !! :>

Sorry without trying to sound snobby ! Have i read that right you have put a set of R/S SID's on a appollo bso ???
:shock: :?

markiemc13

its an apollo xc.26se and yes ive made some big upgrades and yes r/s s.i.d.
haha

ThanksBye

What else have you upgraded? and how much were ur SID's?

And pics or it didnt happen

Daz555

I smell....bullsh*t. 8)

ThanksBye

Really? I wanna see these pics:)

Daz555

tomatoevousparlour wrote:

Really? I wanna see these pics:)

Yep, we need pics. Nah....we demand them!

Mark_K

Sorry but i cant believe anyone would put sid's on a apollo :shock: