Should I let Halfords build my bike?

Anonymous

Mental Mickey wrote:

The Juicy 3 brakes were spongier than a coral reef straight away and clearly needed a bleed

I find my Juicy 3s are like this most of the time. A bleed makes them better for a short while but they feel spongy again soon enough.

Conan257

You guys are being really harsh on Halfords IMO.

As said, bikes are built by the manufacturer, minor details are done by the shop. This is the same for all bike shops.

People knock Halfords because they cater to a mass audience, they have lots of stores and sell thousands of bikes. Statistically you're going to hear more horror stories due to the mass market.

I'm betting the people who had "forks on backwards" never went back to say anything, and as such the mechanics were never debriefed! I know when I worked in the trial bikehut 11 years ago, we offered a free service/checkup 1-2 months after purchase to make sure everything was spot on.

If you dont want to buy a bike from a particular place then buy it somewhere else. Stop bashing them just because you've heard from a mate a story about a guy who knew someone who worked in tesco's that purchased a bike and it came with no saddle.

Mental Mickey

deadkenny wrote:

Mental Mickey wrote:

The Juicy 3 brakes were spongier than a coral reef straight away and clearly needed a bleed

I find my Juicy 3s are like this most of the time. A bleed makes them better for a short while but they feel spongy again soon enough.

Can't disagree with that, they are just cheap tat compared to what else is available, wish I had some Shimano/Hope/Formula's instead.

nicklouse

Mental Mickey wrote:

deadkenny wrote:

Mental Mickey wrote:

The Juicy 3 brakes were spongier than a coral reef straight away and clearly needed a bleed

I find my Juicy 3s are like this most of the time. A bleed makes them better for a short while but they feel spongy again soon enough.

Can't disagree with that, they are just cheap tat compared to what else is available, wish I had some Shimano/Hope/Formula's instead.

sorry sounds like poor set up.

if a bleed gets then right for a while then the calipers are not set correctly.

Mental Mickey

nicklouse wrote:

Mental Mickey wrote:

deadkenny wrote:

Mental Mickey wrote:

The Juicy 3 brakes were spongier than a coral reef straight away and clearly needed a bleed

I find my Juicy 3s are like this most of the time. A bleed makes them better for a short while but they feel spongy again soon enough.

Can't disagree with that, they are just cheap tat compared to what else is available, wish I had some Shimano/Hope/Formula's instead.

sorry sounds like poor set up.

if a bleed gets then right for a while then the calipers are not set correctly.

What's that got anything to do with my statement highlighted in bold? Nothing that's what!

Yes, my brakes were not set up properly but it;s not just poor set up is it, otherwise all brakes would cost the same if there was no difference in quality and performance.

Duh!

snowden_88

So I picked up my Bantu today. 4 days earlier than arranged!

Collected it from the store Manager who went through how to maintain it and how to set up the forks etc.

So glad I waited for the 16inch frame instead of impulse buying the 18 with a "that'l do" attitude.

As far as I can see, everything seems to be OK. Not that I know that much. Iv brought some lube because Halfords dont lube anything they say.

So any advice on what to check would be great

Thanks

Bar Shaker

I don't think Avid's can be called cheap or tat.

My Elixir Rs are stunning and the levers are still rock hard after a year of use.

ftwizard

snowden_88 wrote:

I think this is the most expensive thing Iv ever brought after the house and car

You're joking, right?

snowden_88

ftwizard wrote:

snowden_88 wrote:

I think this is the most expensive thing Iv ever brought after the house and car

You're joking, right?

Urm, no? I got my LCD tele free with a phone contract, PS3 was the same. Sofas were £500 so three things I guess.

Im either a real tight arse or a bargain buyer

Anonymous

Bar Shaker wrote:

I don't think Avid's can be called cheap or tat.

My Elixir Rs are stunning and the levers are still rock hard after a year of use.

No, but Juicy 3s can. They are entry level and perform as such whereas Elixirs are not.

If find the spring clip design on the pads to be frustrating, not only in fitting the things, but with frequent shifts of spring that can cause it to catch on the disc on occasions and result in a pinging noise. I can often tell an Avid rider out on the trails by the pinging disc sound. Not sure if Elixir has the same design, but I'm not going to try. My next brakes will be another brand.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Holy thread necromancy, Batman!

In the 10+ years since the last post, has anyone collected a Voodoo bike to build at home, if so what needed doing "out of the box?"

Just found I can collect an unbuilt Marasa 1 hour after reservation, or collect a built hybrid late Saturday afternoon. Not much time difference, but if it's minimal setup, I might be tempted.

Now trying to work out if I can reserve to pay in-store and use my 10% British Cycling membership discount for this new commuter (would love to get the new incoming Boardman ADV 8.9, but I'd be as paranoid as with my 2016 Cube about locking it up anywhere outdoors).

reaperactual

Not bought from Halfords but should be the usual 'bike in a box' package. Normally you need to fit pedals and front wheel.

Stem, handlebars, brakes and shifters will already be attached ready to fit to fork steerer.

After the basic assembly a look at fine tuning gear shifts and maybe check over the brakes and tweak to be sure they're centred, all can be done with standard tools.

I personally would rather assemble myself than let someone else do it as you won't be in a rush and can make sure all is tightened and fitted well before taking bike for a final shakedown then hitting the road.

Kapow!!! Whack!!! Boom!!! 🦇 Must be a record in reviving a thread instead of starting a new one! 😂👏👍

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Ended up ordering to collect on Sat afternoon with build done in-store, found BC code on my membership home page to enter in "promo code" box while paying in advance of collecting.

Self build sounds simple enough, but practicalities of getting a massive bike box across Southampton without a car created issues!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Got to love a bit of recycling.

WIll be taking the multi tool with me to check bolts before I ride home.

yearofthegoat

reaperactual said:

Kapow!!! Whack!!! Boom!!! 🦇 Must be a record in reviving a thread instead of starting a new one! 😂👏👍

Nah, just yesterday dug up my 2009 post about doing up my Tequesta

Seriously, though, I came across this thread as I'm looking to get a Boardman MTR 8.8, and later a Voodoo Nzumbi for my son, and I'm trying to decide whether to build it myself or let Halfords do it and pick off any snags myself.

(@N0bodyOfTheGoat - nice UserID!)

steve_sordy

If you have the tools and access to YouTube, I would always recommend building it yourself. Not only will you know it's been done properly, you will learn useful stuff on the job.

bonzo_banana

I've only bought one bike from Halfords a Carrera Subway 8 about 10 years ago and they did a fantastic job assembling it and giving it its 6-8 weeks service (do you still get that service free?) but must admit there is no way I would let any bike shop assemble a carbon fibre bike for me or any bike with carbon fibre components. I just feel as you go up in complexity and to lighter less robust materials the less you should allow such shop mechanics to touch them. Basic steel bikes etc be it adult or kids fine and lower end bikes ok but nothing easily damaged.