halfords brands and branded

Anonymous

in a word how would you describe these bikes

I was browsing though the Halfords website looking at all the items I cant afford LOL anyway this popped up I cant afford it ofc but what do you think jus got me thinking a couple of questions can all bike's be upgraded? is the make of bike really such a big problem if you can upgrade anyway (ignore this question if you cant upgrade all bikes) are people getting tricked into paying for the name. jus curious to be honest I kind of know what people will say but im curious and yes i know that some times brand can make all the difference for example the difference between asda value chocolate and cadburys is pretty massive. but really can it make that much difference in the 2 products. if your going to answer yes please try to explain why remember total MTB noob here

£209 halfords looks okay specs seem okay no idea thou

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65499#tab2

£549 Carrera bike that looks similar.ive not gone full on retard even i can see this one is made of better upmarket parts.but really £350 worth???

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

The Rookie

To be able to upgrade a bike it has to meet the main modern standards in terms of BB shell, headtube sizing, disc mounts etc.
Both these bikes are 68mm English thread BB and will take a 1 1/8" steerer fork.

You could upgrade either bike, and a friend has a Banshee with Rockshox Recon forks, SLX brakes, Halo rims, external BB crankset etc etc, it's a really nice ride, the frame is as tough as old boots, but you can't escape the fact the frame is heavy, really heavy, his has a coil shock and is 4Kg for frame and shock.

You could fit all that stuff to the Paradox, and while the frame may not be much heavier than the Banshee, instead of being a fundamentally sound frame, it is fundamentally cack and will never be a nice ride, geometry is poor, it uses plain bushes for the suspension and can't take proper bearings and it's as flexible as a poledancer.

So back to your question, yes nearly all bikes can be upgraded if they have modern standard sizing, but are they worth it......no.

Not strictly upgraded, as I built it from the bare frame taken from a ruined bike, but check the link in my sig to what could be done starting with a rough £100 Carerra hardtail (Kraken in my case, but it's the same frame as a Vulcan), also have a look at the Carrera hardtail thread as there are a few others as modified as mine such as Greer's.

97th choice

Bear in mind that the accepted entry level for a decent, new, full suspension is around £1k. The banshee is a pretty tough bargain and one of the few exceptions to the rule. But as the beginner said it is compromised in terms of frame weight however, it isn't really an XC bike, more heavy duty trail, light DH.

The Apollo is just cack.

montyburns56

As others have said, do not buy the Paradox as it is a heavy POS! For only £40 more you can get the Carrera Valour or the Centos Ltd Edition for £70 more if you must have disc brakes.

ben.465

the banshees are good bikes for beginners and can be upgraded (i have an old banshee x) but they are heavy!, the paradox is awfull and all the money in the world wouldn't change the fact the frame is crazily heavy and whilst the banshee has been designed to take a bit of a abuse the paradox frame wont take any.

The Rookie

MBUK did a 'beater' test a while back and the Paradox was so bad it was beaten by bikes half it's price.

The Banshee is a junior AM bike, it's actually good VFM but ONLY if you want that style of bike, my friend rides his HARD (hence the Halo rims) and it takes it all without batting an eyelid.

thelonegroover

You'd probably have to upgrade everything, you could spend well over £350 to get the Paradox up to the Carrera. And you'd still be left with a heavy frame.

Bike are like anything else, built to a price. Up to a point you are paying for quality and functionality, then past a certain point you are paying for weight saving, the functionality doesn't really get any better past this point.

Chris-Treleaven

I have the Carrera Banshee, and it's a pretty good bike for the money, good parts, runs nice. It's a little on the heavy side, but it is a pretty big full suspension bike, so didn't expect it to be super light.

It all depends what you want the bike for I guess, rough downhill riding etc etc... I'd recommend going for something a little more suited for the job if you have downhill in mind. But the Carrera Banshee is good for the road, off road, trails.

Tip: Check the bike once you've got it home, bolts, quick releases, anything like that... I found a couple of untightened bolts on my Banshee, and the handlebars weren't centered properly. Lazy Halfords staff!

thelonegroover

To be fair to Halfords, I've come accross over and under tightened nuts and bolts at most other bike shops.

jez77

I have a carrera vulcan 2012 which needs the headset replacing, can anyone recommend a good replacement looking to spend about £40

The Rookie

Bit of a thread Hijack.....

Halfords sell an FSA semi cartridge that is pretty bombproof for about £17.

jez77

The Beginner wrote:

Bit of a thread Hijack.....

Sorry about that new to this was unsure where to post the question. Cheers for the reply do you know of any that are sealed?

oxocube1

As a mechanic at Halfords for almost 2 years I can tell you that I don't think I have sold an Apollo Paradox that has not come back with an issue due to poor manufacturing/quality:
The Bottom brackets are very unreliable and often loosen themselves and end up crushing the bearings.
The brakes are very cheap and have a common problem of getting locked on which is obviously dangerous, especially for the front.
The suspension is a gimmick to be honest as there is probably less than 50mm travel of un-dampened, uncontrolled compression and rebound, which often seizes up after only a few months.

Those are the main issues I get with them, along with weight (the large is 20kg!) and other things.

The banshees are fairly good for the money. The forks perform well and they use a sealed cartridge bottom bracket and hydraulic brakes so many less issues. The biggest problem I've had with the Banshee (both the 20009 and 2011 models) is the driveside chainstay snapping. I think I've had 3 different ones now with the snap/crack in the same place so just something to be weary of for you guys who own them.

But in this case I certainly would say the difference is £350 worth.

The Rookie

jez77 wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

Bit of a thread Hijack.....

Sorry about that new to this was unsure where to post the question. Cheers for the reply do you know of any that are sealed?

The FSA is.....