hey chaps and chapettes 😀

a friend who’s currently at uni started spamming my facebook wall with links to halfords Apollo horrible bikes around the 130punds mark. all h wants to do it commute around the city and maybe the odd chilled leisurely canal type ride… nothing that’d need ‘decent’ suspension!

i’ve told him that Apollos are horrible things and that he’d get much much better value if he went second hand as he’d end up with something he could service and fix if it went wrong… but he doesnt drive so viewing and collecting a second hand bike isnt the best option.

can anybody help me recommend a cheap commuter/hybrid for around 130-140pounds?

cheers 🙂 x

I had a mate in a similar position.

Would be good if someone – genesis or someone like that could make some very basic singlespeed with a poor alu frame 2 cheap rim brakes, cheap wheels and knock them out at £150 quid ish.

The ammount of people who ask me at work “I want something cheap just to knock about the town on” and “im not paying a lot of money for one”

So we are talking something like those TATA indian cars.

Aren’t b’Twin bikes usually considered to be pretty good budget bikes?

Their site has a (slightly over-budget) ELOPS 3 II for £ 169.99…

I am in no way affiliated to the b’Twin bike company or any of its UK outlets and I will not profit personally from this ill-thought suggestion.

http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/rockrider-5-0-men-s-2010-136172680/
http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/b-twin-3-33276244/

they did have a SS MTB for £100 at one time, too

i bought a 99 euro folding bike shaped object from a halfords in holland

it really isnt bad for a folding bike – ive ridden 500 quid folders that ride worse…… bike friday being one of them !

just cause its apollo doesnt always mean its terrible (but most of the time it does…..)

also alot of it is in the build – halfords mechanics are so variable that its hit and miss and a good build on a bad bike can be superior to a bad build on a good bike imo ….. there are how ever some bikes that will never build good …. TRAX and anything from a supermarket

cheers guys, sent him the link for the Btwin bikes for his consideration… he could very well end up with an apollo but its nice to let him know there are other options 😀

whoop! my bike is a Trax 😀 although it seems Apollo make Trax or something. even worse lol

if i’m not mistaken halfords shift the cheapest stuff as trax, then apollos are the ones that get on the tv adverts (“buy this full size mens full suspension bike for half price, thats only 80 pounds!”) then carerras start using components you can service and are pretty darn good value, then boardman with nicer components.. still good value.

as someone mentioned halfords spanner monkeys come in all shapes and sizes, some are great, some throw your bike together backwards 😆

i love my carerra, but i hated the apollo i got tricked into buying before i realised 80pounds would not buy you a nice bike lol

My first mountain bike was an Apollo Equito around about 1996. I primarily wanted it to commute to work on, but then ventured out and about more & more on it.
It was fine & I could keep up with my uni mate on his Stumpjumper that he had adorned with tons of expensive bits.

I even took it over to Germany while I was on work placement there for 6 months. It survived almost daily riding while there, including plenty of time off-road. Only replacement bits were a set of riser bars & a new rear mech after a rogue branch wrecked the original one.
In the end some scrotes broke into the uni bike shed & nicked every bike in there, including my Apollo…..boo hoo!

Perhaps he doesn’t need more than a £140 bike & at least it will be fairly thief proof?

Tell him to raise his price to either the £229 Carrera Subway (26″ wheels) or the heady heights of the £370 Carrera Gryphon (700cc).

The Subways are very solid value bikes & perfect 26″ commuters.
The Gryphon’s might seem an odd mention, due to their price, but if you buy one off ebay, it’ll cost around half that price and probably little or no use…

masonmarxx – yes, but if you enjoy riding it, and it gives you the bug to get a better one, it’s no bad thing… not everyone starts on a great bike (or even has the funds too).

Vitus Bikes Vee-1 2011 From £219.00

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=49192

But only 16″ left at the moment.