# Can Halfords be the right choice?



## chris-s (5 Jan 2011)

Looking for a new mountain bike for the wife with a sub-£300 budget, I thought it best to look for something like a Trek or Specialized rather than a Halfords offering. But the Trek Skye and Specialized Myka which come in on budget actually have bottom of the range gear fitted making them less attractive than say the Carrera Vulcan or Vengeance from Halfords.

Given the amount/type of use she is likely to give it I'm sure a Halfords frame will be suitable, so it really seems like a Halfords bike is the better choice in this case. Can that be right?


Chris

PS Higher-spec'd used bike's at a sensible price/condition just don't seem to turn up in our part of the world, hence the new bike option.


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## Rebel Ian (5 Jan 2011)

Sorry but I've never found the answer to the question "can Halfords be right" to be anything other than absolutely not. For anything. Unless you're looking for dreadful customer service and like being treated as an inconvenience.

There are some decent branded bikes out there for what you'd pay in Halfords, surely?


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## chris-s (5 Jan 2011)

Leaving 'Halfords' asside as I understand a lot of people have issues with them, just talking about the quality of the bike. I'm struggling to find anything else in that price bracket that is a better spec.

Chris

PS See you're a fellow bianchi owner


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## GrumpyGregry (5 Jan 2011)

ime, yes, if you've a good branch (and are buying a boardman)

carrera subway is a very good value proposition and can tolerate a degree of sensible off road use on surfaced paths and bridleways. It will not survive long in contacxt with mountains.


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## chris-s (5 Jan 2011)

She's ridden two hire bikes recently on trails, one with front shocks and one without and she much preferred the one with shocks, hence the reason for the mountain bike. The shocked bike she rode was a 'Land Rover', the unshocked one I didn't take note of the brand.

Chris


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## rusky (5 Jan 2011)

I have a Carerra Vulcan Disc with front shock & would recommend the Carerra range to anyone on a budget. Unless you have a good mechaninc set it up, either check it over yourself or get someone else to.


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## PaulSecteur (5 Jan 2011)

My kraken was set up nicely, I think I have only adjusted the rear mech barrel to compensate for for cable stretch.

With halfords, it all depends on who does the initial setup.


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## cyberknight (5 Jan 2011)

rusky said:


> I have a Carerra Vulcan Disc with front shock & would recommend the Carerra range to anyone on a budget. Unless you have a good mechaninc set it up, either check it over yourself or get someone else to.



+1 i am definitely in the budget range and i have 2 carrera road bikes and for the money they are great bits of kit, i had a subway 1 and that was great as well.


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## barnesy (5 Jan 2011)

My first move into cycling was a subway 1 about 3 years ago and its the best £220 ive ever spent, the frame is heavy but is strong, wheels werent bad and havent given me any issues in over 1400 miles of loaded touring (well i had to get the rear trued before selling it)

The tyres were okay but i upgraded to marathon pluses, good range of gears and decent brakes, very good bike for the money IMO.

Mine has taken me to work and back countless times, out for long rides on the weekend, a 900 mile tour round the coast of Ireland and a 500 mile end to end ride of Ireland, all stock except tyres and changing the chain and cassette as needed.


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## TheBoyBilly (6 Jan 2011)

For what it's worth Halfords in Putney (actually BikeHut) were very good when I bought my Boardman MTB, whereas my local store (which is much bigger) is not so good. Carrera is a decent enough brand, please don't make the mistake of judging them by Apollos. but you may very well be better served by looking at Decathlon for a budget bike as they seem to be well received. Hope this helps.

Bill


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## Steve H (6 Jan 2011)

I bought a Carrera Vulcan from Halfords in 2007 and it is still going strong. I get it serviced with Halfords every year and I haven't had problems with them.


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## Mark_Robson (6 Jan 2011)

I have two Carrera bikes ( both bought from different stores ). One was set up perfectly by a member of staff and the other was bought in a box and I set it up myself, and surprisingly it needed minimal adjustment. 
I would say go for it.


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## subaqua (6 Jan 2011)

TheBoyBilly said:


> For what it's worth Halfords in Putney (actually BikeHut) were very good when I bought my Boardman MTB, whereas my local store (which is much bigger) is not so good. Carrera is a decent enough brand, please don't make the mistake of judging them by Apollos. but you may very well be better served by looking at Decathlon for a budget bike as they seem to be well received. Hope this helps.
> 
> Bill




its all down to the member of staff you get too. I have 3 close enough to get to and all can be great or all can be extremely poor .

I would also second the nomination for decathlon . there are some top dollar spec bikes there with bottom drawer prices. customer service is 2nd to none IMVHO , i took mine back for its 3 month service and they replaced a bent mech hanger for free even though it states this is specifically not covered.


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## Cubist (6 Jan 2011)

Rebel Ian said:


> Sorry but I've never found the answer to the question "can Halfords be right" to be anything other than absolutely not. For anything. Unless you're looking for dreadful customer service and like being treated as an inconvenience.
> 
> There are some decent branded bikes out there for what you'd pay in Halfords, surely?


My great aunt Agatha popped into Halfords for some antifreeze last week, and on the next Friday her house fell into a large underground lake.


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## chris-s (6 Jan 2011)

Thanks for the replies. I've spent some more time cross referencing the halfords bikes along with the basic Trek/Specialized against shimano's website and it looks like a trip to Halfords sooner than later.

Unfortunately there is no Decatholon within several hundred miles.

Cheers!

Chris


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## jack the lad (6 Jan 2011)

A friend of mine has a Carrera MTB and it is an excellent bike for the money. It is also worth having a look at Edinburgh Bicycle co-op own brand bikes - Revolution - which are great value budget bikes, especially in the current sale (and they do women's geometry MTBs with a good on-line size guide). If you've got a shop that sells Claud Butlers nearby you can try them for size as they seem to use the same frames & then buy off the webnet from EBC. http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...QRY=C442&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c018345.


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## johnr (6 Jan 2011)

No.


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## rusky (6 Jan 2011)

johnr said:


> No.



What a helpful post


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## Ticktockmy (7 Jan 2011)

If you are wanting to buy a new bike, I personally think in this day and age the manner the staff treat you is not so important, after all it is the best value for money you want. With chains Like Halfords, Evans and the other similar the staff during the weekedays are often full time and have a better knowledge, whereas at weekends the staff tend to be spotty meldones just wanting to earn pocket money. 

Personally I research my purchase prior to visiting a shop like you have done on here. I draw up a list with the make of bike down one side, then have columns for each of what you think are key points for your requirements taken in account that we are all different in shape and size. Then the bikes with the most ticks means you can visit the shop which holds the bike, check it out, see if they can offer a good deal, and if no best price, then check online to see if any of the online shops can offer best price.


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## subaqua (7 Jan 2011)

Ticktockmy said:


> If you are wanting to buy a new bike, I personally think in this day and age the manner the staff treat you is not so important, after all it is the best value for money you want. With chains Like Halfords, Evans and the other similar the staff during the weekedays are often full time and have a better knowledge, whereas at weekends the staff tend to be spotty meldones just wanting to earn pocket money.
> 
> Personally I research my purchase prior to visiting a shop like you have done on here. I draw up a list with the make of bike down one side, then have columns for each of what you think are key points for your requirements taken in account that we are all different in shape and size. Then the bikes with the most ticks means you can visit the shop which holds the bike, check it out, see if they can offer a good deal, and if no best price, then check online to see if any of the online shops can offer best price.



If i am giving the supplier a good chunk of my hard earned , the least i expect is a smile, please and thank you. not monosyllabic grunts or a condescending attitude. the guy in Evans at Lakeside didn't even listen to my requirements and sheperded me straight to a £1k road bike. at that point i just turned round and walked out. 

the 1st guy at Halfords there was rubbish. similar attitude to rthe Evans guy. I was walking away when another sales guy came across and asked if everything was OK I told hime what i was looking for ansd he chowed me a nice Carrera within budget, and a really good Giant just out of my budget, both MTBs which is what i was looking for having researched what i needed for the type of riding i wanted to do.

the decathlon guys got my money as they were even better at listening explaining and willing to spend some considerable time letting me try bikes out round the store.

I got my daughters new bike from Go outdoors last year and they had a similar customer service policy to decathlon.


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## dellzeqq (7 Jan 2011)

I did Dr. Bike sessions in Brighton last year, and new bikes from Halfords had defective brakes, crap shocks, slack spokes and were completely the wrong size for the rider. Halfords doesn't have a monopoly of crap service, but I'd at least check the thing out very carefully.


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## Ivan Ardon (7 Jan 2011)

There's a Carrera in our household, it's the wife's bike and a decent bike for the money we paid for it. I've also had a Revolution from EBC and was keen for Mrs A to get one as well. However the Carrera was bought in a bricks and mortar shop, the Revolution online, so she could try the bike for size and see in in the flesh.

Although the Revolution is a better bike, she's happy with the Carrera as she chose it herself.


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## Moodyman (7 Jan 2011)

Local bike shops are run by and employ cycling enthusiasts. As you're dealing with keen cyclists, you'll get better service even if some of them can be a little elitist.

Trouble with big chains is that a lot of staff are part time students/sixth form school kids who have no interest in cycling. 

I found that Halfords will usually have 1 or 2 keen cyclists, who if you get them when they're in, will provide an exceptional service.


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## chris-s (7 Jan 2011)

Well, the deed is done.

We went in last evening so the wife could see the options I'd whittled down for her and try them out for size, only the graveyard shift on duty and they only had 18inch frames on display where 16inch would be better suited. She was happy with the bike, a Carera Vulcan Womens spec, but in the smaller size. The young yoof on duty wouldn''t insprire anyone with confidence, but fortunately I knew what I was looking for. 

After sleeping on the idea for the night, I went back in today to order it. This time the lad on duty was much more inspiring, actually showed some knowledge of the different levels of shimano/sram gear etc, much better. So, money paid, she collects it tomorrow.

After my visit to Halfords I paid a visit to my local bikeshop, whom I normally deal with, to get some crud guards for the Bianchi even tho they were cheaper in Halfords, so thats my concience cleared.

Thanks for all the replies, the for's and the against's

Chris


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