# What was your worst cycle and why?



## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

Mine was a Shockwaves XT 900 mountain bike from the dreaded Halfords, was crap from day one but I was on a very tight budget, after getting hit from behind by a car, a new rear wheel was going to cost the same as the cycle, even on Ebay a wheel was £80-00!

Was happy to get shot of it and never again will buy ANYTHING from Halfords, glad I saw the light and now ride retro racers!


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## Boondoggle (19 Jun 2012)

Shockwave 850 ? Something like that. Yes it was from Halfords. The wheels were made out of marmalade and buckled everytime you looked at it, the bottom bracket lasted 6 months and basically ate itself, bits fell off etc etc. I bought so many parts for that bike it's unreal. I used to do pretty long country rides on it somehow. It was a bike where everything needed adjusting before every ride. The last straw was a rear wheel that you just could not tighten. As soon as you pushed down hard on a pedal the rear wheel would pull right out of the frame. It was like an unintentional anti theft mechanism. In order to get one last bit of enjoyment out of the bike I left it outside a local branch of Morrisons, knowing it would be "lifted" in less than 30 minutes by some local scum. I laughed as I walked away, imagining the feeling of jubilation the thief must have felt on finding an almost new looking bike left unlocked. Ahhh it's the small things.

My current bike is possibly worse. Super tight budget at the moment, but I more than doubled my budget to try and avoid the headaches. I got a Veho. So far the new bike has been even worse in every way and has cost me a lot of money to try and make it fit for purpose. I never owned a bike you couldn't inflate the tyres on before. Did I mention it was also from Halfords ?


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## gaz (19 Jun 2012)

A diamondback that I had back in 2001. Took it off a sweet jump and cracked the frame.


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## AnythingButVanilla (19 Jun 2012)

A £50 BSO from an online ex-catalogue shop about six or seven years ago. I bought it because I was working shifts that finished after midnight and I couldn't always get a lift home and the bus service in Clydebank at that time of night is rubbish. I was more than willing to spend a bit more cash but my ex-husband convinced me that the bike was fine for my needs so I went ahead, ordered it and it was a bloody disaster from day one. I have very short legs and the frame was about two inches too big for me so I could barely reach the pedals nevermind the ground, he never put the bike together properly so the handlebars moved independantly from the front forks, the brakes were dodgy and the whole thing weighed a ton. I literally couldn't give it away on Freecycle so left it outside my flat here in Clapham where it took two days to be stolen. I half expect to open the door one morning and find it sitting there with a note attached to it begging me to take it back


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## TonyEnjoyD (19 Jun 2012)

My Raleigh Chopper, one ball breaking, wheel-wobbling seriously unstable steed which I thought was brilliant when I got it aged 14.


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## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

I know the Shockwaves brand is Halford's own brand, built to a cost and boy does it show!

Not heard of the Veho Boondoggle, but sound a right bag o' crap sadly 

Ouch Gaz....


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## Boris Bajic (19 Jun 2012)

Among all sorts, from rod-brake BSA kid's bike, through 5-speed Raleigh 'racer' and onto 80s Peugeot Premier... thence to Brick Lane specials, friends' discarded crap and anything I had lying around.... to today's unnecessarily complicated bicycles and a superbly simple fixie... I can categorically say that...

*I have never had a bad bicycle.*


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## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

Am I the only one here thinking unless you pay good money these days the cheaper bikes are just badly made? We need a good cheap range of cycles to encourage more to ride esp in these times where money is tight don't you think AnythingButVanilla?

God the Chopper odd things to ride at the best of times esp if the gears slipped and you landed on the gear lever, have you seen the prices they go for now TonyEnjoyD?


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## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

Wow Boris you are lucky indeed mate!


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## AnythingButVanilla (19 Jun 2012)

Yup, definitely. When I say that I was willing to pay more than £50, I was thinking more around the £150-200 mark which is what my current Halfords hybrid cost. At the time I was 16k in debt and barely able to keep my head above water and whilst I'm no longer in that position now, I'm not the type of person to spend upwards of £500 on a first bike that I don't know if I'll ride or enjoy and I imagine that many people aren't either. Does any of that make sense?

I've gone from a £50 BSO in 2004 to a £200 hybrid in 2010 to a £650 road bike in 2012. There's definitely a need for a keenly priced bike that doesn't fall apart as soon as it rolls out of the shop.


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## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

I'm Yorkshire so I don't like spending too much on a cycle to be honest, and like to keep things simple too, means I can fix it then.

And yes makes perfect sense!

Imagine if the UK could build a cheap cycle that was built to last more than 5 minutes......


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## Boondoggle (19 Jun 2012)

You would think that £150-200 would get you a usable bike, nothing special, but certainly you should expect a basic reliability. That's what I thought when I got my newest bike, but it seems I'm wrong there. I can't throw £500 down on a bike.


Thinking back to the old shockwave thing I had, how does one even make a bike that heavy ? I mean....I've never felt anything like the effort of trying to get one uphill


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## Enid Agnus Dei (19 Jun 2012)

Agree fully Boondoggle, wonder what profit is made per cycle built? Yes a company needs to make profit but some cycles given the cost can they be worth their price tag? my mate has a £650-00 mountain bike and I'm sick of fixing the damn thing for him, he only rides on the road but every time it goes out it returns with a new fault!


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## Chris S (19 Jun 2012)

A Havoc Sabre - it had an MTB frame and six gears that were so close together that most of them were redundant. A good thing too, they had a mind of their own and would change themselves every time I hit the slightest bump. It also had a prop-stand that was too short to reach the ground!

It was almost new when I bought it of ebay for £11.50. I swapped the tyres for some old ones and manged to sell it to somebody else for £10. He was going to a car-boot sale that weekend so I don't think he'd have kept it long either.


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## Sale Madrid (19 Jun 2012)

AnythingButVanilla said:


> Yup, definitely. When I say that I was willing to pay more than £50, I was thinking more around the £150-200 mark which is what my current Halfords hybrid cost. At the time I was 16k in debt and barely able to keep my head above water and whilst I'm no longer in that position now, I'm not the type of person to spend upwards of £500 on a first bike that I don't know if I'll ride or enjoy and I imagine that many people aren't either. Does any of that make sense?
> 
> I've gone from a £50 BSO in 2004 to a £200 hybrid in 2010 to a £650 road bike in 2012. There's definitely a need for a keenly priced bike that doesn't fall apart as soon as it rolls out of the shop.


I stupidly bought a Planet X for my first bike - it cost me an arm and a leg. I've had problems with the frame and no matter how many times I e-mail Planet X for help, they completely ignore me. I definitely would give Planet X a wide birth in future, both their own brand products and the company as a whole. Their customer service is pants or non-existent to be precise.


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## Bigsharn (19 Jun 2012)

The aptly named *Beep*bike 2.0 The beep standing for something rather more risque 

A British Eagle full suspension POS with one working brake. Cost £5 off ebay, I ran it as a singlespeed for a glorious 2 days before the rear tyre exploded. Still, it's cheaper than bus fare.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Jun 2012)

My worst was definitely the racer lookalike I had for my 6th birthday. The cranks couldn't be tightened up properly so they moved around making it horrible to pedal, the bottom bracket was stiff and so was the brake mechanism which resulted in my first proper crash and a dislike of using drop bars ever since.

The next worst was probably my Apollo Excel - a misnomer if ever there was one!

To set the scene, I keep a cheap bike for use in inclement conditions, trips into town and general larking about. My previous knockabout bike needed repairs and tallying up the parts prices I was going to have to spend at least £80 to make it useable again. Wandering round Halfords I spotted the dual suspension Excel which was on sale for £60. I'd never tried a suspension bike at this point and at that price it seemed a no-brainer so I got it. I never managed to set it up so it was comfortable to ride and the brakes supplied with it were so poorly made they were bordering on dangerous.

Surprisingly I stuck with it for 5 years (once the V-brakes were replaced) but eventually the drivetrain and rims wore out and the forks developed a worrying amount of play so I had to replace it.

The new one (Hawk Trakatak) _is_ nice to ride but I've had to replace a lot of parts due to breakages. Can't win them all I suppose.


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## Accy cyclist (20 Jun 2012)

I bought a mountain bike type for my daughter about 7 years ago, she still has it. I can honestly it's the heaviest bike that i've ever lifted, it must weigh 45lb! It was reduced from about £275 to half price, so i bought it and it's still here.


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## fossala (20 Jun 2012)

Apollo veho. It's a sub 200 hybrid. I thought I could ride to work on it. I was right but it was horrible.


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## jdtate101 (20 Jun 2012)

Worst bike was a Raleigh Firebird MTB, it wasn't bad in terms of it's quality, but it was so heavy it had it's own gravitational field. Anything more than flat was a nightmare. But the time I got rid of it I think only the paint was holding the rust together.


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## Mr Haematocrit (20 Jun 2012)

Dogma.... Although its stunning to look at, It's a bike which I never really enjoyed riding. I never felt the bike was exceptionally stiff or responsive, but the worst thing about ownership is everyone has an opinion about it. Other owners seem to believe that you have joined some special Italian club and see the bike as being something super special.
Likewise people who are not owners seem to have an opinion about it. Your either placed in the privileged category or sky team wannabe. When in a rush to get home I have also previously ridden down canal towpaths, you do this on a dogma and you get looks and comments usually reserved for people throwing a bag full of puppy dogs in the water.
I could not personally care less what people ride as log as they enjoy it and are pleasant company, but for some reason people care and voice their opinions more when your riding a dogma. I never get the same experience riding s-works or look.


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## pepecat (20 Jun 2012)

My worst ride was an old crappy (dawes, possibly?) folding bike which i had when i was about 12 -13. It had a permanent slow puncture (or three) and dynamo lights and was just.......awful. I hated it.
Then i got a brand new 5 speed drop handlebar raleigh topaz....... probably my best bike!


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## Wardy (20 Jun 2012)

My worst was one from Currys back in the late 60's. Must have been made from reinforced gas pipe I think. Brakes failed coming down a snow-covered hill on the road around Loch Katrine (Trossachs) with a sharp bend ahead over a stone bridge, so had to lay it down at the last moment resulting in a bent crank which fouled the left chainstay. Long walk back to civilisation....


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## jdtate101 (20 Jun 2012)

V for Vengedetta said:


> Dogma.... Although its stunning to look at, It's a bike which I never really enjoyed riding. I never felt the bike was exceptionally stiff or responsive, but the worst thing about ownership is everyone has an opinion about it. Other owners seem to believe that you have joined some special Italian club and see the bike as being something super special.
> Likewise people who are not owners seem to have an opinion about it. Your either placed in the privileged category or sky team wannabe. When in a rush to get home I have also previously ridden down canal towpaths, you do this on a dogma and you get looks and comments usually reserved for people throwing a bag full of puppy dogs in the water.
> I could not personally care less what people ride as log as they enjoy it and are pleasant company, but for some reason people care and voice their opinions more when your riding a dogma. I never get the same experience riding s-works or look.


 
Funny, I've never had any comments whilst out on mine. Admittedly I wouldn't ride it down a canal path, but people don't seem to look at me funnily or make comments, not even got a "nice bike mate" comment. Maybe it's your area, as there are a fair few Pinarello's round near me, what with one of the largest Pina dealers being in Birmingham.


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## Gravity Aided (20 Jun 2012)

I thought my Raleigh chopper was brilliant, too. Here in the States, most kids had Schwinn Stingrays, closely akin to riding an actual pig. The Raleigh was like a Jaguar compared to those ,and had the same cachet . On garbage day, I found an old girl's Stingray , fixed it up for sale , and my wife, who is quite short, hopped on it and rode it around like she wasn't 43 years old .


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## Boondoggle (20 Jun 2012)

fossala said:


> Apollo veho. It's a sub 200 hybrid. I thought I could ride to work on it. I was right but it was horrible.


 
Could you list the problems with that bike. I bought one 5 months ago


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## Mr Haematocrit (20 Jun 2012)

jdtate101 said:


> Funny, I've never had any comments whilst out on mine. Admittedly I wouldn't ride it down a canal path, but people don't seem to look at me funnily or make comments, not even got a "nice bike mate" comment. Maybe it's your area, as there are a fair few Pinarello's round near me, what with one of the largest Pina dealers being in Birmingham.


 
Very likely my area, glad your enjoying yours, after all thats what its all about, enjoying cycling. Stunning bikes and having said that yours is a hell of a lot nicer than mine


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## fossala (20 Jun 2012)

Boondoggle said:


> Could you list the problems with that bike. I bought one 5 months ago


I had the rear cassette eaten away in about 1 month in 2 gears. Wheels NEVER stayed in true. Certain bolts wouldn't stay tight without locktight and the bottom bracket wore out after 2 months and had to be replaced (pedals rocked from side to side).


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## Melonfish (20 Jun 2012)

Tesco's BSO - nuff said!


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## Dragonwight (20 Jun 2012)

My black Raleigh chopper with flames down the side circa 1979 it looked great so great in fact that some toe rag stole it along with my brothers bike the day after we got them for xmas. And it was chained up!


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## Chris S (21 Jun 2012)

Gravity Aided said:


> Here in the States, most kids had Schwinn Stingrays, closely akin to riding an actual pig.


 
I bet they were popular down the Cahulawassee River!


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## Boondoggle (21 Jun 2012)

fossala said:


> I had the rear cassette eaten away in about 1 month in 2 gears. Wheels NEVER stayed in true. Certain bolts wouldn't stay tight without locktight and the bottom bracket wore out after 2 months and had to be replaced (pedals rocked from side to side).


 
Ah right. Mine's had a new bottom bracket after 6 weeks, 2 new wheels after 4 months and one new pedal. Looks like I'm in for some fun


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## Bobario (22 Jun 2012)

I bought a £50 BSO from Woolies many years ago. It was a full suspension, and I needed to put about three times the effort in to get it to move the same speed as my old bike. It was impossible to tighten the seat post up enough to stop the seat sliding down. So by the time I got to work my knees were hitting me in the ears. After about three weeks it was almost totally trashed, nothing worked properly and the bike was so crap it wasn't worth spending any money fixing it. So in a fit of rage I ended up throwing it in the river on my way home from work one day. Good riddance to bad rubbish.


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## Browser (25 Jun 2012)

I've had secondhand bikes and new bikes and learned from them all. I had a Falcon Explorer for a number of years which led me to believe that 700c wheels weren't very strong, until I got my first expensive (to me anyway) bike, a Tifosi CK7 Classic with Shimano R500 circley-bits and I realised it was that the Falcon had bargain-basement Rigida alloy rims which were the problem!
As far as the idea of a lower-priced entry level bike which lasts/is well made, can such an animal exist? Is the same way as entry-level white/consumer goods, the only way to cut costs is to make the components out of lower-quality materials and to a lower spec. I think we need to adjust our expectations of what we can get for what money, buy more second-hand stuff and/or save up for longer. I was very fortunate that my company participate in Cycleshceme and I could spread the cost of the Tif over 12 months, but I still had to grit my teeth at the cost.
It was well worth it though.


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## Boondoggle (25 Jun 2012)

Browser said:


> I've had secondhand bikes and new bikes and learned from them all. I had a Falcon Explorer for a number of years which led me to believe that 700c wheels weren't very strong, until I got my first expensive (to me anyway) bike, a Tifosi CK7 Classic with Shimano R500 circley-bits and I realised it was that the Falcon had bargain-basement Rigida alloy rims which were the problem!
> As far as the idea of a lower-priced entry level bike which lasts/is well made, can such an animal exist? Is the same way as entry-level white/consumer goods, the only way to cut costs is to make the components out of lower-quality materials and to a lower spec. I think we need to adjust our expectations of what we can get for what money, buy more second-hand stuff and/or save up for longer.


 

Whilst I agree about cheaper bikes quality being directly linked to price I can't help but feel there is a tendency these days from manufacturers to lower the quality to the point where bikes are sold which are just unfit for purpose. A bottom bracket shouldn't last 6 weeks, a bike wheel at any price point should not buckle to the point of being unusable after 3 weeks of riding on purpose built smooth cycle tracks. It's about increasing profit by selling a product unfit for purpose, calculating that a high enough percentage will make it beyond the 12 month warranty. I find this unacceptable and it wasn't always like this.


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## Browser (25 Jun 2012)

Totally agree Boondoggle, but when you say 'it wasn't always like this' and not knowing how old you iz, have you retro-priced a BSO from now to say 1985 to see how much an Asda special would have cost then? I haven't got the financial nous to work this out but you'll probably find that it would be a low enough price for folk/attitudes back then to have said "hang on a mo, they're havin'a laugh" rather than "I can get a bike with front suspension and 21 speeds for £79 quid!" and _not_ think any of the mechanical maladies you've listed will happen.
I just think that we need to adjust our expectations as well as manufacturers not trying to load the spec of bikes at the expense of quality. In other words, if it's possible to make a bike for £79.99 with half-decent components then it should be all steel (cheaper than ali and straighten-able after a crash) and come with the most basic spec, possibly single speed etc. If you want more speeds/better spec then you pay for it.


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## MissTillyFlop (25 Jun 2012)

A Universal La Riviera: it weighed 50 tonnes, had three gears and a seat made out of PAIN (Plastic)

And as a 15 year old, riding a granny bike did nothing for your social life. It lasted until the year after uni, when I threw it into a bush in a fit of rage near Jimmy's Hospital in Leeds.


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## gbb (25 Jun 2012)

Mine was (and ive still got it) a Trek 7100FX.
Why ? you ask....its not a bad bike.
Because i really wanted a roadbike...and for some reason, about that time it wasnt as popular as it is now. I only seemed to be able to buy expensive roadbikes, way beyond my finances at the time, there didnt seem to be any budget bikes. So i compromised and brought the Trek....and frikkin hated it almost straight away. I use it and abuse it,...its hardly done any mileage really in years, i still couldnt care less about it.

The lesson...never ever compromise.


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## Davidc (25 Jun 2012)

A Raleigh bike with a 3 speed that I was bought when I was 11. So heavy that if you fell off with it on top it needed heavy lifting gear to release you!


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## lordloveaduck (25 Jun 2012)

Anything by Dawes i have had three of there evil bikes (hay i'm a slow learner) may there nipples burn in hell.


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## marafi (25 Jun 2012)

In the rain, hit my knee very badly and a bus was close by Even after that i still cycle! But the helmet though now with a camera is a must for me. Especially people who try to take insurance claims from me.


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