Need advice on the Muddyfox Hornet

[omarm]

I need some advice on the Muddyfox Hornet - I've received the bike, but see pictures below
Overall viewpoint: is it a good bike to buy??
I'm not planning to go into the deepet of forests and go wild - but don't want something that will break in 6 months time either

I saw a Muddyfox Hornet for sale on Argos for £80
Wow I thought, so I snapped it up quick time
Not available now, all sold out!

Muddyfox: I thought this was like the BMW of bikes (I don't actually know all that much about bikes so don't know if this is entirely true or not) - or at least believed to be a really good and reliable make

The bike had no reviews on Argos
After buying, I googled and cam across countless bad reviews!
INCLUDING on the Argos website itself - which WAS'T given on the details of the page for the bike!!
I emailed Argos straight away and told them not to post the bike if it meant that I would have to pay for postage if there was a problem with the bike (didn't get a reply to date - 3 days later)

Bike received today... a few problems
I've put the bike together now...

1. It's missing the wheel nuts on either side for the front wheel - so I haven't been able to ride
Tyres were deflated in any case

2. The back brakes has the wire sticking out. It hits the pedal
See the pic below:




This is a problem right??

3. Even before unwrapping, I saw some brown 'stuff'
Brown is bad right? Brown = rust???

This is the pic before unwrapping:




This is the pic after unwrapping AND wiping with a tissue several times:




There are tiny signs in other places of browness

Should I just stop and request a return and refund now?

4. The other thing is: the bike is 19kg
OK... I purchased knowing this - I weighed up against the price + the fact that I was getting what I thought was a really good brand name
Should I get a refund a get something 2 or 3kg lower in weight??
I'm not going to be biking loads + my budget would be £120 - £130 max

Thanks in advance


Omar

 

[Cyclist33]

Return it. A, it's crap, sorry. And b, it's damaged and missing parts, therefore not fit for purpose. If they cause a fuss then quote the sale of goods act. Look it up on consumer direct.

And next time, do your research before buying, not afterwards!!

Nothing wrong with buying an inexpensive bike that fits your needs but don't buy Without seeing it.

Cheers

Stu

 

[omarm]

Stu, thanks for the advice
I've done a lot of research now and sought recommendations

Argos: stay away with a barge pole

Decathlon: OK if 5.3 or above - I've seen a 5.1 and 6.0 for £150, are these any good?

Halfords? Any comments?

Thanks

 

[HovR]

3 steps to success.

1) Return the bike.
2) Head down to your local Decathlon.
3) Break your budget by £20, and buy this bike. (£150).

It is far superior to your current bike, and Decathlon offer good customer service. You'll probably even get a set of lights thrown in for free. If you can't stretch to £150, this is about the best budget bike you can buy new for under £100.

 

[Cyclist33]

Forget the 6.0

 

[smokeysmoo]

Or better still find someone who knows what they are looking at and buy a second hand bike.

No new bike at that price is going to be great IMO but Muddy Fox in particular is simply a by word for $hite!

 

[HLaB]

The above advice is good but the cable hitting the crank isn't a biggie, the cable end just needs bent so it doesn't.

 

[Oldspice]

I may be wrong. But i know with catouluges you are supposed to check the bike first before assembly as once you have assembled it you can not return it (as they would say you damaged it). With this Argos thing the rust is in your favour, regarding the missing parts they could say you lost them.

I know at the moment it's a case of 'Should have,would have, could have' I was like you once and thought all bikes were created equal.

Contact argos by phone and tell them about the rust and bad workmanship (never trust email for contact) tell them you will return it to your nearest store for a full refund as it is not fit for the purpose it is intended for or they can collect for free (they offer free returns) . As for the flat tyres it does say the you will need to pump them up.

If you purchased online or over the phone you wil be coverd by the distance selling cover.

http://reviews.argos.co.uk/1493-en_gb/3322651/reviews.htm

 

[cyberknight]

3 steps to success.

1) Return the bike.
2) Head down to your local Decathlon.
3) Break your budget by £20, and buy this bike. (£150).

It is far superior to your current bike, and Decathlon offer good customer service. You'll probably even get a set of lights thrown in for free. If you can't stretch to £150, this is about the best budget bike you can buy new for under £100.

+1
As for halfords , realistically there bikes that are decent start at over £200 ( carrera + boardmans ) so they are out of your budget , the apollo range tend to be made down to a price and used to be pretty dire

 

[Cyclist33]

The 5.1 looks ok to me, I mean it's not much different in spec from a 300 quid giant.

You might consider the Riverside in that budget too. It might not have the "appeal" of a sprung front fork but actually you might enjoy it more for that reason.

 

[Widge]

I feel very sad about the rep MuddyFox has these days.
My regular MTB is a circa 2000 MuddyFox with Mavic wheels, LXhubs, XT front mech, WTB Titanium Saddle, Panaracers, and RaceFace finishing kit....rides like a dream and never given a moments trouble in all the years I've owned it...but I understand they have since sold out to supermarkets and catalogue companies.

Back in the day - they were the business and mine still wipes the floor with most up to a grand in terms of spec, design and performance.

Shame to tar them all with the same brush - but yes...yours looks like a donkey. Sorry to hear your woes.

Best

s