Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
Purchased my first commuter today and I am really pleased with the quality.
Yes it is from Halfords, but it is a bottom of the range bike and I was able to get all I needed for under £140. I havent had a long wide on it yet, just enough to feel comfortable on the bike and sort it out. I have fitted a Cateye front/rear light set, front/rear mudguards, and an 8 function computer.
The bike itself seems strong and sturdy. It is an all steel frame with front suspension forks. I was surprised with how much the forks had to give as I suspected they would be rock hard because it is a cheap bike. The size of the front forks is very thick but it still allowed me to install my sensor for my computer.
The brakes are classic V-type and have come with very large pads. They are working fine and after a few adjustments to the front, stopped me solid in my place.
It is 18spd (3 front and 6 rear). It does seem to like slipping into the higher gear when you pedal backwards or are in a large gear on the rear cassette. I thing a little bit of adjustments with the cable will sort that out. It has twist grips which seem a little stiff as always, but a little grease will sort that out.
The wheels are aluminium and seem strong enough to cope with any forces or bumps. I did buckle a wheel on an old bike because I jumped off a kerb and landed too hard, I wont make that mistake again.
The tyres are typical basic MTB tyres (same as my mothers). When I tested the bike, it seemed to pick up all the stones on the ground and throw them up into the mudguards. It makes an annoying sound and at first I thought something was loose or rubbing.
Something that did disappoint me was that the picture of the bike online showed it with a stylish seat, and when I opened the box, it had a basic plain black seat with a bit more padding on. The bike is listed as male so I expected the seat to be more firm. TBH the seat doesnt really bother me.
A problem I have occured is that the bike is listed as 19". I then purchased mudguards with the belief that I could fit it to the stem and fit a rear light above it. Unfortunately, the mudguard took up all the space on the stem and forced me to fit the light on the tube going to the rear mech.
Something that surprised me was the quality of the rear mech and cassette. The mech and derailuer looks very nice and is Shimano's own brand. The cassette only looks pleasent because it has different coloured sprockets.
In all I am very pleased with this bike and would recommend it to anyone who needed a cheap first commuter.
A good deal to get with this is a Mudguard set, Cateye Lights, and bike lock bundle for £30.
I will be using the bike tomorrow to go on a long ride so will update this page with how it feels and picture I take on the way.
Yes it is from Halfords, but it is a bottom of the range bike and I was able to get all I needed for under £140. I havent had a long wide on it yet, just enough to feel comfortable on the bike and sort it out. I have fitted a Cateye front/rear light set, front/rear mudguards, and an 8 function computer.
The bike itself seems strong and sturdy. It is an all steel frame with front suspension forks. I was surprised with how much the forks had to give as I suspected they would be rock hard because it is a cheap bike. The size of the front forks is very thick but it still allowed me to install my sensor for my computer.
The brakes are classic V-type and have come with very large pads. They are working fine and after a few adjustments to the front, stopped me solid in my place.
It is 18spd (3 front and 6 rear). It does seem to like slipping into the higher gear when you pedal backwards or are in a large gear on the rear cassette. I thing a little bit of adjustments with the cable will sort that out. It has twist grips which seem a little stiff as always, but a little grease will sort that out.
The wheels are aluminium and seem strong enough to cope with any forces or bumps. I did buckle a wheel on an old bike because I jumped off a kerb and landed too hard, I wont make that mistake again.
The tyres are typical basic MTB tyres (same as my mothers). When I tested the bike, it seemed to pick up all the stones on the ground and throw them up into the mudguards. It makes an annoying sound and at first I thought something was loose or rubbing.
Something that did disappoint me was that the picture of the bike online showed it with a stylish seat, and when I opened the box, it had a basic plain black seat with a bit more padding on. The bike is listed as male so I expected the seat to be more firm. TBH the seat doesnt really bother me.
A problem I have occured is that the bike is listed as 19". I then purchased mudguards with the belief that I could fit it to the stem and fit a rear light above it. Unfortunately, the mudguard took up all the space on the stem and forced me to fit the light on the tube going to the rear mech.
Something that surprised me was the quality of the rear mech and cassette. The mech and derailuer looks very nice and is Shimano's own brand. The cassette only looks pleasent because it has different coloured sprockets.
In all I am very pleased with this bike and would recommend it to anyone who needed a cheap first commuter.
A good deal to get with this is a Mudguard set, Cateye Lights, and bike lock bundle for £30.
I will be using the bike tomorrow to go on a long ride so will update this page with how it feels and picture I take on the way.
