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11 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

I used to be able to do wheelies at one time!

 

I already had a bike and I bought the boss one for Christmas about five years ago. We kept them on the roof, locked down. We used them twice possibly three times and left them in a waste compound 18 months ago. Next day they were gone.

 

And yes, indeed, they were a pain in the posterior in more ways than one.

If you only used them 2-3 times then it sounds like you didn't really need bikes.  No wonder you found them a pain.

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1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

I'd also recommend a hybrid bike.  Mine has mudguards and a pannier rack but there's enough tread on the tyres for towpaths and I can cycle along the canal to work without getting any mud on me.  It's the perfect all rounder.  I bought mine second hand for £100 (it would have been £300 new) so a fairly cheap bike anyway.  The previous owner had used it precisely once, about three years earlier and then put it in the garage.  Their OH then sold it to me without them knowing!!!  They probably still haven't noticed it's gone! 

 

My bike is made by Dawes, but those Decathlon bikes look excellent for the money and that's what I'd get if I were buying new.

Decathlon is closed everywhere, I too really like that bike... I can order online but want to try it (for the height)... 

halfords are open though but they have bad reputation in bike world for some reason(but might end up going there anyway)

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54 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

Decathlon is closed everywhere, I too really like that bike... I can order online but want to try it (for the height)... 

halfords are open though but they have bad reputation in bike world for some reason(but might end up going there anyway)

I suspect there is a degree of bike snobbery in play re Halfords. Ive had several bikes for myself and family members from there over the years with very little problem. I do wonder how many cycling aficionados realise their all singing all dancing bike was probably built in the same Chinese factory that Halfords source theirs from? I bet not many.

 

If you see a bike in Halfrords you like just go for it I would say, and worry less what others think. Of course like any big company there are cr@p employees who let the side down but in the main I have found their products and customer service OK.

 

 

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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On 05/05/2020 at 14:21, The Happy Nomad said:

I suspect there is a degree of bike snobbery in play re Halfords. Ive had several bikes for myself and family members from there over the years with very little problem. I do wonder how many cycling aficionados realise their all singing all dancing bike was probably built in the same Chinese factory that Halfords source theirs from? I bet not many.

 

If you see a bike in Halfrords you like just go for it I would say, and worry less what others think. Of course like any big company there are cr@p employees who let the side down but in the main I have found their products and customer service OK.

 

 

think the main problem with Halfords is they tend to be badly setup unless they have actually employed someone in the bike section who can spanner a bike which is rare. I've seen bikes with the forks on backwards!

 

that said, I've bought several from there for my daughter over the years, and then indexed the gears etc. myself

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2 hours ago, Mike Hurley said:

I have had 3 Carrera bikes from Halfords, all took home in the box and assembled myself, great bikes with quality components, never had a problem with any.

My guess is that bikes as with just about everything are nearly all made in China and different badges are put on them over here other than such as Brompton?  So there will be good and bad, know as Badge engineering in the motor trade.

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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

My guess is that bikes as with just about everything are nearly all made in China and different badges are put on them over here other than such as Brompton?  So there will be good and bad, know as Badge engineering in the motor trade.

If you would like to take your children or grandchildren cycling safely I have for sale an Alworthy 1930's family triplet. Built in Yorkshire not China I might add. Overhauled with new tyres and chains but everything else including Trivelox gears is original.Regards, HughC

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That is very very similar. We have rebuilt the wheels on ours and fitted them with modern tyres and generally overhauled it but other than that it is identical. Regards, HughC.

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4 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

My guess is that bikes as with just about everything are nearly all made in China and different badges are put on them over here other than such as Brompton?  So there will be good and bad, know as Badge engineering in the motor trade.

What I understand from other forum members(here and elsewhere), Halfords bikes (carrera & broadman ones) are very good quality for the price but they never train their staff and its better to assemble yourself. 

Chinese build everything at various price points, from excellent to very poor, so country of origin is not important now a days.

Edited by restlessnomad
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There are good and bad in everything including Halford employees. With all cheap bikes there are compromises made. Most bikes come with the cheapest possible seat for example.

 

You can still get the old Brooks leather saddles as fitted to the bicycle in the photograph above. New ones start at £100. It gives a clue as to how cheap some of the parts must be on a £300 bike. If you pay a bit more than that you will get a reasonable machine but don't expect the components to last for ever. 

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I have got a lovely Claud Butler ladies mountain bike in the garage. Very light weight. Must have had it 15 years now but it has had very little use. 

 

Liam has a Muddy Fox from the same era. That again is very little used. 

 

We took them to the boat a few years back. They lived chained to the bow rails but they were made a mess of the coach roof dropping oil everywhere and were in the way going through locks so they came home again. 

 

Mine has done less than a mile since. In fact it was wheeled out of the garage at the old house, into the van and then back out into the garage here! 

 

Might be tempted to get it out for a  shakedown ride through the woods tomorrow. 

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20 hours ago, Cloudinspector said:

Probably not in your budget but I can’t recommend Brompton enough. They’re superb bikes and a step above all the competition. We’ve ridden ours everywhere from the towpath to the Alps. 

thanks. Am not looking for a over engineered expensive commuter bike designed for small space, a simple sturdy one that is easy on my ass will do.

Edited by restlessnomad
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 09/05/2020 at 11:49, Cloudinspector said:

Probably not in your budget but I can’t recommend Brompton enough. They’re superb bikes and a step above all the competition. We’ve ridden ours everywhere from the towpath to the Alps. 

Or the poor man's Brompton the Dahon range, good quality folding bikes at half Brompton price. 

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Can also recommend a Decathlon if you're able to get hold of one. I bought my Rockrider 5.2 about 9 years ago and it's still going strong, just the all the usual bits that wear out and need replacing. 

Very nice to ride. I remember some of the reviews back when I was looking for one stated it gave some bikes 2 or 3 times the price a run for their money. Can't verify that as its the most expensive one I've had, but certainly worth the money. 

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On 09/05/2020 at 11:49, Cloudinspector said:

Probably not in your budget but I can’t recommend Brompton enough. They’re superb bikes and a step above all the competition. We’ve ridden ours everywhere from the towpath to the Alps. 

They are a fantastic bit of kit, really well engineered, but wouldn't recommend the OP get one for their stated needs.

 

As a bike to store securely inside a boat etc, carry on a train, cycle round town, take up to the office, magic, but, for long distance mixed terrain exercise all the advantages seem to be lost. Ours was great for a short trip down the towpath to the pub or shops but for the twenty mile trip from my house, up and down hill, roads, mud and cobbles, over a tunnel and up lock flight, even a crappy ancient ex-Halfords mountain bike felt far better suited. It had been rescued from two scrap ones so could be chucked on the roof without fear of it being nicked. Couldn't leave a decent bike, even if I had one, on my current yoghurt pot as it wouldn't be possible to secure it.

 

Although I don't know about them to recommend a particular bike, what I do think is that for most of us a good saddle is essential if contemplating cycling more than a couple of miles in one sitting.

 

Something I got round to starting during lockdown was rebuilding a 1955 Hercules County, single speed & rod brakes. paid £25 for it at Malpas two years ago as a complete wreck. Just a bit of fun vintage project, forget any hills or distance. http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Hercules_-_Wonder_Wheels_1955_page_14.html Note the marketing of the time, a vicar out for a cycle ride chatting to a young schoolboy. Page four for the Pullman bike is just as good. the guy on it is smoking a pipe!

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8 hours ago, Rumsky said:

Can also recommend a Decathlon if you're able to get hold of one. I bought my Rockrider 5.2 about 9 years ago and it's still going strong, just the all the usual bits that wear out and need replacing. 

Very nice to ride. I remember some of the reviews back when I was looking for one stated it gave some bikes 2 or 3 times the price a run for their money. Can't verify that as its the most expensive one I've had, but certainly worth the money. 

I have been trying to buy a decathlon bike forever... 

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On 08/05/2020 at 11:21, mrsmelly said:

My guess is that bikes as with just about everything are nearly all made in China and different badges are put on them over here other than such as Brompton?  So there will be good and bad, know as Badge engineering in the motor trade.

The big manufactures don’t really caterer for short or tall riders or limit their choice to a bland mid-price point model. Others choose to have a bespoke frame made, because it’s different, unique, personal, something to be cherished and enjoyed, a frame to fit like a well made suit, dress or pair of handmade shoes. It can be made just as you would like it to look and perform.

 

The UK Bespoke frame building industry has a great reputation and recognition for it's artisans precision build that is perfectly executed to the riders requirements.

 

It is considered the done thing for a true cyclist to buy from a small builder, a made-to-measure or a bespoke frame and then build up their own custom bicycle. Once you go bespoke, you don't go back.

My two current frames were built by Geoff Wiles of Strood who has since retired. One of which was featured in Cycling Weekly in 2001 as it was one of the very first road frames to be fitted with disk brakes.

 

 

 

As for parts, Campagnolo maintain around 85% of all of their physical production in Europe and are focussed on doing so. It's not easy - and arguably is one factor that makes it more difficult to place product with a wider range of OEMs ... but they retain a loyalty to the local economy of Vicenza, Many high end parts are made in the UK bu local companies or artisans. Some of the best hubs in world are made in Barnoldswick by Hope Technology. Not so much a hub but CNC precision work of art.

 

 

 

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 23/05/2020 at 00:00, Rumsky said:

Can also recommend a Decathlon if you're able to get hold of one. I bought my Rockrider 5.2 about 9 years ago and it's still going strong, just the all the usual bits that wear out and need replacing. 

Very nice to ride. I remember some of the reviews back when I was looking for one stated it gave some bikes 2 or 3 times the price a run for their money. Can't verify that as its the most expensive one I've had, but certainly worth the money. 

bought a rockrider finally because all the hybrids are sold out but am very happy with the purchase. Riding on towpath is so much pleasurable and its not too bad on road either. People say its not a serious mountain bike but I am not doing anything fancy, so its perfect for me. thanks.

 

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1 hour ago, restlessnomad said:

bought a rockrider finally because all the hybrids are sold out but am very happy with the purchase. Riding on towpath is so much pleasurable and its not too bad on road either. People say its not a serious mountain bike but I am not doing anything fancy, so its perfect for me. thanks.

 

Which one?

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On 03/06/2020 at 14:45, restlessnomad said:

bought a rockrider finally because all the hybrids are sold out but am very happy with the purchase. Riding on towpath is so much pleasurable and its not too bad on road either. People say its not a serious mountain bike but I am not doing anything fancy, so its perfect for me. thanks.

 

Glad you're happy with your purchase! 

 

They are very nice to ride. I've had slick tyres on mine for quite a while now as I used to use it to ride to work which was mostly concrete. Definitely not a bike for hardcore trails and jumps, but I've been down some pretty bumpy ones and its never fallen apart. 

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