Reebok Bike 1/2 Price @ Halfords - any good?

rca779

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_766179_langId_-1_categoryId_242062

This bike has caught my eye and I would be interested in the opinion of other people as to whether they think it is any good.

I would only be using it for commuting to work along roads and cycle paths.

Looks like a good deal, but I have to decide today as the offer finishes at midnight.

shuaibf

£300 is that with discount if it is then look somewhere else

rca779

No, the sale price is £169.99, plus I can get 4.5% cashback through Quidco if I buy it in store.

TiTheRev

Depends what you're using it for? It has two wheels, so will be a bike, but further than that you get what you pay for.

Let's face it...would you buy a Mercedes badged pair of shoes?

sebdangerfield

Quite a poor spec and will be very heavy. You say you'll only use it for the commute but thats actually very wearing on a bike as the road salt and constant use with infrequent cleaning and maintainance causes fast wear. I'd suggest, if the budget allows, go for a secondhand bike by one of the more specialist manufacturers or even better a new one. A local bike shop can help more with ideas and specs. Halfords are notorious for their advice and lack of quality in the bikes they sell at that price.

If the budget won't go any higher then go for it as at that price they're all pretty much of a muchness, but don't expect too much from it.

Have fun!

shuaibf

i agree that halfords do have lack of quality and most of time are overpriced

Billy-no-Money

Take all Halfords 1/2 price offers with a pinch of salt. They're notorious for inflating the price of a bike for a few weeks (during which time people still buy them) then bringing them down to their rightful price and saying they're reduced!

What's particularly misleading with the Reebok bikes is that they introduced the range with a big fanfare (promotional mails etc) and described them as being 'half price' even though they'd never sold them before.

From what I've seen of the Reebok bikes I'd steer well clear for anything other than occasional leisure rides - not only are they heavy, they're also likely to have traditional unsealed bearings which need regular servicing on a commuting bike.

I'd say £150 or less is around what they're worth (possibly less if they have things like plastic brake levers), but there is no absolutely no way that they are worth over £300!!

If it must be Halfords I'd recommend looking at the Carrera range (Subway or Crossfire?) as they're far better bikes and more able to keep up with daily commuting. Keep an eye on prices as they vary every few weeks, sometimes by hundreds of pounds.

This isn't bike snobbery, just realism - the Reeboks are probably better than their Apollo brand (which truly is rock bottom) but you don't need to spend much more to get a much better bike.

Don't, whatever you do, rush into buying one of these because they're on offer; personally I think some of Halfords' 'offers' are an abuse of trust, exploiting the brand name.

rca779

Just been into Halfords to take a look at this bike. Firstly there were none on show and then when I did ask, the guy at the counter VERY relucatantly offerred to get one out of the wharehouse for me to look at, but it would be boxed and he didn't have the time to put it together, let alone allow me to have a test ride.

Anyway I had a quick look (this was all that was possible as he wasn't even willing to remove the packaging!). First thing I noticed is that it has the twist grip handlebar type of gear change which I know to be crap. So it was a quick decision not to buy it.

Heaven only know what would have happened if I had liked it as there was no way I would buy a bike without at least trying it and it was obvious from the Halfords guy that there was no way he was going to go to the bother of putting it together.

Big question I have to ask is why are Halfords spending a fortune advertising these bikes nationally (the Sky News site has the advert at the top of their page this morning) and then fidning that the store don't even have one on display.

PS. This was the big halfords in Farnborough where they have the entire first floor dedicated to bikes, so they have plenty of room.

Thanks for all the advice above, I think I will be stearing well clear of Halfords bikes from now on.

terryya

rca779 wrote: »

Just been into Halfords to take a look at this bike. Firstly there were none on show and then when I did ask, the guy at the counter VERY relucatantly offerred to get one out of the wharehouse for me to look at, but it would be boxed and he didn't have the time to put it together, let alone allow me to have a test ride.

Anyway I had a quick look (this was all that was possible as he wasn't even willing to remove the packaging!). First thing I noticed is that it has the twist grip handlebar type of gear change which I know to be crap. So it was a quick decision not to buy it.

Heaven only know what would have happened if I had liked it as there was no way I would buy a bike without at least trying it and it was obvious from the Halfords guy that there was no way he was going to go to the bother of putting it together.

Big question I have to ask is why are Halfords spending a fortune advertising these bikes nationally (the Sky News site has the advert at the top of their page this morning) and then fidning that the store don't even have one on display.

PS. This was the big halfords in Farnborough where they have the entire first floor dedicated to bikes, so they have plenty of room.

Thanks for all the advice above, I think I will be stearing well clear of Halfords bikes from now on.

That isn't a surprise if you were also looking at the Halfords site this morning. The ads that are shown on many sites are based on the cookies on your machine

rca779

Yes I understand that, but what I am saying is that why, if Halfords are having such a national campaign promoting this bike, doesn't a big store liek the Halfords in Farnborough at elast have one bike made up on show?

Billy-no-Money

First thing I noticed is that it has the twist grip handlebar type of gear change which I know to be crap. So it was a quick decision not to buy it.

Twist grips are bottom end, but not universally crap - e.g. my bike has an SRAM MRX twistgrip which is pretty reliable - don't reject a bike purely because it has twistgrip, but add it to other evidence.

Other components can also be indicators of a cheap bike without themselves being a bad thing. For example a 'freewheel' type rear sprocket has been superseded by 'freehub' or 'cassette' systems - 'freewheels' work fine but they're limited to about 6 or 7 speeds - Halfords don't state what this bike has, but it only has 7 speeds at the rear so it's likely to be the old-fashioned type. Not a problem in itself, just an indicator of cost-cutting.

Take a look at the handlebar stem - this one has a 'threadless headset' - the handlebar angle is fixed and height is adjusted by turning a nut on the top. This design is pretty old, and still works - but again tends to be associated with cost cutting.

Bearings (in the wheels and in the 'bottom bracket', where the crank turns) are likely to be unsealed 'cup and cone'. Again, this is an old design which with regular maintenance and adjustment is in some ways superior to modern sealed cartridge systems - but how many bike buyers are going to strip and repack ball bearings? Not many - water will get in, the grease will wash out, and you're left with a rusty mess.

Bikes at this level are likely to be acceptable IF you know how to look after them - with daily use they'll need a LOT of cleaning, greasing and adjustment. Most people are used to modern cars which need feeding and watering and only have their bonnets lifted once a year. Cheap bikes are like the cars of the 50s and 60s - reliable enough if you keep on top of the maintenance.

On the upside - parts for this kind of bike are astonishingly cheap so servicing costs peanuts if you do it yourself