Disposable Bikes

[teaboy]

Halfords adult mountain bikes 85 quid is this the age of the throw away bike?

 

[Slick]

Not for me. Even at that price you could make it last for years, although it would cost you in components .

 

[Drago]

You won't be able to ride it as far as a bin before it disintegrates.

 

[Slick]

Nah, might not be quite as good as the branded but I'd wager not all could tell the difference.

 

[Tin Pot]

Halfords adult mountain bikes 85 quid is this the age of the throw away bike?

Yes.

End thread.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Na, price isn't necessarily a barometer of disposability. If a Halfords own brand is what you can afford, and if you *really* need a bike, you'll use it, heck, you might even look after it.

The Hero Hawk is £50 brand new in India, and I guarantee there will be examples being ridden in 20 years.
I suppose true disposability depends on how valuable the bike is to you in terms of its usefulness to you, and whether you could either do without it altogether or alternatively replace it with something better. If you can't do either, it's not disposable.

Having said this I do get your point, I suspect the majority of these will be skip fodder in 2 years in our society.

 

[NorthernDave]

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...=mobile+slides-_-Slide+1-_-riddgemountainbike

That's the bike in question - £85 for a brand new bike seems a bit of a steal, for any quibbles about the spec.

 

[mark st1]

I've paid more than that for a set of tyres and tubes so I'd happily buy one just as a pub/shop bike least you wouldn't get panicky about just chucking a cheap lock around it outside anywhere.

 

[marknotgeorge]

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...=mobile+slides-_-Slide+1-_-riddgemountainbike

That's the bike in question - £85 for a brand new bike seems a bit of a steal, for any quibbles about the spec.

Looks like it's got Shimano on the back, if I can read the pictures right. Probably no good for the sticky stuff, but ideal for old man plodding to work, I should imagine.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Having looked at @NorthernDave 's link It looks pretty usable to be honest. Ridge is Halfords own "basics" brand if you will, it has Shimano kit on a steel frame, so it should last years. Even if it won't win any downhill cups it'll get you to work.

I've got a couple of items of "Ridge" clothing from Halfords and they're surprisingly okay. The long sleeved cycling top they do is 15 pounds, and it works.

 

[NorthernDave]

Having looked at @NorthernDave 's link It looks pretty usable to be honest. Ridge is Halfords own "basics" brand if you will, it has Shimano kit on a steel frame, so it should last years. Even if it won't win any downhill cups it'll get you to work. I've got a couple of items of "Ridge" clothing from Halfords and they're surprisingly okay. The long sleeved cycling top they do is 15 pounds, and it works.

Is that top the black one with blue trim? I've got one of them and it's spot on for what it cost. And it's been mistaken for a very well known and significantly more expensive bit of replica team kit before today...

Back to the bike though, I'd much rather pay Halfords £85 for that Ridge, fully assembled and guaranteed, than spend the same or more on some random "full sus" BSO from a supermarket or sports shop.

 

[greekonabike]

I bought an Apollo Slant from Halfords several years ago for the grand sum of £90. I needed the bike for work and as I'd just come off benefits I paid half for the bike and my parents paid the other half. It was truly an awful machine when compared to the Cannondale MTB I borrowed off my mate not long after but then the Cannondale was 6 times the price. It got me to work and back for 6 months before I'd saved up enough for a car. It's currently in my parents shed in need of some tlc, it's a bit rusty and I know the rear tyre is flat but once I've sorted the tyre out it would be usable and I might donate it or sell it for a small amount to someone who really needs a bike.

For the money it was pretty impressive but it was built to be a price and this is evident sometimes. It still doesn't stop the bike from being a completely functional machine that would last a while if maintained correctly.

GOAB

 

[palinurus]

Not a bad idea, no suspension, 1x6 gearing. Stick some 'guards on it and it's good for riding around town, shortish commutes, towpath type leisure rides, probably all sorts of stuff.

Better than those full suss jobs with triple chain sets and cheese parts.

 

[cyberknight]

Perfectly adequate for most people who will buy a bike as part of the post x mas get fit craze then it will sit in the shed the rest of the year or as a cheap runaround .I would rather have someone on this than on the couch.

 

[Banjo]

One of the founder members of our club tells a story of when they got married he and his wife had to sell their touring bikes to fund the wedding.

They bought a pair of BSO bikes for very little then rode them to Switzerland and back on honeymoon.