is this bike any good seems really cheap

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Tangoup51

Well-Known Member
Cheap MFX is the same as any cheap import frame. I would expect it to be functional, though long lasting may be another story. it's cheap because theres so little on the bike and what is on the bike is probably made out of the metal equivalent of cheese.
 

gom

Über Member
Location
Gloucestershire
There are organisations that send old bikes to Africa. Have you ever read/heard someone describing what they want? (I expect many have.) Old roadsters the best IIRC. When asked why not new bikes as they are so cheap, answer is : because they are c**p.

This one could be the exception, but .....
 

Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
I imagine for an about town hack it is OK. Go and take a look at one if you can. Cheap usually means poor quality in my mind.
 

3narf

For whom the bell dings
Location
Tetbury
You will get what you pay for, but it's so cheap it might actually be worth it! Don't expect it to accelerate, stop, handle or be comfy, but it should make adequate transport if you spend a bit of time & set it up OK. A BSO ceases to be a BSO when it leaves the shop and someone rides it; from then on it's an actual bicycle!

Seriously, though- how far have Muddy Fox sunk? In the late '80s they were Britain's coolest mountain bikes. Any brand that is sold exclusively in Sports f*ckin' Direct has fallen a long way.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
You will get what you pay for, but it's so cheap it might actually be worth it! Don't expect it to accelerate, stop, handle or be comfy, but it should make adequate transport if you spend a bit of time & set it up OK. A BSO ceases to be a BSO when it leaves the shop and someone rides it; from then on it's an actual bicycle!

Seriously, though- how far have Muddy Fox sunk? In the late '80s they were Britain's coolest mountain bikes. Any brand that is sold exclusively in Sports f*ckin' Direct has fallen a long way.
I would say it’s really not worth the bother especially if you hand it out to a LBS to do.
I belive Sports Direct have bought the Muddy Fox name just as they did with Dunlop
 
Last edited:

simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
If this bike is for 'getting around town or commuting through busy city centres', why does it need aero wheels - ? Should tell you enough about the cheap build quality. :thumbsdown:
 
U

User32269

Guest
I've seen these bikes in the shop, yes, they are cheap and nasty. Bottom line, your buying a gas pipe frame kitted out with low end components. It will do to get you around, and as the components break, you can replace them with better ones. Then you will have a gas pipe frame that will have cost you a lot of cash.
Makes more sense to buy a cheep used bike with a decent steel frame and a do the same.
Sports.Direct sold bikes under the Dunlop logo, despite many warnings not to, my mate bought one. Was replaced 3 times after the frames cracked. I imagine these could well come from the same factory?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ChrisEyles

Guru
Location
Devon
I wouldn't want wheels with that few spokes on a bike that cheap! Bet they're a real pain to keep true.

Go 2nd hand - there's nothing worse than trying to fix/repair cheap bikes when they break, take it from me, I've done a lot of it!
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I wouldn't want wheels with that few spokes on a bike that cheap! Bet they're a real pain to keep true.

Go 2nd hand - there's nothing worse than trying to fix/repair cheap bikes when they break, take it from me, I've done a lot of it!

It's a low quality bike designed to cash in on the gimmick of riding fixies in town. The wheels look very flimsy and the tyres are skinny so they will not absorb the shocks, but instead transmit them into the wheels and frame. You can expect a harsh ride, and for the wheels to quickly go out of true and/or break spokes. The last thing you want on a commuting bike are flimsy wheels with a low spoke count like these! It's a show pony not a workhorse, and it won't hold up for long.
If you insist on buying a new bike from Sports Direct, buy the Energy 26 rigid frame MTB. At £95 it's way cheaper than the fixie and it at least has wheels and tyres that will stand up better to commuting use. If you really want to run a single speed for mechanical simplicity you can always remove all the gear changing mechanism, shorten the chain, and set it permanently on one of the middle sized sprockets. That will get you a SS that at least has robust wheels and tyres that will give a half decent ride quality. There's plenty of sound old MTB's and hybrids that have been single-speeded like this, and they can always be reverted back to multi-gears at a later date.
 
Top Bottom