Halfords Apollo bikes

[Micky74]

I'm no cycling expert but I just wanted to warn people like me (cycling novices) off Halfords Apollo bikes. I'm sure that many people on this site are probably spitting at the word Halfords but I am sure that there are many people like me: on a low budget but still would like to be able to cycle to work and back. I didn't think I was asking for much: just a fully functioning hybrid to ride on tamarc roads and very light tracks, nothing fancy. How wrong was I to think that Halfords could at least reach my minimum requirements? I bought an Apollo Cascade in February and by July it had 2 bottom brackets, a drive set and a sproket replaced. I lost count how many times the gears, the breaks and the wheel spokes had to be adjusted. I never used it off tamarc roads. It was finally replaced with an Apollo Sprinter after the back wheel buckled on my way home from work (I've no idea how that happened, I was riding on a tamarc road and I only weigh 8 stones...). Well the Sprinter lasted 4 weeks it immediatelly made a knocking noise from the bottom bracket (...there's a pattern somewhere...) and it had a crack on the drive set! I now have a Carrera. I was told that this is a fairly decent bike but I'm not holding my breath....

 

[vspa]

180 GBP buy's you that, those bikes are more for children learning their ropes on cycling and having some fun, for an adult commuter you need more than that,

 

[Micky74]

I appreciate your comment but those bikes are sold and adverstised as adult, fully functioning bikes and some Apollo bikes can cost up to £300. Which is actually quite a bit of money to only last 4 weeks. When I bought the Cascade it was advertised as "half price sale for the summer season" which fooled me (a novice but not totally stupid) in believing I was buying a decent bike on a "one off offer". I explained to the shop assistant my expectations and I was assured that the bike was fit for the purpose of communting to work. Quite frankly if the bike couldn't stand me purely pedaling on tamarc surfaces I doubt very much they would stand a kid playing with it.
I have learned from my mistake and will never by a bike from Halfords again, still I believe that they should not be allowed to misguide customers. After all who would want to spend £180 or even less on a bike that is only good to be kept in the garage?

 

[vspa]

children weight 3 times less, thats why you got all that trouble in the drive train and wheels, you really need to approach a dedicated bike shop, like cars a bike needs maintenance throughout the year independent of their quality, i do understand your complaints toward the retail shop by the way,

 

[Micky74]

I appreciate what you are saying but these bikes are not sold to children, they are advertised and sold as women bikes. My 14 year old niece weighs as much as me (8st: 112 pounds, about 50kg), the bike, according to the manual, should be able to carry a miximum weight of 90 kg which is about 198 pounds.
Still, I've learned from it

 

[Hillrider]

Weird, I have a few comrades with upwards of 5000 miles on there apollos and they had no problems except one lost control on a hill and got run over by a wagon, no injuries to the rider or the bike though.
sounds like you got one assembled on a Friday afternoon