buying from halfords??

cadobady

been thinking of taking up cycling after 20 years and have been into halfords.

i mentioned this when in another cycle shop and the guy nearly choked and said buy anywhere but halfords - said the service was poor and the bike wouldnt be put together right.

has he got a point or is he just talking down the competition? it was a competitive cyclist who told me Halfords were good value for money!

on another point - was looking at a starting price boardman but at €809 its a bit of a stretch for me, can anyone recommend a good value bike in the €500+- range?

thanks

deandean

Halfords gets fair stick allright. But there is a good mechanic in the Liffey Valley outlet.

The Boardman bikes look good. I soooo nearly bought one.

Darkglasses

It varies from branch to branch how well put-together the bike will be. It seems that not all of them have a good mechanic to build the bikes. I think Carrickmines is supposed to be fine as well. If they do have a good mechanic, then I think Halfords is quite decent.

denlaw

2nd hand bikes are great value , get it and then bring it to a good bike mech who'll give it the once over , some great value out there ...

clonmahon

I bought a Carrera TDF from Halfords in Cavan, nothing wrong with the assembly there.

Roger Hassenforder

ive had good experiences in Halfords (Mahon Point), although the only bike i bought in there was a busy bee kids bike! one of their mechs offered me a lend of his spoke tightner thingy when they had none in stock.

Bigserious1

I bougt a boardman team carbon in Coolock and its still going strong after two years.

windward

I wouldn't go to Halfords to buy a bike, three things I'd ask,

1) what type of cycling? (leisure, travel to work, road bike ie racer, etc...)

2) your location, if your in Dublin I know there's some shops that'll build a bike from the frame up to your budget

3) can you avail of the cycle to work scheme as €500 turns into €1,000 if you can

But no to halfords

Roger Hassenforder

^^ snob!:D

that said, i'd try and sooner support my lbs if possible.

windward

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

^^ snob!:D

that said, i'd try and sooner support my lbs if possible.

It's not being snobbish its being practical and from experience

Why buy a bike off the shelf that comes packaged and generally setup when for the same money I can have a custom fit built from the ground up.

AltAccount

I'd have no problem buying a bike from Halfords - if the spec and price are right then that's all I care about.
I've no interest in their service or mechanics' abilities. I'd do my own setup when I got the bike home.

Learn to set uop your own bike, or get a mate who knows how, to give it a once over after you buy it. There's not much to setting up a brand new bike.

route66

I like Halfords in Carrickmines.

Have a look at their TDF road bike for under 500.

If I had the readies, I'd gladly spend 1249 on their monocoque carbon Shimano 105 Virago.

Roger Hassenforder

windward wrote: »

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

^^ snob!:D

that said, i'd try and sooner support my lbs if possible.

It's not being snobbish its being practical and from experience

Why buy a bike off the shelf that comes packaged and generally setup when for the same money I can have a custom fit built from the ground up.

'cos its a bike, not a rocket! Two wheels, a chain & pedals and a bit to steer it. Seat is optional.

dancecatz2000

One reason why i wouldn`t buy a bike from Halfords would be it has no after Value if you want to sell it, its a car accessors shop not a bike shop.

Stark

cadobady wrote: »

on another point - was looking at a starting price boardman but at €809 its a bit of a stretch for me, can anyone recommend a good value bike in the €500+- range?

thanks

Plenty of good bikes in that range. The Trek FX series, Lapierre Shaper, Giant Rapid, Felt QX, Specialized Sirrus etc.

AltAccount

dancecatz2000 wrote: »

One reason why i wouldn`t buy a bike from Halfords would be it has no after Value if you want to sell it, its a car accessors shop not a bike shop.

That's ridiculous, do you really think an alloy framed, carbon forked, 105 equipped bike from Halfords will be worth any less than the same offering from Cube, Planet X or anyone else?
Certainly, if there's a difference, it's got nothing to do with the fact Halfords sell car accessories.

xbox gamer

I got the TDF from Halfords and i can't complain. For a first road bike i believe that it was a bargain for what it is. It offers good components for a cheap (although heavy) bike. The service mightn't be as good or personal as some people want but they do offer value for money.

Roger Hassenforder

i wouldnt but a windscreen wiper from Halfords, coz they sell tents.

jimmycrackcorm

I bought my Carerra a few years ago from Halfords. The bike was good value for money but the service they did on the gearing only lasted a week and I constantly have problems now changing gears.

I'm looking at getting a new bike under the cycle to work scheme and I saw that WheelWorx provide a free lifetime service with their bikes so I'm going there next. My bike is my daily commute so such a service where you can freely get any adjustments done is unbeatable...

windward

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

'cos its a bike, not a rocket! Two wheels, a chain & pedals and a bit to steer it. Seat is optional.

because it goes back to one of my first questions, what's the plan with the bike/what are you going to do with it?

a basic reason for asking this is your not going to buy a road bike (racer) to go for a sunday cycle with the kids in the park

in addition not all 21" frames are identical, top tube lenghts are different for one thing, if you have a shorter upper body and arms and buy a bike that has a slightly longer top tube you'll get off a bike after a cycle with your back killing you from over extending

besides sitting on lovely a bike in a shop is one thing, but riding it for 10 - 20 - 50 or even 100km if its not 100% right for you is another and could put you off getting up on it again

if you can setup/service a bike yourself then excellent and then your more than likely aware of what i am trying to say but i'd take it from the first post, considering they're asking for a dig out they wouldn't

i go back to the foundation of my argument for this point

why buy generic when you can but custom (or have it customized) for the money

i don't want to know about the whole seat thing :eek:

windward

Just to deal with the buying from Halfords and mainly why I wouldn’t is the follow up service and the proper knowledge, some I must say are really good and know there stuff BUT the majority wing it and bluff and can only go with whatever sales patter they were thought.

What annoyed me most is the good people never seemed to be there long and the turnover of staff was unreal.

Its nice to deal with a business that’s knowledgeable remembers you bought from them in the past and your a return customer and are buying from them again and possibly will again in the future, not “do you have a loyalty card so the computer can send you spam and it knows you were here before”

Halfords is convenient I’ll give them that but i'll know what i want when i go in (just to reiterate some staff are excellent but ....... well you know my point)

Willard

bought a mountain bike off them a few years ago when I was starting back to cycling. needless to say I learnt my lesson; bike was cheap crap & the service was much similar. Now I'm older & wiser & know a lot more about bikes, I wouldnt go near them, Its nothing to do with snobbery, its simply the same as buying a dvd player in tesco.. it may fulfil the requirements at the time. If you have a good idea of bikes & a small budget,; then go second hand. If not go to a proper bike shop.

thatsme

Take my advice and dont buy anything from Halfords. In my experience their stuff is SHI*

The majority of the cycling fraternity here would not touch them as they have no knowledge.

Buy from a cycle shop they are very knowledgable and have staff either who are into racing, mountain biking or touring and know what they are talking about

kenmc

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

i wouldnt but a windscreen wiper from Halfords, coz they sell tents.

no, they sell "tents". grand for a music festival, not great for an everest expedition. there is such a thing as a jack of all trades,master of none. halfords are fine for car polish, wipers, car stereos and sat nav. roof racks and bike carriers too.

argos and dunnes also sell "bikes" and "camping gear" but thankfully we don't see too many folk asking about buying bikes from there. I'm sure the carrera bikes are fine, but you're relying on the assembler to be semi competent in the assembly, and anecdotally that's not always the case. a badly put together bike is a death trap.

why would you not at least get someone who only sells bikes to do yours, rather than someone who's really only working in halfords for the discount on go faster stripes for his micra?

windward

Willard wrote: »

bought a mountain bike off them a few years ago when I was starting back to cycling. needless to say I learnt my lesson; bike was cheap crap & the service was much similar. Now I'm older & wiser & know a lot more about bikes, I wouldnt go near them, Its nothing to do with snobbery, its simply the same as buying a dvd player in tesco.. it may fulfil the requirements at the time. If you have a good idea of bikes & a small budget,; then go second hand. If not go to a proper bike shop.

thatsme wrote: »

Take my advice and dont buy anything from Halfords. In my experience their stuff is SHI*

The majority of the cycling fraternity here would not touch them as they have no knowledge.

Buy from a cycle shop they are very knowledgable and have staff either who are into racing, mountain biking or touring and know what they are talking about

thank God some sense

(they summed up what i think - i was just more long winded)

route66

thatsme wrote: »

SNIP
The majority of the cycling fraternity here would not touch them as they have no knowledge.
SNIP

Eh? Not true at all. In any case, if you are a member of the "cycling fraternity", then even if it's true that they have no knowledge, why would it matter?

I'm not saying all their stuff is great (most of the Apollo range are BSOs) but they have some decent kit, and you can have a look before you buy. I've found the staff helpful but, again, I usually have an idea myself what I'm looking for.

It's about convenience - I have to take time off work to get to some of the other bike shops around here.

AltAccount

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I bought my Carerra a few years ago from Halfords. The bike was good value for money but the service they did on the gearing only lasted a week and I constantly have problems now changing gears.

I'm looking at getting a new bike under the cycle to work scheme and I saw that WheelWorx provide a free lifetime service with their bikes so I'm going there next. My bike is my daily commute so such a service where you can freely get any adjustments done is unbeatable...

Sounds like your gears fell out of tune because the new cable stretched. Did you bring the bike back to them, what did they say? Should have been a simple fix TBH.

Willard wrote: »

bought a mountain bike off them a few years ago when I was starting back to cycling. needless to say I learnt my lesson; bike was cheap crap & the service was much similar. Now I'm older & wiser & know a lot more about bikes, I wouldnt go near them, Its nothing to do with snobbery, its simply the same as buying a dvd player in tesco.. it may fulfil the requirements at the time. If you have a good idea of bikes & a small budget,; then go second hand. If not go to a proper bike shop.

How much did you spend on your cheap crap bike? Have you found better value since?

650Ginge

AltAccount wrote: »

dancecatz2000 wrote: »

One reason why i wouldn`t buy a bike from Halfords would be it has no after Value if you want to sell it, its a car accessors shop not a bike shop.

That's ridiculous, do you really think an alloy framed, carbon forked, 105 equipped bike from Halfords will be worth any less than the same offering from Cube, Planet X or anyone else?
Certainly, if there's a difference, it's got nothing to do with the fact Halfords sell car accessories.

Off course there is they are cheaper to begin with, so....

Anyway people are brand snobs, you looking at buying the bike equivalent of a Kia, lot less desirable than say a BMW. Maybe just as good but you won't get nearly as much for your Kia.

Anyway unless they have changed in the last 4 years they are t cheap and there stuff is poor quality. My wife Carrera broke the rear triangle.....that could cost your ur life.

Roger Hassenforder

Gordon bennet, this thread is proving as contentious as Sram or Shimano!!

Before buying a bike, goto as many shop as possible, and read up as much as you can fot whats available in your price range. You'll get muppets and bluffers in all shops, and experts as well in some, including Halfords. I almost bought a team carbon in halfords, would have had no problem doing so either, even though the shop assisstant was a mountain biker!

Of course any lbs will tell u not to go near halfords, they're the compition. For entry level Halfords are fine. When you are upgrading your bike in 3 months, maybe not.
If youre starting out they're grand, IMO.
Is there much point shellling out 2k on a custom fit, to find u hate cycling. Some bke shops can be intimidating and staff arrogant & unhelpful for newbees ( im looking at u lbs adj. Kinsal rd. roundabout, goto Riverstick, your man in speedyspokes is excellent).

denlaw

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Gordon bennet, this thread is proving as contentious as Sram or Shimano!!

Before buying a bike, goto as many shop as possible, and read up as much as you can fot whats available in your price range. You'll get muppets and bluffers in all shops, and experts as well in some, including Halfords. I almost bought a team carbon in halfords, would have had no problem doing so either, even though the shop assisstant was a mountain biker!

Of course any lbs will tell u not to go near halfords, they're the compition. For entry level Halfords are fine. When you are upgrading your bike in 3 months, maybe not.
If youre starting out they're grand, IMO.
Is there much point shellling out 2k on a custom fit, to find u hate cycling. Some bke shops can be intimidating and staff arrogant & unhelpful for newbees ( im looking at u lbs adj. Kinsal rd. roundabout, goto Riverstick, your man in speedyspokes is excellent).

good post young man ...;)

kingoffifa

i kept my mouth shut till now...



http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_777735_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

if halfords is so crap someone find me a bus with that spec for that money. 1052 euro. that is a very cheap bus for the money. I pick that bike cause i have one and spent long enough looking at it. I believe their carbon road bikes are great value for money too.

they offered me 15% reduction on any other parts or accessories i wanted to buy for the bike the day that i bought it.

I was suppose to go back for a 6 week free check.

boardman cover their parts for 2 years and other parts for 1 year. Anything goes wrong you bring it to halfords and they sort it.

there are bargains to be had there too. I am not saying that every bike in there is the best value in town but some are, well, the best value in town.

service to the standard of lbs? went in there about 4 times buying the bike. it depends on who is working that day. on the right day you get someone who is mad into bikes. on other days you get someone who is working in halfords because they gave him a job. I found all the staff friendly in Carrickmines, with the first and last person I dealt with very knowledgeable.

halfords don't need you or your custom. they make plenty of money without you spending a few shilling in there. your lbs does though. so thats why their service is better. so thats why i bought my gatorskins there. my lbs, to be fair to them, didn't question my purchase, they just told me to drop it in to fixing the squeaking brakes

dvntie

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Gordon bennet, this thread is proving as contentious as Sram or Shimano!!

Before buying a bike, goto as many shop as possible, and read up as much as you can fot whats available in your price range. You'll get muppets and bluffers in all shops, and experts as well in some, including Halfords. I almost bought a team carbon in halfords, would have had no problem doing so either, even though the shop assisstant was a mountain biker!

Of course any lbs will tell u not to go near halfords, they're the compition. For entry level Halfords are fine. When you are upgrading your bike in 3 months, maybe not.
If youre starting out they're grand, IMO.
Is there much point shellling out 2k on a custom fit, to find u hate cycling. Some bke shops can be intimidating and staff arrogant & unhelpful for newbees ( im looking at u lbs adj. Kinsal rd. roundabout, goto Riverstick, your man in speedyspokes is excellent).

I was tied to halfords when buying on the BTW scheme I'm lucky as the build was done by a serious mbt head.
Anyway I've had my Boardman 2 yrs and if I do have a problem I can't sort myself it's off to my lbs.
If and when I'll be looking to upgrade it will be a groupo from CRC or the likes.
My point is there's nothing wrong with halfords if you are going in to buy their kit off the shelf as long as you keep it maintained elsewhere.

Roger Hassenforder

dvntie wrote: »

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Gordon bennet, this thread is proving as contentious as Sram or Shimano!!

Before buying a bike, goto as many shop as possible, and read up as much as you can fot whats available in your price range. You'll get muppets and bluffers in all shops, and experts as well in some, including Halfords. I almost bought a team carbon in halfords, would have had no problem doing so either, even though the shop assisstant was a mountain biker!

Of course any lbs will tell u not to go near halfords, they're the compition. For entry level Halfords are fine. When you are upgrading your bike in 3 months, maybe not.
If youre starting out they're grand, IMO.
Is there much point shellling out 2k on a custom fit, to find u hate cycling. Some bke shops can be intimidating and staff arrogant & unhelpful for newbees ( im looking at u lbs adj. Kinsal rd. roundabout, goto Riverstick, your man in speedyspokes is excellent).

I was tied to halfords when buying on the BTW scheme I'm lucky as the build was done by a serious mbt head.
Anyway I've had my Boardman 2 yrs and if I do have a problem I can't sort myself it's off to my lbs.
If and when I'll be looking to upgrade it will be a groupo from CRC or the likes.
My point is there's nothing wrong with halfords if you are going in to buy their kit off the shelf as long as you keep it maintained elsewhere.

Speaking of CRC, guess who is buying them!

funnights74

The bike shop in cork that i use is quite happy when people shop in halfords, because he spends most of his time repairing their bikes.
Avoid avoid avoid.

Crow92

Its very simple in relation to hierarchy.

Trax-utter crap.
Apollo-Entry level crap.
Carrera-good value/ grand quality.
Boardman-good value/ great quality.

Halfords shops- each one is different and the problem is everyone will brand them with the same brush. It's said 1 bad experience takes 10 great experiences to fix.

With regards to experience and competance you'll get the one or two in every shop who isn't great mainly because on paper we're employed as sales assistants. In my shop there are 6 people who work in the bikehut.

Manager: Former Pro cyclists with years experience as a mechanic. knows everything about racing.
Head mechanic: Can fix just about anything, cycles as a means of transport.
Sales assistant 1: Very knowledgable about all things bikes and straight up about not selling people crap lazy.
Sales assistant 2-3: Know enough for working in halfords for repairs/ sales.
Me: All i say is I like bikes :pac:.

So it'd be way more beneficial if people who were asking/comparing halfords would specify which one because there are enough people here to have experience with the different branches.

cadobady

thanks all for feedback - somewhat mixed comments so still unsure!

jimmycrackcorm

AltAccount wrote: »

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I bought my Carerra a few years ago from Halfords. The bike was good value for money but the service they did on the gearing only lasted a week and I constantly have problems now changing gears.

I'm looking at getting a new bike under the cycle to work scheme and I saw that WheelWorx provide a free lifetime service with their bikes so I'm going there next. My bike is my daily commute so such a service where you can freely get any adjustments done is unbeatable...

Sounds like your gears fell out of tune because the new cable stretched. Did you bring the bike back to them, what did they say? Should have been a simple fix TBH.

Willard wrote: »

bought a mountain bike off them a few years ago when I was starting back to cycling. needless to say I learnt my lesson; bike was cheap crap & the service was much similar. Now I'm older & wiser & know a lot more about bikes, I wouldnt go near them, Its nothing to do with snobbery, its simply the same as buying a dvd player in tesco.. it may fulfil the requirements at the time. If you have a good idea of bikes & a small budget,; then go second hand. If not go to a proper bike shop.

How much did you spend on your cheap crap bike? Have you found better value since?

They fixed the gears but within a week they were gone again.

AltAccount

And do you think there's an issue with the mechanics of the bike or is it just the Halfords guys can't fix it?

C3PO

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Speaking of CRC, guess who is buying them!

Who is buying them? Wasn't aware that they were for sale! Can't find anything online either!

Roger Hassenforder

a little birdie told me, Halfords!
(ive absolutley no evidence only hearsay)

C3PO

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

a little birdie told me, Halfords!
(ive absolutley no evidence only hearsay)

I would have thought it would be the other way round! I hope your rumour is unfounded!

Roger Hassenforder

keep an eye on the business pages rather than the sports.
might be absolute bullshut

studiorat

As self appointed Boards Carrera publicist I feel I need to interject here.

Firstly, it's worth noting that frames and forks for both the Carrera and Boardman bikes are made by Merida Bikes. (who also happen to own a chunk of Specialized). I know guys who've broken bike frames that cost 3 times as much. I guess it happens.

I'd rather use the local bike shop but for bikes they just can't compete, if the LBS could buy direct from the factory maybe they could. I suppose if I was buying a 3 grand race machine I'd go to a "proper" bike shop. But for a mid range bike for the person who wants to get out and do a few kilometers week or a spin at the weekends it's very hard to find a better deal.

When Halfords give you the bike they ask you to sign a Pre Delivery Inspection. Simply ask the guy to show you each item in the PDI on the bike before you sign it. Tell him you want to learn about bikes or something! That way the thing has been checked in front of you.

For those who say you wouldn’t buy a bike in Halfords because they sell Tents of Car parts of whatever. The fact is Halfords have been selling bicycles since 1902.
They owned Birmingham Cycle Company in the 1940’s. This company AFAIK was sold off to Raleigh. They’ve also sponsored races and have had their own pro-cycling teams on and off since the 1980’s; the latest team riding Boardman bikes.

Unfortunately none of the teams had much luck!! Most notably, a disastrous Tour de France in 1987. They did have some good riders though. So if you're thinking of racing maybe stay away!!

Tayto2000

Can be a good choice if you know what you're doing and they do have some decent budget models with good spec for the price, the carrera subway would be a good example.

Most people I know who have had good experiences there have been buying to get the components cheap and then doing setup themselves. Bit like buying an Aldi PC, great price and if you've got a few crucial spare parts and knowledge it can be an amazing bargain. If not, you might be OK but you're taking a chance.

petethedrummer

Boardmans are good quality bikes.
Apollos are not.
Trax bikes are muck.
Carrera bikes are decent.
Some of the staff are useless.
Some of the staff are competent.

Buy a good bike from a competent member of staff and you should be ok.

trad

The bike doesn't know who is selling it.

quality is quality and crap, no matter who sells it, is crap.

I've had a carrera II which had a front mech problem and a boardman team hybrid which also had a front mech problem.

Both got sorted and am very happy with my current mount.

Yes, the service is crap. I was let out on Coolock on a brand new bike with a dodgy front mech and a loose headset, brought it to Carrickmines where they replaced the front mech but still hadn't sorted the headset. Took me a couple of minutes to sort it out myself.

kenmc

petethedrummer wrote: »

Buy a good bike from a competent member of staff and you should be ok.

But that's the problem. if you don't know much about bikes, you won't know if the salesman is competent, or talking through his ass.
if you *do* know bikes, it doesn't really matter to you if he's talking through his ass

dave_o_brien

I just think people are confusing the shop and the product too readily. Halfords is a retail store that has a job of selling you product. It generally hires people who are either part-timers or sales people, and having an interest in the product is considered an advantage, not a necessity. As a result, you get blaggers who don't know enough about bikes trying to sell them, because their job is to sell them, not to know about bikes. Does that make sense?

In terms of the product, Boardman Bikes are a seperately owned and operated company who licensed Halfords to be their UK and Ireland retailers. Their bikes are good, and because of the licensing agreement, good value too. Carrera bikes are a broad range, from very good to very, very average. Apollo and Trax are cheap crap, but to be fair to Halfords, are priced like cheap crap. When you buy cheap crap and are surprised by it's crapness, you will get little sympathy from others.

Their bikes assembly largely depends on whether the salesperson working on it got the job because they were a good salesperson or a good salesperson-with-the-advantage-of-being-into-bikes. It can be hit or miss.

Saying not to buy from Halfords cause their bikes are crap is bull. Some of their bikes are crap. Some of their bikes are very good.

The issue is that Halfords is not a de-facto bike shop. The onus on the employees is not product knowledge, and not being informed about the differences in types of suspension in the various forks in their mtb range, or the differences in wiring for Dara Ace Di2 and Ultegra Di2. The onus on them is to sell stuff. Anything will do. To criticise them for doing so is, in my opinion, silly.

petethedrummer

kenmc wrote: »

But that's the problem. if you don't know much about bikes, you won't know if the salesman is competent, or talking through his ass.
if you *do* know bikes, it doesn't really matter to you if he's talking through his ass

Sure you could meet a pushy salesman in an LBS too. That would sell you something you don't want, need or fit.

God the pitfalls are endless.

It's not safe to buy any bike anywhere.

codie

For me I make it a rule to buy local if possible especially in the last couple of years.One thing that really pisses me off with Halfords (Kerry branch anyway)is the skeleton staff and then there grazy prices.I know they have large overheads but I feel everything is a rip off.Then you often get these 3 for 2 deals which turn out even a bigger rip off cause you are buying at least 1 item you dont really need.I had a bad experience once with a Joeblow pump.Both guy in bike section and his supervisor were an absolutle disgrace the way they handled it.I'll put it like this,Anyone that I know thats into road cycling will tell you stay away.

balo72

It all depends on how lucky you are. I equally had bad and good experiences with them. But this also happened with Local Bike Shops. If anyone, in any business here, senses that you are a newbie will try to have the upper hand with you. I noticed that when I asked the right questions, being well documented about what I'm looking for, I usually get the answer and attitude I expect. Ok, that can be due to the fact that the staff member was OK and respectfull. Other times there was just one staff member in shop and the rest were in the storage. They answered disrespectul at the limit of being rude. But then, again. All shops have staff that don't care about their job, not to mention customers. You just have to hope for the best.

But anyway, to answer to the topic. If I would go for a new bike I would want to have good quality parts mounted on it, so Halfords wouldn't make the cut. For servicing, it is trial and error. I had to change speed cassette and chain to my mtb in Carrickmines shop. I got great quote, quick and quality service from experienced staff. Ask for Stephen if you're in there.