Which one is best?

what sort of riding do you do,

personaly i don't think there is much point getting a full sus at that price range, i know a couple of people who have apollo excels and the suspension on doesn't absorb bumps,

i'd reconmend that you buy a hardtail, you'd get a better bike for the money.

I do some normal riding on road, and also some off road riding too. I like a bike that can handle off road action as well as road trips.

I worked at Halfords on Work Experience and the staff told me the Apollo Excel was very unreliable and the components they were using on them weren't the best at all. The best thing about them is the nice blue and silver paint. Other than that, the Apollo Excel isnt exactly brilliant, but that was Christmas 2003 and the Excel may be better now.

I have looked at a hardtail and they look pretty good. But some can be a little expensive.

Anyway thanks for your reply.

if you can up the amount your willing to spend to £250 then you could get a carrera vulcan, i know it's well out of your price range but i had one and can assure you that they are very good, on mine i did xc and street riding and it never had a problem, real fast as well.

Sounds good. Are there any makes of bikes that I should avoid?

Apollo 🙂

I agree with Probob, stick to a hardtail as you will get a lot better bike for the money and cheap rear suspension does nothing much other than add weight.

As Probob said go for the Carrera Vulcan if you can, it's the lowest priced 'proper' mountain bike that Halfords do. Failing that try to get a last year model on discount, there is a sale on at the moment in a lot of the Halfords, so try and find one selling last years Vulcans as they are going for about £150. If you go into your local Halfords and ask them they can do a store search and find out what stores have cheap Vulcans left and then get it transferred to your local store (takes a little while though).

Other possibles-
Saracen Rufftrax £200
Merida Kalahari 550SX £200 (What Mountain Bike Choice Award Issue 40)

Merida make frames for companies like Specialized (www.specialized.com) so they know what they are doing.

Don't be suckered by a sales assistant into buying something that won't be suitable. Didn't mean to write so much, got a bit carried away there! Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂

I'll probably buy the Boss Reflex as it has a good rear shock (1000) and its quite a nice bike. But I know what you mean about cheap suspension. The standard is (750) and thats rock hard. The best suspension I have seen is (1500). My diamondback has a (1100) on the back and thats VERY bouncy.

Anyway, thanx for your help guys!

Well I have put a deposit on a Boss Reflex. Its costing me £90, although I could have got one @ £105 with mud guards. I cant wait until I get it.

Now I need to get shut of my saxon now, heres a picture for those wondering what it was:

<img src="img.photobucket.comSaxonProMax.jpgOpen ↗">

What do you think of it?

My Boss Reflex got picked up today. And what a brilliant bike it is! Its a smooth runner with gorgeus looks! I went to Manchester Airport on it (using trains) and took it around, ran sweet as a nut!

Heres a picture of it:

img.photobucket.comP1010063.jpgOpen ↗

Hope you like it!

ProMax said:

I do some normal riding on road, and also some off road riding too. I like a bike that can handle off road action as well as road trips.

I worked at Halfords on Work Experience and the staff told me the Apollo Excel was very unreliable and the components they were using on them weren't the best at all. The best thing about them is the nice blue and silver paint. Other than that, the Apollo Excel isnt exactly brilliant, but that was Christmas 2003 and the Excel may be better now.

I have looked at a hardtail and they look pretty good. But some can be a little expensive.

Anyway thanks for your reply.

Well with all due respect, i think the Excel is a great bike. I've still got mine after 5 years of owning it. I find it a good allrounder, a little heavy for hills but very stable. It was made to be an all round montain bike so, its well balanced. Suspension is good, brakes are good, frame is good, gears are good. But what i love is it's durability. It's been run over by a 5 ton tow truck, ragged over the heath, jumps galore, and it still runs as i expect it too with only the basic service elements invovled. The only things replaced on it were brake pads, once, and one rear tyre (due to a kind friend riding it 5 miles on a flat tyre).For the money overall, it is a very good bike.