Cyclists Society

I'm thinking about buying a bike within the next few months, any opinions on the Apollo Kanyon Mountain Bike 22?

I want a bike that i can use on both tarmac and rough terrain, i am a begginer so i do not know much about bikes. Price wise, under £500, i just went on the Halfords website for the Appolo.

How "rough" are you looking at terrain-wise? Dirt trails, small jumps, roots & rocks?

If you ever need any other help after this, feel free to PM me or ask on here.

But yeah, how rough are you looking at?

Both dirt tracks and rocky terrain, i won't be doing jumps and tricks though, its primarily for exercise, must be able to accomodate me though, i'm 6 foot 4.

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/rangeViewer.asp?categoryID=60

Is there a particular model you would reccomend?

Experienced my first demi serious road rage were the driver attempted to mow me down so I then rode bang centre on the road in front of him as slow as possible.

Was no need for his rage it was a quiet and slow moving road. If I had any liquid left I would have squirted it through his wondow .... sticky energy gunk!

Went up to Haldon Hill trail this morning, was better than I thought it was going to be (judging from some of the reviews on the net haha), probably be better when they've finished the rest of it off, making it harder would be a bonus as some of it's a bit pants, managed to scrape up my leg but yeah good time

I cycled past Exeter today =) Went to Cheriton Bishop if that rings a bell then back through Exeter out eastwards towards home.

You know what, I think most of us cyclists on here are from Devon!

What Mountain Bike magazine recommends the Carerra Fury at £550 rrp and the Decathlon Rockrider at £500 - these they rate the highest in their 'Value' price bracket. Bikes like these are coming on leaps and bounds and really catching up with some of the big brands.

I'd personally suggest you find any friends or friends dads who mountain bike and seek their advice - they might even be able to steer you towards something good second hand. Don't forget to budget for a helmet, clothing, lights and bike security as well. Oh - learning how to fix it yourself should be on your list of things to do.

What Mountain Bike magazine recommends the Carerra Fury at £550 rrp and the Decathlon Rockrider at £500 - these they rate the highest in their 'Value' price bracket. Bikes like these are coming on leaps and bounds and really catching up with some of the big brands.

I'd personally suggest you find any friends or friends dads who mountain bike and seek their advice - they might even be able to steer you towards something good second hand. Don't forget to budget for a helmet, clothing, lights and bike security as well. Oh - learning how to fix it yourself should be on your list of things to do.

How much would you say the helmet, pads and one of those yellow high vis things are?

Well, in the world of MTB, DH and FR - Carerra spells 'DOOM', and they aren't (even within the cheap, low-end bracket) catching on. The market is still dominated massively by brands such as Giant, Specialized, Kona, Commencal, Lapierre, De Vinci and Marin. Carerra bikes are maybe useful if you're going to ride them on flat, level surfaces, (and even then you have problems with the stock parts). It falls down to the low-end spec and the ridiculed along with manufacturers like Apollo and so called "Aldi & Wall-Mart Bikes".

I wouldn't recommend Carerra or Apollo to anyone. Simply put, they aren't good bikes. The best low-end bikes are Specialized Hardrocks and Giant Brass's. You can dig around and find the odd gem, but mostly its just discarding crap to the trolleys.

I'd agree on a DH or other specific frame. However, for a XC mountain bike there is nothing wrong with the Carerra mentioned. If you are pitching your limited and very biased personal views as better than a national magazine, crack on. However, you've seen the name and not bothered looking at the bike I referred to. Are you going to rubbish the Boardman branded bikes because that isn't a big name and Halfords sell them? Despite their reviews being glowing as well? Carerra frames are fine and not to be compared with Apollo. We're talking a £500 bike here - not a Lapierre Spicy. Get off your high horse. If you want to talk high end bikes we can, but we're talking good value entry bikes here.

Even Bikeradar likes it. Good enough for you?:

Bikeradar review