Mrs KarlT wants a bike...

[karlt]

Just to add - I'm miffed enough about Halfords' shoddy fake discounts to create an ePetition to outlaw the practice: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20843

[Ayesha]

Low gears really are the issue. She does have a bike, but it's got a SA 3 speed and there's no way she'd contemplate heading east out of Chesterfield on the Bolsover road on that. Those who know the area will know exactly what I mean. The main section rises 70m in around 700m horizontal - an average of 10%, with the steepest section around the 12-15% mark. Maintaining any kind of cadence up that is going to take some very low gearing. And going down it needs the sort of brake levers that don't bend when you pull hard on them.

And the forks on the right way round

Going to look in the 2nd hand market. She's hoping to spend less than £150, because it won't have that much use..

SA 3 hubs are OK.
Swap out the BB for a squaredrive and fit a Shim Alivio MTB chainset with the 42 and 22 rings removed. Fit a 24T sprocket to go with the 32 chainring.
If its a 26" wheel, that will give her 26", 35" and 47" gears. Lowest will be 1:1.
Highest gear will be what a Penny Farthing would have been for a Victorian lady. They got up hills on that gear.

[karlt]

Low gears really are the issue. She does have a bike, but it's got a SA 3 speed and there's no way she'd contemplate heading east out of Chesterfield on the Bolsover road on that. Those who know the area will know exactly what I mean. The main section rises 70m in around 700m horizontal - an average of 10%, with the steepest section around the 12-15% mark. Maintaining any kind of cadence up that is going to take some very low gearing. And going down it needs the sort of brake levers that don't bend when you pull hard on them.

And the forks on the right way round

Going to look in the 2nd hand market. She's hoping to spend less than £150, because it won't have that much use..

SA 3 hubs are OK.
Swap out the BB for a squaredrive and fit a Shim Alivio MTB chainset with the 42 and 22 rings removed. Fit a 24T sprocket to go with the 32 chainring.
If its a 26" wheel, that will give her 26", 35" and 47" gears. Lowest will be 1:1.
Highest gear will be what a Penny Farthing would have been for a Victorian lady. They got up hills on that gear.

Or buy a secondhand hybrid she can also use on jaunts up the local trails with the kids.

[Edwards]

Before condemning it completely how about looking at one in the shop. The pictures show Scram gear shifters and Tourney rear mech. So not exactly the lowest spec items (I can but cheaper).
It just might be worth a look at especially at that price as not all the Apollo bikes are really bad. I do look at them when I get into the store.

[Ayesha]

Before condemning it completely how about looking at one in the shop. The pictures show Scram gear shifters and Tourney rear mech. So not exactly the lowest spec items (I can but cheaper).
It just might be worth a look at especially at that price as not all the Apollo bikes are really bad. I do look at them when I get into the store.

Yes.

One of the reasons why Apollo gets bad coverage is most of the buyers don't know how to look after a bike and it deteriorates rapidly. They don't know which parts to weatherproof before its first trip out in the rain. A £4000 racebike would go the same way without 'preventative' attention.

I bought my wife a £60 ladies MTB from ALDI in 1997. Even though she is now my ex wife, we get along fine and I check the bike over every three months or so. Its being used this week going to her workplace 'cus the weather has remained so good.

PS One of the reasons I had to leave was because I spent too much time out on my bike. Now, she's saved hundreds of pounds on petrol due to my kindness and bicycle maintenance knowledge. I usually get a decent Christmas pressie.

[karlt]

I have - reservations. 6 speed rear is very old tech now, as are the twist grips; the weight - it's 2.4kg more than the Subway, and on hills that makes a big difference for Mrs KarlT as unlike me she's built on rather sylph like lines. The brake levers I don't know - they're black and appear to be plastic, but then Boy #1's levers are plastic coated but metal inside so don't bend, and the ones on my BSO^h^h^h mountain bike* are also black plastic but don't bend, so jury's out on there. Overall though, it just appears a bit of a heavy, old tech bike and a SH Subway might be a better bet.

*coming to hate it a bit less these days; it's great with the kids because at their speed anything's easy to pedal. Hardly notice the difference when I stick Boy #2 on the end of the trailgator. Might put some less aggressive tyres on it because it never goes on anything more challenging than a track through the woods so doesn't really need all the knobbles.

[Edwards]

Karl 6 and & speed screw on freewheels are becoming much more common on a lot of reasonably priced bikes now, even Felt use them.
Twist grips tend to be more popular than trigger for a lot of new riders and are fitted to a lot of bikes.
Is the Subway a steel or alloy frame?

I would have a look then decide at that price (on my own and keep quiet about it).

[karlt]

Karl 6 and & speed screw on freewheels are becoming much more common on a lot of reasonably priced bikes now, even Felt use them.
Twist grips tend to be more popular than trigger for a lot of new riders and are fitted to a lot of bikes.
Is the Subway a steel or alloy frame?

I would have a look then decide at that price (on my own and keep quiet about it).

Subway's alloy, hence the weight difference. The main thing is the feeling of Halfords trying to con me into thinking it's a £300 bike though; I'd hate to give them the satisfaction.

[Edwards]

Subway's alloy, hence the weight difference. The main thing is the feeling of Halfords trying to con me into thinking it's a £300 bike though; I'd hate to give them the satisfaction.

I know what you are saying but this practice is done by all the large retailers as they only have to have the higher price for a short while and only in a few stores.

I am no lover of this system however I am no longer in a financial position not to play their game. I just think to myself that I have cut down on the profit by purchasing something that was intended to be a loss leader but purchase nothing else.
I like to kick them in their profits.

[PW]

Assuming you're talking about Hady Hill, forget it. A new rider is not going to ride up there and it's bloody dangerous going down in the wet - I got clobbered back in the 70s by a Beetle pulling out of the junction at the bottom before the lights were installed. 40+ is easy down there and the junction is on the steepest bit.
Get the lightest, lowest geared bike you can find and tell her to walk up the steep section of Crow Lane behind the station. At least she'll survive!
If you happen to be in Clowne see if Chris has any 2nd hand specials in Edisons. Even if not it's a bit of reconnaisance you won't regret.

[karlt]

Assuming you're talking about Hady Hill, forget it. A new rider is not going to ride up there and it's bloody dangerous going down in the wet - I got clobbered back in the 70s by a Beetle pulling out of the junction at the bottom before the lights were installed. 40+ is easy down there and the junction is on the steepest bit.
Get the lightest, lowest geared bike you can find and tell her to walk up the steep section of Crow Lane behind the station. At least she'll survive!
If you happen to be in Clowne see if Chris has any 2nd hand specials in Edisons. Even if not it's a bit of reconnaisance you won't regret.

I think she's intending to use Crow Lane to be honest; on a nice day the TPT takes a more leisurely (read circuitous) route back through the golf course that's OK if time's not pressing*. Hady Hill does indeed have a look of horror about it. I've ridden up it a few times, but as you say, that junction's in a really, really nice place, not. And after that there's the lovely lovely roundabout, just at the top of a steep rise, with motor traffic shooting down from St Mary's onto it. For town, you'd either be turning right there (hahahahaha!) or going straight on and risking being totalled by traffic coming up from the B&Q end and joining Chatsworth Road via that left turn bypass lane.

Death on a stick, as they say. Much better via Crow Lane, past the station, over the bridge and in near the Pomegranate.

*Rode with Son #1 into Chesterfield the other week. Went via TPT and came back direct up Crow Lane. He preferred the road, although naturally he had to walk up the steep bit, because the TPT route was so damned long.

[PW]

Going into town, after the bridge you can bear left behind the Derbyshire Times printroom, across the car park and come up the cut-off bit of Hollis Lane between Chandlers Bar and whatever they now call the Galleon Club. Straight opposite the bike lockers on the end of the Vicar Lane shopping centre.

[karlt]

Going into town, after the bridge you can bear left behind the Derbyshire Times printroom, across the car park and come up the cut-off bit of Hollis Lane between Chandlers Bar and whatever they now call the Galleon Club. Straight opposite the bike lockers on the end of the Vicar Lane shopping centre.

Ta. Useful.