Mountain Bikes

GT Aggressor XC

Advantages: Well built, good performace,
Disadvantages: None so far...

I have recently bought this bike from Halfords and I am very pleased with it. I originally had an old Raleigh bike, and after that broke on me after many years of use, I decided it was time to treat myself and get a new bike. I did abit of research and landed on this bike. I'm glad I did. The bike looks like it means business. It has front suspension with a lock out facility, which is especially useful when climbing uphill. The Shimano Deore gears ...
...so far. Even the hydraulic gears work silently. The price did frighten me at first, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for I recommend buying a heavy duty lock for it aswell. I am very pleased with this bike, so much so that I am hopefully going to compete in the London to Brighton Cycle RIde this year. ...

copester69 08.03.2008 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of GT Aggressor XC2 Mountain Bike

My first 'proper' downhill bike

Advantages: Great fun, 'do anything'
Disadvantages: Poor customer service

...I regret having bought the Kona with its reasonable weight and specification, it certainly seemed to perform pretty well off-road. My Stinky is now a couple of years old and this is the model which I will review although I can say that the newer model does strike me as being of a much higher spec and better value for money. So, I bought my Kona and the first thing I did was upgrade it from v-brakes to disk brakes (come as standard now) and the bike ...
...having taken a test ride on two or three of your favourites... If you would like more detail then the Kona website at www.konaworld.co.uk is fantastic and if you’d like any personal info regarding opinions etc feel free to leave a message in my guest book. Happy riding… ...

chrisradband 26.10.2004 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Kona Stinky

Unbeatable value

Advantages: Low price, low weight, huge travel, tough frame, 27 gears, lockout
Disadvantages: Poorly set-up gears

I've recently purchased a banshee after a few years of not owning a mountain bike. The online reviews of the bike claimed it was superb value for money considering the price tag of £499. So, you can imagine how pleased i was to get a 2007 ex-display model for £239.99 in a recent 20% off sale. Suspension Tough Suntour Epicon forks up at the front are air-sprung with adjustable rebound and lockout. When the sag is set correctly for your weight, they ...
...punishing drops, with no obvious kickback or excessive dive. The X-Fustion Glyde RL rear shock may not be as sophisticated, but it absorbs even rather harsh bumps well, while the lockout is a must if using the bike on paved surfaces. Brakes Tektro IO mechanical discs on 180mm rotors are near the bottom of the Tektro range, but they are powerful enough, with just enough feedback to prevent locking up unnecessarily. Gears The only criticism here ...

Jack_cheese 14.05.2009 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Carrera Banshee

Optima Blackhawk. Why I would buy another one.

Advantages: lightweight. sturdy. attractive.
Disadvantages: not found

I bought one almost 5 years ago, costing £160. It has served me brilliantly for my daily 16 mile round trip to and from my workplace. I also spend a fair amount of time on the Transpennine trail, having covered it's full length (Southport to Hornsea including the Chesterfield link once and the York and Leeds links a few times). The machine has covered a number thousands of miles over the years (wish I'd logged them all) and is still a sound and sturdy ...
...do oil and hose pipe it occasionally. I just replaced both wheels after the rear rim failed due to fair wear and tear and replaced the chain twice, due again, to fair wear and tear (i'm a bit heavy at 15 stone). I'm looking at this web page at the Optima Blackhawk to see if they're still not phased out, because I really wish I could justify the spend to replace mine. It's a comfortable ride and a dependable machine that I would recommend for track, ...

len123456 25.04.2009 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Falcon Optima Blackhawk

A cheap bike

Advantages: Price
Disadvantages: Cheap components

I bought the 2008 version of this exact bike from Halfords. Everything on this bike is the same apart from the paintwork. I had a bad accident on my 'Apollo XC 26'. I was riding down a mild hill and my back wheel locked due to the cheap and flimsy V-brake. I went straight over the handlebars and shattered my collar bone. Also the chain was coming of practically every time I rode it. In my opinion the bike is comprised of cheap components, as it's ...

tobnot 04.04.2009 · Read Full Review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Apollo XC.26