Shockwave SUS 500

Advantages: Cheap, looks great, suspension helps!
Disadvantages: Cant attach a pump or water bottle

I realised after seeing an advert for this bike in halfords that i perhaps should get back into riding a bike, having not had one since I was 13years old. Not knowing anything whatsoever about bikes i wasnt sure at first that it was the right bike for me, or if you had to buy bikes in the right size or anything, so i went into halfords to ask some advice, and saw it sat there with a big half price label on it... Reduced from £159.99 to £79.99... ...
..."18 speed Shimano gears with SRAM gripshifter" and "Powerful V-brakes" Well all i know is there are 18 gears (3 front x 6 back) covering a huge range from 'impossible to pedal' to 'so easy you barely move when you pedal' and the gripshift does make it easier to change gear without thinking about it than those old levers like on bikes ive had in the past. Oh and the brakes are really strong too. The bike itself is silver with an odd shaped hi-tensile ... Read review

Ups: much better than my old bike. its affordable, not too big and has a very smooth ride Downs: about 3 days after buying it it started making a crunchy noise and the brake handle snapped. i have had it for a few months now and it is still crunching every time i pedal. i think its coming from the pedals/chain. it is really annoying and i'm goin 2 take it back. other than that its a fab bike. i would advise it to anyone

Advantages: get you from a to b
Disadvantages: loads.. to many to list

ok having been and used many of these bikes over theyears i have found alot of these bikes are of a very poor quality .first of all id advise you not to use this bike for any riding apart from road commuting and part cross country and ...when its wet! first of all i found when riding these is that as soon as it rains you are about to die! the v brakes supplied are terrible so dont expect to stop when using it .also another great feature on this bike ...
...bu as soon as its wet you cant grip and change gears as the gripshift feature just slips wen i tried.apart from the terrible gearing dont expect the suspension to work either ....well the rear might if your fat sorry to say..so i would advise if you are going to use this bike just use it in the summer and dont use it off road basically but for the money its great for kids to go out and have some fun. ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap. Shimano and SRAM componentry.
Disadvantages: Steel frame. Plastic break blocks + break levers. Yes, too many to mention.

This is a very eye-catching bike, and in the show room will inevitably have you scratching your head in disbelief at its £80 price tag; however, unless you take exceptional care of it, before you know it the frame and spokes will have rusted, the break blocks will have worn down to the point of needing replacement and the gears will have simply stopped working. I believe you would be out of your mind paying the highly mootable RRP of £159.99 for ...
...Halfords never ever sold one of these for their 'RRP' of £159.99 - I know that they ship in thousands of the same, poor quality bike from the Far-East and then pretend they are worth more than they actually are - and the average customer has no idea the 'Special Offer' price is still bad value for money. You'll find that the breaks will squeak - as they have plastic (rather than rubber) break blocks. The frame is steel - which which is heavier than ... Read review