Had this bike in the shed for years gathering dust, my friends want to go mountain biking next weekend on blue to red grade trails. Would this bike do the job or should I rent something better?
by LongTrainer2041
Had this bike in the shed for years gathering dust, my friends want to go mountain biking next weekend on blue to red grade trails. Would this bike do the job or should I rent something better?
by LongTrainer2041
5 Comments
Rent something better. That bike is old, and looks more like a cheap big-box item than a real mountain bike.
What kind of bikes are your friends riding? If renting is an option, I’d definitely take it. At the very least, that bike is in need of a tune-up.. so consider just spending that money on a rental. You can definitely ride [crappy bikes on gnarly trails](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkMnk_eCDQU), but it’d be a lot more fun on a decent bike.
Is your last name Pilgrim?
For the US viewers here Apollo is the base brand of a box bike stored called Halfords in the UK which is lovingly referred to has hal’frauds’.
This bike would have been approx £120 new, not that price is always a good indicator but this was designed to look purely like a functioning mountain bike.
I used to work there as a teen and sell this exact bike. The majority of buyers were parents for their kids who just wanted something to look flash.
Even brand new I would not take this down anything more than a lowered kerb. If memory serves me right it came with the loving sticker ‘not for stunt use’. The frame bottoms out, the fork is not functional and it weighs a ton. It’s grip shift and generally not fit for purpose.
The chain slap is HORRENDOUS and the chain absolutely will come off. I bet my left testicle on it. This will result in you miss pedaling, breaking things, falling off and/or having to stop to replace.
I’m not a fan of saying something is bad if it’s usable but when it comes to MTB there is generally a health and safety aspect. If you take this bike out expecting to go perform any more than barely role one of two things will happen:
1) the bike will break
2) you will absolutely hate it and not have fun
This would be a gold pub bike but I genuinely see better bikes dumped in ditches. If I was you I’d rent a bike or purchase something, anything better than this.
If you’re feeling generous you could donate this to a kid
In the nicest possible way, this is a cheap piece of shit that will break. Or break you. It might look like a mountain bike, but it isn’t.