Advice Centre
Top Rated
Bikes - Buyer's Guides
Why Go To Halfords
There are a number of good reasons for buying your bike at Halfords:
- We are the UK´s No. 1 bike retailer.
- We have the UK´s biggest range of bikes in-store and online. We order thousands of top brand bikes.
- We have the UK´s biggest range of cycle accessories everything you need for your bike.
- We can guarantee that our prices are the lowest in UK stores.
- We build our bikes to the highest standards in the UK. Our Apollo and Carrera kids´ bikes comply with the new European Cycle Safety Standards.
- All our adult bikes feature Shimano or SRAM components for long lasting performance.
- Our trained specialists will build your bike to your specification for free.
- We offer a free 6 week follow-up safety check on all bikes.
- We will deliver your bike within five working days.
Choosing The Right Type
Before you buy a bike, you have to think about what you will be using it for. There are many types available, so it is important that you buy the right one for you. See our range of bikes.
Here´s a quick checklist of features to help you:
Category | Purpose | Main Feature(s) |
Children’s Bikes; | Recreational | Advanced safety features. |
Mountain Bikes (MTB) | Off-road and rugged terrain. | Extra traction and shock absorption. |
- Hard Tail Mountain Bikes | Off road. | Front suspension only. |
- Full Suspension Mountain Bikes | Extreme trail riding. | Front and rear suspension. |
Dirt Jump Bikes | Off road/forest jump tracks. Small wheeled agile adventure bike mainly for young people. | Front suspension only. Small tough frames with limited gearing. |
Road & Sports Bikes | Road riding. | Drop handlebars and low weight. |
Town & Trail Bikes | New starters. | Upright position. |
BMX Bikes | Small wheeled agile adventure bike mainly for young people. | Generally 20” wheels. |
- BMX Racing Bikes | For fast BMX tracks. | Strong and light. |
- BMX Freestyle Bikes | Stunt bike. | Stunt pegs. Rotors for 360° turns. |
Folding Bikes | Commuting and shorter rides. | Folds up to load in car, train or canal boat. |
Electric Bikes | Commuting and recreational. | Power assisted. |
Choosing the Right Size For Adults
You can purchase adult bikes online from our extensive range, or alternatively call in at your local Halfords Store where a colleague will be happy to assist you further.
No Obligation
You are welcome to try out the bikes in-store, without any obligation to buy. We are only too happy to help you.
How Important Is The Size?
If your bike is too big or too small, it is more difficult to control, increasing the risk of accidents and injury to you and others. It´s important to make sure it´s right.
Measure Yourself
You first need to measure your inside leg length.
Lookup Table
Then use this table to give you a guideline to find the right size bike for your leg length.
Inside Leg Measurement | Frame Sizes For Men’s Bikes | Frame Sizes For Women’s Bikes |
68 – 76 cm | 16” – 17” | 14” – 15” |
76 - 84 cm | 18” – 20” | 16” – 17” |
84 – 94 cm | 20” + for Mountain Bike | 16” + for Mountain Bike |
Measure The Bike Frame Size
Check out the frame size of the bike. At Halfords we measure the frame size from the top of the seat tube to the bottom bracket.
Unfortunately, not all manufacturers measure their bikes like this. Some of them measure from where the top tube meets the seat tube down to the bottom bracket. This can cause some confusion, but if you ask a member of Halfords staff at your local store, they will be able to help you with the problem and find the perfect size bike for you.
Choosing The Right Size For Children
You can purchase children´s bikes online from our extensive range, or alternatively call in at your local Halfords. See our range of kid's bikes.
No Obligation
You are welcome to try out the bikes in-store, without any obligation to buy. We are only too happy to help you.
How Important Is The Size?
It is essential for safety and comfort to choose the right size bike for your child.
If it is too small, the child´s knees can hit the handlebars, and if too big, your child will not be able to dismount easily - potentially causing them to have an accident and injure themselves.
A Reliable Test
If your child has the correct size bike, they should be able to sit on the saddle and have both feet tip-toed on the floor.
Measure The Child´s Height
We recommend you measure the child´s height for a more accurate assessment. If you can´t do this then use the child´s age range as a guide.
Lookup Table
We measure our children´s bikes in wheel sizes. Use the table below for a guide:
Height of Child | Age Of Child | Wheel Size |
98 − 112 cm | 3 − 5 yrs | 12” |
105 − 117 cm | 4 − 6 yrs | 14” |
112 − 125 cm | 5 − 7 yrs | 16” |
117 − 129 cm | 6 − 8 yrs | 18” |
125 − 136 cm | 7 − 9 yrs | 20” |
130 − 141 cm | 8 − 10 yrs | 24” |
Choosing The Right Brand
At Halfords we have the UK´s biggest range of bikes, in-store and online with the best brands.
Which ever brand you choose you can be assured that the lowest price is guaranteed and you get a Free Build and Safety Check after six weeks.
Here are some of our favourite names:
- Boardman.
- Carrera.
- GT.
- Kona.
- Voodoo.
- Saracen.
- Apollo.
- Raleigh.
Children's Bikes
Halfords' children´s bikes are specially designed to make them even more comfortable and safe for children to ride. We have a huge range of childrens bikes from ages 3 to 10 years, including the latest character bikes, BMX, Disney and Carrera ranges.
It´s important to choose the right size for children.
See our range of children´s bikes.
Mountain Bikes
Mountain Bikes (MTB), are designed for off-road biking, either on dirt trails or rugged terrain. Mountain bikes have wide aggressive tread tyres with off-road tread for extra traction and shock absorption.
Mountain bikes can be split into two main groups: Hard tail mountain bikes with suspension at the front only and full suspension mountain bikes with suspension at the front and rear.
Hard Tail Mountain Bikes
Hard tail bikes have suspension at the front only. This helps you control your bike over rough terrain.
Hard tail bikes are lighter and stiffer than full suspension bikes. The stiffer frames make sure that all your energy is transferred to the trail. These bikes are built for speed, and being so rigid they are strong and powerful with front suspension for better steering control. They are ideal for riding in woods and on smoother trails.
Full Suspension Mountain Bikes
These bikes have suspension at the front and rear, making them ideal for rocky trails and downhills.
Full suspension bikes are available with varying amounts of travel. Travel is a term referring to the distance the suspension moves.
With longer suspension travel the bike absorbes more impact, saving stresses and strains on the rider´s arms and legs. Longer travel bikes tend to be heavier and so are harder to pedal uphill.
For the more extreme trail riding enthusiast the full-suspension makes the experience more comfortable and faster. It will enable you to push your technical skills further.
See our range of Mountain bikes.
Road & Sport Bikes
These bikes are designed for speed and distance on roads. The lower riding position is more aerodynamic, and the lighter weight components and low profile tyres enable you to ride faster and more efficiently on the road than you would on an MTB.
They have drop-handlebars, offering a range of holding positions, each enabling a different posture on the bike. This optimises comfort, control and aerodynamics for varying gradients and speeds. See our range of road bikes.
Town & Trail Bikes
These are sometimes called hybrids because they fall somewhere between mountain bikes and road bikes − combining the best qualities of strength, speed and gearing. The handlebars are flat and the seating position upright, making it easy to carry a rucksack and have a good view of the road. They are good everyday bikes, and are particularly suitable for new cyclists.
The multi-purpose tyres make them suitable for a wide variety of terrains except for rougher off-road conditions. They are great for commuting in traffic and recreational use such as riding trails and cycle paths.
See our range of Town & Trail bikes.
BMX Bikes
BMX is an abbreviation of Bicycle Motocross. It originated in the USA in the 1970s, where teenagers imitated their motocross heroes on their pedal bicycles. The sport now features two main kinds of disciplines: BMX Racing on sandy and hilly tracks and BMX Freestyle involving tricks and stunts on flat ground, wooden ramps or obstacles found on the streets.
BMX bikes are suitable for riders 8 years and above and are designed to suit a variety of uses. They generally have 20 inch wheels and are therefore smaller than the mountain bikes (26 inches) or road bikes (27 inches).
BMX Racing
BMX Racing involves all out competition on courses designed to emulate motocross tracks. The sport attracts mainly youngsters and the very fit, as it can be fast and furious, and the terrain is usually tough going.
These bikes have aluminium frames for a lighter, faster, stiffer and more responsive ride.
BMX Cruisers are racing bikes with 24 inch wheels for taller riders.
BMX Freestyle
Freestyle bikes are great for stunts and tricks at the skate park and have features such as rotors for 360° bar turns and stunt pegs. Freestyle BMX riding started as a creative way of using bicycles originally designed for bicycle motocross (BMX) racing. Now the popularity of this sport has engendered a wide range of Freestyle specific designs, catering for the demands of the aggressive riders.
Freestyle BMX frames are generally made of either high tensile steel or chromoly. High tensile steel is used on most entry level BMXs. While more experienced riders prefer the lighter weight but equally strong chromoly because it makes the bikes faster and more manoeuvrable.
Folding Bikes
Small wheels and folding frames make these bikes both agile when riding yet portable enough to be taken on trains, buses, and even stored under your desk at work. As bikes are now banned on most trains and buses, the folding bike is a perfect solution to get around quickly.
They are equally at home in the city or the country. You could use them for commuting during the week as well as camping and caravanning for holidays. See our superb range of folding bikes at the lowest prices ? folding and unfolding in seconds!
Electric Bikes
Electric bikes have a light-weight power assisted drive system. They offer all the fun and exercise of cycling under your own steam, but with that a bit of extra help to keep you going.
Premium Bikes
Premium − Boardman
Boardman bikes are available only at Halfords.
Our exclusive range of Boardman bikes and accessories were inspired by a true British cycling legend, Chris Boardman MBE, one of Britain´s greatest cyclists. He achieved many victories throughout his illustrious career including Tour de France stages and Olympic Gold Medal success. He has represented his country at four Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the World Championships and won the prestigious yellow jersey at the Tour De France. He remains at the heart of British cycling today and is an inspiration to all.
Chris Boardman´s impressive achievements and experience have formed the basis of this new and exciting range of bikes and accessories.
Halfords sponsored the GB Cycling Team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and Nicole Cooke won a gold medal riding her Boardman bike.
Premium − Carrera
Carrera bikes are available only at Halfords.
Carrera fuses together cutting edge technology and superb quality of construction to bring you high-spec bikes at unbeatable prices.
They have an extensive range, including high performance carbon fibre frames and 4-bar linkage full-suspension designs. You could get hydraulic disc brakes and 27 speed gearing on a market-leading hard tail at a very competitve price.
For the road there are performance hybrids, tough urban subway models and both aluminium and carbon fibre racing bikes, all at a low price.
Most Carrera bikes are also available with geometry and components specific to women. Women´s bikes offer comfort and control without any losing any of the functionality offered by the equivalent men´s bikes.
Add to all these the high performance Carrera kids mountain bikes, with 20? and 24? wheels, plus a range of folding bikes, and Carrera surely has a high quality bike for everyone.
Premium − GT Bicycles
GT bikes are instantly recognisable for their hard tail frame which has a unique triple-triangle design. They also have a unique full suspension system, of their own creation, which they call i-drive. The i-drive suspension system maximises pedalling efficiency while providing the traction and control of a full-suspension bike.
Choose from their comprehensive ranges of hardtails, full suspension, dirt jump, hybrid and BMX bikes.
Premium − Kona
Kona developed and evolved their bikes carefullly over the years to offer you advanced and reliable designs. It is widely held that they were the first to introduce the sloping top tube to mountain bikes over 14 years ago and have been innovating ever since. Their bikes range from XC hard tails to a 7 inch full-suspension ring.
Premium − Voodoo
Voodoo bikes are characterised by unique geometry, long travel forks, and even the option to run single speed, thanks to adjustable dropouts on some of their frames.
Voodoo offers high quality aluminium, steel and titanium hardtails, a great suspension model and even a cyclo-cross bike.
Premium − Saracen
Designed for UK conditions, Saracen bikes combine high performance with great value for money. Our Saracen range includes hard tails, full-suspension, dirt jump and hybrid bikes.
Great Value Bikes
Apollo Bikes
Apollo bikes are available only at Halfords.
Halfords 100 Years of cycle design and engineering expertise have helped make Apollo the UK´s No.1 bike brand. Apollo offers a comprehensive range of easily affordable, reliable bikes:
- Cross Country mountain bikes − mens and womens geometry.
- Full Suspension mountain bikes − mens and womens geometry.
- Town and Trail Bikes − mens and womens geometry.
- Folding Bikes
- Kids Bikes
Apollo Kids bikes
Our exclusive new Apollo kids bike range not only offers great value for money, but is designed with quality and safety in mind.
Apollo kids bikes have been designed with an understanding of what parents and kids really want. With features such as thicker handlebars; stronger stems and a more robust seat position, each child will be able to ride safely, with balance and confidence.
All of our Apollo kid´s bikes adhere to tough European Cycle Safety Standards.
Free Build & Safety Check
Our highly trained cycle specialist staff can help you find the right type and size of bike for your child as well as building it and carrying out a free safety check. We can also carry out a free 6 week safety check as well, even if you have built the bike yourself.
Bike Repair and Maintenance Plans
Our experienced fully trained cycle mechanics offer a repair and maintenance service using quality parts, to ensure that your child´s bike stays in top condition.. For more information please ask about our unique and higly competitive ´Kids Bike´ and ´Family Deal´ Bike care plans.
Apollo Kids Bikes − Range
All Apollo 12" and 14" wheel bikes are designed with safety in mind and feature a fully enclosed chainguard to prevent little fingers becoming trapped, along with removable stabilisers to help with learning to cycle. All these bikes have strong steel frames for durability and with their bright colours and funky designs, there is sure to be a bike in the range to delight every budding cyclist.
All Apollo 16", 20" and 24" wheel bikes have strong steel frames, alloy wheel rims and high quality components. With this range of great designs and cool colours, perfect for riding to school, there is sure to be a bike here to delight even the most fashion conscious of school kids.
The Hood bike range uses great quality and design features and combines them with ultra cool urban styling. The range of three bikes includes an 18" wheel BMX bike and 20" and 24" wheel bikes. All three have strong steel frames and wheel rims which are complemented by the must-have range of hood accessories.
The Apollo Kinx range of bikes share the same pink, surfer-chick styling and are available in an 18" wheel BMX bike and 20" and 24" wheel bikes. All three have strong steel frames and alloy wheel rims and are complemented by a full range of Kinx accessories which are sure to be a winner with girls of all ages.
Great Value − Raleigh
Raleigh Bikes was first opened in Nottingham, England. The company has been designing bikes for more than 100 years. Raleigh is a well-known brand within the industry and produces high quality, great value bicycles for the whole family. They have every size of bike for children, plus town trail and folding bikes for adults.
