Advice Centre

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 First Service on all bikes.
• We will deliver your bike within five working days.

See our range of bikes

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 bike mainly for young people.	Front suspension only. Small tough frames with limited gearing.
Road & Sports Bikes	Road riding. Speed and distance.	Drop handlebars and low weight.
Town & Trail Bikes	New starters. Commuting and recreational. Wide variety of terrains.	Upright position. Combines strength and wide range gearing.
BMX Bikes	Small wheeled agile 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.

See our range of Adult bikes.

Let us help you to choose.

Try Out The Bikes In-store

You are welcome to try out the bikes in-store, with assistance from one of our colleagues. We are only too happy to help you

How Important Is The Bike 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 21” + for Town, Trail and Road bikes.	16” + for Mountain Bike 18” + for Town, Trail and Road bikes.

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 Halfords colleague 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.

Try Out The Bikes In-store

You are welcome to try out the bikes in-store, with assistance from one of our colleagues. 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”

See our range of kid's bikes.

Let us help you to choose.

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 6 Week First Service.

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 wider 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 absorbs 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. The Boardman bike range of road, mountain and hybrid bikes takes our selection to another level.

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).

See our range of BMX bikes.

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.

See our range.

Premium Bikes

Boardman

Boardman bikes are available only at Halfords.

Our exclusive range of cBoardman 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 has worn 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.

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.

There is 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 20inch and 24inch wheels, plus a range of folding bikes, and Carrera surely has a high quality bike for everyone.

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.

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 rig.

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.

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 stronger handlebars, stems and seatposts 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 & 6 Week First Service

Our highly trained cycle specialist colleagues can help you find the right type and size of bike for your child as well as building it and carrying out a Free 6 Week First Service. We can also carry out a Free 6 Week First Service 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 bike 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 bike 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.

Check out our best deals.

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.

 

Halfords are the Uk's biggest bike retailer. Halfords also sells car parts, Sat navs, Mobility aids and much more.