GT Aggressor XC2. What a Bike for the Money

Advantages: Strong Frame and Wheels, Tyres do not let go
Disadvantages: None really!!

...Bought this bike with my work cycle to work scheme. A great buy from Halfords. Excellent speck for the price and a very strong bike. I'm 18st 10 (253 ibs) and in my opinion this bike can handle this weight easily. Great colour Black with like a Pearlesent White, Very good speck components, Shimano Deore derauillers and Sram Truvatic Crank. Hydrolic Brakes and Discs. These will stop you instantly and do tare a little time to get used to or a flight over the bars could come along. These sqeak when covered in Muck and Water for the first few occasions, but when used this disapates. Wheels are Alex DP17 rims, Strong, Maxxis Ingnitor Tyres Grip like hell. Suntour XCR forks are ok for Cross Country riding, Not a great Jump fork, but hey Im no Jumper! (I think that if yoiu are lighter than me you could have some safe landings with these...

damo1401 07.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of GT Aggressor XC2 Mountain Bike

The Shimano M520 is an excellent all round SPD pedal!!

Advantages: Ease of use, Ease of installation, Versatile, Recessed MTB style cleats, Aesthetically pleasing!
Disadvantages: For road cycling the pedals are slightly heavier than more expensive alternatives

...I recently purchased a set of Shimano M520 SPD pedals for my road bike. Although they are technically mountain bike pedals, I much prefer the Shimano cleats supplied with mountain biking shoes, which are recessed and hence make the shoes a lot easier to walk in! After installing the pedals on my bike (which took no more than five minutes) and fixing the supplied cleats to my Shimano SPD shoes, I was ready to ride. The pedals give you the option to adjust the tension in the clips however I found that they worked fine straight out of the box!! One thing I like about these pedals is the ease in which you can clip in and out. With clips on both sides there is no hassle trying to flip the pedal over, and you simple need to place your shoe anywhere near the correct position and its really easy to clip in! For the price these pedals are...

Sheph 09.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Shimano PD-M520 Click Pedal

Shimano SPD M072 Cycle Shoe to infinity and beyond

Advantages: Strong, well made, functional
Disadvantages: Nothing yet.

...SPD INTRO Shimano M072 shoes are SPD cycling shoes so here's a quick explanation of what SPD is. For those who may not know SPD stands for Shimano Pedaling Dynamic. All very nice I hear you say, so to explain they are Clipless pedals. Basically you get a pair of shoes, bolt on some clips to the shoes, get a pair of SPD pedals which are like a clamp, step on the pedals and your feet are locked to the pedals. Rotating your feet to the side then releases you from the pedal. (not as dangerous as it sounds). GENERAL Shimano mountain bike shoes have been around for a number of years now and in my opinion if you are a user of SPD pedals then you can't beat Shimano PSD shoes for reliability. I have used number if different types over the years, most of which I cant remember the name off and ones that usually found the bucket because they...

skrg28 30.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Shimano MO72

On Yer Bike!

Advantages: Great fun, slow, Harry loves it
Disadvantages: Noisy, siren is a pain

...Now, Harry isn't what I would call a daredevil. In fact, he's not into anything that moves too fast or does things that he doesn't expect to happen, pretty much like any 2 and a half year old I expect. So as you can imagine, I wasn't overly thrilled when I found out last year that Harry's great aunt had bought him a motorised motor bike. Please bear in mind last Christmas he was only 21 months old and consequently pretty small and unconfident, but nonetheless, the Halfords Mini Racer Bike was on its way to us courtesy of my parents. It wasn't something we expected to keep for long but funnily enough, its now become Harry's favourite ever toy! The Halfords Mini Racer Bike is available from the Halfords website, and in-store but I can't really say I have ever seen one when I have been into a Halfords. My brother works for Halfords...

mummy2harry 01.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Halfords Mini Racer Bike

"Look at my fancy newbig boy bike!

Advantages: great customer service, great quality
Disadvantages: Matching accessories not available

...On Tuesday 27 March, my son turned three making him officially a "big boy" as he reminds us on at least an hourly basis. His dad and I thought it only appropriate to celebrate this graduation into "big-boyhood" by buying him his first "big boy" bike. Kyle is an extremely active and strong boy and the level of destruction he can cause is extraordinary to say the least so it was vital that we found a bike that could withstand the endurance test that is hurricane Kyle and unfortunately, it was doubtful that the Spiderman bike from Argos he had his eye on was going to do the trick. With this in mind I started to do some research online into different options. One brand in particular kept popping up in reviews and newspaper/magazine articles. That brand was Isla Bikes. Now, I am not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to...

ally2kc 30.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Isla Bikes

A wheelie good toddler bike

Advantages: Small cheap, good quality
Disadvantages: no brakes

...A child’s first sized pushbike, with stabilisers, squeaky horn and clip on basket. Adjustable handlebars and seat, suitable for children from approximately 2 to 4 years. Manufactured by Universal and costing around £30 from large toyshops such as Toys”r”us. My 2 year old was desperate for her own “big girls bike” with two wheels and stabilisers. I looked at many, most of which were above £50, as I didn’t have as much as that to spend, I homed in on this jazzy little bike initially sold in Index. After realising that they were from the old stock and that they were not in the catalogue, the pleasant assistant offered to go out to the back of the store to see if there were any still lurking in the warehouse. Perfect, one left, and as it was old stock at an unmissable price of £22...

headgardener 10.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Bicycles

Shimano Dura Ace Rear Mech (RD-7700-SS)

Advantages: Top of the range "bling" rear mech
Disadvantages: 9 speed "only", superceeded by RD-7800 10-speed version

...I bought this rear derailleur to replace an Ultegra mech when upgrading my bike from 8 to 9-speeds (well, 16 to 18 speed really with my double front chainset). Apparently, this mech is also compatible with 8-speed systems, you just need to change the cable mounting position. Dura Ace is the name of Shimano's top of the range group of bicycle components, or "groupset", for road race bikes, and the 9-speed 7700-series was introduced to the public in 1997 after Shimano sponsored riders using Dura-Ace 7700 series equipped bikes in 1996. Year by year, it's been enhanced, and this review is of rear mech from the 2004 model year. For the non-bike-ophiles among you, the rear mech (or mechanism) is the device at the back end of the bike that moves the chain across the muliple cogs (cassette) on the back wheel to change gear - bigger cog...

matt_fantastic 07.04.2006 (10.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Shimano DuraAce

Wheely good bike! (Giant Defy 2.5 Road Bike)

Advantages: Light, Great gears, Good looks
Disadvantages: Uncomfortable saddle, not the greatest wheels

...I have long harboured a desire to own a half decent roadbike. Fortunately my employers opted into the "Cycle to Work scheme" And I purchased a Defy 2.5. Looks This bioke looks good in a largely black and white frame with grey details. The bike itself is set at fairly agressive angles with a nice low handlebar. Frame The frame is extremely light aluminium (10kg total weight) and put together with very neat and efficient welds. The geometry feels right on the bike, although if you are new to raod bikes you may find the handlebar set a little low. My first ciouple of journeys resulted in sore back and stiff neck, however you soon adjust. Gears This bike features a 27 speed Shimano Tigra setup (3 front cogs, 9 rear cogs) That gives you a huge variation. In the highest gear roadsise blurs past you...

thejazzyj 18.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Giant Defy 2.5 Road Bike

Shimano XTR M970 SPD pedal

Advantages: quality, use, price
Disadvantages: None

...Previously, I had a pair Of Ritchey WCS Ti spd pedals (i paid £60 on ebay, but the retail at £140!!). These were next to useless - the bearings failed within 12 months. They looked good and weighed not a lot, but didn't work very well, at all :O( I begrudgingly purchased the XTR spd's for £56.99 from wiggle, as I didn't want to go the "shimano" route again. First impressions of quality were superb, especially for under £60!!! The smoothness of the bearings is silk like. fitting is just like any other pedal. Adjusting the tension springs was also the same as any other spd, although I didn't have to do them as tight as previoud spd's I'd owned. Clicking in and out of the pedal gave a satisfying quality click. In riding i've done so far, they perhaps clogged more than i'd have liked, but the riding was very very extreme. After...

EasyExercise.co.uk 30.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Shimano M970 XTR MTB SPD Pedals

Shimano Baitrunner Aero RE

Advantages: Fantastic quality for a budget real!!
Disadvantages: Not quite as well balanced as the GTE range.

...This is an excellent reel by no mistake. I have had this reel for 3 years and fished many gravel pits around the UK using it. The RE reel shares many of the same features that the more expensive GTE range has including the Shimano's patented Aero Wrap system, Rotor Cast Control and Positive Bail. This is designed to prevent any problems whiles casting long distance. Using the 8000 versions loaded with 15lb line the casting ability is amazing! More than adequate for the UK size lakes. The main difference between the RE range the GTE range is that the GTE has 3 more ball bearings. This means that the GTE by comparison is lot smoother and allows for better handling. Also the RE only has a single crank handle oppose to the double handle on the GTE. This means that the reel does not feel as well balance while reeling in how ever some...

Mjacko79 09.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Shimano Baitrunner Aero Re