Halfords given up on mid-drive?

MTB, Road, Cyclocross, Running, walking, Rowing, Weights / Cardio, Diet, training plans
Kneerly Down
Posts: 719
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:30 am
Has thanked: 164 times
Been thanked: 308 times

Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Kneerly Down »

Got an invite to the Halfords ebike 'test rides' and thought 'oh, no Bosch mid-drives' in the mix.
So I went onto their site to see what was being sold and it appears the only mid-drive is a £2800 Boardman and that isn't a Bosch one either.

Have they just gone for hub motors because they're cheap or have the (rear) hub motors caught up with mid-drives?
Mussels
Posts: 4446
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:02 pm
Has thanked: 839 times
Been thanked: 1242 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Mussels »

Were hub motors behind crank ones?
They both had their issues but I always preferred hub motors, it's been a few years thought so maybe crank drives got better but I'm not sure what they could have done to improve hub motors apart from finding a way to machine the spoke holes properly.
Couchy
Posts: 2388
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 2:56 pm
Has thanked: 326 times
Been thanked: 2173 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Couchy »

Stock is an issue everywhere but Halfords don’t sell high end bikes and hub motors are the cheaper end of the market. They’re fine for gentle use or commuting. Once you want to go off road or mtb use then a mid motor is much better but you’ll be paying more than a hub motor
User avatar
Mr Moofo
Posts: 4620
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:41 pm
Location: Brightonish
Has thanked: 1829 times
Been thanked: 1469 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Mr Moofo »

Halfords ...

They are once a main stay of the UK car and bike home maintenance business.
Unfortunately they are now shit
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Mr Moofo wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:44 pm Halfords ...

They are once a main stay of the UK car and bike home maintenance business.
Unfortunately they are now shit
They were always shit
Honda Owner
User avatar
Mr Moofo
Posts: 4620
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:41 pm
Location: Brightonish
Has thanked: 1829 times
Been thanked: 1469 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Mr Moofo »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:46 pm
Mr Moofo wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:44 pm Halfords ...

They are once a main stay of the UK car and bike home maintenance business.
Unfortunately they are now shit
They were always shit
TB fair their professional tool range and cabinets are good
But their model of how to deal with the public is straightforwardly odd ...

I wouldn't even consider buying a e-bike from them ...
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 11236
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: The road of many manky motorcycles
Has thanked: 607 times
Been thanked: 4125 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Halfords sell some good stuff, they also sell some crap, in Ipswich they employ some strange people, especially in the cycling department.
Honda Owner
User avatar
MrLongbeard
Posts: 4602
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:06 pm
Has thanked: 600 times
Been thanked: 2453 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by MrLongbeard »

Mr Moofo wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:44 pm Halfords ...

They are once a main stay of the UK car and bike home maintenance business.
Unfortunately they are now shit
I've never considered them for spare parts, aside from bulb n batteries, but they're my go to shop for tools
demographic
Posts: 3042
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:30 pm
Location: Less that 50 miles away from Moscow, but which one?
Has thanked: 1350 times
Been thanked: 1730 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by demographic »

Meh, they're open on Sundays and odd hours so can be useful when everywhere else is shut, yeah thats more expensive. If thats an issue for you then take time off work and get things when everywhere else is open.
The tool's aren't bad and the boxes are OK as well, if yer going to be dragging yer tool cabs about every weekend then maybe you need to get a tougher one.
For most of us who bung the cab in the corner of the shed and it doesn't go anywhere else theyre fine.
User avatar
MrLongbeard
Posts: 4602
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:06 pm
Has thanked: 600 times
Been thanked: 2453 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by MrLongbeard »

demographic wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 5:30 pm yeah thats more expensive
We're a 2 trade card household :banana-wrench:
User avatar
DefTrap
Posts: 4504
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2020 8:23 am
Has thanked: 2267 times
Been thanked: 2193 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by DefTrap »

My missus has a hub one for pootling.
I'm dreading it going wrong, mind.
Mussels
Posts: 4446
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:02 pm
Has thanked: 839 times
Been thanked: 1242 times

Re: Halfords given up on mid-drive?

Post by Mussels »

DefTrap wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 7:12 pm My missus has a hub one for pootling.
I'm dreading it going wrong, mind.
When I had ebikes the only bits that consistently worked well and never broke were the electrics. I needed to replace the planetary gears in the hub once but it was much easier than I expected.