In June Asda launched a new range of bikes for all the family as part of our Pedal Power campaign to get more people cycling. We’re not making a profit on the bikes we’re selling, priced at £70 for the men’s and ladies’ bikes and £50 for the children’s bikes.

The British Eagle bikes come in a box, so need to be assembled at home from several parts, including handlebars, seat and pedals. Customer reviews on Asda Direct have been largely positive (with the majority of customers giving them a four or five-star rating) but some specialist cycle shop owners are less enthusiastic, and have been advising their customers to be wary of low-price bikes and not to buy one that doesn’t come fully assembled.

We’ve already helped 40,000 people get back on their bikes, and plan to sell another 40,000 in the coming weeks and months.

Our aim is simply to encourage thousands of people who have previously been put off cycling by the high cost to get out and discover how much fun riding a bike can be.

If in the longer term they become serious about cycling then they’ll probably want a more sophisticated bike. But families looking to get started can’t go too far wrong with the British Eagles that we’re selling.

So what about those warnings about having to assemble parts of the bike?

We’re the first to admit we didn’t do ourselves any favours when we accidentally advertised a bike with the forks the wrong way round, but if you follow the instructions properly you won’t make the same mistake! We also have an easy to follow video on Your Asda, but if you don’t feel confident about what you’re doing you should find a local bike mechanic to help you.

Our Sally wasn’t too sure if she was up to the challenge or not – so she came in to our Pudsey store to meet Asda bike specialist Keith Javes, who took her step-by-step from taking the bike out of the box, putting it together and getting it on to the road.

Her verdict: “There are a couple of tricky moments but after Keith’s instructions I would take on the challenge of putting together the bikes for me and the kids. The one thing I’d do is have some of my own tools on standby as the throw-away ones you get in the box aren’t the most robust I’ve ever seen.”

The whole process is recorded in the video so you can judge whether you’re up to doing it yourself – and also to give you a handy how-to guide that can be used in conjunction with the printed instructions, allowing you to pause the video and go back to double check you’re doing everything right.

Here are the steps to follow:

Before you start

Open the box and check you have everything before you start. Your bike should come with:

• A seat and seat post
• A pair of pedals (one marked L and one marked R)
• A set of reflectors
• An Allen key
• A spanner

You might also find it helpful to have a pair of pliers, Phillips screwdriver and a bicycle pump to hand.

Step 1 – Attach the forks and handlebars Make sure you turn the forks to face the front before attaching the handlebars. An easy way to check is to look at the brake callipers attached to the forks – they should always be at the front. Then drop the stem of the handlebars into the top of the forks. Make sure you have pushed the handlebars in far enough so that you can no longer see the ‘minimum insert line’ on the handlebar stem.

Step 2 – Secure the handlebars Make sure the handlebars are in line with the forks and tighten the bolt at the top with the Allen key.

Step 3 – Fit the front wheel First take off the plastic discs on either side of the wheel if they are still attached – this is packaging to protect the bolts and you won’t need them. Pick up the front of the bike and drop the wheel into the forks.

Step 4 – Secure the front wheel With the forks in place it’s time to secure the wheel with a nut and a retaining washer on each side. Make sure the pin at the top of the washer slots neatly into the hole under the forks, as in the video. Then, tighten the nuts, first with your fingers and then using the spanner. Do this on both sides.

Step 5 – Attach the front brakes Next step is to attach the brake arms together. Pull the black cover back at the bottom of the brake cables to reveal the silver-coloured casing. This piece connects into the hole on the brake casing on the opposite side. Pull the silver cable across and drop into the hole.

Step 6 – Fit the pedals You will need a spanner for this step. The pedals are labelled L and R (for left and right) – make sure you fit the right pedal to the right side of the bike. When fitted properly they should tighten as you pedal, rather than loosen! Put the pedal in position and tighten with the spanner. The right-hand pedal screws on clockwise and the left-hand pedal screws on anti-clockwise.

Step 7 – Attach the saddle to the seat post Insert the thin end of the seat post into the bottom of the saddle and tighten both sides using the spanner.

Step 8 – Adjust the saddle to a comfortable height Insert the seat post into the bike and adjust it to the right height for you. Tighten the nut at the top of the bike and try it for size. (As with the handlebars, ensure the seat post is in far enough so that you can no longer seee the ‘minimum insert line’). Adjust the seat height so that when your heel is on the pedal your leg is perfectly straight – this way when the ball of your foot is on the pedal you will have the right amount of bend in your leg.

Step 9 – Final safety check Before you get on your bike, tighten all of the nuts with a spanner and tighten the handlebars with the allen key. You also need to attach the front and back reflectors – your bike isn’t legal without them.

If you’re still not confident, or simply want someone else to do it for you then you can take it to your nearest bike shop who will charge a small fee – usually about £20 – to put it together.

Have you got a British Eagle bike from Asda? How easy did you find it to assemble? Share your comments below.

Posted by Nic on 17 August 2009, 21:46

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