Carrera Subway 2

Revolution Courier 04
http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=19065

Carrera Subway 2
http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_details.asp?id=18882&type=0&cat=144

Thanks

Alan

in message <[email hidden]>, Mr. Alan

Paterson ('apsw07048spam') said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with the Carrera Subway 2 bike? I'm
thinking of buying one, but not sure if they are any good. Also
thinking of buying the Revolution Courier 04 from the Edinburgh Bike
Coop but again I'm in need of some direction.

Need hard, fast, low maintenance bike for everyday use to get to work.
I'm 6'2" and 16.5 stone.

And advice?

Revolution Courier - if you're _anywhere_ near an EBC shop. The Courier
Race is worth thinking of, too. The EBC bikes are exceptional value for
money, and the Courier seems very well sorted for commuting use. The
lack of a front deraileur is actually a good thing for urban use - less
to maintain and less of a thief magnet, and unless you have serious
hills in your commute you'll still have enough gears. The Carrera
Subway 8 with Shimano hub gears might be a lower maintenance option,
and some Halfords branches are much more competent than others. But
with EBC you will get a better bike and you will get good service,
whereas Halfords is more of a pig in a poke.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye.

Quoted message said:

Revolution Courier - if you're _anywhere_ near an EBC shop. The Courier
Race is worth thinking of, too. The EBC bikes are exceptional value for
money, and the Courier seems very well sorted for commuting use. The
lack of a front deraileur is actually a good thing for urban use - less
to maintain and less of a thief magnet, and unless you have serious
hills in your commute you'll still have enough gears. The Carrera
Subway 8 with Shimano hub gears might be a lower maintenance option,
and some Halfords branches are much more competent than others. But
with EBC you will get a better bike and you will get good service,
whereas Halfords is more of a pig in a poke.

Thanks Simon, EBC it is then. 😉

Simon Brooke:

Quoted message said:

Revolution Courier - if you're _anywhere_ near an EBC shop.

Do you need to be near a shop - don't they deliver? Or are you only saying
that from the point of view of trying the bike/getting the right fit?

I too am looking at possibly getting an Edinburgh bike but I'm finding it
hard to decide between the Courier and the Contour. The Contour comes with
mudguards and eyelets for fitting a rack, which is in its favour as I want
it for a general getting-about/shopping/short-commuting bike. Also in its
favour is the fact that it's £25 cheaper.

I like the Courier for the fact that it's a bit 'sportier', which suits my
tastes, but I'm leaning towards the Contour.

And what are Edinburgh racing bikes like?

d.

in message <[email hidden]>, davek

(') said:

Simon Brooke:

Quoted message said:

Revolution Courier - if you're _anywhere_ near an EBC shop.

Do you need to be near a shop - don't they deliver? Or are you only
saying that from the point of view of trying the bike/getting the
right fit?

Well, the main difference between buying from a good bike shop rather
than from a bad one is that your bike will be correctly assembled and
adjusted, and you'll be able to go back to the shop once everything has
bedded in for a _competent_ free service. Of course, you'll get this at
_good_ Halfords branches too.

Quoted message said:

I too am looking at possibly getting an Edinburgh bike but I'm finding
it hard to decide between the Courier and the Contour. The Contour
comes with mudguards and eyelets for fitting a rack, which is in its
favour as I want it for a general
getting-about/shopping/short-commuting bike. Also in its favour is the
fact that it's £25 cheaper.

My niece has just bought herself a 'Coast', which is pretty much a
Contour in womens' specific fit. She brought it down for a visit last
weekend and I was extremely impressed. It has braze-ons everywhere -
for rear rack, two bottle cages, 'crud-catcher' type front mudguard
(even though it came with complete conventional mudguards). It even
came with 'aero' rims... Very well finished. The only downside was that
I'd advised her to get it because I thought a cheap bike wouldn't be a
thief magnet, but it does not *look* cheap - quite the opposite.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Generally Not Used
;; Except by Middle Aged Computer Scientists

Simon Brooke said:

hills in your commute you'll still have enough gears. The Carrera
Subway 8 with Shimano hub gears might be a lower maintenance option,
and some Halfords branches are much more competent than others. But
with EBC you will get a better bike and you will get good service,

The Courier isn't a better bike if you want hub gears, though, and
having hub gears is a good thing, if you ask me.

A

Simon Brooke:

Quoted message said:

Well, the main difference between buying from a good bike shop rather
than from a bad one is that your bike will be correctly assembled and
adjusted,

Going purely by reputation, I'd be confident of buying from EBC without
seeing the bike first.

Quoted message said:

and you'll be able to go back to the shop once everything has
bedded in for a _competent_ free service.

What does a shop service include that I couldn't do myself? I'm perfectly
competent (I think) when it comes to jobs like adjusting brakes and
derailleurs. I think I could live without being able to take the bike back
to the shop for this reason - unless someone wants to convince me I'm wrong.

Quoted message said:

My niece has just bought herself a 'Coast', which is pretty much a
Contour in womens' specific fit. She brought it down for a visit last
weekend and I was extremely impressed.

I should have thanked you when you mentioned this before because your
comments are partly what made me think the Contour was the bike for me. So,
er, thanks.

Quoted message said:

The only downside was that
I'd advised her to get it because I thought a cheap bike wouldn't be a
thief magnet, but it does not *look* cheap - quite the opposite.

Heh. You just can't win, can you.

d.

"Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Simon Brooke said:

hills in your commute you'll still have enough gears. The Carrera
Subway 8 with Shimano hub gears might be a lower maintenance option,
and some Halfords branches are much more competent than others. But
with EBC you will get a better bike and you will get good service,

The Courier isn't a better bike if you want hub gears, though, and
having hub gears is a good thing, if you ask me.

A

But the hub gears bike is about £100 dearer though. My original bike was a
carrera banshee which I upgraded quite a bit, marzzochi forks an all. I
have been using it to get to work but I'm finding it hard going maintaining
the damn thing. Squeeks are driving me mad. I wanted to keep it good for
the trails and use a cheap indestructable bike for work.

Originally when I bought the carrera, I had to change the saddle becuase it
was rubbish and was making my [censored] a funny colour. Then I had to change
the forks (God bless Marzocchi). Then the pedals. Bottom bracket packed
in, had to replace that. Now the single pivot jobbie in the middle is the
bane of my cycling life, I can't get it to stop squeeking. Now, once again
the bottom backet or cranks are giving me trouble, strange popping sound
from them when I pedal.

I don't need this. It's a good bike now, don't get me wrong, but it gets a
hammering when I take it to work. Also, I could do with a higher top speed
on the tarmac. Oh yea, I replaced the tyres with Conti 2.3's -- great for
the trail, not so great for the black stuff.

If you say I should go with the hub gears Carrera I will, but I don't want
to go through that kind on upgrade process again if I can avoid it.

Oh yea, the front disc brake squeeked also, tighten it up past 50% and it
would rub agains the disc giving a really annoying squeak.

So I really don't want to go through getting a cheap carrera up to spec
again -- if I can avoid it.

Cheers for help btw.

Alan

Mr. Alan Paterson apsw07048 said:

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with the Carrera Subway 2 bike? I'm
thinking of buying one, but not sure if they are any good. Also thinking of
buying the Revolution Courier 04 from the Edinburgh Bike Coop but again I'm
in need of some direction.

Need hard, fast, low maintenance bike for everyday use to get to work. I'm
6'2" and 16.5 stone.

And advice?

Thanks

Alan

Looking at the Subway 2 and 8 myself.

Problems with Subway 2 - rear disc brake will probably foul a
conventional rack. No-name hubs, rear one looks not to be a freehub. I
always bend axles on old-style freewheel hubs, and I'm not even
overweight. Front Rapidfire shifter is for 3 chainrings but the bike
has two. Bit of a bodge, although I'm not sure what the alternative
would have been. Maybe a non-indexed thumbshifter? The Tektro disc
brakes work OK; I've tried them on someone else's MTB, but I don't know
about spares availability.

Problems with Subway 8 - slightly lower efficiency and unknown
reliability of Nexus gear hub, and mushy [1] feeling roller brakes. May
also be some problems fitting mudguards and racks around the rear brake
reaction arm; I'll take a rack in and offer it up.

I looked at the Subway 1 but the components are fairly horrible. It's
7-speed at the back, the brakes are unbranded (why? an excellent Deore
V-brakeset including cables and levers is only £35 retail) and the rear
mech is really low-rent. The front mechs are low-rent on both the 1 and
2 but front mechs *always* work, however cheap they are.

On balance - and I said exactly the opposite to Not Responding last
week! - I'll probably go for the Subway 8, as it's for a novice rider
who doesn't want to worry about cross-chaining and the niceties of
derailleur systems. The lubricants are available from SJSC and if the
whole unit fails I can always bung a SRAM one in for under £100 - I can
build wheels.

[1] might just be "powerful", i.e. very high mechanical advantage. This
is OK if they don't rub.