carrera vanquish 2003 bikes

davew1 said:

hi is there anybody out there that can help me ? under a new incentive from the goverment which
says they are trying to get people to use greener transport we have had the option to buy bikes
the downside is that we can only use halfords to buy them from i noticed the carrera vanquish 2003
for sale but have no idea what quality they are . i am not a racing cyclist and am only looking
for something to ride to and from work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at present have
an old peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good may upgrade. thanks in
anticipation

Halfords quite often have bikes which are really quite reasonable value for money. The Vanquish has
reasonable kit and claims to be a butted aluminium frame so will certainly get you to work and back
reasonably well; but if it's your money you're spending, rather than your employers, it's not what I
would choose for the money. However, if you're being told to go to Halfords I imagine it is your
employer's money in which case don't look a gift horse too hard in the mouth.

FWIW when I was younger and poorer I rode something like 40,000 miles on two successive Halfords own-
brand bikes. They weren't brilliant but they were perfectly adequate, and today's bikes are better.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; of 90+ years of protection, but a cure for cancer, only 14? -- user 'Tackhead', in /.
discussion of copyright law, 22/05/02

davew1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

hi is there anybody out there that can help me ? under a new incentive from the goverment which
says they are trying to get people to use greener transport we have had the option to buy bikes
the downside is that we can only use halfords to buy them from i noticed the carrera vanquish 2003
for sale but have no idea what quality they are . i am not a racing cyclist and am only looking
for something to ride to and from work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at present have
an old peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good may upgrade. thanks in
anticipation

If you have to shop at Halfords it's worth talking to the mechanics at a Bike Hut. Contrary to
popular belief many of them are highly knowledgeable about bikes and their product range in
particular. They should be able to point you in the right direction, particularly with regard to
what's good and what isn't.

--
Dave...

In "]news:[email hidden],
davew1 <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

hi is there anybody out there that can help me ? under a new incentive from the goverment which
says they are trying to get people to use greener transport we have had the option to buy bikes
the downside is that we can only use halfords to buy them from i noticed the carrera vanquish 2003
for sale but have no idea what quality they are . i am not a racing cyclist and am only looking
for something to ride to and from work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at present have
an old peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good may upgrade. thanks in
anticipation

Halfords also display a catalogue containing bikes not on general display. You may find something
you prefer in there.
--

Martin Bulmer

Pie Conservation Threat

[email hidden] (Dave Kahn) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

davew1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

hi is there anybody out there that can help me ? under a new incentive from the goverment which
says they are trying to get people to use greener transport we have had the option to buy bikes
the downside is that we can only use halfords to buy them from i noticed the carrera vanquish
2003 for sale but have no idea what quality they are . i am not a racing cyclist and am only
looking for something to ride to and from work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at
present have an old peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good may upgrade.
thanks in anticipation

I think the Vanquish or is it Vengeance that has the 105 stuff is OK. Check the other components ie
hubs calipers and chainset,these are often not Shimano. I agree with previous postings that I would
not spend my dosh on it, but if paid for by your firm that's another matter. If it's a case of
_special corporate offer_ eg £100 off and you pay the rest then have a good good look at the
competition ;-)

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

Quoted message said:

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think the Vanquish or is it Vengeance that has the 105 stuff is OK.

snip

Quoted message said:

The Vanquish is a mix of 105 and Tiagra, and hubs and chainset (presume calipers too) are indeed
Shimano. My local Halfords has a 2003 model on sale at £550. What I would like to know, is
everyone who is recommending something else, well, what exactly can you buy for that price which
has 105 components?

Quoted message said:

It is purely down to its lack of poseur value? Is it just like a "hard man" has to own a
Rottweiler or a pit bull, so a real bikie has to own a more prestigious brand?

It is true that 105 for that money is rare. It's just that IMX the groupset sort of runs out after
the major components and their is often a lot of cheaper stuff on their bikes. Smaller dealers tend
to stick to the same groupset throughout. This was the reason I chose a smaller dealer for my bike
because it was 100% RX100 and at the time Halfords did not have anything comparable (I paid the
price by suffering a broken frame 5 years later with no warranty, Halfords would have replaced it
I'm sure) I would have no problem with riding a Carrera if it ticked all the boxes. although in some
circles they may as well put Skoda on it ;-)

Quoted message said:

So what is so bad about the Carrera, except for the fact that Halfords sell it, which some people
think makes it the equivalent of buying a racehorse from a knackers yard?

I don't think that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the bike. If you are happy with the
specs and the price then it's the bike for you. I own a Kraken SE mountain bike and have been very
pleased with it. It's met all of my expectations and got me back on two wheels after absence from
cycling. It was reviewed in one of the comics as a competent off road bike with no damning features
other than its tyres which were judged to be unbranded and thus inferior.

Quoted message said:

So I wondered if there is any *real* reason why one shouldn't buy the Carrera. (People in this
thread have only said they wouldn't buy it with their own money, but they haven't said why.)

I can't think of any reason to snub Halfords and the Carrera other than blind prejudice. OK some of
the branches are staffed by numpties but I've not been let down so far by the Halfords branches that
I use in Kirstall and Killingbeck in Leeds.

Quoted message said:

It is purely down to its lack of poseur value? Is it just like a "hard man" has to own a Rottweiler
or a pit bull, so a real bikie has to own a more prestigious brand?

I'm too tight fisted - a trait inherited from 25 years residency in Yorkshire - to pay (through the
nose in) homage to the the gods of prestigious brands. I'd be quite happy to own a Carrera road bike
if I could justify owning a sixth bike :-) Go for it, after investigating the warrantee terms.

Vernon in Leeds

Quoted message said:

Rick said:

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

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Dave Kahn) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

davew1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> hi is there anybody out there that can help me ? under a new incentive from the goverment
> which says they are trying to get people to use greener transport we have had the option to
> buy bikes the downside is that we can only use halfords to buy them from i noticed the
> carrera vanquish 2003 for sale but have no idea what quality they are . i am

not

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> a racing cyclist and am only looking for something to ride to and from work and ocassionally
> charity rides 50 milers. at present have an old peugeot that does me fine. just thought if
> carrera any good may

upgrade.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> thanks in anticipation

I think the Vanquish or is it Vengeance that has the 105 stuff is OK. Check the other components
ie hubs calipers and chainset,these are often not Shimano. I agree with previous postings that I
would not spend my dosh on it, but if paid for by your firm that's another matter. If it's a
case of _special corporate offer_ eg £100 off and you pay the rest then have a good good look at
the competition ;-)

The Vanquish is a mix of 105 and Tiagra, and hubs and chainset (presume calipers too) are indeed
Shimano. My local Halfords has a 2003 model on sale at £550. What I would like to know, is
everyone who is recommending something else, well, what exactly can you buy for that price which
has 105 components? I haven't seen anything advertised, at any rate. (Talking new now, not second
hand of course). Anything cheaper than that or the same price made by more "fashionable" companies
like Guess, Giant, or Trek seems to be Sora, or sometimes not even that.

Is the groupset the most important part of the bike, or is the frame? If you buy a bike with a good
frame and [censored] kit, you can reasonably inexpensively upgrade one bit at a time over a period of a
couple of years and end up with a really good bike. If you buy a bike with a [censored] frame and good
kit, then in two years time you've still got a [censored] bike.

The thing is, really stonking good road frames are not that expensive. You can get a handbuilt frame
in top quality materials from about £350 up; you can get one custom built to your size for not a lot
more. Frankly if I had £550 to spend on a road bike I'd spend about £50 on a second hand bike out of
the local paper small ads as a parts donor, about £450 on good frame, and keep £50 in reserve to buy
any bits which weren't in good enough condition to transfer. Then I'd progressively replace bits as
they wore out with the best bits I could afford at the time.

Places to look include Bob Jackson <URL: bobjacksoncycles.co.ukbobjacksoncycles.co.ukOpen ↗ > Trevor Jarvis <URL:
members.aol.comframes.htmOpen ↗ > Tony Dolan <URL: bikes-bikes-Open ↗
dolan.uk.com/pages/home.htm >

Quoted message said:

It is purely down to its lack of poseur value? Is it just like a "hard man" has to own a
Rottweiler or a pit bull, so a real bikie has to own a more prestigious brand?

A good bike is going to last you a lifetime - or, more probably, until some ignorant little [censored]
steals it. A good frame is going to be a lot more comfortable and ride a lot better than a poor one.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; Woz: 'All the best people in life seem to like LINUX.' ;;
<URL:http://www.woz.org/woz/cresponses/response03.html

Quoted message said:

Frankly if I had £550 to spend on a road bike I'd spend about £50 on a second hand bike out of the
local paper small ads as a parts donor, about £450 on good frame, and keep £50 in reserve to buy
any bits which weren't in good enough condition to transfer. Then I'd progressively replace bits as
they wore out with the best bits I could afford at the time.

'fraid the above argument is redundant. The buyer is tied to obtaining the bike from Halfords if he
is to obtain whatever concessions that are being offered to him.

Quoted message said:

A good bike is going to last you a lifetime - or, more probably, until some ignorant little
[censored] steals it. A good frame is going to be a lot more comfortable and ride a lot better than a
poor one.

Not seen anything that suggests that the Carrera frame is a bad 'un.

Quoted message said:

vernon.levy said:

Quoted message said:

Frankly if I had £550 to spend on a road bike I'd spend about £50 on a second hand bike out of the
local paper small ads as a parts donor, about £450 on good frame, and keep £50 in reserve to buy
any bits which weren't in good enough condition to transfer. Then I'd progressively replace bits
as they wore out with the best bits I could afford at the time.

'fraid the above argument is redundant. The buyer is tied to obtaining the bike from Halfords if he
is to obtain whatever concessions that are being offered to him.

Quoted message said:

A good bike is going to last you a lifetime - or, more probably, until some ignorant little
[censored] steals it. A good frame is going to be a lot more comfortable and ride a lot better than a
poor one.

Not seen anything that suggests that the Carrera frame is a bad 'un.

Quoted message said:

some reviews of various carrera bikes at :

bikemagic.com58Open ↗

nothing really -ve in the quick browse i just had and some quite +ve comments.

Quoted message said:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick" <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: carrera vanquish 2003 bikes

Quoted message said:

I am

Quoted message said:

> not
> > > > a racing cyclist and am only looking for something to ride to

and

Quoted message said:

from

Quoted message said:

> > > > work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at present have

an

Quoted message said:

old

Quoted message said:

> > > > peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good

may

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> upgrade.
> > > > thanks in anticipation
> >

This may be true, but for a beginner like me, sounds like a lot more hassle, and like I say, I
wouldn't know a good frame from a bad one if

they

Quoted message said:

both came up and bit me in the part usually attached to the saddle! I

would

Quoted message said:

be quite happy to buy a functional bike now, as long as it is

reasonable,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and see what happens. If it no longer met my needs, I would look to something else, but I don't
think that would happen for a couple of

years

Quoted message said:

at

Quoted message said:

least. (I'd have to get fit first, for a start!). I appreciate your

advice

Quoted message said:

is good for the experienced cyclist, but I am wondering if it might be

too

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

much to worry about for the non-knowledgeable newbie to road bikes like

me.

Quoted message said:

Well, I could always do it the other way round. Buy the Carrera and then later get a better (not
that I know what would be "better"😉 frame, and

keep

Quoted message said:

all the nice components! Yes, I know it would be more expensive, but it would mean less hassle
in the beginning when I don't know what I'm

doing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I'm more in a position to know what is a good frame and what is a

bad

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

one, I could get one, or a complete new bike. I think some shops will do
p/ex.

I've done some selective snippage here. Correct me if I'm wrong but you're a relative beginner
looking for a better bike to ride to work and the odd long pleasure ride. Looking at the spec the
Carrera is a well priced for the spec road bike. However is suspect the geometry is race oriented;
the gearing certainly is at the front although the sprockets at the back go to 25 so OK if you're
fit and strong or cycling somewhere with only a few hills. Interestingly according to the web it
only comes in two sizes - effectively medium and large so fit may be an issue.Additionally I don't
think it has attachment points for mudguards and rack (pretty much considered essential for
commuting comfortably). So although it may be a good bike it doesn't appear to me to fit your
needs; sadly I could find nothing on their website that would seem to do so. The sort of thing I
would be looking at would be the Dawes Horizon or something similar; currently available from
Allens Cycles for £375. I feel the real problem here is the fact that you are stuck with the one
supplier. Is there any way you could bring pressure to bear so you could use your local bike shop?
If they were to supply for the company in its entirety you could negociate a good deal and get
something more fit for purpose. Sorry if this isn't terribly helpfull Julia

On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:36:18 -0000, "Rick" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Yes, but why would a bike manufacturer make a [censored] frame and then put a good groupset on it?

[BIG SNIPS]

Simple, Rick.

Some see those letters XTR on the rear mech. and beleive the rest of the bike is of a similar
standard. It well may be, but it ain't necessarily so.

Thinking about this, these purchasers are rather similar to those who buy Hi-Fi's without havig
listened to them. Because they have loads of knobs, flashing lights and sliding levers they think
the equipment is good. (William Shatner's appearance in the film Airplane 2 springs into my mind for
some reason.)

Shhh...... Shhh...... James

--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse.

"the Baker-Bealls" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick" <[email hidden]> Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 3:36 PM Subject: Re: carrera vanquish 2003 bikes

Quoted message said:

I am
> > not
> > > > > a racing cyclist and am only looking for something to ride

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and

Quoted message said:

from
> > > > > work and ocassionally charity rides 50 milers. at present

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

an

Quoted message said:

old
> > > > > peugeot that does me fine. just thought if carrera any good

may

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > upgrade.
> > > > > thanks in anticipation
> > >

This may be true, but for a beginner like me, sounds like a lot more hassle, and like I say, I
wouldn't know a good frame from a bad one if

they

Quoted message said:

both came up and bit me in the part usually attached to the saddle! I

would

Quoted message said:

be quite happy to buy a functional bike now, as long as it is

reasonable,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and see what happens. If it no longer met my needs, I would look to something else, but I
don't think that would happen for a couple of

years

Quoted message said:

at

Quoted message said:

least. (I'd have to get fit first, for a start!). I appreciate your

advice

Quoted message said:

is good for the experienced cyclist, but I am wondering if it might be

too

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

much to worry about for the non-knowledgeable newbie to road bikes

like

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

me.

Quoted message said:

Well, I could always do it the other way round. Buy the Carrera and

then

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

later get a better (not that I know what would be "better"😉 frame, and

keep

Quoted message said:

all the nice components! Yes, I know it would be more expensive, but

it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

would mean less hassle in the beginning when I don't know what I'm

doing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I'm more in a position to know what is a good frame and what is a

bad

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

one, I could get one, or a complete new bike. I think some shops will

do

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

p/ex.

I've done some selective snippage here. Correct me if I'm wrong but

you're

Quoted message said:

a relative beginner looking for a better bike to ride to work and the odd long pleasure ride.

Hi there. That is what the original poster (davew1) wanted the bike for, I believe. He originally
asked about the Carrera Vanquish. However, I too, have been looking at this bike recently, and quite
liked it, so that's why I chipped in. Unlike the OP, I am not getting any discount for buying at
Halfords, so I'm not tied to buying from them.

Looking at the spec the Carrera is a well priced for the

Quoted message said:

spec road bike. However is suspect the geometry is race oriented; the gearing certainly is at the
front although the sprockets at the back go to 25 so

OK

Quoted message said:

if you're fit and strong or cycling somewhere with only a few hills.

Well, in my case, I'm a long distance runner, although not a very fit one at the moment, but a
beginner to cycling. I would like to do some audax events, and perhaps have a go at some road racing
in the future, once I have got myself "cycle fit". I'm not too bothered about commuting, or racks
and stuff like that. The ability to take clip on mudguards might be useful, although according to
what you say below, the Carrera seems not to have that.

Quoted message said:

Interestingly according to the web it only comes in two sizes -

effectively

Quoted message said:

medium and large so fit may be an issue.

Don't know about the OP, but they have a 58 cm one which is just right for me.

Additionally I don't think it has

Quoted message said:

attachment points for mudguards and rack (pretty much considered

essential

Quoted message said:

for commuting comfortably). So although it may be a good bike it doesn't appear to me to fit your
needs; sadly I could find nothing on their website that would seem to do so. The sort of thing I
would be looking at would be the Dawes Horizon or

something

Quoted message said:

similar; currently available from Allens Cycles for £375. I feel the real problem here is the
fact that you are stuck with the one supplier. Is

there

Quoted message said:

any way you could bring pressure to bear so you could use your local bike shop? If they were to
supply for the company in its entirety you could negociate a good deal and get something more fit
for purpose.

Yes, the OP would be in a better bargaining position if he had a choice of shops. I *do* have a
choice of shops, but don't know what to buy ...

Quoted message said:

Sorry if this isn't terribly helpfull Julia

No, it was very helpful. Thanks a lot for looking the info up for me and the OP.

James Hodson said:

Some see those letters XTR on the rear mech. and beleive the rest of the bike is of a similar
standard. It well may be, but it ain't necessarily so.

I always start by hefting the bike. Components can be upgraded, the frame is the frame.

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

"the Baker-Bealls" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick" <[email hidden]> Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 3:36 PM Subject: Re: carrera vanquish 2003 bikes

Hi there. That is what the original poster (davew1) wanted the bike for, I believe. He originally
asked about the Carrera Vanquish. However, I too, have been looking at this bike recently, and
quite liked it, so that's why

I

Quoted message said:

chipped in. Unlike the OP, I am not getting any discount for buying at Halfords, so I'm not tied
to buying from them.

Looking at the spec the Carrera is a well priced for the

Quoted message said:

spec road bike. However is suspect the geometry is race oriented; the

gearing

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

certainly is at the front although the sprockets at the back go to 25

so

Quoted message said:

OK

Quoted message said:

if you're fit and strong or cycling somewhere with only a few hills.

Well, in my case, I'm a long distance runner, although not a very fit one

at

Quoted message said:

the moment, but a beginner to cycling. I would like to do some audax

events,

Quoted message said:

and perhaps have a go at some road racing in the future, once I have got myself "cycle fit". I'm
not too bothered about commuting, or racks and

stuff

Quoted message said:

like that. The ability to take clip on mudguards might be useful, although according to what you
say below, the Carrera seems not to have that.

Quoted message said:

Interestingly according to the web it only comes in two sizes -

effectively

Quoted message said:

medium and large so fit may be an issue.

Don't know about the OP, but they have a 58 cm one which is just right for me.

Additionally I don't think it has

Quoted message said:

attachment points for mudguards and rack (pretty much considered

essential

Quoted message said:

for commuting comfortably). So although it may be a good bike it doesn't appear to me to fit
your needs; sadly I could find nothing on their website that would seem to do so.

The

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

sort of thing I would be looking at would be the Dawes Horizon or

something

Quoted message said:

similar; currently available from Allens Cycles for £375. I feel the

real

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

problem here is the fact that you are stuck with the one supplier. Is

there

Quoted message said:

any way you could bring pressure to bear so you could use your local

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

shop? If they were to supply for the company in its entirety you could negociate a good deal
and get something more fit for purpose.

Yes, the OP would be in a better bargaining position if he had a choice of shops. I *do* have a
choice of shops, but don't know what to buy ...

Quoted message said:

Sorry if this isn't terribly helpfull Julia

No, it was very helpful. Thanks a lot for looking the info up for me and

the

Quoted message said:

OP.

Nice to know its helpful to someone, as an ex long distance runner triathlete and (occasional) time-
trialist and current audax rider and jogger myself I may be able to offer some specific help on
choice if you want. However I suggest the following information would make it a bit easier for me -
and any other denizens of this group -to help. How old you are, weight and height, what your budget
is and how fit you are (current 10 mile time). Oh and how soon you want to try racing ... HTH Julia

"the Baker-Bealls" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Nice to know its helpful to someone, as an ex long distance runner triathlete and (occasional) time-
trialist and current audax rider and

jogger

Quoted message said:

myself I may be able to offer some specific help on choice if you want.

Thanks very much, Julia! Most kind. Deciding which bike to buy is a bit like choosing a partner ...
thousands out there but almost none of them are right for you ...

Quoted message said:

However I suggest the following information would make it a bit easier for me - and any other
denizens of this group -to help. How old you are

Coming up to 41.

Quoted message said:

, weight and height

92 kilos (about 14 stone I think), 6ft 2

Quoted message said:

what your budget is

Depends really. Anything between 300 and 600, depending on how much I like the bike and how good the
deal is. Like if it was a £900 bike offered for £600, I would think, "hey, that's a great bargain,
I'll have that!"😉. I know that's not the right attitude, but I can't help thinking like that. (Only
partly joking). It would also help the future second hand value. On the other hand, something fairly
cheap but functional would also be OK. In one of my LBS, there is a Claud Butler Roubaix, which I
like the looks of at least (also important to me, although I suppose it shouldn't be), for £339
(just reduced from £399 after Christmas - see, I like those reductions!). I'm hoping this Carrera
we have been talking about will be coming down some more too.

Apart from that, there have been some excellent magazine reviews of the Guess RB1, although its
componentry seems lower down on the Shimano scale than the other bikes. That's £499, but this seems
to be RRP. Then there is the Specialied Allez, which I don't know much about, which can be had for
the same price, or the Giant OCR series. They have the advantage of being triples, which I suppose
can only be good for the beginner (or will I quickly outgrow the need for the "granny ring", thus
making it redundant?).

and how fit you are

Quoted message said:

(current 10 mile time).

My one and only 10 mile time was last year (2003) and 1 hour 37. I have also done one 1/2 marathon
at 2.15, but usually do 10ks (pb 55.60). These times are not very good, however it is only this
(last, I mean) year that I have started running in earnest (in earnest meaning running lots of
races, but with hardly any training). A week in which I ran more than once was a very rare event
indeed, and in fact it was rare for me to even do one run a week. So I know that with proper
training, I can do much better than that, which is what I intend to do this year!

Quoted message said:

Oh and how soon you want to try racing ...

Well, you know, if you do a 10k run, however slow you are, because they are open to fun-runners and
joggers etc, you are virtually guaranteed not to come last or too near last. I've never been to a
bike race, but the impression in my head is that even 4th cat races will be full of super fit Lance
Armstrong clones, and that if I dared to even enter one, I would be totally assured of crawling in
last about 2 hours behind the guy in front. Maybe it's not as bad as I imagine, but I think I'd
prefer to do at least a few non-competitive Audaxes first before even thinking about road racing.
Maybe in about six months, but I have no idea how ready I would be for it.

Thanks a lot again for the offer of help. (Cyclists, please excuse all the OT talk about running,
which I included just to give Julia an idea of my current fitness and future potential)

Quoted message said:

What I would like is for someone to tell me (if it is true) that the Carrera frames actually *are*
[censored] and the reason why, rather than the possibility that they might be. The only reviews I have
read have been positive (on the discussion forum another poster pointed me to).

I don't think you will get hard evidence that the frames are [censored]. I believe that they use the same
quality alloys as their peers and the build quality appears to be as good as other road bikes.

The 'negative vibes' I suggest, are based on personal prejudice and not personal experience and as
such have no 'hard print' sources.

I'd be perfectly happy to add one to my stable of bikes if:

a) I thought I could get away with it without my wife inflicting life threatening chair wounds on me
b) I was fit enough to take on some racing.

If you are truly happy with what you see, buy it. I don't think you will gather enough hard evidence
to rubbish the bike. You might find cheaper alternatives though..

Carrera frames are actually made to by the same company who supply Specialized and GT with many of
their frames (Meridia). In fact at a tangent the Carrera LTRS1 MTB with 1:1 suspension was actually
launched before the Specialized equivalent with a better spec and cheaper price.

I rode the old Carrera Virtuoso with Tange Cromo DB Frameset as a winter bike and found it to be
better than my old Bianchi Caurus.

On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 01:11:19 -0000, "Rick" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

What I would like is for someone to tell me (if it is true) that the Carrera frames actually *are*
[censored] and the reason why, rather than the possibility that they might be. The only reviews I have
read have been positive (on the discussion forum another poster pointed me to).

Rick

As I can say on this is that an acquaintance of mine has owned a Carrera MTB for about ten years. He
rides his bike regularly on gentle South Downs' paths and the bike is still in one piece.

James

--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse.

"> Thanks very much, Julia! Most kind. Deciding which bike to buy is a bit like

Quoted message said:

choosing a partner ... thousands out there but almost none of them are

right

Quoted message said:

for you ...

Quoted message said:

How old you are

Coming up to 41.

Quoted message said:

, weight and height

92 kilos (about 14 stone I think), 6ft 2

Quoted message said:

what your budget is

Depends really. Anything between 300 and 600, depending on how much I like the bike and how good
the deal is. Like if it was a £900 bike offered for £600, I would think, "hey, that's a great
bargain, I'll have that!"😉. I

know

Quoted message said:

that's not the right attitude, but I can't help thinking like that. (Only partly joking). It would
also help the future second hand value. On the other hand, something fairly cheap but functional
would also be OK. In one of my LBS, there is a Claud Butler Roubaix, which I like the looks of at
least (also important to me, although I suppose it shouldn't be), for £339 (just reduced from
£399 after Christmas - see, I like those reductions!). I'm hoping this Carrera we have been
talking about will be coming down

some

Quoted message said:

more too.

Apart from that, there have been some excellent magazine reviews of the Guess RB1, although its
componentry seems lower down on the Shimano scale than the other bikes. That's £499, but this
seems to be RRP. Then there is the Specialied Allez, which I don't know much about, which can be
had for the same price, or the Giant OCR series. They have the advantage of being triples, which I
suppose can only be good for the beginner (or will I quickly outgrow the need for the "granny
ring", thus making it

redundant?).

Quoted message said:

and how fit you are

Quoted message said:

(current 10 mile time).

My one and only 10 mile time was last year (2003) and 1 hour 37. I have

also

Quoted message said:

done one 1/2 marathon at 2.15, but usually do 10ks (pb 55.60). These times are not very good,
however it is only this (last, I mean) year that I have started running in earnest (in earnest
meaning running lots of races, but with hardly any training). A week in which I ran more than once
was a very rare event indeed, and in fact it was rare for me to even do one run a

week.

Quoted message said:

So I know that with proper training, I can do much better than that, which is what I intend to do
this year!

Quoted message said:

Oh and how soon you want to try racing ...

Well, you know, if you do a 10k run, however slow you are, because they

are

Quoted message said:

open to fun-runners and joggers etc, you are virtually guaranteed not to come last or too near
last. I've never been to a bike race, but the impression in my head is that even 4th cat races
will be full of super fit Lance Armstrong clones, and that if I dared to even enter one, I would
be totally assured of crawling in last about 2 hours behind the guy in front. Maybe it's not as
bad as I imagine, but I think I'd prefer to do at least

a

Quoted message said:

few non-competitive Audaxes first before even thinking about road racing. Maybe in about six
months, but I have no idea how ready I would be for it.

I think you're right about the level of fitness required to compete in a road race (years ago I had
a boyfriend who was a first cat and I used to get cross when he gave me a push going up hills and I
was fit - 37.35 for 10k), even at veteran level I suspect it would take about 2 years training; I.e.
4 times a week. If you want to compete it's probably better to get involved with the local triathlon
club( a good source for second-hand bikes when you know what you want) and look at local 10 mile
time trials on a summer evening with a view to doing a duathlon (run-bike-run). In my experience you
will find a lot more recreational athletes at these events. It would also be useful to learn to ride
in the group so you could contact your local.group of the CTC to get started. As regards a bike I
think this is the sort of thing that would fit the bill "Pendle Winter Training Bike 7005 series
Aluminium frame with mudguard eyes Chromo fork with mudguard eyes Full Sora Groupset Mavic MA3 rims
handbuilt onto Shimano Hubs using Sapim Spokes Quality finishing kit including components from 3T
and Selcof Price includes full length SKS mudguards Incredibly only £425" Reasoning as follows You
need something to get started on. 7005 frame is fairly standard, chromo forks generally a good thing
at this price for a bit of shock absorbency. Sora is OK and the wheels look good at this price
point. The capacity to fit mudguards is a Good Thing (Tm). If you train in the wet do you want to
get back wet through from the waist down with black gunky water off the road? It is also
inconsiderate to cover your mates with said [censored]. Additionally some audax rides insist on the use of
mudguards. Even when they don't you may find it difficult to find a group/partner to ride with if
the roads are wet. They are easy enough to take off for summer or competition. Additionally the
frame angles of a winter trainer will be a bit kinder to you than an out and out close clearance
race machine, you can easily be in the saddle for 5-6 hours for a 100k audax.

Alternatively a look at the Ricci site may be of interest ricciltd.comricci1.htmlOpen ↗ if
you'd prefer steel.

As regards a triple I would say it is a must. As a runner of your weight you are already giving your
knees a pounding so high cadence (about 85-95 rpm)and lower gears will get you fit and fast without
buggering your knees. 30-44-52 will give you a good range of gears and get you up the hill they
always put in the last 5 miles of an audax!

Finally when you have proved me wrong and become a first cat road racer after 6 months of training
you can buy your Pinarello Prince and still use your old bike for training when the weather is bad.
Ok so you may not want a Pinarello but after a year of riding, reading the mags and picking other
people's brains you will almost certainly know what you do want.

I hope this helps. The other source of valuable information is your LBS. I don't know where you live
but if you post here telling us someone will probably tell you who is worth going to in your area.
Now is a good time to do a deal and a good shop will make sure a bike fits you properly and swap
bits about if needed.

Regards Julia