Halfords Carrera

[quote="complience"]

Quoted post said:

halfords make [censored].

they're target market are Chavs.

Halfords are a cycling supermarket they aim to sell as many as possible . There are a lot of the cheap Apollo brand sold in my area Carrera`s are rarer as they are dearer.The local branch ( Scunthorpe) has a top class mechanic ( Sean ) who learned his trade in various "proper" bike shops.You will probably get a better bike by looking further afield and possibly buying second hand as I did.You could get a more upmarket quality bike by buying an older second hand bike.I have a 1989 Olmo road bike with a columbus frame the italian equivalent of reynolds 531 with campag chainset.I personally don`t like shops that won`t part exchange. But I have bought from Halfords my son has a Saracen MTB which he likes.

shannons dad said:

Hi everyone. Me again. Does anyone know anything about the Carrera brand of bikes from Halfords. I'm looking to buy either the Valour or Vanquish road bike. I know they're not top-of-the-line-die-hard-race-bikes, but, I am but a poor peasant and can't afford anything else!😄 Any help would be very welcome. Thanks.

Bill.

Chavs don`t ride bikes they blast around playing [censored] music from improbably loud stereos in incredibly coloured Vauxhall Corsa`s

complience said:

halfords make [censored].
everything halfords made ive ever bought has broken within days of getting it home.

they're target market are Chavs.

its not like the bikes are even particulary cheep.

unless they are doing you a very good deal stay well away.

I've just been down to my local Halfords (does that make me a chav? I think not. 3 cars and a Beemer motorcycle plus various bicycles - all paid for!!) Got an excellent deal on a set of CatEye lights so I aint knocking Halfords. I wouldn't buy a bike from them because they don't sell Specialized or On-One, but I looked at the Vanquish and it seemed okay. For your budget though I think you could do a lot better. Oh, and not all of the stuff Halfords make is rubbish. I've never had to take anything back anyway.

I think we can say that 'local' dedicated bike shops are better than Halfords and other chains for many reasons without resorting to name-calling and snobbery.

I was on a very tight budget when I bought my modest new bike, (my old one was an Apollo from Halfords and a worse bike I can't imagine). I went into my local bike shop as I was quite sure I would not buy another cheapo bike which was all wrong for me.

I had little to do with the decision on the new bike as the bike shop guy picked out an excellent mountain bike suitable for me and within my budget, offered to swap the saddle and the tyres to suit me free of charge and all the extras I wanted came fitted. I didn't buy it straight away, I looked around, but I kept thinking back to the bike in my local bike shop, (he had picked a bike I really liked which addressed the problems I was having with my old bike), and how helpful they were, and to the fact that I could just pop in there for a cup of tea should I need any advice or if anything needed attention. Needless to say I went and got that bike and am loving every minute I spend riding it. Buying from my local bike shop was the best decision I could have made, and supporting small independant shops is the way forward if you still want to have the choice- otherwise we would only have chain-stores 🙁

Don't get me wrong, I buy bike accessories from Aldi- rain jackets, jerseys, bike rack, you name it- I love a bargain, but when it comes to your bike I would see what your local shop can offer you before you are seduced by the shiny lights in Halfords. Some of their bikes might be good, I don't pretend to know their entire range, but you would not get the same level of service and help from a chainstore.

SB

To be fairly honest. I have just bought a carrera valour mtb. i have already put it too some good use and have had no massive problems with the actual bike. it is a good idea to check out other bikes. halfords do not produce [censored]. yeah their mechanics are not the highest qualified. The problem with the valour is the grips as they wear away extremely fast when wearing gloves and tend to get a bit slippery in wet weather. its easier to pick up a quick £10-£20 pair of decent grips off ebay. I hope I helped(:

Have just brought a Carrerra Virtuoso. I am aware that they are looked down on by some cyclists but from reading various reviews it looked like the best budget, entry level bike in my price range. Being new to cycling I didn't really want to buy from E-bay as I was unsure what size frame I was after and wanted to see whether the 'feel' of the bike was right for myself.

I have nothing to compare it against but fingers crossed I haven't had any issues of yet. I'm fully aware that you get what you pay for but financial constraints really restricted my choices. The way I'm looking at it is that it's got me cycling which can only be a good thing and if I need to upgrade in a year or two then so be it. Possibly short-sighted but at least I can start saving now for an upgrade.