We Bought A £430 Entry Level Bike in 2023 - Value Or Trash?
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Carrera Vanquish - yes or no?
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I really love that you guys are making content on entry level stuff. I know this isn't your first video of this kind but still, it's a breath of fresh air in an otherwise "premium" landscape.
So true. Considering the huge amount of people who live pay check to pay check it's crazy how high end 'the cycling scene' has gone - replacement parts & servicing costs too. Love these budget bike videos. They would have been really helpful when I was starting off.
Totally agree 👍
It is really a fun sport. Lot's of people who don't have the money or want to spend thousands of euro's on a bike. Though there is a lot of choice between 400 and 1000 euro.
I drive a second hand triban rc500 and i tend to believe it is a good choice. (have to admit the bike was hardly used when i bought it.)
Spot on!
Totally agree! The other stuff with carbon-this and hydraulic that @ £10k…. I mean… come on…
I guess that’s just a completely different audience of wealthy bike…. 🙂 I’ll be nice - ‘enthusiasts’…
I’m just starting out and want to get a good value bike with us decent to start with
It’s really refreshing to see big channels like yours reviewing bikes that many people will be buying instead of £20,000 super bikes that most people will never touch
Agree but the budget should be a little higher. No newbies are going to reach this channel they could point the bikes to people with small budget that are already in the cycling world. That are willing to spend more on cycling than other hobbies. The budget should be 2000-2500
But there are probably not many reviews of the Halfords Carrera bike and this video practically just gave it a 5star rating with 3 bonus stars for the unbeatable price
@@triggamusician I'm not saying that it isn't necessary to do these. I'm saying that cade audience is in more deep waters than the folks looking at a holfords bike. Should do a review on Rose alloy bikes are so good looking, MMR amazing price before the war/horrible wait lists, Merida scultura budget bikes are very good looking, Megamo, Polygon and so on. Just my opinion
Even though I cringe to think of riding something so inexpensive (I ride a fifty year old classic 531 well maintained and with the engine in great shape) these are the answer to keeping cycling affordable and available to more people. I'd spend a little more on a basic bike, but the gist is exactly right. I have absolutely no desire to buy a 'racing super duper latest GCN approved complete with canary outfit' bike. There's good engineering, and then there's superfluous hype. Take it back to local bike shops maintaining the former to keep average people cycling. The more cyclists there are, the better it is for we serious ones.
(Cough gcn)
I'd go for second hand, you should do a cheap bike challenge between you 2, a budget of £500 to go and find the best first road Bike
Love the idea! 🎉
Me too! That would be awesome
That would be awsome
That's not a good idea! This way, 2 good cheep bikes will end up to youtubers who don't need them and have many other expensive bikes, instead of ending up being sold to someone who will actually use them and don't have the money to get an expensive one.... Unless of course they make a video about the whole experience and then sell the bikes again, so they (the bikes) do end up to someone who will truly appreciate and use them.
Yes! A £300 to £500 challenge! Then give the bikes away at the end or sell them
I bought this exact bike in the same size from Halfords in November AND it was my first bike as an adult. I'm 25 and I haven't ridden since I was like 12 so it's definitely been a hot minute since I'd ridden anything.
Furthermore I'd also never ridden drop bars before and I really agree with what you say about the weird shape of the bars on this bike - Riding on the tops and hoods is super comfortable and the width of the bar is perfect however riding in the drops feels really sketchy because the drops are just a strange shape. It kinda feels like there isn't enough room to put your hand on the bar at the bottom of the drop, like they got cut a little short on the back sweep. That being said, I'm a full covert to drop bars now as they're just so much more comfortable to ride around on and I don't spend an extended amount of time down in the drops on my rides to and from the shops or work so they're a pass for me for now - maybe I'll change them later on 😜
I also had the bike built for me - mostly because I had zero idea what I was doing and didn't want to mess it up - and I too had a problem with disc brake rub out the box which I learned to fix myself. I also found that my gears were indexed to absolutely nothing out the box and spent an evening learning how to do it myself and now it runs amazingly.
I totally get what you're saying with it not being beginner gearing too - I live on the top of a hill in a really hilly area and the first month or two of riding I just couldn't get up the hill to my house so I had to walk it up which made me feel silly but I think that was a combination of the harder gearing and me being ridiculously unfit. After a few months of riding I'm happy to say I can totally make it up the hill home and I'm a much stronger rider.
Me buying a bike was a way of having some reliable transport and to get my fitness up as I don't really get to stay active due to work. This bike really makes me excited to go for rides and I go out pretty much every day now even if it's only for half an hour to spin my legs a bit - I'm very thankful for it giving me the cycling bug 😊
Thanks for the killer video, guys - It's really refreshing to see someone talking about affordable beginner gear that can get more people excited to get in the saddle and, subsequently, make more people for everyone to ride with
I’m considering a bike (same haven’t really ridden for years and never had drop bars) your comments really helpful 👍 cheers
This is the longest youtube comment I've ever seen
Can’t seem to find a size chart for Carrera Virtuoso LTD anywhere
@@fuzzb0x436 and i still read it all, the things you do for love
@@fuzzb0x436 Very informative & well thought out though. Thanks @MechaSkingles for taking the time to share your experienced of the bike.
I'm a beginner and I have this bike, I'm glad you said the gear ratios are tight, I thought it was just me being a beginner 😅 can justify changing the rear cassette now!!
I saw a £2700 Ribble described as an "entry level" gravel bike today on a website. Nice to see this channel reminding people that you can get into cycling without spending a lot of money.
It's nice to hear a very rational review on an entry-level bike without the first-world snobbery or elitism 🙌❤️
@@qewfsdsd65445 Back in the day, Halfords bikes were always frowned upon when I was a kid lol You were un-cool and a cheapskate if you owned one. Times have very much changed, And not just changed but you see Halfords bikes everywhere! You are right they are the go to for most people now.
Seriously, this series is a treasure trove for people looking for their first bike. Absolute top notch service. Chapeau!
I've to say I quite like those entry level bike videos. I have a lot of friends I want to bring into the sport, but most of them shy away from buying a bike for 1500€ or more, just to see if they like it or not. So please keep them coming as well as the ali express parts videos. You are helping to make the sport more accessibly for all of us :D
For trying just go second hand. But please help them to pick the right bike. Specially regarding the size and the components. If you need to change the tires and the cassette and the chain and and and ... right out of the gate, it sucks.
If they dont like it, you will be able to sell it for a little bit less or maybe even earn some bucks :)
@@hkp9257 if they are about my height, I normally lend them one of my bikes. But for my sister for example this is not an option, luckily the Mrs and her are about the same hight.
Yeah but all in all your are absolutely right, second hand should be the way to go if you are unsure about the sport.
Exactly! There's a point of quality below which the machine can be blamed for non-performance. There's a point at which the machine isn't what's holding back the rider from 'freedom'. And that's the gist of the 'affordable good bike'.
Just buy a used bike. $300 will get you a light road bike with brifters all day on marketplace.
As someone who works at Halfords and has sold many of these bikes and similar it's nice to finally get a modern accurate review to reference
I'm sadly a Cycle Tech at Halfords, as you can imagine I fix many shit bikes a day. However they are good bikes usually and a reasonable price, just the people that buy it don't look after them as they know nothing about bikes.
@@BeforeEffects101 ye I feel bad for u cycle techs the only golds I've ever quoted were worth more than the bike itself never had a nice bike booked in for repair unless they bought it cheap off marketplace and put dogshir parts on it
@@BeforeEffects101 could you recommend a cassette for this bike that would get me up hills easier? Ideally without having to change the derailer or anything else.
I used to work in halfords for my sins. I'd rather work on a carrera than a Cervelo TBH. Pretty decent bikes and I'd recommend them to anyone wanting to start cycling.
I used to woek for halfords as a bike builder. For most people that enjoy cycling at a hobby level its a great entry level option.
Hi. I got second hand Carrera Virtuoso, same bike like yours but with alloy fork(better for bikepacking) . I changed the brakes with ZTTO hybrid cable actuated hydrolic. I chenged the handlebar 😁, I put 32mm Continental tyres with RideNow TPU inner tubes. I chanded the Claris rear derailleur to long cage and I put 34t 8s cassette. I changed the crank with an old Sora Hollow tech and new Bsa bottom bracket. Finally I changed the saddle. I love thise bike. It's already equipped with all the bags and it is ready for bikepacking. The geometry it's quite relaxed. The bike is very robust and tyre clearance is not bad 32mm is CX territory. Another amazing video. I happy we share the same thoughts. Best regards.
Cade Media keeping it real, reviewing bikes the general public actually buy.
I know a lot of comments are saying this but it's very refreshing to see a genuine entry level bike. When you're saying entry level and reviewing a bike that's £1500-£2000 you've made a wrong turn somewhere
5 years ago my local Halfords had a Boardman MX hybrid in stock for £600. When it was the last one in the shop and down to £300, I bought it. It has never been under cover and has had disc pads, chain and cassette replaced. It’s still in good Nick, top buy. I’ve always liked Halfords except for servicing; I don’t trust their mechanics.
Considering what happened to the price of bikes in the past couple of years, that's really good value. Claris is actually not a bad groupset. Properly set up, it shifts very well. Yes; I am sure those tires are trash. It's a shame that tires (or "tyres" for you lot) are where low-end bikes cut corners. It's not just a ride quality thing; it's about safety. That's an easy change, though.
I'm a cycle technician at halfords, and have just recently come across the claris mechs, they seem to work very well although they don't look fantastic, I'll keep an eye open to see how well they perform and if they can last longer than shimano.
Thanks 🇬🇧👍
@@davidjarvie9546 Claris is Shimano
But it has a carbon fork and disc brakes. I'd rather have better tyres and a wheel that is not from a clowns car.
@@davidjarvie9546 you're a cycle technician who doesn't know claris is made by shimano 🤔 how long exactly have you been a "cycle technician"
@@fuzzb0x436 6 years I'm sorry I don't know everything, I don't take my work home with me.
But thanks for the info now I know.
I’m particularly liking the tips on upgrades. I’ve an old Cannondale for commuting which needs some serious tlc. This helps with the shopping list!
My rim brake Vanquish took me from John O Groats to Land's End in 2019 and never missed a beat (having made a few of the changes mentioned). It's now a grab and go flat bar single speed commuter. Again, kudos guys for showcasing the more budget bikes which for many are their entry to this fantastic past time! Happy cycling!
I’ve done three thousand miles on my carerra vanquish now.
Brilliant video, we need more of these sorts of videos for people like me, who can't afford GCN ad £5k bikes. Please keep more of this sort of bike, including what you can find second hand. Thanks!
Hi guys new sub, I'm a cycle technician at the said store mentioned in the video above.
Love your critique of the vanquish, my manager let me know about your channel and I'm impressed guys,you were more than fair in your assessment of the bike,I also do not like the handlebars and have mentioned this to halfords HQ.
The vanquish is a good value bike at that price ,it is smooth on the ride and as you say just change a few bits that you personally don't like and you will have a great bike which will perform as well or better than more expensive bikes that do the same.
🇬🇧👍👍👍
Could you recommend a better cassette that will allow me to get up hills easier? That's the only issue I have with this bike.
Would watch a video with Jimmy’s 2.5 upgrades to this bike.
Yeah but the .5 would have to be one side of the bars only 😅
What a great video on entry level bikes. I really do think that a lot of beginner cyclists can learn a lot from your’e video’s. Also want to mention again your’e collab with Jimmi, its outstanding. You are bringing your’e channel to a next level!
I just LOVE that budget bikes reviews,so perfect and clear for beginners (like me)
Thank you so much GUYS!
I've had this bike for 9 months for my winter/ commute bike (1,153.1 miles as of this morning on strava)..... The wheels have cup and cone bearings so changed them for Vision Team 30, changed the saddle for a ec90 saddle (I have the proper Specialized Power Comp Saddle on my summer carbon bike, sorry I cant pay £80 for each bike) and fitted £30 Halfords mud guards. I have only just changed the chain last week but everything else is running perfect. The wheels that came with the bike have now got 35mm tyres on for gravel/ canal rides (I live in Birmingham) and will update you once I have tested them with the frame. I personally have no issue with the gears ratio or bars but I am not as experienced as you guys. I can honestly recommend this bike.
I've recommended Carreras for years. On a budget they are great bang for buck. My first proper mtb, and road bike were Carreras.
I bought a Carrera Virtuoso about 10 years ago for £250, and it had Kenda 23 tyres, which punctured constantly. I changed the tyres to 25 Gatorskins, so much better. The wheels themselves are great, freewheeling down Lochranza on the Isle of Arran I reached 54mph and beat a Cannondale 😮. I have clocked thousands of miles on it. I still love it. To be fair, I have nothing to compare it with, as I had not ridden anything properly since my old Peugeot vintage bike or my really old BSA Tour de France, which was stolen. 😢.
I think the important thing really is that I really enjoy it, and it gets me out and about. And I'm 62
I remember when the standard bicycle that everyone rode had chromed steel wheel rims, steel cottered cranks, chromed steel bars, and 3 or 5 gears. Alloy rims were a substantial upgrade. 10, 12 or more gears (2 x 5 or 2 x 6, even 3 x 5) was considered luxury. Square tapered cranks were very posh indeed. Now the "entry level" bike has alloy rims and hubs, butted frame tubes, square taper alloy cranks, alloy bars and brake levers, and more gears than you will ever need. Very good value indeed.
As usually, I am here to comment that buying second hand is usually a better choice assuming you have a bit of understanding of bikes oooor you are willing to learn a bit from some youtube tutorials. However, I appreciate you guys not trashing these bikes purely because they dont have aero wheels :D
Also I think it is a cool idea for a video where you each have X budget and you buy a second hand bike from it. if you buy a bargain for less, you can decide to spend that money on upgrades. Then you meet back and try and compare the bikes.
Good thing about this advice though is these are a true entry point for people if they know very little about bikes. You could easily get stitched up (by your own lack of knowledge or by the seller) going second hand but if you get something like this as long as you don’t stuff up the size your going to be all good.
I bought a Carrera Virtuoso road bike almost 7 years ago for just under £300, still going strong. Hoping to upgrade to something a bit nicer one day.
Same here, and I thought the Virtuoso was really nice looking. Rode it for 7 years, just changed to better tyres. Eventually gave it away to my son in law who still rides it.
I still use my Carrera road king (its the one in the picture actually) this is what the Vanquish was 15ish years ago apart from a few replacement parts due to wear it's still going strong. Cycling does not need to be expensive!
Thanks for the comparison against the Triban. Interesting to hear that the Carrera would, after reasonable tweaks, be the better bike. Appreciated
I've got an old vanquish, the white and green one. It's still going, it's done 1000's of miles, it's had new pads, new tyres and two new cassettes and chains. I can't fault the thing, it's more reliable than my more expensive purchases.
And yes I had to change the town ratio to an 11-32 😁
Which cassette did you change it too ?
@@spirallingdreams91 I think the first one was the basic Shimano 11-32 (HG-51 or something like that), it's currently on a 7 speed SRAM 11-32 which is good apart from what feels like an odd gap halfway through the cassette.
Totally fair assessment on a pretty good bike. I can't think of a bike I've bought that I didn't immediately change the contact points (bars, saddle, pedals, tires) to suit my preferences.
I like microshift, I setup a microshift acolyte on the wifes old 26" trek mountain bike and it works awesome😊
Bought one of these myself about 4 years ago, for £425. I'm a Cannondale junkie, so this was for about town, everyday stuff. The colour was black with green detail & the tyres were 25 mm. Aside from the drops - which took a bit of getting used to (not sure if they are the same as on the current model) - I couldn't fault the bike. It doesn't get used much now due to my more recent purchases being a Synapse & a Diverge, so I plan to use it as my Zwift bike - comfortable saddle & geometry. Good bike.
It has always been the case that bicycles were sold over geared. Back in the 1970s bikes came with a 42/52 chainring. To build a touring bike you needed either a TA Cyclotourist chainset (expensive) or use Milremo cottered cranks, or Stronglight 49D cranks which took the TA chainrings. Raleigh even sold their 3 speed Twenty shopping bike, with a top gear you could time trial on.
Cade -- thanks for being so thorough on your entry level series, it's great for us beginner riders trying to get more knowledge of the sport.
Would love to see you fix those few items and re-review to see if it really does improve it like you’d hoped!
Agreed! And perhaps even offer a few options, like a smaller inner chainring vs changing cassette, various tire choices, etc and chart them to rate what offers the most gain per investment. The same findings would apply to a lot of 'affordable' bikes.
Love the entry level bike videos. Keep on coming!!!
I have a 17 year old Carrera Subway hybrid that I use as an all terrain bike. It was well made, and while most of the components have now been changed, it's still going strong. I notice that the current version on sale is about a couple of kilograms heavier. If I had to replace the old bike now, I'd probably go for a more expensive brand.
My OH has used a Carrera crossfire for commuting to work for years. It has been really good. It’s needed tyres, chain etc which wear out with use, but it has been really good.
These videos could not have come at a better time, as Spring has begun. Going to hold off buying anything for the moment to see what info future videos bring.
More entry level ,dare say, “normal” bike videos! Love the experienced view of something I could buy.
I have this as my throw around bike and upgraded it with sram rival and some DT Swiss 1800 wheels, kind of overkill but dropping people on a carrera makes me feel like a champion
This is really interesting seeing what's available and how much one can get for the price. I like what your channel is doing covering everything. 👍
I had the rim version of this bike. It was just over 10kg, comfortable, quick enough and smooth. I owned a Cannondale CAAD8 at the time and I didn't think the Carrera felt much different. A bargain really
I keep thinking about buying a road bike, my massively heavy hybrid is horrible to ride. Your entry level bike tests are ideal for me because this is the sort of budget that I would be looking at.
Spot on the money guys!! A lot of us don't race and haven't got the money to buy a "proper" bike so the likes of Decathlon, Halfords (or similar in other countries) and second hand (now thats an idea) is where a lot of us end up looking. Keep up with these budget reviews, they are great!!
I bought a 750 quid gt grade full carbon, second hand. A very fast road bike that if you want to go on the gravel, you can. Awesome.
A note on halfords cycle care plan.
I took it out thinking its really cheap and would be a good idea. And for the discount and free fitting of stuff its ok.
But the servicing is basically non-existent. Every time I tried to book to use one of the services, there was never a mechanic available or I would turn up to actually have the service happen but when I turned up no one was there to do that. Now that might have just been my local grouping of stores in south london, but still, its something to be aware of if your buying a bike and a careplan from them
Would be great to see a follow up video where you do some of the upgrades you've suggested and compare.
Very happy you tested this lovely bike and made a video. When you started discussing hangers it made me realize I was about to go on a bike trip without my spare. That alone is worth a couple thumbs up.
Would love to see this bike pimped out. See how light you can get it. This is a more realistic project for us regular people
Great that you guys are testing cheaper bikes so helpful for people to find an excellent first bike. Well done!!.
My upgrade list if I was new to cycling and advising a friend, in order of priority:
A bike fit with saddle, shoes and pedals.
Clothes, helmet, sunglasses etc
Saddle bag with pump, tube, quick patches, multi tool, etc
Deda zero1 40cm bars
HG50 34tooth cassette
28mm Conti Ultra sport 3 tyres
Security QR skewers
(Aspirational upgrades)
Gp5000 tyres and lighter tubes
Optislick gear cable kit
Jagwire compression less housing kit
TRP HY-RD or Juintech brakes
Deda zero stem (10-20mm longer)
Lastly would be a wheel upgrade like a DT Swiss ER1600 with qr adapters, and shortly there after I’d be getting a new frame (cinelli, kinesis) and groupset (105) to transfer everything onto
ten years ago a £250 Carrera from Halfords started off my cycling. Did me proud for many years.
I bought a Halfords Carrera in 2019 for £260 (!!!) and I love it. I have since put conti gt5000 tyres on it a a proper 40cm (my fit) cheap but really good bontrager bar (with lizarskins bartape). It’s a great bike and perfect to practice my questionable bike mechanic skills on. My other bike is a titanium mosaic with ENVE wheels and assorted kit - I still love the mightly carrera.
Heya guys, really enjoying the “New Channel” i really like the fact that you are covering budget bikes, waaaay too many youtubers that only seem to review and promote bikes that are way out of an average or beginner budget!! please keep up a variety of reviews 👍🏼….. im in the market for a budget road bike, but i wonder whats best 1) £500-900 budget bike (New)
2) 2nd hand older Mid entry bike
3) a good set of road wheels for my Gravel bike??
a video on comparing the budget bikes with your recommended upgrades and seeing how much better they are, with the focus on which is the best bang for buck.
Some great comments here. Agree that buying second hand would be better, but most people new to cycling or with a lower budget even than this could be easily caught out UNLESS they go to a bike recycling organisation / charity. There are some in Durham and Darlington (probably in Newcastle too). How about you and Jimi go and seek out a decent road/gravel or MTB at one of these places. They must have them - I've given away 3 decent bikes to Bikestop Darlington. They tweak / service and resell. Then you're really talking helping people to get into cycling. Thanks for the great content guys (as opposed to the Sea Otter stuff). 😀
Nothing wrong with that bike.
I bought a Vanquish brand new in 2006, it was pretty bombproof.
Managed Lejog and an Etape 6 years later on it.
Only needed minor maintaince and only gave it up for a full Carbon steed after that as a treat for managing the Alps!!
Would love for you guys to make those few upgrades to this bike and see if it actually improves it the way it should. Even with those upgrades the bike would still be quite cheap. A comparison of the upgrades to the stock parts would be great for those who want to start upgrading they’re budget bikes!
Ive been working in the bike industry for almost 20 years and thought we were done with the bargains. But this bike is insane value.
Also i see a lot of comments about 2nd hand bikes. Have any of these people seen the 2nd hand market at the moment. A bike with a carbon fork, discs and modern claris with a good warranty for under 500 cannot be beat 2nd hand right now unless you are incredibly lucky, in the mtb market for sure but not in the road bike market.
This bike
Another nice vid guys
I did infact change the bars on mine after seeing this vid and yeah it's much nicer now! Thanks.😊
Sometimes more expensive is not better . I owned a bianci and a falcon proline ( a quarter of the price ) and did thousands of miles on both and I promise you the proline remains the better memory and the more loved bike 👍
Was really surprised at the bike I managed to pick up at Halfords recently. Boardman road bike, full carbon, full 105 groupset and hydro disc. Couldn't find what I was looking for at that price. Halfords isn't really the place when you think to spend money on a higher end bike but I think this was a steal
That was a really fair assessment.
34-28 is not bad unless you are climbing walls. I changed recently from 34-27 to 34-30 and it's a little bit better when you are not in good shape yet, but not that huge of a diference.
if you want cheaper than dirt, crisp shifting sti, get sensha 2×7...11 levers. works amazing. single lever, no paddle shifters, just the brake levers. small slilde in, shift to the smaller, slide in big, shifts up. kinda shimano and sram mix. great stuff. and the most important, cabels under the hoods.
I genuinely don't get why they use these chainrings on almost every road focused bike. 50-34 is mostly useless for beginners. I know Shimano doesn't have many alternatives, but they really should. How hard is it to make a 42-26 for example? Then even the 11-28 in the back would be usable, never mind a 11-34...
Right well, if I wasn’t addicted to your content before…. This stuff is great, being able to share stuff like this with new riders is so helpful, rather than taking my biased opinion on things ha.
Well done guys, keep it up.
Nice one guys, my daughter got a similar Carrera road bike and she loves it. Great value bikes. Nice video, very fair assessment.
I bought an RC120 with disc brakes and I swear by this bike. In fact it was so good that I bought another one when the first one was stolen. I added clipless pedals, replaced the tires on that one, and got the cable actuated TRP HY/RD hybrid calipers and the bike now rides like a charm. The next upgrade will be a decent wheelset (I'm thinking Mavic Allroad, would love your advice!). I genuinely think that this could potentially be the best sub-1000Eur setup! Also, MicroShift is so underrated. They're really really good!
I got this bike and have changed the tires. Never bother changing the bars as I rarely use the drops. I fitted a 32T cassette. The wheel spoke kept coming loose so changed them as well. Makes a great winter bike.
Great content again fellas. Showing what simple changes can make an entry bike better. But also another example of the industry, selling bikes to hit a price point, so you can go out and spend some more money within the industry to make the sensible changes that could be made before it hits the shops.
Bars, cassettes, saddles, tires are all such personal things that I'd expect to change them on pretty much any bike. Even after those changes, you're still looking at a pretty good price, especially considering the ridiculous price of higher-end bikes these days.
Imagine asking Francis Cade if he would like to purchase extra maintenance and protection for his budget bike purchase. :D For real, we see a lot of very expensive bikes on your channel. Good on you for showing some great entry level options for new riders out there.
Great to see you guys give a truly honest/fair review and give the bike a chance rather than many other channels that go into it with strong preconceptions and just give a trash review which they could have done without ever buying the bike.
You guys are really "class" act, keep up the great work!
How brilliant your videos are! I have a boardman road sport I bought 10 years ago I ride everywhere even though I also have full carbon airobike with ultegra groupset. It just goes to show that modern £500 bike is enough to get you fut and enjoy cycling. 😊
I have a Virtuoso, which I think is the same bike but with an alloy fork. I did add a longer cage rear mech and a 34 on the back. Then I changed the crankset for a fsa subcompact. For tires I got some 30mm Zafiros, the front one just barely fits. Then I got a weird little bracket from eBay that lets me mount panniers. It's been great fun although sometimes I think the handling is a bit aggressive for what I use it for. 😂
I've seen a few reviews of some of their mountain bikes, the Hellcat and especially the Fury are very well thought of for the money.
99% of complaints I see about Halfords are about their techs to be honest, most people seem to feel the bikes are decent for the money if you put them together yourself.
Having had a Triban 500SE for around 8 years (was my first ‘proper’ bike and is now permanently on the trainer), you might imagine I’d say this but I’d pick the Triban over the Carrera any day.
It’s a properly bullet proof bike that seems to have been designed and built as an entry level to serious road riding, whereas Carreras just feel like mass market BS and built down to a price (despite being more expensive than the Triban!).
Great demo video though. 👌🏻
And Decathlon has way more better service than Halfords
@@stanley3647 I’ll take your word for it, I’ve never used either! 😂
Weight limits are much higher with the Carrera its a much stronger bike. It also has full carbon fibre forks not those more dodgy carbon fibre blades bonded to a aluminium steerer which tend to have a high risk of failure after a few years because the bonding fails. Also Decathlon have had a lot of frame recalls but Halfords typically don't which might be related to the higher weight limits. I'd see the Carrera as a much higher quality bike but its all down to perspective and what is important to you.
I also disagree about Microshift being better than Shimano but that is more about long term reliability even if Microshift perform well initially.
Ultimately I'm outside the weight limits of the Decathlon bike so couldn't buy it anyway.
The first bike i bought for myself at the age of 14 working in the summer holidays. I raised £1000 for charity on it and got me into the sport! (Back then it cost the same but was called something slightly different that year and didnt have the carbon forks).
a really solid deal for a bike to start out on ! 2X8 claris is a really solid and reliable platform, is it premium, no !
But it'll sure get you in some nice miles before most beginners ever need more !
Looks like a nice bike overall for an astonishingly good entry point ! AND a platform you could upgrade over time
like a bit more of a nicer groupset, (with better ratios) and or a bit nicer saddle (that suits the rider). or bars, or wheels.
But right out the box, pretty good imo
The comment about the drops may be invalid, i bought a similar road bike of entry level and just loosened the handlebar clamp and rotated the bar to a comfortable angle.
I like the comment at the end, to make it a great bike you need to change this and that... And you end up buying more in spare parts that you spent initially on it. Sometimes, it is better to take a new complete bike... I did this exact same calculation when starting listing what I will upgrade to make my triban bike better...
Love the video! I would be very interested to see a test of second hand bikes in the price range around $500. Especially in a comparison to the entry-level bikes you bought at Decathlon and Halfords. My guess is that the 'cheap' bikes do not hold up well over time, whereas second hand bikes with older but higher quality parts often seem indestructible
This channel should have at least 1M subscribers
can you please make an update video with the upgrades you mentioned.
It's interesting that you mention the gear ratios because I bought a bike from Halfords 30 years ago, or rather my dad did (so it was an entry level budget friendly bike), and the gear ratios were horrific then as well. Where I live isn't that flat and there was one hill that if I made it up I was chuffed with myself because it was that tough. My friend on his mountain bike with much better gearing could just spin his pedals, albeit going uphill slowly, but it was so easy for him. Watching this made me remember those days. Back then there was no UA-cam and only TdF highlights on the TV so I never even thought you could actually change the cassette (maybe you couldn't on that bike, who knows, but it would have made life so much easier. That short hill felt like I was going up Alpe d'Huez every time (minus the 20 or so hairpins)!!!
My first road bike was a steel framed Carrera from the early 90's. Lowest gear was 42-23, although I did later fit a 39 tooth chainring which was the smallest that would fit! Gears didn't get any smaller back then! 34-28 is perfectly adequate for the hills of North Wales!
I started cycling on the 2015 rim brake version of this bike. I am so happy they switched to disc brakes and larger tyre clearence. I was keen to quickly upgrade to a new bike but it got me into the sport. And great for communiting to rowing.
Well done Francis. Excellent video. You should hvave pointed out that your local bike shop will be more than happy to advise which bars, stem, cassette and tyres to put on to an otherwise, lovely entry level bike. I would encourage anyone with £700 to spend on a new bike to get something like this and spend a bit of time, getting some Controltech Ones, Deda RHMs, a Sunrace or Claris cassette (or even putting a road fairy onto the hanger) and some quality Schwalbes on the go. Durano, Lugano or Marathons. cheers.
I think it’s amazing people will get so much pleasure from these bikes and hope it opens the door to a lifelong love of cycling.
Have been a loyal subscriber since the early days and like the new content that you're producing, but I really miss the ride vids with just you and your mates enjoying a ride somewhere. Appreciate the new style gets more views, but I miss the old ones. They were ace to enjoy watching with a coffee.
Thanks for reviewing an entry level bike. Not everyone wants or needs a professional bike and they may not be savvy ( mechanically ) enough to by a used bike.
I am lucky to have more than one bike. N+1😆. Various prices. On every one I switched out the saddle, handlebars and stem. Rear sprockets on one. Fit is everything.🥰
Keep up the good work👍
50/34 and 11-28 are perfectly reasonable in most places. I live just outside the Peak District and agree though - it's not low enough for us but fine for the majority of the south.
Please review a road bike with the following (this will apply to most viewers anyway, so high number of views guaranteed) :
- full carbon
- hydraulic disc brakes
- full shimano 105
I've seen various brands doing this setup from 2000 to 2800 euros
I just brought this bike because I want to get into cycling… cheers guys 😊
I love this series. Most of us want a £6k bike but a sub £1k bike is what we really need and are willing to spend our money on
Yup, and a good choice at £1k will be good enough for anyone but actual racers. There's a threshold at which cost per performance hits a bend in the curve, and anything above is nice to have, but not necessary to achieve 'escape velocity and comfort' for the vast majority of riders.