Carrera TDF for £249.99
Discussion
Just noticed that this is now £249.99.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
I'm aware that this is not a £600 bike and is always around £300.
For £300 the Triban 3 red is recommended. So I was looking at the next step up which was the 5a.
However after some recent road cycling and a lack of confidence I decoded to stick with off road riding in trails etc and I've decided on a Rockrider 8.1.
However something about a road bike is tempting me for a ride once a week somewhere quiet.
I've seen it mentioned on here by doing a search and most recommended the Triban 3 red, but I'm wondering if the £250 price point and the fact that the comparable replacement Triban 3 white is now a steel fork make this a bit more acceptable.
Group test:
http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level...
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
I'm aware that this is not a £600 bike and is always around £300.
For £300 the Triban 3 red is recommended. So I was looking at the next step up which was the 5a.
However after some recent road cycling and a lack of confidence I decoded to stick with off road riding in trails etc and I've decided on a Rockrider 8.1.
However something about a road bike is tempting me for a ride once a week somewhere quiet.
I've seen it mentioned on here by doing a search and most recommended the Triban 3 red, but I'm wondering if the £250 price point and the fact that the comparable replacement Triban 3 white is now a steel fork make this a bit more acceptable.
Group test:
http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level...
I've got one (lucked into it at half the current price and couldn't say no!)
Upsides, its a road bike, its not a bso, its better than the carrera zelos....
If you're careful, some sizes now come with 2400 shifters instead of the 2300s. You will have to ask in store as this isn't on the website yet. Not sure if its just the shifters or a complete 2400 Claris group set.
Its another 10% cheaper with a British cycling membership
Despite a long list of downsides I love mine :-)
Downsides
Very high gear ratios - but hey it gets you fitter.....
I hate the 2300 shifters
Standard fit tyres are terrible, fitting conti gp4s transformed the bike.
The tektro brakes aren't amazing - apparently new pads sorts that.
Its also very cheap at that price point. Cheaper than they seem to go for on eBay / Gumtree etc
One further downside, a lot of Halfords are useless. If you're anywhere near Halfords Leighton is fantastic.... Its all about the staff...
Personally for £300 as a total begin I'd have gone for the triban 3 with hindsight, carbon forks or not. At £225 with the British cycling discount the value argument changes quite a bit.
The recommended upgrade path for the tdf seems to be "buy another bike".
All said, I love mine :-) and it does look nicer than the triban :-)
Upsides, its a road bike, its not a bso, its better than the carrera zelos....
If you're careful, some sizes now come with 2400 shifters instead of the 2300s. You will have to ask in store as this isn't on the website yet. Not sure if its just the shifters or a complete 2400 Claris group set.
Its another 10% cheaper with a British cycling membership
Despite a long list of downsides I love mine :-)
Downsides
Very high gear ratios - but hey it gets you fitter.....
I hate the 2300 shifters
Standard fit tyres are terrible, fitting conti gp4s transformed the bike.
The tektro brakes aren't amazing - apparently new pads sorts that.
Its also very cheap at that price point. Cheaper than they seem to go for on eBay / Gumtree etc
One further downside, a lot of Halfords are useless. If you're anywhere near Halfords Leighton is fantastic.... Its all about the staff...
Personally for £300 as a total begin I'd have gone for the triban 3 with hindsight, carbon forks or not. At £225 with the British cycling discount the value argument changes quite a bit.
The recommended upgrade path for the tdf seems to be "buy another bike".
All said, I love mine :-) and it does look nicer than the triban :-)
They now come with Claris instead of 2300 shifters, but only the more recent batch. Brakes can indeed be fixed with a change of blocks so not a bad bet at that price.
I'm tempted to buy one just to pinch the shifters, swap them for my 2300s and then sell it on actually, would need to get £150 back to make it worthwhile...
I'm tempted to buy one just to pinch the shifters, swap them for my 2300s and then sell it on actually, would need to get £150 back to make it worthwhile...
Just ordered one, with the new shifters on it.
Plan is to swap the shifters for the 2300s on my Genesis (was going to buy some Claris ones anyway) so that effectively brings it down to £135 for the TDF and for that price it can live over in France and save me having to lug a bike over every time. Just need to order some yellow bar tape as I'll have to rip the black tape off to swap shifters over, then maybe brakes and tyres.
If it lives in Normandy I think I'll survive without swapping to a compact chainset, but here in the Chilterns I expect it'll be hard work...
Plan is to swap the shifters for the 2300s on my Genesis (was going to buy some Claris ones anyway) so that effectively brings it down to £135 for the TDF and for that price it can live over in France and save me having to lug a bike over every time. Just need to order some yellow bar tape as I'll have to rip the black tape off to swap shifters over, then maybe brakes and tyres.
If it lives in Normandy I think I'll survive without swapping to a compact chainset, but here in the Chilterns I expect it'll be hard work...
The new shifters have paddles behind the brake levers, the old ones have a little thumb switch. New ones also say 'Claris' on them but the old ones just say Shimano. It is WELL worth going for the new shifters though, they're basically 8 speed Sora from this model year and much nicer to use than 2300.
Just had a look, lift and sit at the Romford branch. Not keen on you actually riding them and nowhere to really. Guy couldn't have been less interested. 
Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
Birdster said:
Just had a look, lift and sit at the Romford branch. Not keen on you actually riding them and nowhere to really. Guy couldn't have been less interested.
Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
Those are the 2300 shifters. I very strongly recommend you find a store with one which has the new shifters, I can't speak poorly enough about the 2300 units having lived with them for a few months. Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
The bike itself is nothing like as good as a Triban 5a but it is half the price so you pays your money...
Pulse said:
How does this compare to the Triban 3 with the carbon forks?
Not as good. Same groupset (mostly) on a worse frame and fork but the Triban is £75 more, and more importantly is now pretty much unavailable. The white Triban has cheaper bits and no carbon fork so probably on a par with the TDF.jamiebae said:
Birdster said:
Just had a look, lift and sit at the Romford branch. Not keen on you actually riding them and nowhere to really. Guy couldn't have been less interested.
Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
Those are the 2300 shifters. I very strongly recommend you find a store with one which has the new shifters, I can't speak poorly enough about the 2300 units having lived with them for a few months. Had a lift and it seemed to weigh about the same as the Triban 5a. The 5a is listed at 10kg without pedals. The Carrera is all in at 11.7KG.
It had shimano on the rear derailleur and the little black thumb levers that you can only reach from the hood,rather then the second lever behind the brake lever. Seemed quite reasonable to be honest.
The bike itself is nothing like as good as a Triban 5a but it is half the price so you pays your money...
I'm not sure whether to spend the extra and stick with my original choice. Although it won't be for commuting. It will be used at the Redbridge Cycling Centre, or 10 mile rides on a quiet day. Hence thinking it's worth the saving.
Anyway to guarantee the new shifters if ordering online?
Birdster said:
That's what concerns me. I had a good 10 minutes on the 5a and found it comfortable, agile and just a very nice bike.
I'm not sure whether to spend the extra and stick with my original choice. Although it won't be for commuting. It will be used at the Redbridge Cycling Centre, or 10 mile rides on a quiet day. Hence thinking it's worth the saving.
Anyway to guarantee the new shifters if ordering online?
I just called the store and asked them to check it had the new shifters, the one they had in stock did so I pick it up tomorrow. Ordering online I don't think you'll be able to know what turns up. I'm not sure whether to spend the extra and stick with my original choice. Although it won't be for commuting. It will be used at the Redbridge Cycling Centre, or 10 mile rides on a quiet day. Hence thinking it's worth the saving.
Anyway to guarantee the new shifters if ordering online?
Birdster said:
Doh.
My local branches have the old shifters, so no point for me it seems.
Didn't realise it ends Monday.
I'd be really surprised if that was the case, they sell pretty fast so will be getting new stock in frequently and both stores I've been in have new as well as old. The Salisbury store had one of each on display, and the Bicester one had a new version boxed up in the store room. My local branches have the old shifters, so no point for me it seems.
Didn't realise it ends Monday.
I've just picked mine up so a few comments on it...
You can see where the cost has been cut to fit a price point, the tyres are very cheap, the saddle is a budget MTB one, bar tape is the nastiest thing in the world and feels like it'll last 12 minutes but the worst thing is the crank set which looks like it came off a £50 supermarket bike.
However, it has a Shimano Tourney front mech, Clarus rear and shifters, Tektro brakes with cartridge pads and it does look reasonably smart. I don't think I'm going to get time to ride it in its current guise but will stick some Continental tyres, better brake blocks and new bar tape as well as swapping some 2300 shifters on to it.
I think you need to chuck £30-40 at it immediately (brake inserts, bar tape and tyres) then a saddle and better compact chain set and it'll be a reasonable starter bike.
You can see where the cost has been cut to fit a price point, the tyres are very cheap, the saddle is a budget MTB one, bar tape is the nastiest thing in the world and feels like it'll last 12 minutes but the worst thing is the crank set which looks like it came off a £50 supermarket bike.
However, it has a Shimano Tourney front mech, Clarus rear and shifters, Tektro brakes with cartridge pads and it does look reasonably smart. I don't think I'm going to get time to ride it in its current guise but will stick some Continental tyres, better brake blocks and new bar tape as well as swapping some 2300 shifters on to it.
I think you need to chuck £30-40 at it immediately (brake inserts, bar tape and tyres) then a saddle and better compact chain set and it'll be a reasonable starter bike.
jamiebae said:
I've just picked mine up so a few comments on it...
You can see where the cost has been cut to fit a price point, the tyres are very cheap, the saddle is a budget MTB one, bar tape is the nastiest thing in the world and feels like it'll last 12 minutes but the worst thing is the crank set which looks like it came off a £50 supermarket bike.
However, it has a Shimano Tourney front mech, Clarus rear and shifters, Tektro brakes with cartridge pads and it does look reasonably smart. I don't think I'm going to get time to ride it in its current guise but will stick some Continental tyres, better brake blocks and new bar tape as well as swapping some 2300 shifters on to it.
I think you need to chuck £30-40 at it immediately (brake inserts, bar tape and tyres) then a saddle and better compact chain set and it'll be a reasonable starter bike.
If you want to swap the Claris shifters for my 2300s I'm sure I could add some beer tokens - sodding hate the 2300s You can see where the cost has been cut to fit a price point, the tyres are very cheap, the saddle is a budget MTB one, bar tape is the nastiest thing in the world and feels like it'll last 12 minutes but the worst thing is the crank set which looks like it came off a £50 supermarket bike.
However, it has a Shimano Tourney front mech, Clarus rear and shifters, Tektro brakes with cartridge pads and it does look reasonably smart. I don't think I'm going to get time to ride it in its current guise but will stick some Continental tyres, better brake blocks and new bar tape as well as swapping some 2300 shifters on to it.
I think you need to chuck £30-40 at it immediately (brake inserts, bar tape and tyres) then a saddle and better compact chain set and it'll be a reasonable starter bike.
The Tyres are horrible, and heavy. GP4seasons totally transformed the ride and grip on mine.
The Bar tape lasts surprisingly well, which isn't a good thing because it is horrible and that means putting off replacing it...
Please let me know which brake blocks you end up with and how they get on, still need to replace mine and a guinea pig is always welcome lol
TheLemming said:
If you want to swap the Claris shifters for my 2300s I'm sure I could add some beer tokens - sodding hate the 2300s
The Tyres are horrible, and heavy. GP4seasons totally transformed the ride and grip on mine.
The Bar tape lasts surprisingly well, which isn't a good thing because it is horrible and that means putting off replacing it...
Please let me know which brake blocks you end up with and how they get on, still need to replace mine and a guinea pig is always welcome lol
Claris shifters are coming off to go on my other bike, the TDF will just live at our holiday home to ride when I'm out there. I have some Lifeline brakes, Deda bar tape and one Conti Ultra Sport on order from Wiggle (have a spare Continfrom the other bike) so will start fettling when that lot arrives. The Tyres are horrible, and heavy. GP4seasons totally transformed the ride and grip on mine.
The Bar tape lasts surprisingly well, which isn't a good thing because it is horrible and that means putting off replacing it...
Please let me know which brake blocks you end up with and how they get on, still need to replace mine and a guinea pig is always welcome lol
Found a medium one in stock, but need a large. They've changed the pedals to even worse ones. After getting a proper look I've decided to leave it, plus the only large was the old style. I'll stick with the Triban 5a. As I know that once I start using it that I'll wish I invested more. At least the Triban will be good to go from the off.
As I'd change the pedals, the crankset and the saddle.
As I'd change the pedals, the crankset and the saddle.
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