UKC

Halfords are selling a Carrera Zelos for £269 down from £600. Is this a bike that should be avoided at all costs or would it make a perfectly adequate year round commuting bike. (20 miles per day)
Or will I regret not spending twice as much in a few weeks time? The full link is too long to post

http://www.halfords.com/

In reply to Slugain Howff:

There is no way that bike was ever worth anything close to £600 quid. That's a blatant and shameful business practice to make you think you're getting a better deal than you are.

If you bought that bike and rode it for 20 miles a day I would be extremely surprised if it survived anything close to half a year.

Avoid!

In reply to Slugain Howff:

Are you cycling already? If so what bike are you riding?

The Halfords bike you have spotted is cheap, but that's about all it's got going for it. The parts are about 15 years behind current tech (7 speed and square taper bottom brackets were the norm when I got my first racer in the 1990s) and whilst you don't need to be riding the same bike as Bradley Wiggins for your 20 mile commute, I suspect riding something quite this low-end may put you off completely.

At 279 it's just about acceptable if you don;t ask much from your bike. At 600 I can't believe they shifted a single one.

If your budget is in the £300 region then secondhand is probably the way to go. Post back if you want some pointers on what to look for.

In reply to Slugain Howff:

If you do have the full 600 budget available and want to buy new. These are mind-blowingly good value from a 'proper' bike shop.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbg/road-track-bike/ribble-alloy-road-bikes?s...

In reply to Oujmik:

Oujmik - I've an old Trek 4900 MTB with skinny tyres that has been lovingly ridden into the ground but needs to be replaced.
If I go for a road bike I'd want something forgiving in terms of riding position - but not sure how to filter out what would work and what wouldn't without getting on some bikes.
As you can tell i don't know a lot about cycling!!

In reply to Slugain Howff:

Have you tried Decathlon? They have a fairly decent selection in your price bracket, such as the Triban 5

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-5-road-bike-black-id_8239801.html

In reply to Slugain Howff:

The Trek 4900 was a pretty decent MTB in it's day from memory and I suspect the kit on the Carrera is not much different from what you've got on the Trek!

Best bet is to get yourself to a few bike shops and talk about riding position etc. Buying from a bike shop is expensive as they tend to charge full whack for the bike compared to online, but it can save time and effort in the long run getting a good fit.

If you do buy online, bikes labelled as 'Sportive', 'Relaxed Geometry', 'All day comfort' etc tend to have slightly more upright positions which work better for commuting comfort.

There are three main drivetrain manufacturers in the world of road biking: Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo. People will argue which is best, but they are all good. They all produce a hierachy of components right through from basic to professional quality. Looking at what drivechain components a bike uses is often a good indicator of it's general quality. For example, shimano produce 5 ranges.

Sora - entry level, does the job, still way better then cheapo but a bit clunky
Tiagra - budget but still not half bad
105 - probably the best bang for the buck
Ultegra - most popular with amateur racers and enthusiasts
Dura-ace - used by the pros and people with a lot of money

They also produce stuff such as Tourney solely for the Halfords market - best avoided.

In reply to Oujmik and Tony

Most helpful thanks

In reply to Oujmik:

They now also have Claris below the Sora and 2300 below that.

In reply to Slugain Howff:

carrera bleugh

In reply to Slugain Howff:

Not sure what your budget is but you've mentioned both MTB and Road and I wondered if you'd considered cyclocross! Just ordered a Verenti Substance from Wiggle at £600 minus discount for customers who spend obscene monies with them. Steel frame, disc brakes, it'll handle road riding and towpath stuff and maybe a bit more technical. Heavier than your average road bike but maybe slightly more bomb proof. It'll depend if you're OK with drop handlebars rather than straights mind you.

In reply to ow arm:


Yeah I knew as much - thought it might have done as a clunky old commuting workhorse but was maybe kidding myself on....

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I did think about that - I have an old specilaised tricross back in the UK which serves me well. The commuting bike is for Norway.
I'll maybe have another look at cyclocross.

ta

In reply to Slugain Howff:

If I was principally looking for an 'on road' commuting bike for around the £600 mark I'd get a Ribble 7005 winter/audux bike. Fairly light, strong, very good spec for the money plus will accept full mudguards and a rack. Mudguards get a bad rep from all the Tdf wannabes but trust me a winter of commuting in the pissing rain will change your mind!

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/pu/road-track-bike/ribble-winter-training-aud...

In fact I massively regret not buy one when I brought my bike a few years back, went for a Specialized of similar spec but without mudguard bosses.

If I wanted something a bit more rugged and disk brake equipped have a look at CX bikes like the Specialized Tricross.

In reply to Slugain Howff:

I don't think there's anything wrong with Carreras as far as decent low spec no frills bikes go. I've had a Subway for a couple of years now and have probably racked up a few thousand miles on it. No issues beyond the normal ones you encounter endlessly commuting through slush and road salt in the winter (so a new chain and chainset, plus new brake cables).

I agree that it isn't worth the £600 they claim for the RRP - probably worth approximately what they are selling it for at the moment. So no amazing deal, but decent enough for the money.

In reply to Slugain Howff:

I think you'd get fed up with it very quickly riding it every day for 20 miles - heavy, not enough gears and rubbish components.

I'm amazed how many reviews of the medium one said they were going to fit SPDs on it!

In reply to Oujmik:


My wife has Tourney on her hybrid. It's not super refined but for a bike being used mainly on paved surfaces, and if you don't want to do KOMs on any uphills on your commute, it seems to work just fine.