Than

Any one that uses their brain should know you always use two types of lock and if you have a bike worth fair amount get insurance places offer bike insurance which also covers other bits as well for under £10 a month

Makes sense, but you're now talking about Halfords and their service, etc.... (which I agree is poor)
My previous replies were in response to you completely dissing the entire range of Carrera bikes - nothing to do with "Halfords nightmare" or "Halfords poor service"

One bad experience is an outlier. One person having multiple bad experiences is unusual. Google Halfords nightmare, Halfords bad service and a multitude of other keywords and you will find my experience is not a statistical anomaly. Several people in my small riding group have also had similar experiences. I wouldn't go there again if you paid me.

Try the kryptonite New York d-lock for main frame lock and Pinhead skewers for your wheels.

So you had a few bad experiences? Doesn't mean the entire range of Carreras are useless.

18" - no question.

Recommend and link to a decent lock please. Also, how do I stop someone nicking my quick release front wheel?

Details?

Ful;ynagree, wish I hadn't kept buying them, despite my issues just assumed all bike shops were similar and it was just **** luck. When I tried a mates £400 cube hybrid vs my supposedly £599 boardman I was shocked as thought I had a really good bike.

Halfords actually own the boardman brand, and fairly sure they own carrera too, so seeems to me they keep the ranges separate as a way to upsell.

Zzz... the fact you've called me a snob twice for reporting my experiences with Halfords shows what a knob you are. Rear mechs should not fall off (Completely!) whilst going up a 10% incline, a full bike service shouldn't lose bearings and not tighten stems properly causing it to come lose ten mins out of the shop, sales staff shouldn't give you the wrong bike, etc etc. I'd rather be a snob than a knob.

Not as easy as bolt cutters on a cable lock

Are those not easy to pick the lock or use a bump key, do you know?

That's why I always used d locks they are much harder than flimsy chains or cable locks, it would take a decent angle grinder a bit of time to cut through one, hopefully drawing the attention of half the world with all the noise!

I would go so far as to say that Halfords bikes are death traps. I've foolishly bought two bikes from them now and each time they have been put together incorrectly. I've incurred additional costs having had to have them both properly serviced and one of them has broken on me twice, both in situations that have resulted in injury. My advice would be to stay well away from Halfords and spend the little extra on a better built bike put together by people that know what they are doing.

got a Carrera Hybrid with discs for £200 last year from Halfords

might consider selling it at cost cos iv'e hardly used it (Stockport)

BIKES10 still works, just tried it.

They are pretty decent bikes at the discount price, but I wouldn't pay anymore than £180. I think I got my partners last summer for less than £180 (I want to say it was £150), it's a bit heavy compared to my Marin Fairfax hybrid which was only £250 (was a steal at that price compared to the rrp) but the parts on the Parva are pretty decent for the price and it's lasted a fair few rides out and about. We replaced the seat with a nice soft gel variety. The brakes haven't need replacing yet, have had one puncture and some of the powder coated black paint on the handle bars has started to lightly rust. Other than a bit of dirt the bikes fine for the weekend ride we take it out on but I have no delusions it would last the daily commute that I put my Marin through, which has already started to show wear after 6 months of daily use. The large chunky tyres aren't a typical size so I did struggle to find them on the shelf, but amazon or bike shops catered for them.

I have owned Carerra, Raleigh, Specialized, Scott, Cannondale, Puch, Eastway, Diamond Back and Trek bikes in my lifetime. Most frames are built in the same few factories and rebranded.

Anyone looking at this as a way to get into cycling I suggest you join forums such as Bikeradar and Cyclechat and ask the users in the beginners forum threads.

IMO this is a poorly specced bike and the discounted price is all it's worth. For around £200 you can get much better 2nd hand if you know what you are looking for.

My 1st "serious" hybrid was a like new Scott Sub with under 200 miles on it picked up from Gumtree for £175

The guy got the cycling bug and wanted to buy a road bike. Bit like me after I had it nicked!!

Educate yourselves people!!

Discount codes no longer working

code doesnt work

BIKES20 seems not to be working now and BIKES10 now only brings this to £207 as they have hiked the price up in the last few hours.

Can anyone recommend what size frame would be suitable for someone 5ft9? 18 or 20in?

Typical bike snob comment. Some of the Carrera bikes are pretty decent (this coming from someone who rides a fairly well specced Giant), and get good reviews. To dismiss them all as "not well built and are not very sturdy" just shows you up for the snob you are....

Yes, the RRP of Carrera bikes is pretty bad (at full price, they aren't competitive with better brand alternatives), but they are heavily discounted, and with vouchers, etc... you can usually pick up a bargain if your budget doesn't extend to RRP

Keep in mind that if you reserve one and they only have 1 or 2 instore the stock will include the display model....

So, what will you do to make sure no one will nick it again? Are there any boltcutter proof locks?

How do these compare to the Specialized Jynx that I just missed out on earlier? I know nothing about bikes! :grin:

Price went up to £230 now.
Its actually coming up to £184 after 20% discount code BIKES20.

I bought one yesterday. Giant roam 2 disc. It was on 15 percent off sale. Tredz might be worth a look

Seems like about the 'right' price, rather than an amazing deal etc.

Much better starter bike than a budget 'mountain bike' probably.

Too sweeping, they do bikes like the old Kraken and the Bizango which both get excellent reviews.... Put it this way, my Kraken did a red run without fail, the two £1k+ Scott bikes my mates had both failed (one with chain issues the other with gears) :smile:

There reasonable at the asking price but it's when you can get them discounted that makes them great value, you will struggle to find a new bike at £186 with these reasonable good quality components. As I said earlier I purchased 2 nearly 2 years ago but have mainly used just the one so far, I live in mid Wales and take mine down a lot of back country lanes and dirt tracks, covered a lot of miles and since I built the bike I have still not had to do any other adjustments, just once a month I lubricate the chain and check tyre pressures and have only had to repair 2 punctures in 2 years. Nothing else has gone wrong.

Approximate Weight (KG):\x0913.4kg
Brake Type:\x09V-Brakes
Forks:\x09High -Tensile steel
Frame Material:\x09Alloy
Gender:\x09Mens
Number of Gears:\x0921
Pedals Included:\x09Yes
Suspension:\x09Rigid
Wheel Size:\x0927.5"
Bottom Bracket:\x09Sealed Cartridge
Cassette/Freewheel:\x09Shimano Freewheel 28-14 tooth
Chain:\x09KMC Z-51
Chainguard:\x09No
Chainset:\x09Suntour XCE 48/38/28Tooth
Fork travel:\x09Rigid
Frame:\x09Alloy
Front Brake:\x09Tektro v-brake
Front Mech:\x09Shimano Tourney
Gear Shifters:\x09Shimano Altus 3x7 speed intergrated brake lever
Grips:\x09Velo Hybrid
Handlebars:\x09Carrera steel
Headset:\x09Semi-Integrated
Mudguard Mounts:\x09Yes
Mudguards Included:\x09No
Pannier Mounts:\x09Yes
Pannier Rack:\x09No
Pedals:\x09Wellgo Alloy
Quick Release Front Wheel:\x09Yes
Quick Release Rear Wheel:\x09Yes
Rear Brake:\x09Tektro v-brake
Rear Mech:\x09Shimano Tourney tx55
Rims:\x09Carrera Double Wall Alloy
Saddle:\x09Carrera Hybrid
Seatpost:\x09Carrera Alloy
Stem:\x09Carrera Alloy
Type:\x09Hybrid Bikes
Tyre Size:\x0927.5" x 1.95"
Tyres:\x09Kenda k841


This is my 2 carrera larva bikes.

screenshot toolcertificity.com

BIKES20 takes off 20%

Let me know if you see the price drop.

Basically, the component level on even the base models will be above what Carreras are supplied with. This doesn't mean the bikes aren't fit for purpose though. Mostly in the bike world, you get what you pay for as frame suppliers aren't the component suppliers so the ability to ratchet price down has to stop somewhere. You want Deore, you pay Deore prices. Happy with Acera? pay Acera prices.

As always, if short on cash and you want more for you money then 2nd hand is the only option unless you find a REALLY good sale item.

Exactly the same thing here. Someone used a bolt cutter on my chain on Xmas eve. Been waiting for a decent deal ever since.

What is it about Scott, canondale, cube and the like that make them so much better than Carrera that you'd never go back to one?

Me too. Had my 2014 model stolen a few weeks back. Don't really want to pay the asking £625

Great price!

The sulcata is £297 with the discount code applied

when I add it to basket its putting the price back up then with the discount its 207???

Parva or Sulcata? I know essentially nothing about bikes but would like a city commuter bike!

No. Having had several halfords bikes myself before buying 'proper' bikes, they will get you from a to b, but they are not well built and are not very sturdy.

Whilst cheap, you get what you pay for and if you go try one out in a store and then try out an entry level Scott, canondale, cube etc you will see the difference.

I've also had a host of bad experiences from halfords ranging from dangerously poor build resulting in total bike failure not once but twice, to them giving me the wrong bike (£200 less value) and only rectified as I pointed out it was the wrong colour.

I've had 4 Carrera bikes and while I thought they were good at the time I'd never go back to them. The RRP of the bikes is a joke, I would say IF you get a 10-20% off sale, get lucky with the 10% cashback halfords offer and you google 10% halfords vouchers scheme and that trick still works, and you don't mind a bottom-rung low grade bike then it's not too bad value, but it's not like you're getting a great bike on the cheap and anyone that tells you it is has not ridden a decent bike.

Many bike shops online allow you to take out interest free finance as well.

Good prices but I'm waiting for VooDoo Bizango to drop the price.

10 Ridiculously Cheap Mountain Bike Upgrades

youtube.com/wat…Vm0

great find. Been looking for a hybrid for a while so just ordered the Parva.

Are these bikes actually worth the original asking price? I know nothing about them but they look a bit cheap/plasticy to me.

Is the sulcata worth the extra money

Bought his and hers so they can sit in my garage for years unused. Thanks.

Great price, but I'm holding out for a hybrid with discs.

I purchased 2 carrera parva bikes at the beginning of 2015 @£360 for both, built them myself at home, both have worked and performed beyond expectations, only thing I found was the seat was very uncomfortable so swiped them for gel seats.

Great price.