carrera vengeance and fury

specialized hardrock

hi people i noticed recently a lot of people have been purchasing the carrera vengeance and the fury

i was just wondering hows everyone finding the bikes good bits, bad points maybe some parts that people have upgraded let me know how yous are liking your bikes

specialized hardrock

my vengeance is brilliant finnaly took it out and gave her a hard time bike is very responsive and i love the toras that come with it i am really not liking the wheels because there to heavy and very soft i have also already knocked them slightly out of true
the tyres held up resonally well but i think i would also like to replace them in the future

any ideas on what wheel set to get ?
cheers

kaytronika

I've only ridden my Fury about 8 miles, so probably too soon to comment.

Love it so far though, I need to spend a little longer setting up the rear mech and the brakes need bedding in.

The Fury has a Mavic wheelset which I've wanted since I started cycling in 1994

What would I change? I want a QR seat post clamp first. I change height quite a lot on the trails.

specialized hardrock

i think i would change the wheelset and the tyres lol and yeah im going for a blue seatpost clamp

im hopefully going down to glentress to hit the trails i aint been in a while

Dubzy

Ignore any bike snobbery remarks - these are great bikes.

kaytronika

Just ordered a green KCNC clamp for mine

Green theme is a tribute to my first proper bike
might end up with a few shades tho :?

Enjoy Glentress, I'm toying with a trip to 'degla if the weather is good.

birch1983

I love this bike. I have one myself and can't fault it one bit. Here is the link to mine, I warn you though it is still a WIP. I have quite a few more bits on order to upgrade the bike:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12754379

I have found that the Alivio rear derraileur wasn't quite up to the XC I have been doing, so this weekend I will be replacing both the front and rear mech with XT. A new FSA SL-K stem is also on it's way to me, along with a Hope headset and Superstar grips.

I will admit though one of my best purchases was the Mucky Nutz front mud flap. Fantastic! No spray of the front wheel when on or off road.

The next thing on the list is a set of Conti Mountain king tyres. The tyres on the bike currently are far too heavy! And after.... the rims are to be changed. Pedals are also on the list as I keep having to rebuild the standard ones as the bearings in them seem to be quite poor and feel that a set from Superstar would solve this.

If you want details on where I have got certain bits from give me a shout!

gearsbentandbroken

Hi there, I have the Vengeance Ultimate, bought it about a month ago and I love it. ( I also believe that I got the last one! )

Can't fault it at all. So far, ive added a few bits, white Wellgo Pedals, White Bar ends, White Crud Catcher and the Free Chainstay protector out of this months mag. (Got a bit of a theme going on here)

Gears and braked now need a tweek but I am told this is normal for a new bike.

Booked it in for it's 6 week service at my local Halfrords.

All in all, very happy with my purchase.

getonyourbike

You can see my Fury below. I've changed the tyres to Maxxis Advantage 2.25s. I'm another one rocking the bender fender 2.0. New superstar pedals, superstar grips, hope headset spacers, hope qr seat clamp (34.9mm if anybody needs the size) and blue blue bottle cage bolts. I've aslo now got an mbuk chainstay protector on there. I've gone with the blue theme as you can see.

The forks are top quality, wheels aren't up to much, I've knocked the rear wheel out of true in no time. There also appears to be a crack in the rear rim. A pair of blue hope hubs and white Stans Arch rims are going on in the future. The Juicy 3s are also a bit of a pain, constant rubbing, difficult pad removal/changes. So new wheels and brakes are on the list.

Overall, I love it, I'm glad chose it over the equivalent boardman, the extra travel makes itself known in a good way. I say this after riding a mate's boardman.

specialized hardrock

kaytronika
i like your thinking it will look really cool with green and white ive went for the blue and white myself i just waiting out my superstar lock on grips and my lizard skin chainstay protector i will get pictures on soon as i get my parts and the the different shades of colours is a pain :x lol have a good time at degla let me know how u got on

birch 1983
i think i will be going with the hope headset spacers aswell look cool as and better quality where did you buy the spacers?
where did you buy the mucky nutz front mudgaurd from and how much?
and yeah i had a puncture today so took tyre off and the tyres alone were pretty heavy and the wheel was really heavy for my liking no problems with the bearings yet touch wood

gearsbentandbroken
i got mine at the same time as u so i must a=have got one of the last ones aswell
i should really book mine in for a free 6 week service gears and brake needing teaked aswell

getonyourbike
yeah i have to say i dont like the wheels either i have the shimano bmr445 hydraulics fitted to mine not caused any problems yet and i was actually thinking about upgrading my brakes to juicy 3s :shock:

does anyone know what halfords include in there free 6 week service ?
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getonyourbike

specialized hardrock wrote:

i was actually thinking about upgrading my brakes to juicy 3s :shock:

don't, go for something else instead

birch1983

I have posted the links below for the parts you requested.

Hope headset spacers: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=79&ModelID=669

Mucky Nutz mudguard: http://www.muckynutz.com/index.php

I have now fitted Superstar Excel grips, Hope headset top/plug and the FSA SL-K Stem. Overall the front now feels so much better. Enjoy:

specialized hardrock

getonyourbike
lol cheers for the heads up

birch1983
are those the FSA XC281 Riser Bars?
if so how are you finding them i just noticed on crc there selling them for £10 i believe thats a bargain

and how much was your stem ?

so far ive ordered superstar lock on grips and im just about to order chainstay protector and some fsa riser bars

i will be ordering a mucky nutz mudgaurd and hope spacers and some blue bottle cage bolts and a blue seat post clamp and a stem (not decided what one yet) but i will have to wait 2 weeks for those

jakeeeeeee

don't order a chainstay protector as this months mbuk comes with a free one !

specialized hardrock

i already got mbuk this month my mate was in need of it more than me so i gave it to him i was wanting a blue one any way :twisted:
cheers for letting me know anyway

birch1983

The handlebars are FSA XC190 and the stem is an FSA SL-K which cost me £50. Replaced both the front and rear mech on the bike for Shimano XT's. Just the wheels and tyres to go really now, and then a better set of forks.

specialized hardrock

nice thats sounding good what wheel sets have you been looking at ?
and u got any forks in your mind that u want ?

specialized hardrock

nice thats sounding good what wheel sets have you been looking at ?
and u got any forks in your mind that u want ?

birch1983

Sorry for the slow reply.

I haven't really looked into rims and tyres yet, will probably see what's on the market next month. I am tempted with some of the Superstar rims, but need to reads some reviews first.

I replaced both the front and rear mech on the bike at the weekend. Would recommend the change to anyone. Did have a few teething problems a first, but found that to be from the derraileur hanger being slightly bent. Spent all day Sunday up Sherwood pines and the chain hardly ever caught. A lot more practical too as the profile of the mech is so much lower and the gear change feels quite a bit smoother.

If anyone has any opinions on rims then please voice them.

specialized hardrock

no worries mate

i think it will be a couple of months before i look into buying rims because i have a lot on at the moment but i just ordered some fsa riser bars for £10 bargain and a chanstay protector and some blue bottle cage bolts i also have a maddison flux saddle on my bike pics to follow next on the list is crud catcher bender fender mucky nutz one and a seat post clamp and hope headset spacers

what did u change the derrailuers to ? and how much for i have noticed the alivio aint been the best recently can i see pics of your drive chain now that youv upgraded it please

im heading to the pentlands on sartarday it will be an hour cycle there and 1 hour to get home and mtbing during the day so al see how the bike holds up them i will also get some pictures up once i fit my parts to the bike

birch1983

I will try and get some pictures posted for you later this afternoon.

specialized hardrock

ok no worrries mate i will be posting pics of m,y bike tomorrow after work

birch1983

I opted for a Shimano XT M772 (long cage) rear derailleur and Shimano XT M770 front mechanism. Together they feel 10 times better than the original Alivio stuff. No chain slap, lower profile, smoother shifting, lighter and no need to change the existing shifters.

If you opt to do similar feel free to ask if you have any questions.

A few pics below for you as requested

specialized hardrock

nice how much did the shimano xt cost and it looks really good u also say you had a lot less chain slap and better shifting that soundslike a brilliant upgrade iv had as lot of bother with mine

i went to the pentlands last satarday an hours cycle there and an hours back done about 25 - 30 mile 8) but when i was on the road i i turned on lockout and my forks still had about 20 - 30mm travel and im pretty sure your not ment to get that when lockout is on :shock:

and i dont know if it was just the bearings in the bottom bracket bedding them selves in but i got very strange noises and also vibrations through the frame it kept coming and going but it went away after 15 minutes and it was fine again i aint had that problem since :?

but apart from that the bike was amazing on the downhill sections and just in general i was amazed on how the bike handled

my fsa riser bars,superstar grips and my blue cage bolts n my chainstay protecter arrived so got them fitted before i went to the pentlands i noticed a difference straight away

birch1983

To do the upgrade it cost me about £60 in total and would recommend it as an upgrade to anyone.

You mentioned a strange clicking noise as well. I had a similar noise and it turned out to be the pedals. I tried re-building and re-greasing them but to no avail so ended up investing in a set of DMR V12's. In addition I have just ordered an upgrade set for the pedals so that the grub screws and cap are blue to match everything else.

With your forks you will find they still have travel in them. 20mm to 30mm is about right. Just don't get too carried away trying to see how far you can push the forks with the lockout on as I have heard it can damage them. It is only really meant for uphill stretches and road use so the travel is sufficient to accommodate for this.

On order too are a set of hope skewers for both the front and rear wheels. Should have them tonight so hopefully I will get chance to post a few more pics over the weekend.

specialized hardrock

nice one n i cant find that front and rear mech for £60 any where where was it u bought it ?

n ive already replaced the pedals

and yeah i know what u mean with rockshox

nice choice of the next upgrade

where is it you are based ??


forgot to mention i had some junkie trying to steal my bike the worst of it was i was standing 2 feet away from it grrr must be said i did get worried when the crowd of drunks gathered round to get it off me so i just jumped on cycled n hoped for the best luckily me n my bike got home in one peace

birch1983

Sorry for the late reply again. Glad you still have the bike.

I'm over in Nottingham.

I bought the derailleur from the classifieds section on here believe it or not. It was a bargain and it was new so I couldn't refuse.

On Sunday I took the bike up Sherwood pines again, however I dare say the weather was terrible. Be warned though, the face to one of both my front and my rear brake pads sheared straight off from the metal backing plate. I would strongly advise replacing them for some sintered ones which are better for the messier conditions.

I've posted a pic of the bike below so you can see a few more addition:

specialized hardrock

sorry about the slow reply it was my 18th on thursday n lets just say it was very messy lol

thats scary what happened to your brakes i think ill be ordering sintered ones then lol

i was mountian biking on sunday that was a fun day the bike performs well ot must be sayed i really like it just need a mucky nutz bender fender and hope spacers maybe a shorter stem too

willdclarke

Been faffing with my vengeance ultimate for a while, moved stuff from my older bike, has a 90 mm stem and flatter lighter bars. The pedals have been replaced with some that actually grip your shoes.
Slx front and rear derrailleur from my other bike.
New pro seatpost and charge spoon saddle.
Scott 2.35 tires.
Stronger chain.

These bits are mostly for getting the lower position I'm used to, the tires make a huge difference and I would put this right at the top of upgrades.
I've also worked out that Mach 1 mx rims will fit without buying new spokes, they weigh 500g which is hefty but a massive improvement on 680g. They're cheap at £20, their road counterparts also have a reputation for reliability, have one on the front now, will see how it rides this weekend. Look up the erd if you want to look further afield.


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Banana Helmet

I love mine!!
Got it in late spring 2011 and have racked up a few hundred miles on it. Mostly on red trails such as Coed y Brenin, Llandegla, Cannock Chase, Long Mynd and on the raod when I can't do anything else. It performs admirably every time. And despite all the rocks, such as at start of Dragon's Back at Coed y Brenin, my wheels are still true. Just needed a bit of oil and occaisional air in the tyres.
I was a little thrown by the wide handle bars at first but now that I have got used to it, I think I prefer them. Less chance of being thrown by a wheel deflection.
Basically I am very pleased. Just a shame the rider is not as good as the bike

monkey_man_1

old thread but minght aswell post!...

got my furry a couple months ago but havnt been able to ride much due to injury. few things ive done to it...

fsa k-force light riser bars
fsa k-force light seat post
odi yeti grips - not fitted yet
wellgo pedals
kcnc qr seatpost clamp
braided carbon look brake cables
red jagwire gear cables
white camo saddle for downhill/park riding, standard for road
carbon skin chain protector
red valve caps
increased fork travel to 140mm
fsa ceramic bottom bracket - not fitted yet

havnt got any up to date decent pics yet but i need to! on the list to buy is:

xt front/rear derailers and shifters
new crank - not sure what yet
new tyres, thinking high rollers