Carrera Valour Worth It?

Chris30381

Hi all,

I am still on the hunt for a New Hardtail for the Wife for Xmas. At the moment my choice is the Decathlon B'Twin Rockrider 5.2, the only thing that puts me off is the Colour LOL. Have also been keeping an eye out for Sales and Discounts etc. I have noticed that Halfords have dropped the Carrera Valour by £30 which is stretching my budget even further away from £200 than the 5.2. My question is: Is it worth the extra $$?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65499#dtab

Although I would prefer to purchase from a Store - Other Options Include:

Fuji Nevada 4.0 2011
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuj ... e-ec024672

Giant Revel 2
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/giant-re ... 57766.html

GT Aggressor 3.0 2011
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2011

GT Laguna 2011
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2011

Any advice will be much appreciated

Thanks Chris

supersonic

In a word no. The Rockrider 5.2 is still the best there really.

Chris30381

Thanks SS, if were to up my budget slightly are there any in particular you would recommend?

supersonic

Only if you up to £350 - and then it would be the next Rockrider ;-)

Chris30381

Haha thats brilliant - Whatever Bike we'll be riding - It'll be a Rockrider.....

Thanks again

Chris30381

Hey Supersonic, it seems the Rockrider is not going to be the one for the missus and so I am back looking at the Carrera Valour and also the Subway as in my other post. I know you pointed out that the Rockrider was better but is the Valour a decent enough Bike or would you go for a Subway instead for all off road, tow paths, parks, woody, gravelly, muddy trails very little road riding though, also for carrying a child seat?

Thanks Chris

supersonic

The Valour would do the job (better than the Subway would - but the latter may have more rack mounts and stuff), but is no doube you are getting less for your money compared to the Rockrider ie basic gears, and nasty steel bars. However fit is more important.

Chris30381

Thanks SS, thats why I am looking at Ladies Specifics as I felt I was proper leaning over on the Rockrider. Aaaah Frustrating.

How basic are we talking with regards to the Valours Components and its value for money, would it be just the name I would be paying for etc? Its difficult to find a good alternative as the Rockrider seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of nearly all that I have looked at for £250 ish. Do you think there are any better alternatives other than the Valour for my budget?

Sorry for all the questions, but I would kick myself if I knew I was wasting money..

Thanks Chris

supersonic

As above it would do the job, but the gears use the old freewheel system which has a habit of bending the rear axle, a limited spread of gears, and a bone jarring steel bar - and you pay more for all this!

Carreras used to be the best budget bikes, but a couple of their new ones are lacking.

Chris30381

Thanks SS, would this be any better than the Valour from Exmoor Cycles?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SARACEN-TUFFT ... 4cfb537679

Cheers Chris

supersonic

Is a decent bike - good gears, decent alloy finishing kit - on paper better than the Carrera!

Chris30381

As shes a beginner and being her 1st bike I would have prefered to purchase from a local shop for convenience. But unfortunately Exmoor is the other side of the Country, but given Halfords Reputation I am tempted to order the Saracen anyway. I have E-Mailed Exmoor Cycles to see if they assemble and check the bikes before they deliver, failing that my Father-In-Law is very handy and then there's always local Bike Shops or TNT Courier straight back to the shop if I have any problems. I know sizes vary alot but I think a 16" Frame will fit as the last two 16 Inchers looked perfect and also the Handle Bars defo look alot closer to the saddle on this Model.

Do you think its worth the risk?

Cheers Chris

Chris30381

Received this reply from Exmoor Cycles already:

"Hi Chris,

This is a very nice bike with good spec for the price, and it is proving very popular.

Your wife would probably suit the 16", and feel more confident with this size frame.

As we are stockists for Saracen, these bikes come with a 12 month guarantee and in addition we provide 12 months free servicing.

The bikes come in the original manufacturers box ( to avoid damage). It requires some assembly, fit seat, fit front wheel, fit pedals, fit reflectors and bell, which is all straight forward to do, about 20 minutes ( owners manual supplied), and then all thats left is to check eveything is tight.

Our shop is here in Minehead, and we are usually open 7 days a week, and can offer assistance by phone if necessary.

If the bike is faulty at delivery way we can arrange to collect and repair or replace it FOC, it may even be possible to arrange for work to be done at a local bike shop, but so far we have never had a problem with a a Saracen bike.

If you want to take a day out to visit Exmoor / Minehead and come to our shop you can save on the delivery charge, and we will assemble the bike for no extra charge.

I hope this is helpful to you, and if you need any further assistance please feel free to call us on 01643 705307

Best regards, Bob"

Sounds ok to me.....

supersonic

It needs a lot more doing than he suggests... you'll need to adjust brakes and gears, check spokes and bearings! Pretty easy though

Chris30381

Order Placed for the 16" Saracen Tufftrax Comp 2011 Ladies £239 - Woop Woop - Quite pleased with that really....

Only thing is, the chap said it can be quite difficult fitting Pannier Racks and Child Seats to Small 16" Frames as the Tube is rather short?

Thanks for all your advice SS, much appreciated

Chris