Carrera Hardtail thread - owners pictures and spec's

Monty85

asdfhjkl wrote:

Headsets come in a variety of styles and standards. Your 05 Kraken will take a "semi-integrated"/"zero stack" headset designed for a straight (untapered) steerer. There's a guide here for measuring and finding what headset you need: http://www.canecreek.com/headset-fit-finder. I have a Carrera frame from a similar era and I bought Superstar's "Integrato" headset. Headsets have different heights, so if you're not changing the fork make sure your new headset isn't going to be too big for your steerer (unless you have spacers to remove).

Cheers asdfhjkl will get a look

The Rookie wrote:

Monty85 wrote:

How do I find out the max fork travel that the frame can handle?
Also excuse the noob terminology, but where the forks attach to the frame ( headset??? ) are they all a standard size?

Max travel for that frame is 120mm

Perfect rookie!

paul.skibum wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

Monty85 wrote:

How do I find out the max fork travel that the frame can handle?
Also excuse the noob terminology, but where the forks attach to the frame ( headset??? ) are they all a standard size?

Max travel for that frame is 120mm

And to answer the second question, not all forks are made the same - there are two steerer types - straight steerer and tapered. The Carrera has a straight 1 & 1/8 inch steerer. You currently also have 9mm QR front wheels which limits your choice of fork further unless you plan to upgrade your front wheel to a 15mm through axle at the same time.

If you can find the 26" wheel, QR only, 100 or 120mm travel straight steerer model then the Reba is a good fork to choose.

Just what I needed Paul! Wanting to keep the QR as it makes it easier for squeezing into the car

Skajme

So as of today I am aboard the Carrera train. Bought a 2015 Vulcan this morning. Been out on it today and I love it. Actually discovered that there are some MTB trails about 5 mins away from my house, happy days!
Anyway, here's my bike.



Not the greatest picture, but I was in a hurry to get out on it!

buddy_club

Congratulations on the new bike, first time I've seen a new one outside of halfords.

AndyPatio

Just out of curiosity is there much difference between the 2011/2012 Vulcan and the 2015? I have the 2011/2012 and I absolutely love it

bass1979

hi guys. need your advice. i have Carrera Vengeance. love this bike. this is my first one.
i think i will continue to stay on mtb. so as far i learn beats and pieces i coming with an idea, that i have to upgrade some parts.
in my local shop i was advised to save money for better one. get better bike with better frame and components, so question is is frame on Carrera is ok? (mean is it good one?) i asked in halfords shop where frame made, they told me asia. so i do not know. what to do.
tnx

asdfhjkl

Most bike frames are made in Asia, often within the same factories as other brands. I don't know anything about your frame so can't comment on its quality.

As for upgrade vs replace, I think it depends on budget and what you're looking for. If you have, say, £600 to spend then you could probably buy a better bike, although it won't be a big upgrade. I think your money would be best spent on a new fork followed by new wheels. Both upgrades will take away lots of weight and a better fork should improve how the bike handles the rough stuff. Brakes would be another option to upgrade. Look at how other people in this thread have upgraded their bikes. It might seem crazy putting a £300 fork on a £300 bike but it's a good investment for the future - you could eventually put that fork on your next bike or use it if you build another.

The Rookie

Teh frame is made by Merida in the same factory where they make their own frames, as well as those for many other brands including Specialized which they part own.

The later frames are a little heavier than the older ones, the latest one isn't a lightweight at circa 2kg but still not bad, many pople have upgraded them a long way (see first few pages of this thread).

Which vengeance do you have? The ltd with Shimano hydraulic brakes and Dart3 forks is fairly competent and worth ulgrading, bust as stated it does depend on you budget, what you want to achieve and also how much you can DIY.

bass1979

tnx for answer. i was planning to stay on this bike for 2 yrs. i do not do any competitions etc.
as upgrades fork, brakes and wheels
as fork i think about RoxShoks http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/e ... prod109665
breakes shimano deore, wheels have to think.
i have a child who might will be able to go on mi bike in few yrs time )) so upgrades want be wasted

bass1979

The Rookie wrote:

Teh frame is made by Merida in the same factory where they make their own frames, as well as those for many other brands including Specialized which they part own.

The later frames are a little heavier than the older ones, the latest one isn't a lightweight at circa 2kg but still not bad, many pople have upgraded them a long way (see first few pages of this thread).

Which vengeance do you have? The ltd with Shimano hydraulic brakes and Dart3 forks is fairly competent and worth ulgrading, bust as stated it does depend on you budget, what you want to achieve and also how much you can DIY.

no i have vengeance with Suntour xcm v3 fork, tekro novella mech breakes. etc

asdfhjkl

bass1979 wrote:

tnx for answer. i was planning to stay on this bike for 2 yrs. i do not do any competitions etc.
as upgrades fork, brakes and wheels
as fork i think about RoxShoks http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/e ... prod109665
breakes shimano deore, wheels have to think.
i have a child who might will be able to go on mi bike in few yrs time )) so upgrades want be wasted

Look on Merlin for forks, they have some good prices on Rock Shox at the moment: http://www.merlincycles.com The XC30 is a better fork than the one you've currently got (lighter, air sprung) but probably not enough of an upgrade to justify the cost. A Reba or Recon Gold RL would be better. The Motion Control damper in those forks is better than the TK damper found in lower end RS forks (XC30, XC32, Recon Silver/Gold coil).

33whitey

AndyPatio wrote:

Just out of curiosity is there much difference between the 2011/2012 Vulcan and the 2015? I have the 2011/2012 and I absolutely love it

The 2015 Carerra MTB's have 650b wheelsets and appropriate fork, geometry etc

oxocube1

33whitey wrote:

AndyPatio wrote:

Just out of curiosity is there much difference between the 2011/2012 Vulcan and the 2015? I have the 2011/2012 and I absolutely love it

The 2015 Carerra MTB's have 650b wheelsets and appropriate fork, geometry etc

Also, they have changed the frame material from 7005 Aluminium to 6061 Aluminium (a slight downgrade), and swapped out the Clarks Skeletal brakes with the Clarks Exo brakes (essentially the same brakes with a different look). Finally, the tyres have been changed from CST to Kendas.

In terms of drivetrain, finishing kit, and forks, they are pretty much identical.

clb1970

Hi, this is a GREAT thread, been happily browsing it over the last few hours.

I have a 2006/7 (I think, silver gray?) Vulcan which I have started to use after a long absence from cycling. So long, I thin the bike has about 100 miles on it from new.

At the moment I am commuting on it, and am considering some upgrades/changes.

Wheels, am I right in thinking they are around 2.4-2.7 kg each, including rotors, tubes and tyres?
How can I get them lighter? What would I need to look for to get something lighter and more road friendly (preferably saving the standard ones to swap back onto when I decide to hit trails again)

Fork, what would I need to look for to get a rigid fork in there, again for weight saving mainly, so not really interested in spending £££ on another suspension one.

Is it worth changing the rotors to something lighter? (also because they are a little rusty)

As I've been away so long, I know I need to build up my fitness and stamina, but I will be mostly using this as a commuter and winter hack for the foreseeable.

I'm allowed to spend some money, but not get a second bike for now (fair enough I reckon)

Any help would be extremely welcome

Chris

AndyPatio

Finally got around to taking a picture of mine. Just washed it after a muddy ride this morning

ednino

AndyPatio wrote:

Finally got around to taking a picture of mine. Just washed it after a muddy ride this morning

How do you use those brakes with them sticking out horizontal? :shock:

The Rookie

Yup, fingers should be inline with your forearms when braking, that will hurt your wrists over time.

Lewis A

The saddle height could have a little to do with it...

AndyPatio

I've never had any problem with the braking. I find it quite comfortable actually. Same with the height of my saddle, If I have it any higher then I wouldn't be able to touch the floor while sat on it.

EDIT: My fingers are in line with my forearms when braking. I just don't feel comfortable towering over the bike looking down at it, if that makes sense? :?

ednino

AndyPatio wrote:

If I have it any higher then I wouldn't be able to touch the floor while sat on it.

You shouldn't be able to :roll:

AndyPatio

ednino wrote:

AndyPatio wrote:

If I have it any higher then I wouldn't be able to touch the floor while sat on it.

You shouldn't be able to :roll:

O right, I've only been cycling 5-6 week at most.

I just feel high up and not comfortable at all. :oops: Will it make any difference the height of my saddle?

The Rookie

A saddle to low loads up your knees and can cause aches, pains and ultimately damage.

The saddle should be set so that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke your leg is not quite straight.

I would also add that if you can sit on that saddle with both feet nearly flat on the floor, the frame is probably too small.

AndyPatio

The Rookie wrote:

A saddle to low loads up your knees and can cause aches, pains and ultimately damage.

The saddle should be set so that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke your leg is not quite straight.

I would also add that if you can sit on that saddle with both feet nearly flat on the floor, the frame is probably too small.

Thank you for that, I'll go adjust accordingly and then adjust my brakes so that my fingers are in line with my forearms?

The Rookie

That will certainly be a good start!

AndyPatio

I've adjusted the seat and altered the gears and brakes so they are in line with my forearm. Thanks for the tip I was starting to feel a little pain in my knee when getting to the 25 mile mark on a ride. Hopefully this will sort things.

It's going to feel strange being so high up now I can just about touch the floor if I really stretch my leg.

The Rookie

Still to low then!

I can't touch the flow on any of my bikes on both sides while on the saddle, can lean to one side on one foot and just about go from there with a bit of an S shaped pull away.

bass1979

But if seat too high how would u do steep drops ? Have my seat lvl so I can move back my ass a bit. By the way took my Carrera vengeance on 17 km trail. Lots of stones... And to be honest I trust my bike. Do not why ppl saying that carreras crap. So def will upgrade fork and wheels.

AndyPatio

Sorry I should have said, for me to touch the floor on the tips of my toes I have to lean the bike over slightly to the side. If I was sat vertically upright on the bike I wouldn't be able to reach the floor.

I did a 25 mile ride today and it felt a lot better and I didn't feel like I was too high up. Thank you for the advice/help

ednino

bass1979 wrote:

But if seat too high how would u do steep drops ?

You learn

Look how high Nino Schurter has his seat & he can do steep drops & tail whips off jumps :roll:

Lewis A

Not easily or comfortably. I normally go a little lower than optimum, just so I don't get smacked in the balls if I make a mistake or hit a bump awkwardly.

The Rookie

So you are compensating for poor technique by lowering the saddle then?

As it happens on my MTB I run the saddle about 1/2" lower than on my Hybrid I find that gives me all the freedom of movement I need, still can't touch the floor on both sides from the saddle though!