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Carrera Virtuoso 2014

_seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
edited May 2014 in Road buying advice
I am looking to buy my first ever road bike, I have been looking at the Carrera Virtuoso from Halfords. I am 17 so the price £378.99 is definitely within my budget, but I don't much about road bikes, is the bike worth buying?

Any advice will be much appreciated!

Posts

  • crescentcrescent Posts: 1,199
    No personal experience of them but I did almost buy one as my first road bike about five years ago. Had it not been for a 'too good to miss' offer on a cancelled order Specialized Allez I would have bought it. I believe the Carrera bikes are generally quite well thought of on here.
    Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    Crescent wrote:
    No personal experience of them but I did almost buy one as my first road bike about five years ago. I believe the Carrera bikes are generally quite well thought of on here.

    Thanks very much for the advice, I have been trying to read up on it to try make sure I'm buying the right bike, and all seems good so far and the price is perfect for me. Thanks again!
  • geoffh73geoffh73 Posts: 85
    Have you got a decathlon in Glasgow?
    The Triban 3 gets good reviews for a beginners bike and it's only £249.99 at the moment. Also worth looking at the Triban 5 at £429.99 and has carbon forks and a 9 speeds sora drivetrain.

    Geoff
  • RemarkableRemarkable Posts: 187
    _seanmclaughlin wrote:
    I am looking to buy my first ever road bike, I have been looking at the Carrera Virtuoso from Halfords. I am 17 so the price £378.99 is definitely within my budget, but I don't much about road bikes, is the bike worth buying?

    Any advice will be much appreciated!

    The Btwin Triban series are highly rated as mentioned already but what ever you buy, make sure the frame is the right size for you. Also take the advice you get in Halfords with a touch of caution.
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    geoffh73 wrote:
    Have you got a decathlon in Glasgow?

    We do, I'll make sure to look at both the triban 3 and 5 before making any decisions. Thanks for the advice!
  • trooperktrooperk Posts: 189
    Even if you not planning any upgrade straight away I recommend replacing the tyres that comes with the bike with something lighter as they weight lots.
    Specialized-The censored of bikes.
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    Remarkable wrote:

    The Btwin Triban series are highly rated as mentioned already but what ever you buy, make sure the frame is the right size for you. Also take the advice you get in Halfords with a touch of caution.

    Thanks for the advice, I've heard a lot about that range. And I will do, that's partly the reason for me posting on here. I'm about 6" 2, what size of frame would I need roughly? I know it will be different for most bikes but is there any general thing where the frame is proportional to the height of the rider?
  • Hollow-legsHollow-legs Posts: 142
    Have a look at MERLIN cycles MAVEN currently £399.00
    Good specs for the price ...


    Merlin Maven road bike specification:
    Frame: 6061 Aluminium
    Fork: High Modulus Carbon
    Chainset: Shimano Sora 34/50 rings
    Brakeset: Shimano Sora
    STI Brake/Gear Levers: Shimano Sora 3500
    Front Derailleur: Shimano Sora
    Rear Derailleur: Shimano Sora
    Cassette & Chain: Shimano 11-23 ratio (12-25 for 2013 model)
    Headset: Integral
    Bars & Stem: Merlin aluminium black anodised
    Seatpost: Merlin aluminium black anodised
    Saddle: Velo
    Wheels: Q/R cassette hubs - Alex DC19 rims
    Tyres: 700 x 23mm
    Pedals: Wellgo platform including clips & straps

    http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-s220 ... 55807.html

    The triban 3 is also a very good bike as well ...as stated
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    Hollow-legs wrote:
    Have a look at MERLIN cycles MAVEN currently £399.00
    Good specs for the price ...


    Merlin Maven road bike specification:
    Frame: 6061 Aluminium
    Fork: High Modulus Carbon
    Chainset: Shimano Sora 34/50 rings
    Brakeset: Shimano Sora
    STI Brake/Gear Levers: Shimano Sora 3500
    Front Derailleur: Shimano Sora
    Rear Derailleur: Shimano Sora
    Cassette & Chain: Shimano 11-23 ratio (12-25 for 2013 model)
    Headset: Integral
    Bars & Stem: Merlin aluminium black anodised
    Seatpost: Merlin aluminium black anodised
    Saddle: Velo
    Wheels: Q/R cassette hubs - Alex DC19 rims
    Tyres: 700 x 23mm
    Pedals: Wellgo platform including clips & straps

    http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-s220 ... 55807.html

    The triban 3 is also a very good bike as well ...as stated

    I will do thanks! All advice is appreciated!
  • iron-cloveriron-clover Posts: 737
    For your budget you should be able to get a decent second hand machine as well, such as a specialized allez, alloy Giant Defy, Trek 1 series etc. However, the most important thing is that it fits you properly- the manufacturers often have height charts online that you can refer to which is a good starting point, and will be slightly different for each of the manufacturers.

    I would personally try to avoid the Virtuoso if you can- it's not a bad bike per say and wouldn't be a nightmare to ride, but they are fairly weighty and you can get much better for not a lot more, which will certainly help your enjoyment. My Trek 1.1 set me back a whole £400 when it was on offer and I even managed to place fairly well in an open road race with stock components apart from tires.
  • RemarkableRemarkable Posts: 187
    _seanmclaughlin wrote:

    Thanks for the advice, I've heard a lot about that range. And I will do, that's partly the reason for me posting on here. I'm about 6" 2, what size of frame would I need roughly? I know it will be different for most bikes but is there any general thing where the frame is proportional to the height of the rider?

    Top tube measurement from centre to centre (C2C) is probably the best gauge of fit. Bike manufacturers usually give you a recommended height range on their sizing charts for a given frame size. Have a look a different manufacturers recommendations and geometry charts to get a feel for what you need.

    A good place to start might be here : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycle/road-time ... bikes/?o=2
    They may also have a few road bikes close to your budget. :)
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    Remarkable wrote:
    _seanmclaughlin wrote:

    Thanks for the advice, I've heard a lot about that range. And I will do, that's partly the reason for me posting on here. I'm about 6" 2, what size of frame would I need roughly? I know it will be different for most bikes but is there any general thing where the frame is proportional to the height of the rider?

    Top tube measurement from centre to centre (C2C) is probably the best gauge of fit. Bike manufacturers usually give you a recommended height range on their sizing charts for a given frame size. Have a look a different manufacturers recommendations and geometry charts to get a feel for what you need.

    A good place to start might be here : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycle/road-time ... bikes/?o=2
    They may also have a few road bikes close to your budget. :)


    Thanks very much! I'm completely new to road cycling so any advice is useful! I've had a look and I know roughly what frame size I'd need!
  • PerformingMonkeyPerformingMonkey Posts: 218
    Morning, my neighbour purchased a Virtuoso as his first proper road bike. He has found it a very capable bike if slightly on the heavy side.

    He has made a couple of upgrades but the most important of these were the tyres. The ones that came from the store were horrible shiny plastic.

    He is happy with the frame and geometry but wishes to bring the overall weight down a little. He has fitted some Carbon forks, new stem, new seat & post and is saving for a set of wheels (which will give him a big drop in weight).
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    PerformingMonkey wrote:
    Morning, my neighbour purchased a Virtuoso as his first proper road bike. He has found it a very capable bike if slightly on the heavy side.

    He has made a couple of upgrades but the most important of these were the tyres. The ones that came from the store were horrible shiny plastic.

    He is happy with the frame and geometry but wishes to bring the overall weight down a little. He has fitted some Carbon forks, new stem, new seat & post and is saving for a set of wheels (which will give him a big drop in weight).

    Thanks for the advice, that really helps me so it's good to hear of someone experience with the bike. I will definitely think of those changes if I ever look to make it lighter! Thanks a lot!
  • RemarkableRemarkable Posts: 187
    _seanmclaughlin wrote:

    Thanks very much! I'm completely new to road cycling so any advice is useful! I've had a look and I know roughly what frame size I'd need!

    Great but just remember that every manufacturer measures frames differently. e.g. a 52 cm in one could be a 58 cm in another. Its the top tube size that counts.
  • arlowoodarlowood Posts: 2,561
    As stated above you should consider second had - for example - keep an eye on the classified section on this forum. Couple of likely prospects within your budget are:-

    viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=12967302

    viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=12966689

    Arguably could be said to represent better value than the new Carrera.

    That said I don't know what size you need but it would be worthwhiule having a trawl through other listings.
  • DownwardDownward Posts: 179
    I recently sold my Tiagra kitted Trek 1.5 for £300. Was in great condition nearly 4 years old. 2nd hand Bargains are out there.
  • Munch101Munch101 Posts: 32
    I work in halfords and although we do sell majority shite, the virtuoso is one I think we should sell a lot more of but just don't....mainly because proper cyclists avoid halfords!
  • _seanmclaughlin_seanmclaughlin Posts: 13
    Munch101 wrote:
    I work in halfords and although we do sell majority shite, the virtuoso is one I think we should sell a lot more of but just don't....mainly because proper cyclists avoid halfords!

    So do you think the virtuoso is a good first road bike? And is worth the money?
  • geoffh73geoffh73 Posts: 85
    only you can decided if its worth the money.
    if it was my money i would be tempted to get the triban 3 and use what i saved to upgrade the tyres and possibly brake blocks.
    Geoff
  • RubberduckyRubberducky Posts: 5
    Do what I did. Buy a mekk pinerolo.

    Lovely bike. Rides nicely. Looks brilliant in the flesh compared to the pictures they use.
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