Carrera Kraken or Rockhopper?

Buchanan0204

Hi,

I'm stuck between two bikes. My budget is really £500, give or take a little.

I noticed BikeRadar gave him praise to the Kraken and said it was the best bike under £500.

I've also noticed the Rockhopper Sport for similar money and it looks to have better components. However it looks like the Rockhopper is discounted due to the time of year (£440), so is it really a £550 bike. The Kraken is full price at £450. I'm thinking this price will drop when Halfords release the new 2016 bikes very soon?

I'll be using it for country roads, gravel trails. I'm 6"1 and well over 100KG. Will the bike I choose have a bearing on this?

I sat on the Kraken 20" frame and it felt good.

So which bike to go for? How much better is one over the other for myself. My knowledge on components. isn't great.

Thanks in advance.

Edit* Just spotted the B'TWIN ROCKRIDER 560 MOUNTAIN BIKE. That looks to have better components than both? Is it really better than the £550 Rockhopper at only £400?

rockmonkeysc

Yep. Get the Rockrider. Specialized's budget bikes are really over priced and terrible value for money.
Also take a look at the Calibre bikes at Go Outdoors.

Buchanan0204

Thanks for the reply.

I've had a look at the Calibre Point.50. It's a nice price at £400 and it's in stock. The RockRider isn't.

Is the Calibre much better than the Carrera Kraken or even a Boardman from Halfords?

I could stretch to £500. However the closer to £400 the better. I'm not familiar with SRAM components, so no idea how good they are on the Calibre, all the reviews are a couple of years old.

Are GoOutdoors likely to replace the .50 in the coming weeks or discount it even further? I believe the 2016 models are due out soon.

Suggestions on other bikes in my price range welcome. There's just so many!

Mattharrier

To be honest, I wouldn't worry too much about whether any given bike might be discounted, unless you have some insider information - thinking like that means you never end up buying anything. The Rockrider might be a better spec, but as there's no stock, it's a moot point.

The Rockrider and Calibre are both of a similar level at a similar price, so go with whichever is in stock/is the best colour/has the best name/is easiest for you to go and fetch and get out onto some trails.

Buchanan0204

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19686615#p19686615]Mattharrier[/url] wrote:

To be honest, I wouldn't worry too much about whether any given bike might be discounted, unless you have some insider information - thinking like that means you never end up buying anything. The Rockrider might be a better spec, but as there's no stock, it's a moot point.

The Rockrider and Calibre are both of a similar level at a similar price, so go with whichever is in stock/is the best colour/has the best name/is easiest for you to go and fetch and get out onto some trails.

Good answer and good point! I just thought with the new models due out in a matter of days, it was worth waiting.

Anyway. I finally placed my order today. I went for the newly released Voodoo Bazinga! Pick it up on Friday. It seems to have some quality components, mostly Deore. It's local and in my fav colour, so happy days.

I'll post detailed high res pics for anyone interested in seeing it in detail.

Cheers for the replies folks. Hope I made a good choice!

Buchanan0204

Well. If anyone is interested.

Here are some shots of my newly acquired Bizango. The ride home was interesting. I've not been in a bike properly for 6-7 years.


Plus Points:
The 29ers certainly pick up a momentum, I'm very glad I chose them.
Bike looks great (personal opinion)
Brakes are decent, although not spectacular. Was only testing them on flat tarmac, will try on a trail over the weekend.
Forks seem very good with adjustable pressure, rebound and lockout.


Not so great:
I'm not sold on the 20 gear setup as opposed to the 27 gears. However it was only a few miles home and I'm sure I'll get used to it.

It's slightly slow to downshift, sometimes a slight delay (bike guy mentioned he noticed this too)

That's about it!

Looking forward to giving it more of a test and getting away out for a couple of hours.

Here's some pics.

https://imgur.com/a/neCbE

mattyfez

Nice, brake feel should improve a the pads wear in a bit, the shifting might too, as every thing is brand new.. If not a slight tweak should sort it out.

It's worth taking it back for it's free 6 week service, but also grab some Allen keys (essential for any cyclist ) So you can check things are nipped up, like tth stem that holds the handlebars on.