new virtuosso
CAT69
Posts: 376
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i've got a carrera tdf and to be honest its bloody brilliant. can't see the virtuoso being any worse. so for that price, you can't go wrong. bike snobs won't agree though
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I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles0
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Perhaps I was a little terse. It definitely isn't blingy though. Things you should be aware of:
1. Halfords' service can be a bit variable; some staff are top-notch, some you wouldn't trust to open a sardine tin that was already open. So you need to have a bit of mechanical nous as you'll need to check everything on the bike before you ride it. Or get your LBS to do it if they're amenable to checking bikes bought at other bike shops.
2. It's pretty heavy for a road bike
3. It does have a FSA chainset on it rather than some no-name cheapo unit so bottom brackets and chainrings won't be hard to find
4. The pedals will be fairly crappy; IME it's possible to break cheap OEM pedals off at the axles so you might want to replace these
5. IME the Sora rear mechs are a little vulnerable to corrosion in the winter so it'll want a regular maintenance schedule
6. If you find the brake pads a little reluctant to slow you down, or the tyres a little reluctant to stick to the road, this is normal for bicycles in this price range
7. Just to elaborate on point 1, that includes verifying that the wheel bearings have grease in them and have been correctly preloaded. Note that the seals on these hubs probably aren't the best, so they will require regular servicing (particularly in winter or frequent riding in wet conditions) to ensure they don't run dry.
Better?- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
cheers.....blingy i should of mentioned to previous model which i use for a winter bike(on it last legs) so was just asking in peoples opinions id it better spec etc.. than previous model.0
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Hi there, I have brought last years model to use as a winter bike, really good value for money, the bike is really heavy, but saying that I normally ride a full carbon bike and average 19mph no problem, when I started using the new bike, my average dropped down to 16 -17 mph and my usual training run up snake pass and winnet pass was a lot harder!!!! month later and I can really see an improvement!!! The wheel on the bike if they are the same style should be binned straight a way!! mine lasted a week before the bike sounded like a washing machine!!! fit some mavic akisiums and they will do the job fine, change the seat as usual and by the start of next racing season you will be flying. 8)0
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Stone monkeys comments are interesting as he recommends fitting wheels that cost around a third of the price of the entire bike .
Sure the bike is heavier than a nicer bike but thats it, pretty much all bikes in this price bracket weigh around the weight of the virtuoso , the wheels are factory built so might need truing properly which the LBS can do for around a tenner.
Comparing a full carbon bike to a entry level bike is not helpful to the OP , i have done a sportive and club runs on mine and for the money it is a good bike.Not everyone has the budget that allows them to buy a carbon /high end bike .As long as the bike runs ok and the rider is happy with it then thats all that matters.
Cycling plus and many forum members always rate them highly .FCN 3/5/90 -
Hi there cyberknight, I was not giving negative views on the bike, in fact for the money you cant go wrong with the bike!! i have done nearly a thousand miles on it and other than the wheels and a creak from the crank which just needed re greasing, the bike has been really good!! had more problems with my other bike,carbon,105 spec.
. just wish this bloody cold i have had for nearly 2 weeks would go away. 
. With regards to the wheels fair comment,i have more problems in the past with wheels than anything else so did not want the same problems again. 0 -
Agree with the negatives on this bike but no more so than any other road bike at that sort of price. It does look fairly good and with branded parts probably a better deal than it's closest competitors. On this type of bike the rear mechs ARE prone to seizing (has happened with my own bikes) at the pivot bolt and it's not a simple job fixed by squirting WD40 into it, same for the calipers, can require a rebuild or 2 after a good few winter miles, wheel bearings are never as lovely and smooth as high priced ones - no way can you expect it though so if a cheap road suits your purpose then this is probably the best of the lot. Helps if you are prepared to get dirty hands for some fettling sessions keeping it running smoothly.0
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cyberknight wrote:Stone monkeys comments are interesting as he recommends fitting wheels that cost around a third of the price of the entire bike .
Sure the bike is heavier than a nicer bike but thats it, pretty much all bikes in this price bracket weigh around the weight of the virtuoso , the wheels are factory built so might need truing properly which the LBS can do for around a tenner.
Comparing a full carbon bike to a entry level bike is not helpful to the OP , i have done a sportive and club runs on mine and for the money it is a good bike.Not everyone has the budget that allows them to buy a carbon /high end bike .As long as the bike runs ok and the rider is happy with it then thats all that matters.
Cycling plus and many forum members always rate them highly .
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I couldnt agree more with this!
I have a Carrera TDF Ltd. For the money its a Fantastic bike, so ok, its not racelight, but whats a few grams if your a fat git like me
The bike itself is Fantastic, the only issue i had was the usual halfords build quality, LBS sorted that for me, and its been £300 well spent all in all!
I don't know where a lot of forum members get the impression that i can pluck £2000 out of my @rse.0
