Carrera Vulcan best for what off road?

carl1983
carl1983 Posts: 162
edited May 2014 in MTB beginners
Hi, I'm a roadie and been thinking for a while wether to give off road a try so I'm about to buy a Carrara vulcan tomorrow but just wondering if it's the right bike for what I'm wanting to do, I want to ride the local trails (Gisburn etc) but also some of the very local fells to me which I've noticed strava have several segments on, these fells are pure grass and mossy and have a lot of steep areas more fell walkers paths then trails, would a Vulcan be ok for this or will I need something like a full suspension bike?

Thanks.

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Depends on your budget. You wont get a good FS bike for the price of a Vulcan.
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  • carl1983
    carl1983 Posts: 162
    supersonic wrote:
    Depends on your budget. You wont get a good FS bike for the price of a Vulcan.

    I'm going to get a vulcan as it is an entry level bike as I'm not sure that after a week it will stay in my shed and I stick to my road bike, Having said that I at least want a bike where I can ride most trails to get the best feel for the hobby.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The Vulcan is a decent enough entry level bike, it will wand decent tyres on it for proper off-roading though as the stock ones are a bit hard. No point even considering a full sus unless you want to pay over twice as much. Many people still enjoy HTs even if they aren't necessarily as fast or easy to ride.

    Have a look at the links in my sig for what can be done with the Carreras.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • mattrixdesign2
    mattrixdesign2 Posts: 644
    A Vulcan should handle anything thrown at it (basing this on my Mrs' old one - Sram gearing, Tektro cable discs, and Suntour forks), it won't be the lightest, but certainly tough enough.

    A hardtail will handle practically anything, may not be as quick or as easy to ride as a full suss, but very capable. At the budget end it also makes more sense in terms of £/weight/components.

    As above a quick and relatively cheap swap out of the tyres could save a few lbs and improve performance.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Have you considered just fitting some CX tyres to your road bike, maybe tubeless so you can drop the pressure right down when you get to the rough stuff?
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Initialised wrote:
    Have you considered just fitting some CX tyres to your road bike, maybe tubeless so you can drop the pressure right down when you get to the rough stuff?
    I think you are missing the point and a couple of screws.
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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    No, no, he still has the screws, it's just they are a bit loose.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.

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