The old Carerra bikes seem to be doing well for themselves of late, Halfords still arent offering them though at a reasonable price. The Carrera is what I would call an entry level bike, the bikes are built in the same factory as Kona so expect the same level of workmanship you would from a top name like Kona. This bike comes with the Tough 4 bar link full suspension 7005 aluminium Bi-axial tubed frame. Suntour XC60 fork, 27spd Shimano Deore transmission, Tektro IO Disc brakes, FSA Alpha drive chain set, Tioga double butted handlebars, Tioga stem and seatpost, Tioga Factory Extreme 2. 1 tyres, Shock comes with adjustable pre-load and rebound damping.
This bike is meant really for downhill racing but does well on dirt riding. The gears are Shimano Deore which are a sturdier gearing than the standard Shimano, which is what you will need when dirt riding. The disk brakes are Tektron of make, a nice enough make but no where near the likes of Hope. The Tektron brakes are disk brakes and work pretty much the same way as disk brakes on a motorbike. They are very keen!!!!! Which is what you need when your pounding the Shimano Deore gears as hard as your little chunky legs will let you!
The bike feels sturdy when riding it, with an adjustable back suspension for different ground surfaces. The peddles would be the first thing I would replace, for an off road bike they just arent durable enough for all the knocks they would be taking. The gearing can be quite sensitive too, best not to mess with them and let someone tune them up, usually costs about £10. The Tyres on the bike are a cross for road and dirt riding. Swap them for some decent dirt tyres as this is not a bike for the road due to the suspension on the back. You can adjust the suspension for the road but you have to fully wind it in and is not a quick action. Another problem with the bike is the bottom bracket (the bearing where the peddles are) to offer a bike like this at a reasonable price, cheaper than its makers for instance, parts like this are of poor quality, the bracket is made of plastic so soon wears out and will need to be replaced with a decent one. Again you can pay a varied amount of prices for them and they usually cost about £10 to fit. I replaced mine with a Shimano and have not had any problems since. The pads on the Tektron are not of decent quality either and Im finding they get spongy not so longer after I have adjusted them.
The seat is quite comfy as its larger than a normal Carerra stiff tail seat, one fat arse in padded shorts on a fully sussed bike, ahhhhh to be a king! If your wanting a bike just for the road with a bit if dirt riding thrown in, Id get a cheaper equivalent like the Carerra Kraken, its a stiff tail but has al the other features of this bike for nearly £200 less, usually about the £300 mark, as the Banshee is usually around the £500 mark. I think this bike is worth its money, as its a sturdy bike that can stand the lengths you will put it through as an amatuer, great for a first bike. Well I liked it so ner. ;-)
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Price
£500 (ish)
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