# Bargain or... just wrong?



## Sittingduck (10 Jul 2009)

This has to be worth a punt for 200 quid doesn't it?

Ta,
SD


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## yello (10 Jul 2009)

It certainly looks wrong to me. A bike with an identity crisis.


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## John the Monkey (10 Jul 2009)

Halfords Sell them

THE FIXED GEAR APOCALYPSE IS NIGH!


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## gaz (10 Jul 2009)

The frame looks whack, i may go and see if my local halfords has one tomorrow.


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## dave r (10 Jul 2009)

Belt Drive? difficult to tell from the picture, can't enlarge it, when I click on the enlarge link the computer tries to open it with movie player. If its a belt drive I wonder how they split the frame to get the belt in?


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## D4VOW (10 Jul 2009)

dave r said:


> Belt Drive? difficult to tell from the picture, can't enlarge it, when I click on the enlarge link the computer tries to open it with movie player. If its a belt drive I wonder how they split the frame to get the belt in?



No it's a chain  Not really my cup of tea but if you like it go and try one out


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## hubgearfreak (10 Jul 2009)

from the ad....
_The Carrera brand has been on the market in the UK for over 20 years sold exclusively at Halfords the brand is recognised by cyclists throughout the UK as one of quality, performance and value._


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## Tel (11 Jul 2009)

Looks alright to me, especially at that price. The only thing that I think looks a bit odd is that the forks could do with being a bit chunkier.


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## Sittingduck (11 Jul 2009)

Tel said:


> Looks alright to me, especially at that price. The only thing that *I think looks a bit odd is that the forks could do with being a bit chunkier.*



/agree


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## Ben M (11 Jul 2009)

I was just a little bit sick in my mouth.


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## 4F (12 Jul 2009)

move away from the halfords website SD,


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

Hmmm...can't make my mind up...it's the fact that the frame looks so mountain bikey that sort of spoils it...I think...maybe it takes getting used to...For £200 you can't argue I suppose...


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## ufkacbln (12 Jul 2009)

hubgearfreak said:


> from the ad....
> _The Carrera brand has been on the market in the UK for over 20 years sold exclusively at Halfords the brand is recognised by cyclists throughout the UK as one of quality, performance and value._



Fair comment, they do stand up well in head to head reviews with other bikes of the same standard and price. The `Subway" certainly has a good reputation.


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## Sittingduck (12 Jul 2009)

I have decided against it, lol. It was a fleeting idea and I might still get a fixed but want to build one myself from an old steel frame, if possible. Difficult to source cheaply in London 

Anyway I don't have the space for yet another bike in the flat...

SD


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## hubgearfreak (12 Jul 2009)

Tel said:


> The only thing that I think looks a bit odd is that the forks could do with being a bit chunkier.



non, it's that the rest of the frame tubes are too fat. aloomiiiniiium, you see



Cunobelin said:


> Fair comment, they do stand up well in head to head reviews with other bikes of the same standard and price. The `Subway" certainly has a good reputation.



i've no doubt that they're competently mediocre, OK even, but that advertising blurb makes them sound like they're up there with dave yates or mercian et al.


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## dansenior (15 Jul 2009)

it looks like theyve been designed to make the most money out of possibly having a lot of older subway alu frames, and making it into something with a bit of hipster cool.
But from what I can remember the subway frame, which i had one of the subway 2's was a heavy frame, for £200 though, theres not a lot to be argued about.
Agree about the size of the forks, why put steel forks on an alloy frame, whats all that about?, i dont get it.
Im guessing here, but think that the parts that theyve used look a little suspect for longevity, as theres more force on the chainset, chain, bottom bracket and other parts with a fixed gear, this is kinda crucial.


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## dansenior (15 Jul 2009)

24lbs weight total, thats quite a bit for a fixed gear to have to lug around, going up hills, may be quite interesting, thats almost as much as my dawes galaxy!!!


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## dodgy (15 Jul 2009)

Chain's slack.


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## alecstilleyedye (15 Jul 2009)

dansenior said:


> it looks like theyve been designed to make the most money out of possibly having a lot of older subway alu frames, and making it into something with a bit of hipster cool.
> But from what I can remember the subway frame, which i had one of the subway 2's was a heavy frame, for £200 though, theres not a lot to be argued about.
> Agree about the size of the forks, *why put steel forks on an alloy frame,* whats all that about?, i dont get it.
> Im guessing here, but think that the parts that theyve used look a little suspect for longevity, as theres more force on the chainset, chain, bottom bracket and other parts with a fixed gear, this is kinda crucial.



i have what was a carrera virtuoso and that came with aluminium forks. they didn't half put a lot of vibration through the bars, and the bike was a lot better when i put carbon forks on. i reckon that steel is preferable to aluminium in this regard, which is why they went for that at that price point.

it does look a bit odd though, it's true. for £200 you could get an old steel frame and convert it to fixed, which is much nicer.

oh, and it's got vertical dropouts, so you'd need a chain tensioner if the supplied gear ratio needed changing, or a new chain and chain ring.


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## RedBike (15 Jul 2009)

It looks like it's got track dropouts to me. 

I'm wondering if I could squeeze a set of 35mm nobbly tyres in there and turn that into my new cyclo-x bike? - Was looking at a Pompino but this is about half the price.


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