# Opinions on Carrera TDF road bike



## Xiorell (12 May 2011)

As the title suggests. I was looking at MTBs the other day and had a quick butchers at this.

Seems alright to me as an entry road bike?


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## Goldie (12 May 2011)

Cycling Plus reviewed it last month and said it was totally sound, if a bit weighty (about 11.5 kilos, iirc)... and drew attention to the heavy discounts that Halfords have got on them at the moment.

Of course, as an alternative you could always crack open a beer, fire up the mighty fleabay and see what you could get for the same money second hand


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## cd365 (13 May 2011)

I have one, I paid £299.99 and am fairly pleased with it. It does the job for me. It is on offer at £279.99, well worth it in my opinion.


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## Xiorell (13 May 2011)

cd365 said:


> I have one, I paid £299.99 and am fairly pleased with it. It does the job for me. It is on offer at £279.99, well worth it in my opinion.




280quid? Where you seen that, says 350 when i look on website?


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## 2Loose (13 May 2011)

Hmm, I have an email saying that the TDF has an extra 20% off until monday and is £279, but when I go to the website is tells me £349.


EDIT: Ah, 20% discount applied in basket.

Sounds like an absolute bargain if you can order before monday.


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## subaqua (13 May 2011)

[QUOTE 1393845"]
It's ok. Far better though is the Decathlon entry-level road bike.
[/quote]


agreed.


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## festival (13 May 2011)

I know this is going to sound mean, but you really don't get much of a road bike for around £350 (or less)
But I do know not everyone can justify £2000 and therefore cut their cloth to suit. 

A bike like those mentioned here so often, will do a job, for a while but even with care and regular maintenance its not long before 'wear and tear' becomes 'worn out and broken', this is in addition to the poor ride and performance from new

So what am I saying exactly, well I read time and again on here similar questions, "is it a good bike", No. 

Of course it gets people out & riding and that's not a bad thing, but I regularly see these bikes deteriorate to a point were it cant be much fun to ride, and at worst unsafe.
Also, you have a situation were if money is spent on it to maintain it, you now have a £300 bike that's cost you, say another £150 +, that's on top of any general running costs that any bike will incur.

Use them as a stepping stone, If you ride more, find a way to something worthwhile.

I am sure there will be those lining up to contradict me, some rightly will comment that they don't expect a quality performance etc, but it fits their budget, that's fine, go for it. 

But remember that the upgrade in quality,features & function of a £500 model is going to cost you double the price difference if you decide to upgrade the bike yourself at a later date.


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## cyberknight (13 May 2011)

festival said:


> I know this is going to sound mean, but you really don't get much of a road bike for around £350 (or less)
> But I do know not everyone can justify £2000 and therefore cut their cloth to suit.
> 
> A bike like those mentioned here so often, will do a job, for a while but even with care and regular maintenance its not long before 'wear and tear' becomes 'worn out and broken', this is in addition to the poor ride and performance from new
> ...



The TDF is actually well built , a little on the solid side sure but not much more than the other bikes on the same test as i looked at the review and their was maybe 1 llb in the weight of all the bikes .These bikes deteriorate most of the time i think because people buy them and do not maintain them properly, i know of people at work who bought carrera bikes and do not do any maintenance and wonder why the bike falls to bits .All because it is a cheap bike you still need to treat it with respect and maintain it.

Would you win a race on this bike? i doubt it unless your Gilbert etc but it is a fun affordable way into the road bike market, i did 45 miles the other weekend on it and it was fine.


I ran mine through winter and it was fine , it needed a new chain and cassette but you will get that with any bike.

I am actually going to be selling my TDF very soon as i am going to be getting a boardman as a weekender and use the Virtuosso as the commuter.I have had some interest in it but nothing definete, its a 54 cm and if your local your more than welcome for a tester even if its just to try the ride.
As for upgrading i would not bother, these bikes tend to hold their second hand value so i would get one off fleabay and keep it as a back up bike as you always need a back up plan


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## Rouge Penguin (13 May 2011)

i would offer something similar to Festival. 

Buying a cheap bike does get you out on the road, but has limitations. All the stuff hanging on the bike will be bottom end, not bad, after all it will change gear and stop you. I bought as cheap as i could when i was first starting out and it did a great job of getting me into cycling, but within months i found i wanted to upgrade things.

In the end i cut my losses, sold it as standard and bought a better machine. Aftermarket gear is unbelievably expensive and difficult (not straight forward i should mean). Adding extra cogs means changing/fiddling about with hubs, complete new running gear including shifters and its not cheap. You might as well spend the extra for a better bike with the middle of the range gear now. Plus for that little bit more (around £250 or so) you might get a 2010 bike with carbon forks half decent gear. 

Shop around, cheap isnt always the best thing to do. Why not get a 2nd hand bike like an allez of fleabay and see if its your thing....or try C2W if you can get it.


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## Fab Foodie (13 May 2011)

[QUOTE 1393845"]
It's ok. Far better though is the Decathlon entry-level road bike.
[/quote]

Agreed, absolute bargain IMO.


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## johnnyh (13 May 2011)

it appears to be basically the same as the Virtuoso, and the Virtuoso is a sound bike. Done several thousand miles on mine, and it is well loved, even though it is relegated to commuting and bad weather complete with mudguards and rack.
For the money it is a bargain.


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## LosingFocus (13 May 2011)

Agree with the thoughts above. I weighed up the TDF and Virtuoso only 3 weeks ago and ended up spending the little bit extra on the V. *IF* I had known about this deal, then I probably would have waited and gone for the TDF.


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## Mark_Robson (13 May 2011)

The TDF is a steal for the price. People underestimate Carreras because they are sold by halfords. They are well specced ( for the price ) and well made.


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## Rouge Penguin (13 May 2011)

I was just in helfrauds, looks a decent enough bike for entry level.


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## festival (13 May 2011)

[QUOTE 1393860"]
I disagree. 
[/quote]


with what!


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## Benthedoon (13 May 2011)

With regard to build quality and spec, I ran a Carrera Banshee FS MTB for 5yrs ('til it got nicked grrr!!) basic care kept her sweet. 
Yes you get better components on a more expensive bike but just as often you pay the extra to ride a 'name'.


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## Sittingduck (13 May 2011)

Given the 20% discount at Halfords this weekend, the Carerra Vanquish for £399.99 is mightly tempting, for a commuter bike! Tiagra and carbon fork for less thank 400 quid... bargain! The red one in decathlon too for £299 looks like superb value, as it also has a carbon fork. Virtuoso & TDF have a Cro-Mo fork, hence 11.5Kg.


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## LosingFocus (13 May 2011)

[QUOTE 1393861"]
The deal is on _all_ Carerra bikes. 20% off until Monday.
[/quote]

Oh FFS....


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## mr_s81 (13 May 2011)

Sittingduck said:


> Given the 20% discount at Halfords this weekend, the Carerra Vanquish for £399.99 is mightly tempting, for a commuter bike! Tiagra and carbon fork for less thank 400 quid... bargain! The red one in decathlon too for £299 looks like superb value, as it also has a carbon fork. Virtuoso & TDF have a Cro-Mo fork, hence 11.5Kg.



Is the Vanquish much lighter than the Virtuoso? I'm assuming the frame is the same with the difference being the componentry and wheels? I have a Virtuoso which is used as an all weather commuter bike and I love it. Over 2k miles and nothing has broken, fallen off or disintegrated. A little bit of prevantative maintenance goes a long way! 

I'm currently in the market for a wet weather training type bike to complement my Planet X Sram Red. Would the Vanquish be any better than the Virtuoso? I don't like the Sora shifters and also miss the carbon forks on the Virtuoso, but bar that it's a great bike!


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## cyberknight (13 May 2011)

mr_s81 said:


> Is the Vanquish much lighter than the Virtuoso? I'm assuming the frame is the same with the difference being the componentry and wheels? I have a Virtuoso which is used as an all weather commuter bike and I love it. Over 2k miles and nothing has broken, fallen off or disintegrated. A little bit of prevantative maintenance goes a long way!
> 
> I'm currently in the market for a wet weather training type bike to complement my Planet X Sram Red. Would the Vanquish be any better than the Virtuoso? I don't like the Sora shifters and also miss the carbon forks on the Virtuoso, but bar that it's a great bike!



Double butted tubing , thicker at the joins to make it stronger.
Better wheels
18 speed rather than 16
Tiagra shifters so you can change on the drops as well as the hoods
oversize bars to make it stronger .
carbon fork makes it lighter + takes road buzz away .

I had one briefly that i bough but the smallest size they do is the medium which is a 56 , i need max of a 54 (which the medium virtuosso is )


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## mr_s81 (13 May 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Double butted tubing , thicker at the joins to make it stronger.
> Better wheels
> 18 speed rather than 16
> Tiagra shifters so you can change on the drops as well as the hoods
> ...



Thanks for that!  Overall did the Vanquish feel much different (nicer) to ride than you Virtuoso?


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## cyberknight (13 May 2011)

mr_s81 said:


> Thanks for that!  Overall did the Vanquish feel much different (nicer) to ride than you Virtuoso?



I would say it was lighter , easier to accelerate and certainly took the sting out of the bad roads i ride on with the carbon fork.The shifters gave you the option to change on the drops .The extra cog on the back gave you a bit of a closer range so you keep in your optimal rpm band a bit easier.
Unfortunately for me it was just too big and i could not get a fit which was more to do with the fact i am short and bought a bargain bike that was wrong for me rather than anything else.
My next bike would be one if they did it in my size but they do not so i am looking at the boardman race on C2W as my next N+1.


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## mr_s81 (13 May 2011)

cyberknight said:


> I would say it was lighter , easier to accelerate and certainly took the sting out of the bad roads i ride on with the carbon fork.The shifters gave you the option to change on the drops .The extra cog on the back gave you a bit of a closer range so you keep in your optimal rpm band a bit easier.
> Unfortunately for me it was just too big and i could not get a fit which was more to do with the fact i am short and bought a bargain bike that was wrong for me rather than anything else.
> My next bike would be one if they did it in my size but they do not so i am looking at the boardman race on C2W as my next N+1.



Thanks  Certainly sounds what I'm looking for. 

Now, with the 20% off this weekend I just need to work out how to explain another N+1 to SWMBO!?!?!


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## snailracer (13 May 2011)

In the world of road bikes, spending more does not necessarily buy a more durable bike, it more often buys a lighter one. For example, a top-tier chainring is made of aluminium, which won't last as long as a much cheaper steel bottom-feeding one.


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## italiafirenze (13 May 2011)

My first road bike was a Carrera TDF, I loved it and polished it after every ride. 

If you're not sure if road bikes are for you it's perfect, if you know you definitely want a road bike and will definitely put plenty of miles in then wait and buy something better because 6 months to a year down the line you'll be bitten by the bug and there's no going back.

My old one has done the rounds on Bike Radar and has been a starter bike for at least 4 people that I know of, I lost about £100 off the new price when I sold it, and since then, nobody has lost anything on it as second hand.


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## Bonked (9 Dec 2013)

cd365 said:


> I have one, I paid £299.99 and am fairly pleased with it. It does the job for me. It is on offer at £279.99, well worth it in my opinion.


Agree. Very good entry level bike and I bought a really good quality mens jersey that is a very good match from Suarez Clothing UK. They even call it the Carrera TDF!


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## PpPete (9 Dec 2013)

I just picked up an (almost immaculate) second hand one for £130
Bike that is, not the jersey


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## Doyleyburger (11 Dec 2013)

I have one and it is a fantastic bike for the money. But it is an entry level bike !
You will , like the way I'm thinking now, want to upgrade after a few months. I am going to upgrade after xmas for sure. 
Be very wary of Halfords build quality tho. It varies from store to store. I have been riding a tdf since July but 6 weeks ago I got a new one because I discovered I was riding the wrong frame size to the one I ordered......just make sure you go over everything before you leave the store. 
Buy mine if ya want. Still to have its 6 week service.... mint cond


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## Nigelnaturist (12 Dec 2013)

My bike a Viking Torino has coveredd 12,000 in the last 18 months, it had the usual new chains tyres cassette, upgraded wheels and from 7sp sora to an 8sp sora (triple) I avg 15-16 mph it weighs usually fully kitted out guards and rack about 15Kgs, any half decent bike is well capable of being ridden well enough for basic fitness, I even rode to London on it in 2008 from Dewsbury


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## Bealz998 (18 Dec 2013)

I have a tdf and I love it, it's a great bike to get starter on, two of my friends have now brought one just to get out on it, i didn't know what to expect for a road bike but it's not as bad as I thought


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## Biker Joe (18 Dec 2013)

I'm very happy with my Vanquish. Putting on some decent tires made a big difference over the stock ones.
The TDF is also very good but the Vanqish has better specs and weighs 10.4 kg.





I changed the colour scheme from green to red.


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## Cycleops (19 Dec 2013)

Just shows how much interest there is in these bikes, enough to revive a two year old thread! Halfords can't be all that bad then.


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## Onthedrops (23 Dec 2013)

I looked carefully at the TDF and made several visits to my local Halfords.

Went down with a a view to buying one. Entered the store and was astounded to find the price had increased to £500 almost overnight. There was no way I was going to pay that for a TDF so left, feeling a little cheated.
Looking further into buying a bike I stumbled upon the Triban 3 in a cycling magazine review. The review stated that the T3 was the best road bike they had ever tested in the price range (£299) They also stated that the T3 was as well specced as bikes twice the price.

A trip to Decathlon followed, got my correct size sorted with a ride round the store for good measure. The bike was then checked over to ensure it was safe to ride. (Take note Halfords)
Then the deed was done. I was a Triban 3 owner.

The above scenario happened just over a year ago. Glad to state that I am still a happy T3 owner.

Nothing against TDF's personally. Nice looking bikes. It's just Halfords who constantly mess with the prices.


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## Cycleops (24 Dec 2013)

It's not just Halfords that use this price manipulation, all the major supermarkets do it too. They must think we all mugs.


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