Any reason why I shouldn't buy the Carrera Sulcata?

[RadRyder]

Genuinely know next to nothing about bikes! I need a new mountain bike which I'll be using quite a lot but I don't have a huge budget.

I like the look of the bike and it has good reviews (on the halfords website) but I've heard bad things about "Halfrauds".

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-sulcata-mens-mountain-bike

I've got a decathalon nearby if there are any alternatives people would recommend? I'd rather a bike was recommended then a brand because then I go to their website and get faced with 20 different bikes and I don't really have a clue which one to go for...

Thank you so much!

 

[speccy1]

Only problem I can see is the clowns who sell it

 

[Brandane]

Genuinely know next to nothing about bikes! I need a new mountain bike which I'll be using quite a lot but I don't have a huge budget.

I like the look of the bike and it has good reviews (on the halfords website) but I've heard bad things about "Halfrauds".

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-sulcata-mens-mountain-bike

I've got a decathalon nearby if there are any alternatives people would recommend? I'd rather a bike was recommended then a brand because then I go to their website and get faced with 20 different bikes and I don't really have a clue which one to go for...

Thank you so much!

At first glance it looks to be quite a well specced bike for the price, although I'm not familiar with SRAM gears and how good/bad that particular transmission set is.
Halfords does get bad press on here and elsewhere, but like every chain store you get good and bad employees. There are some very competent bike mechanics at Halfords, and there are some duds. Chances are you will get lucky as it's really only the bad ones who ever get mentioned on here; the good ones go unnoticed. If not you can either keep taking the bike back until they get things right, or you could pay a good LBS to set it up correctly for you (although they might not be happy that you didn't buy the bike from them in the first place).

 

[HLaB]

Before you buy I'd ask are you sure its a mtb you need (full off roading) or a more practical, faster and lighter bike for commuting and light off roading (aka a hybrid), if so perhaps you want to look at something like the Carrera Subway http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-subway-1-mens-hybrid-bike-2015

 

[Broadside]

Before you buy I'd ask are you sure its a mtb you need (full off roading) or

I couldn't agree with this more. Start off with your requirements and then select a bike based on that. If you end up saying 90% tarmac but want the option of some canal or gravel path then go for a decent road orientated hybrid. If you think you might not even do those paths then get a road bike, they are built for the job. MTB are not the all rounder they used to be, these days you need to consider some of the excellent hybrids that are around.

 

[Roadrider48]

Looks a winner to me for £299
Almost everyone on here slags off Halfords I think it's the domino effect.
I personally have bought from most outlets on the high street or online.
The more expensive places just sell more expensive bikes, you don't get better service, not really.
People tend to judge a shop if the assistant is more polite to them than in another shop.
Then you get stories of what happened with a bike service at Halfords. You know the sort of thing. "I took my bike for a service, collected it, started to ride home and the wheels fell off"
Then someone else says "yeah, similar thing happened to me. Was riding home and realised half way that the inept teenager in Halfords had removed my tyres and brakes and I've just realised"
Generally speaking, unless you are in the market for an up market expensive high specced bike they are all. Uchmof a muchness.

 

[RadRyder]

Thank you very much for the replies. I'll go out and buy it tomorrow unless you'd say a rockrider from decathlon would be superior?

 

[evo456]

If you're not too fussed with 29in , the Calibre 2.2 has some good components like esp hydraulic brakes, decent fork and over 2kg lighter than the Carerra.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-two-two-alloy-hardtail-mountain-bike-p275612

 

[drhill77]

As previously said, depends what you want to use it for.

 

[screenman]

Listen to the guys asking what you want it for. Most of these type of bikes are used for propping walls up with.

 

[RadRyder]

I'll be using it off road a lot.

 

[tudor_77]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Halfords. I ordered a Boardman Road Team carbon LTD edition last year with SRAM Apex. Came pre-built and has worked flawlessly straight out of the box.

 

[HarryTheDog]

@RadRyder , I'll just share a little story with you about that bike. A few weeks ago I was practicing for a XC race at Hadliegh Olympic MTB park and there was a 15 year old lad there on a Halfords Carrera 29er. He did every black route and took every A line on it with ease. I ended up talking to him as I was having problems tackling a feature called triple trouble. He wanted to race the next day but felt his cheap bike wasn't up to it. I offered to swap his skills for my Carbon Stumpjumper bike as he was going to go around a dam site faster than I was.
He had been beating that bike up on the Hadliegh course since xmas, his only whinge was that the forks were starting to creak and sometimes bottomed out . ( not suprised they way he was throwing it about) and his "mates" took the piss because it wasn't carbon and a label brand. From what I saw in his hands it was a very capable bike.

 

[fossyant]

The Carrera's are good bikes. My son has had a Vengeance for 3-4 years and he's done black runs on it.

They are good value. My BIL has just had his Sulcata stolen.

I've just bought a 2014 Boardman FS Pro 650B with a massive discount. It came well set up from the shop and they gave it a quick check over again before I took it. Very much depends on the store and the mechanic they have. The one I bought it from had two experienced down hill MTBers working in the bike section.