Carrera zelos road bike?

[biggs682]

they look like a good basic starting bike if bought when reduced

 

[Chriswas]

Hi, just an update on my Carrera Zelos for those who are interested.

I took my wheels back to Halfords to be re-trued, and they have been fine ever since. They either forgot to charge me or assumed it was a warranty repair.

I changed the brake blocks too which made a massive difference to the control when braking, I would certainly recommend this to anyone buying this bike.

I have also bought a shorter stem to help with the fit and splashed out on a Fizik saddle.

The original tyres lasted 1800 miles but have now become susceptible to punctures so have replaced these.

I am not planning on replacing the handle bars with narrower ones, again to help the fit.

The bike had served me well all year, as I said ive done over 1800 miles on it and had very few problems, ive maintained it well and replaced bits as described above. After doing a sportive in September I did get a dose of bike envy buy im struggling to justify a spend of over £1k at the moment.

The new plan is to keeo the carrera untill this time next year and then get a big boys bike. ....

 

[jon222]

I have a carerra crossfire, the wheels and tyres are pretty low rent. But give em 6 months of abuse. Then get a decent set, by which time you would have worked out their limitations. Etc. The carerra brand do represent good value for money for the begginer. They should perservere until they understand how to get to the next level.

 

[Illaveago]

I thought I would resurrect this thread!
I've just bought an old one .
Stop laughing at the back !
I thought that I would buy one cheap as I normally ride classic steel bikes and see what it is like going over to the "Dark Side".
I think the bike had been left outside in all weather's for some time . What looked like oxtail soup poured out of the head stock when I lifted the bike into the boot of my car . That was the first bit that I found strange . I had difficulty fitting it in . I have a Jaguar XE and my 70's Viking Severn Valley went in easily. After a struggle I managed to get it and the wheels in.
Back at home I started to free things up . The brakes were seized . Oil on the pivots and cables and some manipulation got them working .
The chain was nice and orange so oil was applied and spun round . I tried the gears which were also in need of oil, these soon freed up and started working . I went up and down through all of the gears to check that everything was free. The head bearings were next ! Smooth wasn't the first impression ! Notchy was ! Ah well ! Oil might work ! It felt a bit better . I pumped up the tyres . They held up so I thought I would give it a quick road test .
I set off on my first ever ride on a kiddies bike suitable for adults with the enormous seat post . I was surprised by how smooth it felt being an aluminium frame . The brake lever gear changes were also new to me . Brake lever for down shifts and thumb for changing up I quite liked it but didn't like the way the brake lever shot over to one side when I needed it ! As I was quite liking the ride I extended it . From just a quick 1 mile test went to 5 and then 12. It was quite pleasant except for the feeling of being blown to one side as if being hit by a sudden gust of wind . I think the notchy head bearings were responsible . I seemed to be liking the riding on the new bike . It was smooth and seemed to going quite fast . No real comparison as I didn't have Speedo fitted . I returned safely after enjoying my trip .
I have since cleaned the front hub and fitted new bearings which now spins freely . I have taken of the forks and looked at the bearings . The top bearings don't seem too bad . I haven't taken them out completely but packed some grease into them . The bottom ones were totally different. They were loose but rough . By feeling up inside the head tube I could feel the ball race so I worked some grease into them with my fingers . They now feel smoother . I enquired at Halfords if they had a headset for my bike thinking that as the bike was one of their models that they would have them . No ! They were an earlier type ! What have they changed ? Different diameter? I could order some new ones. I declined ! I will do some research. They wanted half the price of the bike for them . I won't be doing many miles on the bike for now so new ones can wait . They are running better now having grease in them .
So I have now done just over 14 miles on the bike. The strange steering has gone . The ride is much smoother than I expected. I'm quite liking the ride although as many reports have said that it's not meant for climbing hills . I struggled up a bridge over a dual carriageway which I can easily climb on my other bikes .
Have I been converted and gone over to the Dark Side? Well I was surprised by the way that the bike felt and went . I don't like the way that parts could be too specific for each bike , non standardisation! Most of my other bikes I can easily swap parts over which I often do ! Head bearings aren't an issue with classic bikes , just a set of loose ball bearings . I will have to try it out on another test ride as I discovered that a Dawes Shadow that I am working on for a friend , which is on the large size for me set a really fast pace the other day . So a lot of the performance differences between bikes could just be down to the gearing .
Further testing needs to be done , but I quite like it but don't think It will replace my classics .

 

[biggs682]

That's another one saved

 

[Illaveago]

I have been polishing the frame this afternoon . It is going to be the shiniest matt black and yellow Zelos around . I don't like Matt paint finishes .

 

[Illaveago]

I have ordered a set of head bearings from Halfords . That was a week ago . In the mean time I have been looking into what type they are and gradually getting to know what type they are . Semi Integrated ! The inventor might have designed a head set that could be quickly adjusted but he didn't bargain for manufacturers to come up with a plethora of variants! The old system was much easier loose balls or cage ! Whilst waiting for the correct ones to arrive I ordered a lower sealed bearing . It would seem that the lower cup needs to be driven out so that I can remove the sealed bearing which seems to be held in by a circlip. What I do not like is their lack of weather proofing ! The old cup system didn't suffer as much from water ingress as this system .
Now that the weather has improved a bit I might take my bike out again depending on how the steering feels .

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

I've always held Carreras in quite high regard, not just the bikes but also the fact that they are available from a high street chain that has branches in or near a lot of the major towns. Something where they win out over Tribans/BT Wins.

I have a used Vanquish which sadly really, really needs a new BB, it has a semi-sealed unit installed and I can't get drive side undone. Sadly it has those splined ISIS fittings which are fine when new or regularly adjusted, but this one is not, I suspect that the previous owner tried and gave up as the loose ball bearing side had only 5 balls.

Oddly the problems isn't wear but stiffness, even with the adjustable cup removed, the axle can be pulled left and right a bit rotates as if through thick treacle. As a very crude estimate it takes around 75 watts to overcome BB resistance.

Apart from this the only real issue is that it too has thumb release STI, which I can't reach from the drops , but these are early 2000 series so are 8 speed and could be replaced by new or almost new Claris units.

Is yours 7 speed Tourney? That's a model range rarely admitted to here.

Carreras are usually well balanced spec wise so there are no easy wins with a cheap upgrade, but if you do feel like a dabble one thing that makes sense to me is the front fork. Non alloy steel could become CF for only 2, 3, 6, 10 times what you paid for the whole bike?

Bye

Ian

 

[Illaveago]

Good morning,

I've always held Carreras in quite high regard, not just the bikes but also the fact that they are available from a high street chain that has branches in or near a lot of the major towns. Something where they win out over Tribans/BT Wins.

I have a used Vanquish which sadly really, really needs a new BB, it has a semi-sealed unit installed and I can't get drive side undone. Sadly it has those splined ISIS fittings which are fine when new or regularly adjusted, but this one is not, I suspect that the previous owner tried and gave up as the loose ball bearing side had only 5 balls.

Oddly the problems isn't wear but stiffness, even with the adjustable cup removed, the axle can be pulled left and right a bit rotates as if through thick treacle. As a very crude estimate it takes around 75 watts to overcome BB resistance.

Apart from this the only real issue is that it too has thumb release STI, which I can't reach from the drops , but these are early 2000 series so are 8 speed and could be replaced by new or almost new Claris units.

Is yours 7 speed Tourney? That's a model range rarely admitted to here.

Carreras are usually well balanced spec wise so there are no easy wins with a cheap upgrade, but if you do feel like a dabble one thing that makes sense to me is the front fork. Non alloy steel could become CF for only 2, 3, 6, 10 times what you paid for the whole bike?

Bye

Ian

Thanks .
I am new to this bike which seems to have been left out in the weather for quite a while and has become rusty . I have managed to free up a lot of things but the head bearings are the things which have suffered the most .
We are driving back from Yorkshire today so hopefully later on I may start on the head bearings as a new one arrived in the post yesterday.
Your problem seems worse than mine ! Or at the moment it does . I just hope that the bearing housing hasn't corroded into the frame . If it has you may be able to hear me swearing from where you live !
Mine has the thumb lever for up shifting and the brake lever for down . I find it quite easy . I was given a later lever , I think it is a Claris but think that it would be difficult to change up as I have to hold the brake lever in order to move the lever . This is just whilst holding it in my hand.
I was surprised by how smooth the ride was . I'm not sure if I need to go for a carbon fork . I will give my bike some more miles before thinking about that . One of my main aims is to compare like for like , old classic bikes against a more modern style . I have been surprised both ways . As I said the ride is smooth which I assumed might have been harsh so that is a plus ! What surprised me was how high the gearing felt ! I found it hard to ride up a flyover over a dual carriageway . That was in bottom gear! I can manage the same slope on one of my classic bikes in 3rd. Seeing that the gearing on the Zelos is much lower I need to investigate this .

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Morning,

..... What surprised me was how high the gearing felt ! I found it hard to ride up a flyover over a dual carriageway . That was in bottom gear! I can manage the same slope on one of my classic bikes in 3rd. Seeing that the gearing on the Zelos is much lower I need to investigate this .

Whilst I can feel the weight on hills in comparison with my CF bike it's not this extreme for me, I almost hesitate to ask this; are the wheels flexing under load and the brakes rubbing?

Whilst not light, I am guessing around the 26lbs mark, that is still the same as a 501/531PG main frame tube only bike, once accepted as an entry level enthusiasts bike. That's only around 4 lbs - 6 lbs more than a "classic", that's certainly noticeable but ....

Bye

Ian

 

[Illaveago]

This morning I had a go at replacing the bottom head bearing . I have bought a sealed bearing replacement online so I thought I would knock the old one out to see what it was like . It came out with a few taps using an old screwdriver from above on the inside of the head tube . It was manky ! I cleaned the grease off that I had used as a temporary fix . It didn't handle too bad the other day that I rode it . After cleaning the old bearing I compared it with the one I took out of my old Carrera Vulcan . They looked similar . The only difference I could see was the bearing retaining circlip position . One holds the bearing from above , the other is set into a groove machined into the bearing race from below . As the old bearing housing needs a good clean I fitted the bearing from the old Vulcan . I smeared a bit of copper slip into the frame and tapped the bearing in and reassembled the bike . It seems fine . I will have to take it out for a test run.

 

[chris667]

I owned a Vanquish, which I suspect is the same bike.

It was good and surprisingly comfy.

What I liked about it was it had deep drop calipers so you could get 28mm tyres in with a mudguard. Most of the equivalents at the time had stupid short calipers so 25mm max without a mudguard. It was a bike for going to work on, and mudguards make sense there. Or put it another way - what is the advantage in a bike that can't have mudguards?

Worked really well and a good fit. Had quite a nice wide ranging freewheel too. Nice wide bars and even quite a good saddle for a cheap bike. I sold it in the end though. Moved onto a boat my Galaxy was all the bike I needed for that.

This bike isn't a competition machine, it's the spiritual successor to an old ten speed racer. That's the way to look at it rather than being disappointed it isn't a lightweight.

 

[Illaveago]

I went out for my first ride of 2023 this afternoon. The weather was sunny but chilly and it appears to be the only window of fine weather for a while. I wanted to give the bike another road test , I have just replaced the bottom head bearing I salvaged from a scrap frame that I have . The old bearings were shot! They were made up of loose bearings , some of which had gone walkabout! The race or channel in which the bearings ran looked more like a cobbled street with all the ruts worn into it . No wonder it felt rough .
The ride was nice and pleasant despite some of the roads being flooded in places. One section I had to use a raised pedestrian platform where the river had burst it's banks . I did 12 miles in total .
When I got back I checked my 1980's Raleigh Clubman to see what size wheels are fitted . They are 27 inch with 1. 25tyres . The Zelos has 700 X 23C tyres . The gearing for the Clubman is 52/42 13-24t , the Zelos is 50/34 14-28t. What I don't understand is that I'm finding it harder to climb gradients on the Zelos despite it having lower gearing ! Today I struggled up a slope and had to use 1st gear whereas I can easily climb it on the Clubman in 3rd.

 

[biggs682]

Well done with first ride of 2023
Worth checking rear wheel bearings as it doesn't sound like bike has been well looked after before you got it
The standard wheels are not the lightest but then neither are the majority of 27" wheels

 

[Jameshow]

Iirc....

Vanquish was the highest Carrara model equal to a spez allez or caad8 etc.

Double butted, carbon forks and tiagra or 105 gearing. Nice bike my sister has one.

Valor was next, not as light frame carbon forks claris gears.

Zelos was next basic frame and forks ..

Tdf was the bottom which was a yellow and black zelos.

Well there's a potted history of my youth.

New wheels like rs10 or Mavic would improve things too.