I just bought a Halfords Carrera Kraken, brand new, reduced from £500 to £339, in part due to a few scratches on the frame. It’s got Suntour XCM forks, full SRAM X5 transmission, Truvativ cranks, Tektro Auriga Comp discs, Conti Speed Kings, etc – now has a Thomson stem fitted (!) but apart from that as it left the shop.

This was bought as a no 2 bike for hacking around with the kids and those horrible days when I want to leave the Lynskey in the garage (like yesterday!).

So, here am I, normally to be found riding £3k+ bikes (I’ve had all sorts; Yeti, IF, Cannondale, Lynskey, Airborne, DeKerf, Kona, Ellsworth, Klein…I’m afraid the list is endless and I can’t help myself) but yesterday I found myself riding around Delemere on this “cheapo” thinking, actually, this is pretty good! Yes, it’s a bit heavy but apart from that it’s probably better than bikes I paid a whole heap of money for 10 years ago….

…my point is, have a lost the plot somewhere down the line with my bike/brand snobbery – if I’d have stuck with a “keep it cheap” motto all these years I’d be a whole heap better off financially!

Having said that, I love my “best bike” so much I’d keep it in the house if I was allowed….

have a lost the plot somewhere down the line with my bike/brand snobbery

Yes.

yea most of the stuff you got is made by Gaint so why not just get a Gaint…

Yes you have indeed! I have done the same in a way by selling my 2011 scott scale with all the bells and whistles and bought a 1996 stumpjumper for £130!

I too was in delamere but in the evening and it is great fun, a bit iffy on v-brakes but i am slapping a BB7 on the front soon.

I can go just as fast on this as i could the scott and have more fun negotiating obstacles on the trails etc.

(but it doesn’t really matter, if you can afford it)

I’d reserve your appraisal until you’ve used and abused it for while, IME cheaper bikes equal cheaper components which start wearing out pretty quickly.

I hired a £500-ish Corratec alu HT on holiday in Majorca recently.

Very impressed with how fast it was and the Tektro brakes were great, Deore shifting adequate – but don’t think I could live with one full time.

Suntour fork was hopeless and while the geometry was great for racing roadies it was a bit precarious on rocky descents.

After years of uber expensive mtb’s I had given up due to the sheer cost and endless upgrades to ‘the next big thing’
Then I bought a Kona Unit 2-9 for going to the pub (for £400).That was 5 years ago….still ss,still rigid,still clown wheels and still loving it.

I’d reserve your appraisal until you’ve used and abused it for while, IME cheaper bikes equal cheaper components which start wearing out pretty quickly.

Possibly true – my Carrera Vengeance is about 1.5 years old, and the chain / cassette / chainrings are worn and could all do with changing at some point, although it still pedals / shifts okay. Everything else is fine (had a couple of sets of brake pads in it over that time). Is that a short time to wear a drivechain out (probably riding that bike about once a week on average in all weathers, including loads of riding in the snow), just outside the Peak District. Oh and quite a lot of kiddy trailer towing too. Would you expect to have destroyed a drivechain in that time, bearing in mind minimal maintenance – I think I’ve cleaned it once, I just bung some more oil the chain every so often.

Although having said that, it doesn’t feel too bad, if you look at the cheap 8 speed parts it came with, replacing those bits probably won’t cost much more than the price of a single 9 speed cassette.

I guess the fork is probably a lot less good than a fancy one and might die quickly too (although how much can go wrong with a cheap coil fork – it’s essentially just a big spring?), but other than that I can’t see anything else that is likely to wear quicker, I mean derailleurs, wheels etc. seem fine still and I don’t see them wearing out any quicker than fancy ones – if anything the fancy stuff has less metal in so might well wear quicker.

Joe

ilovemygears – Member
yea most of the stuff you got is made by Gaint so why not just get a Gaint..

I bought a Giant, is that the same as buying a Gaint? 🙂

Yes, it’s a bit heavy but apart from that it’s probably better than bikes I paid a whole heap of money for 10 years ago….

That was then, this is now.

With MTBs you basically pay more for less weight, greater durabilty and better performance, roughly in that order of noticeability. I’m sure I could happily do all the MTBing I do on a sub-£500 hardtail, but I’d go through so many parts I’d need a new one every year.

Actually when I put it that way, £500 a year sounds pretty economical…

You can have enough fun on a £500 hardtail. Enjoying the ride isn’t always about the bike but being out with your mates. I had to sell my 1st bike to raise some cash and started really apprichiating my 2nd bike which is a lot less hassle too.

Pay more for durability?

I think you’ll find an 8sp drivetrain will out-live a fancy 10sp drivetrain by some margin!

A 600 quid Hard tail would probably do quite happily for 80% of riders, but if you have the money to spend – there’s no harm in buying lighter / better bikes.

But if you race / ride reasonably fast – you’ll really appreciate the difference that better forks/brakes make

but I’d go through so many parts I’d need a new one every year.

What parts would wear out quicker than the expensive bike parts?

I mean my cheap bike has been ridden once a week or more for 1.5 years, so not a massive amount of riding, but a fair bit, and now it probably needs at most £75 worth of parts (cassette, chain, chainrings), and I’d be putting better quality bits than it came on for that.

less weight, greater durabilty and better performance

I’d agree with less weight and possibly better performance, but greater durability? Does an expensive lightweight 9 speed cassette really last longer than a heavy 8 speed one? Do expensive really chainrings last longer than cheap ones that have twice as much metal in them?

Joe

The Carreras have up to date geometry, so that’s probably why they feel better to you than your old bikes.

I had a Carrera Kraken, loved riding it and upgraded everything on it before switching to a Soul. The new frame is streets ahead, but I guess that is basically because the steel ride and slightly longer top tube suit me (oh, and it fits me properly). Obviously more expensive parts weight less, may last longer (up to a point) and work better, but when you’re talking about an aluminium hard tail frame, I can’t see why you would spend loads.

the more expensive doesn’t mean longer lasting,
lighter most definitely yes.

‘cheaper’ 8 spd cassettes and chainrings are usually steel and will last much longer than ali versions, 10 sp chains are super thin and wear out considerably faster.

wear is also dependent on rider aswell, i’m pretty light and my drive trains seem to last an age compared with friends who are heavier and tend to mash big gears. but in general 8spd is longer lasting

Does an expensive lightweight 9 speed cassette really last longer than a heavy 8 speed one? Do expensive really chainrings last longer than cheap ones that have twice as much metal in them?

Err no. Quite the opposite in fact! Cheap rings and cassettes last FOREVER!! 🙂

You leave your good bike indoors in bad weather?

You leave your good bike indoors in bad weather?

Of course, don’t you??

🙂

No, my bikes are for riding not owning.

My bike is for pwning not riding!

I rode an £800 Trek on holiday a few weeks ago. It was a bit heavier and the suspension was noticeably less good on the fast rocky stuff and less sensitive on the smaller stuff BUT I had just as much fun as I’d ever normally have on my bikes and it was flawless reliability-wise. I doubt durability would be significantly worse either.

Expensive bikes are great. Just don’t kid yourself that they’re really much more than ego-chariots and you’ll be fine 🙂

my bike is for riding, except when the weather is really sh!te, when I ride another one! 🙂

Also, it’s for riding, except when it’s in bits/forks off to Mojo (other servicing brands are available), when I ride another one! Keeps me riding longer 🙂

My Kraken’s gone through a cycle of having all its parts stolen, then being rebuilt from leftovers, then having its leftovers stolen… Now it’s my Official XC Bike and it’s a nice handling machine, fairly short, stiff without being overstiff, decent geometry… Not a bad effort. Especially considering the whole thing cost me less than I’d usually pay for a frame

If they’re still using the Powerspline bottom brackets, those really don’t last… The rings, etc will be fine but the BBs are awful.

need and want 🙂

Here is an equation to help you decide:

I will use myself as an example.

39 years old
My mountainbiking will be over or slow at 55 years old
That gives me 16 years
When I had a proper job I would get 15 proper rides in a year due to work/ kids/dIY etc.
That gives me 240 riding days left
And I want those precious days to be on a bike I love not a bike I don’t mind.

Conclusion: Ti salsa 29er and less money in the bank for ties /pants/petrol/shite etc

charlie what makes you think your riding will be over (or slow) at 55?

Personally I can only see the amount of time I have for riding increasing as I get older (also 39)

To the op: yes you are right the performance soes not increase linearly with money spent once you get above a certain price point

Conclusion: Ti salsa 29er and less money in the bank for ties /pants/petrol/shite etc

Although with the £3000 or so you’d save by buying a cheap bike, you could take some unpaid leave. Even if you earned £30,000 after tax (about £40K before tax), that £3000 would buy you 36 extra riding days – that’s an extra 15% riding time over the 16 years you’re talking about.

Obviously if you’re self employed taking unpaid leave is hard, but for anyone with a job and young kids, you can take a week off unpaid each year they are under five – ie. up to 25 extra riding days per kid.

Or you can even apply for flexible working – it doesn’t work for everyone obviously, and depends on employers / jobs, but I’ve gone part time, 4 days a week, 18% cut in pay after tax, but I get to ride every Thursday with my daughter. Giving me 52 guaranteed rides a year – which I make a 340% increase over your 15 rides! It’s costing me a bit, which might mean that my rides get done on a less fancy bike, but I’d rather have the time than the money for sure.

Joe

My mountainbiking will be over or slow at 55 years old

No way, 65 maybe.

Just to add to the mix, I bought a bottom of range gary fisher as a family runaround bike, I’ve got my 3 year old on the back in a copilot, I’ve got to admit I wish I spent twice as much on something fairly decent, the frame and geometry are fine but the brakes, crankset, tyres, pedals, BB and forks are awful, the sound of the gear change is clunky and the metal even sounds cheap, the plastics look cheap, all the bolts and screws show signs of surface corrosion, to be honest it’s not an enjoyable ride, but it was under £400.

And I want those precious days to be on a bike I love not a bike I don’t mind.

Your post seems to assume that a more expensive bike is a bike you’ll love more which is a rather depressing assumption IMO.

+1 on the cheap rings lasting.

Nice steel inner and middle deore rings are cheaper and last longer.

yes when you pick them up and compare them directly with aluminium ones they are heavy but compared to your weight and the weight of the bike the difference is minimal and is right at the centre of mass. The benefit of smoother shifting over ering out aluminium rings is much more noticeable and significant than the weight IMO.

Chainsuck or not changing due to fear of chainsuck will make you far slower than the weight.

I recently bought a laptop for my other half. I only paid £400 for it and it works considerably better than the very expensive bells and whistle PC I paid a fortune for 10 years ago. Have I been fooling myself?
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