Looking at Purchasing either a Carrera Kraken, Fury or Voodoo Hoodoo to replace my knackered Carrera Vulcan. Now I will be ordering online and collecting. If I choose for them not to build it does the bike just come boxed and will I get a pedal spanner to assemble the pedals? Or is it easier to get them to build it and Hope forthe best? Will either be Bolton, Blackburn or Chorley stores.

Have them build it then check it over yourself?

they dont build it, they are already built from the factory. They just tighten stuff up

Would just thought it would be quicker for them to box it up and I’ll pick it it up. I can put pedals on and tighten. Just wondering do they include tools like say when your order a bike online?

yeah they include the most basic of tools, there will be a multi size spanner but not specifically a long arm pedal spanner.

you will need to:
attach stem/bars
pedals
wheels/skewers
setup brakes
setup gears

Please check it over thoroughly if you have it built before you leave store (ride around car park before accepting)

I have heard 2 horror stories of bikes built by them.

Alledigedly:

Handlebars & stem came off steerer….

Front wheel came off when someone popped a wheelie….

Both happened while riding!!!

When I got my first C2W bike a few years back, I asked for it in the box & did it myself.

If you have basic knowledge & some basic tools im sure you will manage.

All the best,

Alan.

Handlebars & stem came off steerer….

Front wheel came off when someone popped a wheelie….

Both happened while riding!!!

What sort of idiot wouldn’t check all that on a new bike before riding??

What sort of idiot wouldn’t check all that on a new bike before riding??

Don’t know, just heard.

But, usually when I pay someone to do something I expect it to be done right.

When I had my brake pads changed on the car the other day, I never checked the wheels were on properly……

Most people that get their bikes built at Halfords, rOcKeTdOg.

Again to answer OP – they come like any other boxed bike.

You will need a real pedal spanner [15mm slim, like 2-3mm depth], hex keys and a couple of screwdrivers – but if you’re thinking of building it yourself you either know that or have a guide book, right?

If you haven’t been fettling bikes for a while, you’re better getting it built [checking after for massive errors as above], and taking it back after the brakes/gears have bedded in and started to loose their adjustment [coupla weeks of gentle rides]. In that case – DO NOT adjust anything until after the free service, so it’s their problem.

But, usually when I pay someone to do something I expect it to be done right

Most people that get their bikes built at Halfords, rOcKeTdOg.

so? if Team Sky mechanic built a bike for me I’d still check it before i pedalled off on it, it’s just common sense.

If Team Sky mechanic built a bike for me I’d still check it before i pedalled off on it, it’s just common sense.

During the TDF when Froome changed bikes on a climb, he was out with allan keys & a pedal spanner.

Looked like a right kerfuffle, guess he was just using his common sense…..

🙂

Common to those who expect Halfords bikes to be badly built, that is.

We’ve done this – it’s common sense to you, because of your experiences. Try explaining this to someone that expects Halfords bikes to be built by trained mechanics [like the adverts say].

step away from the halfords, I repeat step away from the halfords.

Here’s some of the review I just posted for the Boardman Team I picked up for my son in law 2 weeks ago…

On the flip side, please ensure you get your bike checked by someone more competent than the average Halfords spanner jockey. Mine had a loose headset, incorrectly indexed gears, 16 psi in the front tyre, loose stem, and the seat post slid down as soon as I sat on it creating a horrendous gouge in my shiny new post;-(

I checked everything except the seat collar 😥 😳

Interesting – is the review still up?

rOcKeTdOg – Member

What sort of idiot wouldn’t check all that on a new bike before riding??

You wouldn’t check the wheelnuts on a new car when you bought it, would you? Shouldn’t be up to the consumer to check a bike if you’ve paid the retialer to set it up for you.

Obviously, the reality is you do need to check, but that’s not the consumer’s fault.

You wouldn’t check the wheelnuts on a new car when you bought it, would you?

OMG you wouldn’t??

When I bought my Voodoo from them about 4/5 years ago they wouldn’t let me take it away without it having it’s safety check.
I explained that I was a trained vehicle mechanic and would be going over every nut and bolt anyway, and that I was happy to sign something to waiver their responsibility but even the manager said no chance.

I waited till later in the week to collect it and then went over it anyway.
They hadn’t done a bad job (a hand full of bolts needed nipping up), BUT the sliding drop outs weren’t aligned so the rear wheel was pointing to the side and the front dérailleur needed dropping and twisting slightly.

Most other things you need to set up so involves loosening and re-tightening anyway, and changing the pedals of course.

My bike was a knock down display model so I didn’t have the option of buying it in a box.

My Voodoo was really nicely built- most of it happens at the factory mind, it’s just final assembly that’s done in the shop. Cables were a little overlong but that’s the only thing I could criticise.

The way i saw it was, if they did a bad job, it’d be no worse than if I had to do it myself and at least I’d get a laugh. But they did good.

I thought the PDI/building of the bike was free at Halfords? Was when I worked there.

The chorley spannerists seem to know their onions and are keen cyclists rather than just shop workers- never seen forks wrong way round etc as others have

Cannot comment on the other stores

never take anything for granted, when it comes to dealing with halfords, just google halfords auto centres, all depends which branch you use though, some are ok, some are abysmal, its the luck of the draw, but i would never take my bike into a halfords or car, my boardman bike took me about 40 mins of work to get it right, even after their pre delivery checks,those checks arent worth the paper there written on, i would always advice someone who bought a bike from halfords to check it throughly or get a trained mech to checkit, dont rely on their staff to be competant, there about as good as their customer services, which are notoriously bad, try ordering spare parts and you will soon see what i mean, its a shame cause their bikes are good, but halfords wont invest in training their staff to high enough levels, thus why their reputation is crap.

steviecapt – Member
….halfords wont invest in training their staff to high enough levels, thus why their reputation is crap.

>>>>>

….halfords wont invest in training their staff cheap teenage labour to high enough levels, thus why their reputation is crap.

FTFY

Don’t you have proper bike shops where you live? You’ll end up taking it to one anyway after some Halfords monkey puts the forks on backwards.

Yeah loads but for Carrera Kraken/fury money I’d get a poorer specced bike. Infact the new Carrera Vulcan is 359 and better specced than my missus’s Cannondale Trail Sl5 which costs 200 more. I wanted to do my cycle to work scheme but when contacting bikes for nhs they said they will email me when it’s available in our Trust.

The lads at the Tamworth store seemed fairly ok, but I’ve never seen anyone in the bike thing at the Lichfield one. I’d do a cursory check on any bike a shop had built, not just Halfords. Nothing against them, it’s just me.
If a garage has had the wheels off my car I always loosen & re-torque them at home.