Home Forums Bike Forum PSA Halfords CX bargain £250!

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  • PSA Halfords CX bargain £250!
  • Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    I know it’s ‘only’ a Carrera but for £250 it’s my introduction into off road with drop bars.Anyone else interested?
    http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-crixus-limited-edition-cyclocross-bike-2015

    sandwicheater
    Full Member

    Can’t work out if it will take guards/rack. Would be a good winter commuter me thinks.

    gazc
    Free Member

    i saw one of these in my local halfords for half price about £300 or so the other day and thought it was good vfm, thats a bargain price now! would have one if i needed another cx/commuter

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    It’s definitely got mudguard mounts.The canti brake adjustment has had me scratching my head,the last time I had those was in the late 90’s 😮

    devash
    Free Member

    That is an insanely good bargain.

    @Bustaspoke – I know what you mean about canti adjustment. I used to have a Specialized Tricross with Tektro cantis and I used to spend hours sometimes trying to get them set up properly

    iolo
    Free Member

    20 inch. Would that be too big for a 5 foot 6 guy with 28 inch inside leg?

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    Iolo,I’m only 5’6 & according to the size guide it’s the correct size for me.
    I’ve built it up & it sizes up fine,i’ll try & replicate my road bike set up (54 cm Allez),don’t see it being a problem.
    The frame says 51cm,which when I got the tape out is the B/B CENTRE to top of seat tube.T/T length is 53cm,CtoC

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Just picked up a 54cm one. It’s black as opposed to the green one built up in store, looks nicer imo.
    It’s got a 56cm top tube, appears to be fine for me at 6’2″ which I was a little sceptical about before buying.
    Tbh,
    It’s probably only going to be used for green land pootling and bivvy trips so I’ll see how it rides this week.
    Got a Truvativ crank & Bb unused in my hits box so may swap out to lop a bit of weight off & the tyres will probably get changed along with the brake blocks but seems pretty good for the money.

    butcher
    Full Member

    The £659 retail price is a bit optimistic! Can’t grumble for £250 though.

    Mildly tempted. When they say the deal must end Monday, does anyone know if they mean when the store opens on Monday morning, or when it closes on Monday evening?

    bullandbladder
    Free Member

    “Was £659”

    My arse.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Usually end of play Mon. I think if you reserve one online for in store payment & collection they will honour the price, gives you 3 days to collect iirc.
    Absolutely not £600 worth of bike I agree but it’s worth £250. Tbh, I’m using it as a toe in the water before I spend some serious cash on a Transition Rapture, need to be using it regularly to justify more expense.

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    Mattbee,I also bought mine as a cheap entry into the world of off road with drops,if I don’t like it I’ve only invested £250 & if I do I’ll get something better equipped.I agree there’s no way it’s a £650 bike but for £250 I think it’s a bargain

    alanl
    Free Member

    Being as my cross bike is 10+ years old, I went to have a look at one of these today.
    I didnt bother getting one. I looked at it, and think my current bike is still better than it, it has pretty cheap wheels, the frame looks a little flimsy around the BB (looks, but probably will be perfectly capable), the chainset is tin plate, the front brake cable hanger looks flimsy etc.
    Overall, I’d be spending another £250 upgrading it.
    If you havent got a drop bar bike, then it could be a cheap way in, but will need upgrading for any serious, or regular use.

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    Alanl The reason I bought one is that the only drop bar bike I have is a Speccy Allez & over the last year I’ve been going more & more off road with it so I thought for £250 I’d give the Carrera a try

    alanl
    Free Member

    Yes, if I didnt have one, I’d get it. It is reasonable value, with the caveat as above, it will need bits replacing quickly if used regularly.

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    “Was £659”

    My arse.

    It was when it first arrived in store. Not saying it was worth it though.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Lopped over a pound in weight off by chucking a cheap Truvativ GXP crank with Middleburn rings from my bits box on it today.
    Still a good 26lb but I don’t expect a lot from it. I won’t bother upgrading anything else, if I actually use it much over the next few months I’ll just buy something better.
    Will still be a good pub bike mind.

    butcher
    Full Member

    Yes, if I didnt have one, I’d get it. It is reasonable value, with the caveat as above, it will need bits replacing quickly if used regularly.

    I’m not convinced it would. I’ve ridden bargain bucket bikes for years. It’s never going to be a whippet, or even remotely competitive when compared to your average CX bike. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then you probably want to walk away. But in my experience, a lot of cheap stuff will last for years and years. The real penalty is the weight of it.

    chip
    Free Member

    I need to lose a few pounds (serious understatement) and have been using my beaver shod 1x rigid on evening Tarmac rides to burn of the calories.

    I have just ordered a crixus purely for this now and to give the 500 mile a month challenge a serious go. Are there any puncture proof cx tyres as don’t fancy doing repairs out at midnight.

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    I must admit to having thought about upgrading it to get the weight off, but that would defeat the point of buying it as a cheap & cheerful bike.If I get hooked on the CX thing I’ll probably invest in something with discs,if not I’ve (hopefully) got a good do it all hack for £250.Win win either way.

    chip
    Free Member

    What are the brakes like for stopping, as the cantis are the one thing that are making me think I may regret my order.

    alanl
    Free Member

    On the road, not a problem, off road, V’s are better, discs are a quantum leap ahead.

    Saying that, I’ve used the same canti brakes on my bike for 10+ years, and havent ever had a problem stopping, though many would say that’s because I’m going so slow!
    Decent pads help a lot.

    chip
    Free Member

    I nearly canceled this in favour of their karkinos road bike for £50 more for the calliper brakes.

    But the karkinos has a tourney groupset and a freewheel instead of a cassette, the same freewheel as my old subway.
    So even if I spend another £75 on some decent mini vs the crixus is still the way to go.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    FWIW I stuck £6.99 tektro bmx mini-vs on my cross bike and they worked phenomenally well, kicked the arse of any canti I’ve ever used. (though, I sold them to someone on here whose username I have totally forgotten, and I don’t think he could get them to work…)

    cp
    Full Member

    Just put some Tektro mini v’s on, they’re brilliant – and 20 quid F & R…

    http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BCTK926MV/tektro-926al-front-and-rear-mini-v-brakes

    chip
    Free Member

    Picked my crixus up today from watford halfords, got a cab there to ride back.
    When I got there I found the gears not indexed properly and the chain rubbing on the front mech in the top two gears. And The rear brake like this.

    But I thought these are things I can fix at home and if as they said the bike was built today and not given me the one that was on display yesterday but coincidentally was not on display today as it had been “put in there portacabin” I rather they did not go near it again.

    Then on the way home the gears kept jamming due to the black gear lever behind the brake lever not returning so pushed the bike the last two miles home.

    When I got home I rang as I would not get back there before closing to say I was not happy and would be bringing it back tomorrow for a refund out of frustration from there piss poor spannering.
    I was assured the bike was set up correctly but they would check it and give me instruction how to ride it. 😀

    After I put the phone down I realised the problem was a bent lever so physically bent it back and problem solved. And will now accept halfords mechanics don’t give a shit and sort the rest out myself.

    Apart from that it rides really well.
    (If that back brake is set up correctly some one please correct me)

    ajantom
    Full Member

    On cantis the lower the straddle cable the more power you get. By lowering the cable you increase the mechanical advantage – the pads will move less, but you’ll get more force. However they will have to be set closer to the rim, so may get a bit of rubbing.

    cp
    Full Member

    Impressed it comes with tektro oryx

    chip
    Free Member

    The pads are really close to the rims, surely the whole point of cantis was mud clearance.

    Spannering aside the bike is pretty good for the money.

    cp
    Full Member

    Not mud clearance to the pads – mud clearance to the cables etc… to help prevent clogging.

    They can be set up to how you like them to feel, very soft and squidgy hut more powerful as above or hard but low power by raising the straddle cable as high as you can go.

    ajantom
    Full Member

    Play around with the straddle length. It’s all about finding a happy medium.
    Going back to using cantis on MTBs – set close to the wheel they clean of the rim surface a bit. Too far away, and you end up with all sorts of crap under the pads when you brake!

    Edric64
    Free Member

    Always run my canti straddle cables that low ,it`s the only way I can get them working well enough for the 3 peaks cx

    alanl
    Free Member

    Good set-up guides here:

    http://sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html
    http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

    It all depends on what feel you want at the lever, so you may have to experiment a little.

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    With the mixed reputation of Halfords mechanics,I picked mine up in the box & built it up at home..

    chip
    Free Member

    I was not given the option.
    I reserved online and received an email saying The great news is we’ll ring to confirm the best collection time – then get busy building your bike.

    This afternoon I rang them as I had heard nothing just to check they had my order and was told it was already built.

    I have had halfords uxbridge previously try to send me home without a crown race before and when at halfords ruislip heard a mechanic throw his toys out the pram because “why do I get to build all the shit bikes”.

    The best service I had from halfords previously was at ruislip when the usual chaps were not there but a 16 year old kid, who new his stuff, was meticulous and super polite.
    Never saw him again.

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    And will now accept Halfords mechanics don’t give a shit and sort the rest out myself

    Easy fella, not all of us are like that.

    Bustaspoke
    Free Member

    I think there was an option when you ordered.
    I can’t remember the wording of it but when I ordered mine I had two options,either pick it up built up which would be the following day or pick it up after 1 hour still in it’s box.I chose the latter option.

    chip
    Free Member

    I must have missed that, I opted to pay cash on collection if that made a difference.
    My opinion is based on experience not hearsay Neil.
    But I am an optimist, I must be as I own a hoodoo, subway, and now the crixus, everyone bought new from a different store in hope.

    All great bikes in the end.(especially considering the price paid)

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Freewheel or freehub? Was thinking of singlespeeding it and swapping forks to disk.

    chip
    Free Member

    Has a CS-HG31 cassette so free hub.
    Again surprised me for the money as the comparative road bike is freewheel.

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