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no disrespect to the little guys, but think their level of sponsor ship might be a little different to that provided by say Halfords!
It's very much at the grass roots. Which is where it needs to be if we're not going to just have high-budget events and teams that get the plug pulled all too easily.
if Halfords stopped sponsoring the ITV TdF coverage, would the event stop running?
I have no clue, but I suspect not. However I bet without Halfords sponsorship ITV may stop showing the event, meaning fewer people seeing the Tour meaning fewer peeps in the shops buying bikes. Sponsorship money does not have to go directly into the little guy's wallet for the effect to filter down to grass roots. Would kids be running around in the bike kicking a football after school without the all-consuming presence football has in the media? I doubt it. Who ultimately pays for that coverage? Big corporate sponsors perhaps?? Not little Joe Blow making hand-stitched footballs in his shed
It's very much at the grass roots. Which is where it needs to be if we're not going to just have high-budget events and teams that get the plug pulled all too easily.
So the companies with big money sponsor the big events and the smaller companies sponsor the grass-roots events. Have I hit on something new here...?
Thought not
Sorry, I was going to duck out of this but
Again, for companies like Halfords cycling is a transitory thing
is just the biggest load of carp on this thread! How long have Halfords bees selling bikes? Longer than CRC or Wiggle, and longer than a lot of LBSs!!
I can remember buying dynamo lights form them when I was about 12 FFS!, so that's around 28 years ago.
Brain into gear before opening mouth please! 🙂
Laughing at this 'ethical' BS that's been spouted too. WGAF about some obsucre Canadian brand for a start? At least Halfords are in the UK and creating UK jobs. Get over yourselves. Jeeeeezus.
I will not be riding a Dutch bike round my local woods any time soon. Although it is sort of tempting...
Oh reeeelly?
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There are bikes, and there are bikes. In some years, Halfords' top-priced MTB is some heavy bottom-of-the-range clod of a thing, and their stock-in-trade is mild steel abominations that are going to put as many people off cycling as they get into it.
As for UK jobs, insert the words "crappy, low-paid and prospect-free" and I completely agree. I'd rather swim to Canada then work as an unpaid tea-boy and fluffer at Banshee than get a job at Halfords.
I like some of the bikes they are selling at the moment - I get overtaken by many a happy commuter whizzing along on his or her Subway - but the fact is they may not be selling these in a couple of years' time, and the LBS down the road that could have sold Joe Bloggs a nicer bike may well have closed down.
PS Pete, you chug the corporate cheesewand and you know it. 🙂
I will not be riding a Dutch bike round my local woods any time soon. Although it is sort of tempting...
obviously as stated already my point was related to most general utility cyclists rather than mtb'ers who do it as a hobby or sport.
Suppose it is a bit like normal leather shoes you wear everyday vs trainers for doing running in..
http://www.halfordscompany.com/hal/ah/history/
No actual date but they're certainly been a bike shop for longer than most:
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PS Pete, you chug the corporate cheesewand and you know it.
Er LOL, I think. Whatever that means...? 😉
I just buy what I like, and stuff what everyone else thinks. 🙂
EG - Lots of non cyclist mates thought I was mad for chucking £2500 on a Yeti.
Whilst lots of people on here were appaled by the low rent kit I put on it, and then again when I swapped it for a Spesh!
Is that the one you're trying to sell? 😉
their stock-in-trade is mild steel abominations that are going to put as many people off cycling as they get into it.
I think this is a fairly sweeping and dare I say unsupported argument. If we were arguing about buying £70 full sussers from the supermarket I'd have more truck with it, but we're not. We're talking about a well-established bike shop that some of us seem to find irrationally objectionable. A quick look in a lot of bike shops and I'm sure you'd find the cheaper end of the market supporting the middle and top end. Half of us on STW may spend a lot of money on a bike but then we learn how to service it ourselves and buy the bits cheap on Wiggle et al. I'm veering into another - well discussed - argument now. damn.
I just buy what I like, and stuff what everyone else thinks.
That's fine too. I know you and I know that it would be a pointless exercise trying to change your mind!
This thread was called "would you buy a Carrera" and I'm just giving my answer to that question - in the usual roundabout STW way. 🙂
This thread was called "would you buy a Carrera" and I'm just giving my answer to that question - in the usual roundabout STW way.
😆
The most sensible thing you've said Mr A 😉
id buy that no problem looks a rather good deal.
i'd buy that carerra if i thought it was good value and rode well. Cannot see the problem myself.
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how cool is that thing above.. attitude!
and for no reason i'll post this
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Bloody ell, you lot have arguing staying-power!
hora - Member
"No. Specialized have won awards for their bikes with great reviews. Ergo the thinking is you could trust they have a knack now at developing how a bike rides?"
But so have Carrera, and Boardman. The Carrera Fury steamrollered one of the big mag's "budget test" despite that being a £500 bike in a £750 bike test, it still had the best spec and the best review, 5/5. The Boardman Team FS was 3rdn WMB's BOTY test last year (this year, brilliantly, it was disqualified for being too cheap, even though some of the more expensive bikes tested were those it beat last year). They don't get tested all that often but when they do they tend to shine.
If you go to the Bikeradar review archive and put in Carrera you get 9 reviews, 4 are 4/5 and five are 4.5/5. Not one lower. Which is a lot better than Specialized as it turns out!
[Devils advocate]Any ads appeared in any of their mags for Halfords or sub-brands etc?[/Devils advocate] 8)
hora - Member
[Devils advocate]Any ads appeared in any of their mags for Halfords or sub-brands etc?[/Devils advocate]
Heh, do you think Specialized don't advertise in these mags? Out of curiosity I just went and flicked through a recent WMB and MBUK, and found no halfords advertising at all, while Specialized had at least 1 full page ad in each, plus lots of other advertisers selling Specialized
One of those issues I flicked through was the one that had the Carrera humping, among others, a Hardrock. Corruption apparently is not alive and well 
NO I would not buy a carrera.
If a horny Yeti was chasing me and I had no other choice but to ride one to escape, I would ride one.
As for paying money for one of those things?
NO!!!
Every website where blokes with too much time on their hands has this debate. The hi-fi nerds argue about one man in a shed hifi brands that they all passionately believe are better than the big manufacturers. Same with the car bores. The gadget freaks. The camera buffs. The roadies. It's the same argument every time, and it will never end. I'm off to pour a glass of wine (single vineyard, organically produced) and sit back and enjoy watching this for a while longer...
But I am thinking if replacing my Carrera Fury with a Lapierre...
Bugger.
check this about [s]careerers[/s] ahem carreras
(If I'm allowed to link to another forum)
http://www.cyclingforums.com/archive/index.php/t-278701.html