ray-ez said:I heard that Raleigh make Carrera bikes for Halfords (under the name Carrera of course)?
Does anyone know if this is true or not?
Thanks in advance guys,
Ray-ez
Yes, they are made by Merida, well at least the frames are...and also, people shouldnt knock them till they have tried them.Batesy said:Believe that they are made by Merida (see thread in Bike cafe)
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t265931-halfords-carrera.html
having frames made by Merida doesnt mean they are shite...Merida have a range of road and mtb bikes that retail for over £2,000, which according to thier specs are very much race bred bikes, and they were upgraded to XTR, hope etc they would be a lot more expensive...MichaelB said:I thought the dearer ones were quite good personally. Having said that I went there for a tyre and the new ones look a bit shitty.
MountainPro said:having frames made by Merida doesnt mean they are shite...Merida have a range of road and mtb bikes that retail for over £2,000, which according to thier specs are very much race bred bikes, and they were upgraded to XTR, hope etc they would be a lot more expensive...
I Can't comment on their mountain bikes because I'm a roadie, but their road bikes ae pretty ordinary, but as you said, you get what you pay for. Their top road models are full carbon fibre, but ask anyone who works in a bike shop, and all carbon isn't the same. In general, taiwanese carbon (like Merida) feels great when new, but after a year of hard riding you can just about turn the frame inside out. Same for any cheap Giants, Treks and most other Taiwanese production bikes (most of them don't even state which company makes their carbon). Whereas you ride a 3yr old Colnago (Carbon by Ferrari) or a Carrera (Carbon made inhouse and by 3M) and they feel as stiff as they did when new. The same pretty much goes for their Magnesium bikes. But then again, if you look at how the Taiwanese bikes have evolved in the last 10 yr, there is a good chance that in the next 10 yrs they may be putting the Italians to shame.
errr, i think you are mistaking Carrera, the Halfords brand with Carrera Italy who make pro race bikes. Different company.Acrimony said:Whereas you ride a 3yr old Colnago (Carbon by Ferrari) or a Carrera (Carbon made inhouse and by 3M) and they feel as stiff as they did when new.
The Union Jack certainly does not mean that the bike frame and/or fork were constructed in the UK. Carrera's CF frames are made in the Far East, and I'm almost positive their aluminum frames are also made in the Far East. There's not a thing wrong with that, as the technology and skills required to construct a bike frame and/or fork are available and just as good in the Far East as it is in the UK, the US, Italy, and so on. It can be argued that the skills in the Far East are even better given the volume of CF production that happens there. Please note that of course not all factories in the Far East produce great stuff. Some produce kack, but such is the case anywhere in the World. There are a lot of folks that remember how crappy Lucas electronics were in a lot of the British cars that used them decades ago. And of course, everyone knows that the UK is the only first world nation whose native foods are worse than what people typically eat in Sudan and Ethiopia. The only thing you guys gave to the world (in terms of food) that was of any value was fish and chips.......and Julia Childs, and Madame Childs made her bones by mastering French cooking, not by promoting the food of the Ol' Blighty.Luke Hodgers said:Im pretty sure the carrera bikes that halfords sell are good quality and have a brilliant ride furthermore im sure that carrera's are built in the uk as every frame has a union jack painted into the frame. Even if it does break, which is unlikely for any bike, "they are pretty simple objects to fix with simple tools" and if you cant you get 6months free servicing and safety check and i think if you part with an extra £5 you can get a extra 6months.
Luke.
This means that it was assembled in the UK, not built. Somebody has put the wheels, brakes etc on in this country but everything else was made in the worlds workshop, the far east.Originally Posted by Luke Hodgers
Im pretty sure the carrera bikes that halfords sell are good quality and have a brilliant ride furthermore im sure that carrera's are built in the uk as every frame has a union jack painted into the frame. Even if it does break, which is unlikely for any bike, "they are pretty simple objects to fix with simple tools" and if you cant you get 6months free servicing and safety check and i think if you part with an extra £5 you can get a extra 6months.
Luke.
Interesting isn't it, the made in country of origin sticker is becoming less and less believable. Things like marketing can also count toward the 'local content' its very dodgy misleading.Originally Posted by nosussjon
This means that it was assembled in the UK, not built. Somebody has put the wheels, brakes etc on in this country but everything else was made in the worlds workshop, the far east.