Carrera Vulcan 08 Mountain Bike

matt_fsr

matt_fsr

matt_fsr

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I've got one of these on order from Halfords to pick up on Saturday, just as a general commute to work bike - anyone else got one, or ridden one?

Thoughts? Anything you didnt like about it?

First thing I'll be doing is swapping the tyres over for some skinny roady ones :p
 
I went for the slightly cheaper Kraken 08.

The Vulcan has standard disc brakes vs the Kraken's Hydrualic brakes but the Vulcan has Rock Shox I think and have been led to belive they are better. Other than that they are much the same bike and are a similar price.

I too commute to work on mine, about 6 miles per day total and I too could do with some semi slick tyres as it will make the ride slightly easier but seeing as I'm trying to get fitter and lose weight (lost a stone in 5 weeks) the extra effort required helps :D

I've had no real issues since getting it aside from a couple of punctures, but I've put some Slime puncture protection tape stuff between tyre and tube which should help avoid them in future.

Edit: Actually, according to Halfords website the Vulcan is not the bike I thought it was. I thought it was Dark Grey and with the above specs. Apparently it's red and inferior to the Kraken.. Im confused.
 
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R0B75 said:
I went for the slightly cheaper Kraken 08.

The Vulcan has standard disc brakes vs the Kraken's Hydrualic brakes but the Vulcan has Rock Shox I think and have been led to belive they are better. Other than that they are much the same bike and are a similar price.

I too commute to work on mine, about 6 miles per day total and I too could do with some semi slick tyres as it will make the ride slightly easier but seeing as I'm trying to get fitter and lose weight (lost a stone in 5 weeks) the extra effort required helps :D

I've had no real issues since getting it aside from a couple of punctures, but I've put some Slime puncture protection tape stuff between tyre and tube which should help avoid them in future.
Click to expand...

Slightly confused, the only Kraken I can find with discs is £400, not the £300 of the Vulcan (minus 20% discount of course) I prefer cable disc brakes on cheaper bikes as they're nice and easy to maintain and swap pads over etc.

Definately get some semi-slick tyres, they make a HUGE difference if you're doing a lot of road work, especially when they're nice and high pressure.

Slime tape's good stuff - I've got that in the tyres of my Specialized Pitch Pro (mmmmm my baby :D)
 
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Thoughts? Anything you didnt like about it?
Click to expand...

*in steps another ex-cycle technician*

It's from Halfords - wouldn't trust those monkeys with building a bike. Take it to your local indy bike shop for them to give it the once over. The Halfords local to me didn't even know how to build a wheel or align a frame.

If you're putting skinny tyres on it, why didn't you go for a road bike or hybrid in the first place?
 
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matt_fsr said:
Slightly confused, the only Kraken I can find with discs is £400, not the £300 of the Vulcan (minus 20% discount of course) I prefer cable disc breaks on cheaper bikes as they're nice and easy to maintain and swap pads over etc.

Definately get some semi-slick tyres, they make a HUGE difference if you're doing a lot of road work, especially when they're nice and high pressure.

Slime tape's good stuff - I've got that in the tyres of my Specialized Pitch Pro (mmmmm my baby :D)
Click to expand...

Matt where do you ride you pitch? ive got one too, Was down hamsterly forest the other week. good fun. Would be cool to have someone to ride with
 
Hedge said:
Matt where do you ride you pitch? ive got one too, Was down hamsterly forest the other week. good fun. Would be cool to have someone to ride with
Click to expand...

Aye Hamsterly's good mate - but I've found Mecca itself. Stainburn, red route for full-on speed and enjoyment, black to scare the life out of you! :eek:

Have a look at the Red here: (its not a DH run at all)

Email shud be in trust I think, drop me a message and we can maybe arrange a ride sometime now that the weathers improving a little. :)
 
amigafan2003 said:
*in steps another ex-cycle technician*

It's from Halfords - wouldn't trust those monkeys with building a bike. Take it to your local indy bike shop for them to give it the once over. The Halfords local to me didn't even know how to build a wheel or align a frame.

If you're putting skinny tyres on it, why didn't you go for a road bike or hybrid in the first place?
Click to expand...

Agreed, Halfords are sometimes monkey-ish, but I can do most running repairs/adjustments myself (hate gears and spokes).

I was tempted with a hybrid, but most look rubbish and dont suit my riding position/style. I cant ride road bikes at all :( And also, I have tools + parts + spare tyres + tubes + wheels etc all for 26" MTB setup, so hence sticking with the same wheelset.

Good point though, but I also get lifts home sometimes so I want something thats easy to drop the front wheel straight off and chuck in the car boot in the quickest possible time!
 
matt_fsr said:
Slightly confused, the only Kraken I can find with discs is £400, not the £300 of the Vulcan (minus 20% discount of course) I prefer cable disc brakes on cheaper bikes as they're nice and easy to maintain and swap pads over etc.

Definately get some semi-slick tyres, they make a HUGE difference if you're doing a lot of road work, especially when they're nice and high pressure.

Slime tape's good stuff - I've got that in the tyres of my Specialized Pitch Pro (mmmmm my baby :D)
Click to expand...

I know why I got confused. I was thinking of the Carerra Vulcan 08 Limited Edition Disc Spec which they have in my local Halfords and has the spec I mentioned. Looks nice too and is more expensive than the Kraken.

Edit: Pic
 
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R0B75 said:
I know why I got confused. I was thinking of the Carerra Vulcan 08 Limited Edition Disc Spec which they have in my local Halfords and has the spec I mentioned. Looks nice too and is more expensive than the Kraken.

Edit: Pic
Click to expand...

Ah, makes sense. That is pretty sweet, especially with the Halo Combat-esque wheelset. I need something that looks fairly plain though, so less chance of it getting nicked. Already had a Carrera Subway 2 stolen from outside work, and it was locked up :( Thieving scum, id chop their hands off.
 
matt_fsr said:
I've got one of these on order from Halfords to pick up on Saturday, just as a general commute to work bike - anyone else got one, or ridden one?

Thoughts? Anything you didnt like about it?

First thing I'll be doing is swapping the tyres over for some skinny roady ones :p
Click to expand...

It's poo, but will do the job fine for what you need it
 
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