Carrera subway

Automan

Im looking at getting a carrera subway 1 or LTD purely to get fit and maybe in September a bit of commuting, im not willing to spend any more than 330 euros (im afraid I might get lazy and not use it), the subway 1 seems to get very good reviews so im wondering if the LTD would be worth the extra 30 euros cant find any reviews for this one, but it seems to be a subway 2 with a few upgrades.

Specs for subway 1:


* Alloy Rims: Yes
* Brake Type: V-Brakes
* Chainset: Suntour CW-XCT 175mm length
* Exact Frame Size: 20"
* Forks: ChroMoly Black
* Frame: Aluminum
* Frame Colour: Black
* Frame Material: Aluminium
* Frame Size: 19-20
* Front Brake: Tektro 845 Alloy V-Brake
* Gear Shifters: SRAM SX4 21 speed trigger
* Gender: Mens
* Handle Bars: Kalloy Alloy
* Headset: Semi Integrated Ahead Set
* Hubs: Formula Alloy
* Number of Gears: 21
* Pedals: WELLGO ALLOY BLACK
* Quick Release Front Wheel: Yes
* Quick Release Rear Wheel: Yes
* Quick Release Wheels: YES
* Rear Brake: Tektro alloy V-brake
* Rear Mech: SRAM X4 MEDIUM CAGE
* Rims: DOUBLE WALL ALLOY
* Saddle: CARRERA
* Seatpost: KALLOY ALLOY 31.6mm
* Stem: KALLOY ALLOY
* Tyre size: 26 X 1.6
* Tyres: INNOVA KENVLAR X-RATED PUNCTURE PROTECTION
* Wheel size: 26"
* Approximate Weight (KG): 12.45
* Rear Pannier Mounts: Yes
* Rear Shock: No
* Suspension: Rigid
* Traditional Mudguard Mounts: Yes

Specs for subway LTD:

* Alloy Rims: Yes
* Approximate Weight (KG): 13.05
* Brake Type: Mechanical Disc
* Chainset: Shimano FC-M311
* Exact Frame Size: 20"
* Forks: Chromoly fork
* Frame Colour: Blue
* Frame Material: Lightweight 6061 aluminium
* Frame Size: 19-20
* Front Brake: Shimano mechanical disc brake BR-M416
* Front Mech: Shimano M310
* Gear Shifters: Shimano ST-EF50
* Handle Bars: Alloy low rise
* Headset: Semi integrated
* Hubs: Alloy with alloy QR
* Number of Gears: 21
* Pedals: Wellgo Alloy Black
* Rear Brake: Shimano mechanical disc brake BR-M416
* Rear Mech: Shimano RD-M360
* Rims: Double wall alloy rims
* Saddle: Carrera
* Seatpost: Alloy 350mm x 31.6mm
* Stem: 105mm
* Tyre size: 26 x 1.75
* Tyres: Kenda with side wall puncture protection
* Wheel size: 26"




Thanks in advance for any help.

papac

I have a Subway 1 v brake spec for knocking around town/light trails on and I love it.Great bike for the money.

I would personally prefer v brakes to cheap and nasty mechanical discs which seems to be the main difference between two bikes you listed.I'd go for cheaper one.

Halfords staff can be useless however so beware. (some are grand.)

If you (or someone you know) has an axa insurance policy you can get a 15% discount.

Automan

papac wrote: »

I have a Subway 1 v brake spec for knocking around town/light trails on and I love it.Great bike for the money.

I would personally prefer v brakes to cheap and nasty mechanical discs which seems to be the main difference between two bikes you listed.I'd go for cheaper one.

Halfords staff can be useless however so beware. (some are grand.)

If you (or someone you know) has an axa insurance policy you can get a 15% discount.

Thanks for the info, was looking up on another cycling forum were they were comparing the difference between the v brake and the disc brakes and most said the disc brakes were better due to not being effected by the wet weather as much + the brakes and running gear are all Shimano which seem to be a good make but I dont know anything basically about the Individual models on this bike to make a decision.

Links to the bikes:

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_551273_langId_-1_categoryId_212377#dtab

Reduced from 350 to 300


http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_759109_langId_-1_categoryId_212377

Reduced from 500 to 330

Automan

Anybody else got an opinion on this, again the main difference is the Subway LTD has Shimano parts and disk brakes and the Subway 1 has SRAM and Tektro v brakes.

Cheers for any help.

papac

another cycling forum were they were comparing the difference between the v brake and the disc brakes and most said the disc brakes were better due to not being effected by the wet weather as much

In my opinion the slightly better wet braking offered by mechanical disc brakes is outweighed by the simplicity and reliability and easy maintenance of v brakes.
Hydraulic discs would perform far better-make sure the online comparisons are not comparing vees to hydraulic disc.You could upgrade to hydraulic discs later i suppose.

Discs are much better off road.

This is my personal opinion and others may differ.

While the discs on that subway may be fine, Shimano do make some crap stuff also. Caveat emptor.

Best of luck.

Automan

Thanks again papac for your feedback.

papac wrote: »

Shimano do make some crap stuff also.

This is what I was looking for I thought that as they were Shimano parts that they would be some what better parts overall.
Have read a few people complaining about the gears on the subway 1, have you had any problems? (Might have something to do with who set them up though (ie halfords)?)

papac

Have read a few people complaining about the gears on the subway 1, have you had any problems? (Might have something to do with who set them up though?)

I have been quite impressed with the Sram gearing. Its not slick and precise like expensive stuff but then- the bike costs 300 euros. I have found it reliable-though it did take a bit of adjusting at first due to cable stretch.-This is the case with all new bikes however and should be done free of charge by shop. (I am fairly experienced bike mechanic so always did it myself.)

Even if they are set up well first day they will need to be adjusted in the running in period i'd say.

Gear adjustment is actually simple and I think all cyclists should learn to do it themselves.Series of simple steps.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html