Carrera Kraken (07)
BikeRadar verdict
"A good, low cost starter bike package that's only let down by a hefty wheelset"
Halfords' potent buying power has combined with a growing expertise in their Bikehut division to produce a nicely sorted range of Carrera mountain bikes this year. The Kraken frame would be at home on a far more costly bike, the fork is one of the best controlled offerings we've tested on a bike at this price and the finishing components look and feel the part. An over-hefty wheelset is the only grumble.
The chassis
There's a lot going on in budget frames these days - they're packed with features that once only appeared on far more costly offerings. The 7005 heat-treated aluminium Kraken has all sorts of tube shapes. It's noticeably stiff, uncomfortably so out back if you pump your tyres hard, but this makes for sharp handling, and the sporty geometry combines with big-profile tyres and a plush fork to take the edges off rough terrain.
The big down tube is biaxially ovalised to create big weld contact areas into the head tube and bottom bracket, and the head tube is machined to create stronger areas around the headset cups. The top tube morphs from a teardrop shape at the front to almost box-section into the seat tube, and the extended seat tube boasts an Allen bolt seat clamp slot to keep it out of the spray.
The seatstays curve out at the tyre then in again for heel and ankle clearance; there are eyelets for a rack and two water bottles and there are full outer cable guides to the rear brake, better than interrupted cabling on cable-pull disc brakes, and it's ready for hydraulic hoses if you want to upgrade. The frame's worth it.
The 100mm travel SR Suntour fork is a good find ona bike at this price, but even same-model SR Suntour forks seem to vary so it's not easy to tell exactly what you're getting. The most important thing to check is the rebound damping. This one was well controlled in both compression and rebound, and came with a lockout dial on the right leg. Even the preload dial worked better than other forks on bikes in this category.
The detail
The Carrera has the full SRAM 27 gear package, which is pretty rare on Shimano-equipped bikes at this price. The SX5 shifters and rear gear are precise enough, but not as satisfyingly clicky as Shimano's shifters. Truvativ's Isoflow steel-ringed crankset has a splined bottom bracket axle and the SRAM front mech was crisp and reliable throughout the test.
The Tektro cable-pull disc brakes - very common in this price range - remained powerful in conditions that would challenge V-brakes, but cable discs will need more regular cable maintenance than V-brakes to keep them constantly running sweet.
We were amazed at the weight of the wheelset on the Kraken. The wheels and tyres combined are carrying 2.3lb of extra weight over the sixty quid cheaper Decathlon Rockrider 6.3 (though admittedly that bike has unusually light wheels). That's a lot of extra heft to accelerate up to speed, even with the new lower profile Tioga Extreme XCs fitted.
The rest of the finishing kit is pretty standard fare for the price. The wide riser bar and shortish stem are well suited to the character of the bike. The saddle is comfy and the seatpost is long enough to allow the 18in bike to stretch to a 6ft rider.
The ride
Weighing in at 31lb, the Kraken should theoretically feel faster than a bike like the heavier Decathlon Rockrider, but it doesn't - hefty wheels have a lot to answer for. It trundles along well enough once you get it up to speed, but initial acceleration and climbing are sluggish and it's only really the precise and totally predictable handling and the fork's performance that makes it an enjoyable ride, especially on trails that point slightly downhill.
It handles speedy singletrack well and a longish top tube reach means that you can use all your power to drag it up the climbs, despite the heavy wheelset.
For £360 the Kraken is excellent. If it came with the same wheels as the £300 Decathlon or the £300 Dawes, it would be even better - not much, but every little counts at this price. It's generally well specced, and 27 gears are bound to attract some riders over the usual 24 at this price.
The frame's good enough to be worthy of some upgrades as stuff wears out, making the Kraken a good option.
User Reviews
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
Excellent enough for me to go n buy one
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
Cracking bike, but only for those not obsessed with brand image.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
The spec on the Kraken is superb for the price (paid £265 for the 2007 model previously £399). Loaded with SRAM and Truvativ components. The SRAM X5 gears are great and the Suntour Lockout fork is often found on more expensive bikes. Make sure you check all the nuts and bolts are tight when you get it home as in my experience with 2 bikes, Halfords always forget to do this and has cost me money to repair. Get past the thought of buying from Halfords and you've got a brilliant bike.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I have one myself and its a good strong bike but... id rather have a different bike and i am never goig to buy a bike from halfords ever again because they're shit and wouldnt repace my front AND rear derailliure when they both snapped for no reason!!
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I bought this bike from Halfords on the merit of it's components and spec. After one week I entered a tough local 30 mile challenge mostly off road and this bike was perfect. since then it has performed well, an excellent buy but watch out for Halfords shop assembly and
adjustments this was not 100% . There is plenty of room for parts upgrade when required so this bike should be awsome in a couple of years.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I bought this bike from halfords early this year the bike rides well and can withstand a fair bit of abuse, the wheels are heavy as stated in the review and the freewheel has developed a bit of play in it.
Really good value for money though
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I've got the 08, and it's a lot of bike for the money (assuming you don't pay full price- but then who ever paid full price at Halfords?).A fork with actual damping was a nice surprise, and since the review above the old cable brakes have been replaced with tektro auriga comp hydraulics- not amazing as hydraulics go but more than adequate for my needs. The wheels are also lighter than the review bike above, though I couldn't say what part's been changed to improve that.
It's still no superbike- some of the parts are pretty budget, and it's pretty weighty- but it's really hard to fault at this price. It's a proper mountain bike for less, basically.
My main beef was the pedals, which are absolute rubbish, they're V8 lookalikes but have no grip at all, I found my feet slipping on the road never mind trails. Awful. But cheap to replace, so not a biggie. The bars are a bit strangely shaped and positioned too, the high steerer and riser bars, combined with the longish stem and raked forward style of the bars, makes it a bit long and high at the front. I slapped a flat monkey lite bar on it and the handling's massively improved, it's much better both up and down hills though not as stable on the flats. Oh, and the seat is comfy but very flimsy, I bent a rail in the first week of ownership.
But then contact points are very much a matter of taste and childsplay to upgrade. I suspect Carrera deliberately cut corners here knowing that these parts are often for the spares box anyway.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
does anyone know anything about the new black and white ltd edition version, is it worth the extra £80?
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
As an answer to the quesion below, I reckon if you buy the standard one and upgrade what suites you would be the way forward. The forks on the limited are an improvement and I think the rims and tyres have been upgraded but you may as well get the use out of standard stuff and replace with what you like.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
wicked bike i have donemine up completeley and it looks really cool over all its of good quality and is worth every penny which was fairly cheap considering the quality
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/2777219/
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
Hi I'm on the whole impressed with my Carrera. I've had a bad experience from Halfords with the setting up of the bike, but hopefully this is a one off.
Good bike but as stated the bike is a bit sluggish, but after receiving some information from the people on the forum they've recommended what upgrades and I'm already on my way to replacing the tyres to start of with..
A good bike..
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I own an 08 model of the carrera and have found that for the money it is great value and rides really well. I have had it for about 7 months and have had only one rel problem with it and that has been that i took it to grizedale about 2 months ago and the forks siezed up.It was a wet and cold day and the forks are full of mud.
Apart from that it has held up well with the stuff its been put through.( i took it to the pyrenees with the forks still siezed up and it held up well)
I am 13 am new to the sport but am completely slod on mtbing and am improving(all be it slowly) and am looking forward to many happy years of cycling.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I,ve got an 07 model . Its just great , i have more expensive machines but find this one great fun to ride . The fork is now feeling abit sick but she has done some miles now .
I changed the wheels to some bikehut jobbies when they had a sale on , which i feel was a worthwhile thing to do as the original wheels are abit weighty .
If your worried about brand names then you could potentially loose out , lets face it when its covered in mud going through the woods no one will notice if its a carrera , they will only notice your big muddy grin .
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
Bought the 07 model in 2008 for big discount! as first mountain bike. After not using it seriously in 2008 I am just coming to the end my first ever mb summer. It is heavier than a Specialized Hardrock but suits me better because I have a long body and short legs!
Most definitely an excellent bike to learn on because you are not risking a mortgage with incompetent handling on the hills yet it does everything it is supposed to do. One lesson learnt was not to assume that Halfords will bolt it together properly, inspite of their quality check claims. My pedal crank fell off after one week!
SRAM Gears, especially rear mech, shifts switftly and accurately. The shifters are not necessarily the easiest for shifting up on the front mech or down several gears on the rear mech - the levers require a lot of thumb movement which I find awkward. The brakes give everything I need from them, though often with an initial clunk (I think as the pads seat). As advised in all reviews, cable discs need frequent adjustment and these can need adjustment after each serious ride, however this is easy to do and minor adjustments are quick. Maybe they dont have that "feel" of hydraulic brakes.
I wrecked a wheel early on so most of my riding has been on different wheels but after the wheel tape had sliced my inner tubes because of an unnecessary choice of harsh woven plastic wheel tape. Easily and cheaply fixed but a bad choice of material by Halfords. The TIOGA tyres are now due for replacement but they felt really sticky in a variety of conditions. Smooth damp rock has been the most noticeable lack of grip.
The forks have now gone soft and leave the stanchions oily after every ride. Cause not yet known so it might be just a service that is needed or possibe replacement.
A small thing, but surprisingly expensive to replace: seat post clamp. the bike comes wih one requiring an allen key for adjustment. After the first serious outing I replaced it with a quick release.
It is exclusive - you won't see many if any at Trail Centres, but neither will it attract attention from officianados. Posers need to look to other marques. "Get out and ride" riders should not dismiss it for practicality and value.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
A wee follow-on from my earlier review...
The wheel weight is entirely down to the tyres, which are 1050 grams each. The review refers to a Decathlon with "lighter wheels" but actually the wheelset on the carrera works out lighter without tyres. So, easy fix.
Second, the fork... Keep on top of the servicing! I didn't, and mine died. Resurrected them but they're still iffy. The seals aren't great and retain mud, which damages the stanchions. Also, the bushings are plastic and once mud and dust gets into them, they soon wear, causing the fork to judder. But, if you just do the basics- good clean after every ride, oil and bump til you stop getting muddy rings, they'll last much longer.
The 2010 spec bike has a new frame and better tyres, but loses the lockout, no real loss there. A nice upgrade on an already great bike.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
Oh, also, Auldy... Mechs don't snap for no reason, the X5s are extremely common and extremely durable. Rear mechs snap if you whack them off things or jam the chain up, no bike shop will warranty them unless you can show there was a fault.
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0.3
User review of Carrera Kraken (07)
I brought the 09 version back in April/May. Got the bike for £320ish before the price shot up to £450. As my first proper bike I am very happy as I have given it a hard life, making the bike keep up with 3 other £1000 hard tales, a £1500 soft tale and a couple of £750 hard tales. The bike has kept up pretty much all the way although you can tell the differences (mainly with the £1k plus bikes).
Being new I decided to listen to my mates a bit and then forget what they said and brought this bike on reviews. They are brand snobs so thought it best to not listen to some of the stuff they said.
I did not rely on Halfords to put the bike together. I got it home and put it together myself before riding it round to my mates to check over it. The bottom bracket (already put on by Halfords) was loose so check the bike yourself if buying new, this could have been costly if not picked up on straight away.
My initial niggles was the chain appeared to short so I got a new one and put in another link or two. That recently snapped due to winter riding with little maintenance so I have now replaced that with a slightly longer chain again. Another niggle was the grips. Something silly but I did not like them so quickly got some ODI X-treme grips which are great.
Up hill performance is not the greatest. This is mainly down to my fitness levels being overweight and a smoker but partly down to the geometry and getting a 16" frame when I can ride an 18" comfortably too. I went for the 16" on my mates suggestion and has resulted in a bike that I can chuck about and get into corners much better then some other bikes I ride with. I have found that the Cove Handjob 18" frame gets into corners better though so you can get better (but the Kraken is a £350-400 bike depending on sales). I changed the stem for a shorter stem too, great down hill, not so much up hill.
Downhill is another matter and where I find the bike shines. It more then keeps up on most ground with most other bikes I have come across. Being new to the bike game, this can not be all skill as I ride with people who have been going for years. A couple of pedal strokes is all that is needed and then the bike pulls you down the hill, with me constantly finding others pedaling where I am free wheeling and catching up. the front fork also keeps up on all but the roughest stuff where the dampening can not keep up. A better fork in the future is a must although the limits of the Suntour fork is only found on rocky trails and some very worn trails. the bike wants to go down hills fast but the fork holds it back from it's true speed on some ground. the performance deficit is felt more as you get to winter with the trails being warn and the muddy conditions.
Brakes where good enough, not great but will get you though quite nicely. I did have a problem with the rear as the throw on the lever was greater then the front brake. I bled both brakes myself to try and fix but it did not work. I can only think this is down to the length of the tubing as the 09 bike has hydraulics. Now swapped over for 180mm Quad stinger pro's for £100 the pair which I feel are a great improvement, eliminating the throw issue, adding far better modulation and power. They use the same pads too so replacements are cheap and plentiful.
The shifters are fine for me. I find that the X5's change quickly and accurately with the right setup although some maintenance is required to keep them right. I had to change the gear cables as one of the outer cables for the front mech was broken when I got the bike resulting in being able to shift up/down once and then not shifting at all. Changed cables and now sorted.
The rear and front X5 mech's are good. They shift cleanly. I did bend the rear somehow. i think a stick got lodged in it around Cannock. The guard was bent and after fixing that, the bike would still not shift right. I compared it to another X5 mech and it was bent. I got a old X-9 and stuck it on with no problems so far.
The tires fitted are good but heavy. Mine went within about 6 months on the trails and some road riding. I have swapped to Bontrager Judys with the Kevlar bead. this has helped with grip a tiny bit and seem more durable. I have also swapped to tubeless as I like to run low pressures and my technique is not the best. After a couple of issues getting them set up they have helped no end. My pressures have dropped very low with no punctures or snakebites for months (something I got a name for)..
The saddle s great to me. Very comfortable having taken the bike on 40 mile rides with little soreness. I will be looking to keep the saddle for as long as posable as I do not want to risk getting a new uncomfortable saddle.
So overall a lot on my bike has changed by necessity (little things like the gear cable, chain) to the slight improvements (tiers, brakes). The sole of the original bike can still be felt strongly though being a bike that gets you down the trails with a smile, which is what I wanted. I do not mind the pain uphill as much as I designed the bike to get down the hill as quick as i can on my budget. This bike can keep you going in it's original form keeping up with most bikes on the trail so it has to have a high rating, it's just silly things like Halfords do that let the side down. Buy it, check it over carefully to make sure it all works, if it does then you have a great bike for the money, better then it should be.
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Specification
- Name:
- Kraken (07)
- Built by:
- Carrera
- Price:
- n/a
- Size:
- 18 Inches
- Weight (kg):
- 13.9
- Year:
- 2007
Frame & Fork:
- Frame Material:
- 7005 Aluminium
- Fork Brand:
- SR Suntour
- Fork Model:
- XCR 100mm Travel
Geometry:
- Seat Angle:
- 72 Degrees
- Head Angle:
- 69 Degrees
Brakes:
- Brakes Brand:
- Tektro
- Brakes Model:
- Cable Disc
Transmission:
- Cranks Brand:
- TruVativ
- Cranks Model:
- ISO Flow
- Gearing:
- 22/32/42, 9 speed
- Bottom Bracket Brand:
- Truvativ
- Bottom Bracket Model:
- Splined
- Rear Derailleur Brand:
- SRAM
- Rear Derailleur Model:
- SX5
- Front Derailleur Brand:
- SRAM
- Front Derailleur Model:
- X7
- Shifters Brand:
- SRAM
- Shifters Model:
- SX5
- Chain Brand:
- SRAM
- Cassette:
- 11-32T
Wheels:
- Rims Model:
- Disc
- Tyres Brand:
- Tioga
- Front Tyre Model:
- Extreme XC
- Front Tyre Size:
- 26x2.1
- Rear Tyre Model:
- Extreme XC
- Rear Tyre Size:
- 26x2.25
Contact Points:
- Saddle Brand:
- Carrera
- Seatpost Brand:
- Carrera
- Stem Brand:
- Carrera
- Handlebar Brand:
- Carrera
- Grips/Tape Brand:
- Carrera
:
- Seat Tube (in):
- 18 in
- Max. Fork Travel:
- 100mm
- Chainstays (in):
- 16.75
- Handlebar Type:
- Riser
- Front Wheel Weight (kg):
- 2.5 kg
- Bottom Bracket Height (in):
- 12.25 in
- Wheelbase (in):
- 42.5 in
- Top Tube (in):
- 23 in
- Standover Height (in):
- 31 (in)
- Rear Wheel Weight (kg):
- 3.12 kg
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