Carrera Subway 1 - BikeRadar

Bought the Subway 2 which is the same as the Subway 1 but with Disc brakes. I would always spend the extra on the bike with disc brakes so would recommend the Subway 2. Easily upgraded, and a nice bike to ride at a nice price. The bike deserves 5 stars but the poor Halfords aftersales service has made me give it 4 which is a shame because it really is a good bike.

Again like pcheers I too purchased the subway 2 - just for work really - leaving my shiny Felt in its safe place. Really wanted to work the city roads over and needed the fast pace, rigid handling safe over the bumps etc ready for work.

I was pleased overall with the bike but not very happy with the front shifter which was not set up right from the start with the annoying grate everytime you switch gear which despite my best endeavours still has not been resolved.

I would agree about the disc brakes and also the base subway has the grip shifting gears as opposed to the triggers of SRAM, Grip shifting in my opinion not as good nor reliable.

I did not like the pedals though as my feet kept slipping off them and switched to some Shimano ones with cleats on one side and standard pedal on the other which made things much better.

Overall I am really happy with it and want to try it out off road proper.

Happy riding

My rear gear hanger has now had to be replaced 3 times in less than 1000 miles, once following an accident with a moped (my fault) but twice within a month it has simply snapped during use. I think the springs in the rear gear set may be too strong for the forces being applied to the hanger, meaning that it breaks when moving up a gear.

Coincidentally, I saw someone else with the exact same problem a day after it had happened to mine , so it appears to be a widespread problem.

Apart from this, the bike was generally good, but it needs the front gearing changed for proper road use. Add a few more teeth on the big cog and you've a decent commuter, as well as a fun off roader.

Hi Guys i'm new to this review thing;this is my 2nd posting, so please forgive any mistakes

I have a Subway 1 and i've done nearly 3000 miles on it in 2yrs. For the price i paid (£159 sale at my local halfords) i believe it has been money well spent. The bike handles well on the road and on the occasional tow path that i've been on. However having the bike for two years there are some things that i would like to change to make it more personal and i'm hoping you guys can help out, all suggestions welcomed.

Firstly i would like to add a bigger cog on the front. Can this be done? if yes what brand/model should i go for? ( Lardboy said on 19 May......." Add a few more teeth on the big cog and you've a decent commuter, as well as a fun off roader"....)

Secondly, i would like to change my pedals to the 'clip type ones'. again can you suggest a model or brand to go for. I've been talking to other riders and they have convinced me that changing my pedels will greartly increase my output. i see from Pezzeruk posting you can get pedals that are 'half & half, (......."I did not like the pedals though as my feet kept slipping off them and switched to some Shimano ones with cleats on one side and standard pedal on the other which made things much better".......)6th April.

So guys can anyone help?

Thanks a lot

Please forgive me for being hopelessly naive perhaps but bearing in mind the comments made already in the review and by users of the Subway would it unwise to try to ride L'Alpe D'Huez on it??

I'm already in training and where I live in Salford there are some half-decent hills on which I'm steadily building up my stamina and cardio-capacity.

I agree that the gears on the Subway can be quite crunchy at times and also at really inopportune moments the gear will slip from being low to an inappropriately high one which can throw me completely as I'm building up a rhythm.

Is the steepness of the road causing a shortcoming of the bike to be exposed or am I doing something wrong possibly that can be easily put right?

Aside from that I'm very happy with it but even at a even pace as I'll just be happy to make the resort at the top would it not be able to hack it?

I'd be interested to know what others think.

Plus has anyone climbed it or any of the other Cols and if so I'll ask the inevitable question which is of course what they are like?

I am a born again biker (of the non powered variety) who spent 15 years riding semi seriously ending up using a high end trek full bouncer for bumpy stuff and a bianchi carbon road bike for distance and cardio work.

4 years off riding and a healthy appetite for beer and bad food had left me 3 stone heavier and with an alarmingly high resting heart rate.

So I decided to get back into riding. My first thought was "go out, spend a grand and get a decent bike that will last me 3 or 4 seasons. then reality kicked in. My abilities are nowhere near what they were 4 years ago and the drivers for riding are totally different. I looked at my needs and decided to spec appropriately. My needs were:-

1. a bike that can both be used for medium distance road work and a 7 mile commute, and can also double up for light trail and low intensity "rock hopping".

2. Something cheap enough to be relatively disposable e.g theres always a chance it will get stolen in london on my commute

3. A bike that is rigid and relatively light

4. One with components that will not turn into plastic conffeti the first time I apply the brakes to hard or miss a gear.

Cue the search...

I had gone to all my old haunts looking around for a bike that fitted the above criteria, private bike shops, online and even ebay to no avail. Then an old road riding buddy mentioned that the carerra subway would be perfect. Now at this point I am afraid I rather reverted to type and sniffed about Halfords being the sole supplier and that buying a bike from there was the last thing I would do. However I duly rolled up at the hemel branch of halfords to take a peak.

in teh shop the bike was (as usual) not properly set up, so gear changes were appaling and it was virtually impossible to assess ridability however I took a chance as the lightness and surprising quality of the components gave me reason to suspect this was better than first impressions promised.

I chose to self assemble the bike (no confidence in the "kid" who was belting a crankset with a ball peen hammer behind the checkout ;o).

After about 2 hours set up time the bike was ready. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments above about the rear hanger. It was a pig to setup and i still get a grind changing on most lower gears.

Anyway the first ride was a 20 mile scenic spin with a few little hills to get the heart working and blow off some of the cobwebs.

And here is the crux of my review. Within 5 miles the bike felt perfect. The geometry is quite soft but by rasing both the seat post and headset I was able to get a pretty good shape on the bike which felt both comfortable and powerful.

The bike feels very smooth and a lot more expensive than it is. Whilst equipment is budget, it is at the better end of budget with older technology and you can see where major cuts have been made with the chainset (Sora on this one). However this does not markedly detract from the bike power transfer or handling though as above on climbs it proved to be a little crunchy and erratic in gear changes.

The stock tyres were great for smooth tarmac though a little harsh on teh bigger bumps even with the sprung seatpost. And the seat, Jeeps its odd. When you touch it it feels relatively soft and spongy, but after 1.5 hours and 20 miles of low intensity miles later my bum felt like it had been hit several times with a steak tenderiser. This may of course be more to do with my sedentry lifestyle of late and little to do with the seat. But it is a point to make that the bike may not feel that comfortable to those used to more plush suspension or more forgiving padding. It was odd, the closest way to describe this bike for those of you that have had one is like a hardtail Aluminium bike. Very harsh and rigid which makes them very flickable but also quite literally a pain in the boottom to ride.

All in all the subway pleasantly surprised me, it has now done about 1000 miles and is as good as the day I bought it. Though I have made some strategic upgrades such as a decent saddle, new brake blocks and less stretchy cables, (it must be noted that the stock brakeblocks seemed to be made out of a combination of cheese and sand and were to all intents and purposes useless, so as above I agree the Sub 2 with discs might be a better option)

In terms of value if your thinking of buying a commuter that offers a little bit more than the subway is perfect. Its surprisingly light and with a little care will handle the majority of the casual riders needs.

Great for getting back into riding and cheap enough not to be a regrettable investment. I wholeheartedly recommend the subway (just get rid of the seat or you will never have children;o)

As another born again biker - although with about a 10 year break between bikes - I bought a Subway 1 about 6 months ago. Mostly because I didn't know any better.

The purpose was mostly to provide me with a sturdy comuting bike. My commute involves cycling to a railway station - about 6 miles from home, hopping onto a train to reading and cycling from that station to work - some 2 miles further down the line.

Given the battering a bike can sustain in one of those train storage areas I needed something that was fairly light yet fairly robust and fairly cheap - after all there is a good chance of it going walkies.

Anyway I wandered into Halfords - mostly because at the time I didn't know any better - and I came out with a Subway 1.

I certainly won't be doing that again. Their build quality and attention to detail are woeful.

Okay the bike itself.

1. Handling - generally good - once you get rid of those horrific tires. They were very slippy and non-grippy. I swapped them for a set of Schwab Marathon road tires. Far better. Now very crisp road-holding indeed. Even in the rather snowy / icy conditions of Feb they held their own.

2. Brakes - the supplied pads are hopeless. I wore them away in two weeks of moderate riding.

3. The saddle - not friendly at all. That's next on the list to swap out.

4. Gear changing - frisky. It's been back twice to have that problem sorted out. I've had leaping gears, the SRAM grip shift has also gone west once. The bike is still thankfully under warranty but I dread it going wrong a third time.

5. Build quality - not great. All the shiny bits on it are now going rusty. The bike when not on the road is stored in the garage at home, and under a covered cycle shelter at work. I also try to keep it as clean as possible.

6. Gearing - could be better. There are a fair few hills in the way and it struggles. It first I thought it was me (and it probably was) but now I'm starting to think that it could do with re-gearing. On the flat in Reading it performs superbly so maybe I need to move to somewhere with less hills.

Although I may sound unhappy with the bike, I'm not really. After all you get what you pay for. The frame is light, and rugged and whilst I probably won't replace it with another Subway, I can certainly cope with it. If only I can resist changing the entire drive chain, saddle and gear shifters.

Bought from Halfords for £179, after realising that it would be cheaper than replacing the drive train and wheels on my previous commuter.

I’ve been riding my Subway 1 hard for a year now, my commute is an 18 mile round trip, with a mixture of road, cycle paths and half a mile of rough track.

The bike has been thrashed and neglected, sometimes left out in the rain for days, yet with a clean and lube, everything is back to working order.

Bearing in mind that this bike gets hopped up and down kerbs, ridden off road and covered in sand daily (sea front cycle path), the parts have coped remarkably well.

I’m on my second set of brake pads, have replaced two spokes, and the wheels need truing.

The handling is great, the high gears tend to top out on steep descents, the lower gears are just right for steep on road climbs. I planned to replace the grip shifters when I got the bike, but have decided to live with them, for road use they’re fine.

IMHO this is the bike that most people need to buy for commuting / shopping / mild off road (canal towpaths etc.) and leisure rides.

I have been cycling for over twenty five years and currently commute 9miles each way and thought the carrera subway 2 ltd would suit me fine. It was reduced from £399 to £200. In the first three weeks the rear hub went, then the rear mech broke and when I fastened my rack one of the bolts sheared off. The overall quality is very poor and I would not recommend these bike to anyone. They are defo not a well thought out bike either: the bottom bracket is so wide it was like riding a horse. In retrospect they are only guaranteed for 2years where as my Cannondale is for life on the frame. I sold the bike on ebay and got a great second hand Kona hybrid "smoke" - a good secondhand bike is much better than a cheap new one. Remember buy cheap buy twice. Hope this helps.

I'm currently on my second Subway 1 (I've recently upgraded to a Scott Sub 30 but still use the Subway on wet days).

The first one lasted a couple of years before everything basically wore out at once so it was cheaper to replace the whole bike than all the individual parts. I've kept the frame though just in case. Both were the original matt black type, not the new glossy ones which I'm not so keen on the look of. I've just had to replace the whole drivetrain on the second because I don't keep track of chain wear.

I commute about 1500-2000 miles a year

Good points:

It's light for it's price, quick, responsive and a pleasure to throw around.

Bad points:

* The suspension seat post broke in the original one, save a bit of weight and put a standard post in, I did on the second one immediately.

* The grips work loose, so I put sidebars on to keep them in.

* The wheels seem to wear down quickly, I had a side wall let go on the original, it hasn't happened yet on the replacement but it looks like it's going to need new wheels soon.

* The front gearing is too low, both mine had double chainrings so I replaced them with triples with more teeth. The gripshifter and mech can cope with this OK but the BB may need spacers depending on what size is fitted.

I know there's more bad points than good but considering the mileage I do these bikes served me pretty well. Even did the Cat and Fiddle challenge on one, got the mick taken something chronic but at least I did it!

I've just bought a 2010 Carrera Subway 20" Mens Limited Edition from my local Halfords store after much consideration over the impending rise in fuel prices (again) and VAT to 20%. I have a commute of around 6 miles to work each day and I'm also a little sick of being stuck in stop/start traffic. After checking the website, I found this bike reduced from £449 to £199 and had it ordered in. For the spec, i'm convinced that nothing else even comes close at this price. I am already a seasoned cyclist and have an expensive mountain bike I use at weekends etc but I decided that rather than running my mountain bike into the ground with year on year of commuting, perhaps I should look for something cheap but of good quality to get me from a to b. I am not disappointed with the Carrera Subway. The components are sturdy and the slick tyres and rigid frame mean that I can get to work quicker than I would on my other bike. I'm not as worried about leaving this outside in the elements or parking it up somewhere in public view of prying eyes. If looked after I imagine I will get many years of commuting out of it. With fuel prices on the rise, it won't be long before this bike has paid for itself and I get fitter in the process!