Carrera Kraken

I brought this bike two months ago from Halfords and this is what I have found with it.

The front suspension is terrible on this bike, from day one it felt very rigid on the front end and the forks keep getting stuck down and not returning to full travel. So whenever doing trails the handling is awful because of this.

The head bearings also seized up after the first time I washed the bike.

The gear changes are very stiff and when returning to the inside ring on the front the chain always hooks up and gets stuck.

I have had a few Carrera bikes and this is the worst mechanically by far.

I have owned my 2013 Kraken for 9 months... cost £350 via a friend who works at halfords, have ridden all the local trails with no problems and must say i am well pleased with the bike, would have liked to see a quick release for the saddle post as standard, going to upgrade a few parts over the next few months, would i recommend the Kraken ???? if you want to use it to commute and wish to off road just now and again then yes go get one.... if you will be off roading more than road use then no.. put a few more quid to it and buy something with better off road spec.

Have had my kraken for 12 months.in that period i have given it a hard time ,out twice a week 22 miles each time over rough terrain.it has not skipped a beat only problem i have encountered loose crank and a puncturr.superb mschine.

From what I've read, the 2012 Carrera Kraken is a big improvement on previous models. After reading an online review saying that this is the best bike they tested under £500, I paid a bit under £400 (after discounts) and I am really pleased. I've only had the bike a few weeks but I've used it for commuting as well as in the woods. I really can't fault it for the money paid. It is as light as can be expected, the hydraulic disk brakes work fine and the front suspension seems good. If I was a downhill racer I would obviously be buying something else but in this price range it is hard to fault it.

i have a carrera hard tail mountain bike (27 speed) i have a problem with the rear wheel the rachet on the cassette slips, i went into halfords to get the new part and was told they dont do spares and i would have to by a replacement wheel this did not match the existing wheel, i am pleased with the bike this is the first problem i have had i cant understand why they dont sell spares for there bikes. .

I got dragged into the fact it has good spec and have been doing research into it , but now ive read all these reviews practically all say how the bike isnt worth the money. So is it the bike or how halfords dont assemble them properly? Because im looking into the Carrera vengeance 2011 now and just wondering if halfords will bodge it up , thanks

i had 7 punctures in 3 months with this bike until i changed the tyres and reset rim tape. the crank now needs replacing. carrera kraken just under 2 years old. the bike is great pity about the faults. if you have a problem and your bike is not fit for purpose. do what i did and took a very large sports shop to court through small claims. cost me about 30 quid. they backed out before the date and a full refund plus costs was provided.

FIGHT THE POWER

I have had my Carrera kraken now for 3 days and I have already had a puncture due to the poor placement of the rim tape. Halfords were not very helpful to me at all when I went to buy the bike and I sincerely wish that I had read some of these reviews before going there. After reading these reviews I feel it's just a matter of time before something else goes wrong. Great! How's ya luck?

crank has ceased to be is pushing up the daisies. within days of me getting it, so as it has drawn the final curtain, kicked the bucket in short it is a bit poo.... do NOT be silly go play with your phallus instead (hopefully)its more fun and wont break. honda c 90 FTW !!!!!!

Had the carerra kraken (black)(18") about 2 years now,ive changed peddles and handle bar locking nut but this replacement was all my fault,never use high pressure hose to clean bike.other than that,ive used bike mainly off road single track and jumps included,as a budget bike its the best i think.the gears started to jump about 1 year into riding, had that sorted by local shop not halfords.i do not rate halfords service at all,though 1 older mech was clued up.love the gear range,will never go single speed!front sus is great too.its yet to be seen if frame holds out.im about 80 kg in weight and so far frame is good ie no cracks etc.ive done summer and winter riding in forest.to sum up,if your on a budget then the carrera offers alot of bike.everyone else i ride with have got 2k bikes etc but im well happy.:-)