General Cycling Discussion - Help Upgrading my Bike? :)

Hi all,

I am not a particularly bike-savvy person but this seems like a good place to get advice from random users who may offer some suggestions or whatever...

I own a 2005/6 Carrera Kraken (one of Halfords' own.. subsidary..things..)

The chainset and pedals have basically fallen apart, so I have spent the last day researching into upgrade parts and accessories to throw onto it to make it a decent bike, I'm wanting a bit more out of it and want the aesthetic, quality and whatever else comes with the parts to be top-notch and such.

I have limited my search for chainsets to the FSA Gravity Xtreme (with the Bashguard), since it looks cool and it seems to be well priced :-P
I want to throw on some new grips (Brooks leather ones, the black ones are nice!), the pedals would be awesome if I could add on the DMR V8's or V12's depending on my budget, or maybe the Outland CNC ones.. I haven't quite decided..

Anyway... I need mudguards, some chainstay and other random protective bits and bobs, could do with new tyres (Maxxis Larsen TT's are on my list, I would love the Big Betty tyres but £50 is a bit pricey!), and a new saddle would be great and some extra bits and pieces..

OH, And another major necessity would be the Brake Levers.
The help I'm looking for is for anyone who can suggest and advise me on where to get the best prices, what manufacturers to trust and probably which things would not be compatible with the other crap that's on it at the moment - like whether I am looking at the wrong size parts for the frame or whatnot.

IF anyone could help that'd be great!

Thanks, Ryan

I think the only brand name I recognized in that post is Brooks, and I didn't know Brooks made grips. Apparently the Carrera Kraken has yet to make inroads in Nevada. The few reviews I could find online seem to indicate that it's a decent bike, though, so it should be worth a few upgrades.
It sounds like you're on the right track in shopping around, and you'll soon find who offers the best prices. I've redone several old bikes in that price range, and I know what I'd buy here, but you're in a world that's strange to me. Ask around locally. I would caution you against falling in love with the bike or the project to the point that you put more into it than it's worth, though. It's easy to do, but do you really need everything you've listed? Cleaner/degreaser and lubricant can salvage a lot of bikes, and they're relatively cheap.

Not certain where you are getting the upgrade parts from- but if it is Halfords- Try somewhere else.

Like Velo dog- I recognise one name and that is FSA and they can be improved on for less money. Brooks saddles- but Brooks Grips? And I am in the UK.

My first port of call would be your Local Bike Shop (LBS) to get advice on upgrading. Lots of things there that should not need upgrading and the LBS will have better quality than a Wally Mart store- give better advice and possibly be cheaper.

Failing that- try Wiggle

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/

Or

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/complete-bikes/tandem-bikes?dept_id=1041&subdept_id=4018

Thanks for the Help and advice!

I have checked out some of the websites you suggested, and found some good deals from Chain Reaction, Winstanley Bikes (which seems like a small business with a lot of competitive prices)

Brooks are known for their saddles but they also have a range of grips (well, technically one product in various colours) which are quite nice, and good quality like most Brooks products..

I am still confused about choosing which crankset/chainset to consider looking further into, and there's quite a few to choose from that fall in my price range.. I thought Shimano Deore was good but some of the other manufacturers seem to have even better things which is making my search even wider :twitchy:

any more suggestions would be really appreciated, and I am still shopping around websites.. I think Cyclestore.co.uk have some good things too, but it's hard to find all the products in the one place, some things on there are cheaper than Evans Cycles but then there's things that are more expensive and the hassle of ordering from 4 or 5 different places would be annoying..

thanks again,
Ryan

The deore crankset is not bad- and it does have the knowledge that it will shift as good as any other shimano crankset- It just doesn't have the prestige of some others.

If buying online- you have to look around at different sites to get the best prices. Plenty of others to look at besides these but some are more specialised. My favourite for wheels is Merlins- and they have built most of my offroad wheels. But going through the site and they have some pretty good offers on lots of stuff- you just have to find the special deals.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/

I think the only brand name I recognized in that post is Brooks, and I didn't know Brooks made grips.

Brooks have some lovely leather grips that would look good on a retro or vintage bike...

Brooks Leather Bar Grips (http://www.brookssaddles.com/en/Shop_ProductPage.aspx?cat=bags+-+other+brooks+products&prod=Leather+Grips)

They also produce leather bar tape for drop bars, with wood and cork bar plugs...

Brooks Bar Tape (http://www.brookssaddles.com/en/Shop_ProductPage.aspx?cat=bags+-+other+brooks+products&prod=Leather+Bar+Tape)

Again, perfect for a vintage or retro look bike. They even have a leather mud-flap in their catalogue.

But a tad pricey it has to be said