When unboxing the Carrera Fury our first thought was that Halfords must have made a blunder. How could the Fury possibly have an air-sprung fork, wide-range Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain, Shimano hydraulic brakes and a dropper post and still hit our £600-700 target price range? Best hardtail mountain bikes: classic trail-shredding machines Sounds impossible right? Obviously not, as the Carrera Fury is indeed £680 with no hidden catches or loyalty cards required. It clearly has the best specification in this category then, so what’s the catch? Well, it is the only bike in this test with 27.5in wheels, so they don’t roll over bumps as effectively as 29in wheels, or 27.5in wheels fitted with Plus size (2.8-3.0in) tyres. This translates to a harsher ride, especially when combined with the Carrera’s skinny 2.25in tyres.  But there are also advantages of smaller wheels, like increased strength and reduced weight. They also make it easier for smaller riders to get off the back of the bike on steep descents without buzzing their bums on the rear tyre. Carrera hasn’t really lent in to this advantage though, as the size L frame is really tall, both in top tube height and seat tube length. The 510mm seat tube is so tall in fact, that at 5ft 11in, even with the 125mm dropper post slammed in the frame, the saddle height was still borderline too high. And while the older 1⅛in head tube instantly dates the frame, it’s not a big deal, as most of the bikes at this price point use 1⅛in forks anyway. And the Fury has the best fork in class. No, the real limiting factor here is that the bike is only available in three frame sizes, S, M and L and fewer options mean lower costs for the brand, hence the ability to splurge on the parts.  Suspension Being air-sprung, the spring rate on the 120mm travel Suntour Raidon LO-R fork can be matched precisely to the rider weight with nothing more than a shock pump. It also has externally adjustable hydraulic rebound damping, so the return rate of the fork can be matched to the spring rate. Confused? Don’t be. This simply means the fork on the Fury offers the most controlled action in its class. It’s the most sensitive, so it offers the best grip and comfort too. Best mountain bikes under £1000: brilliant bargain bikes Alloy upper tubes save weight and the icing on the cake is the stiffer Q-Loc 15mm bolt-thru axle. There’s definitely a knack to removing it, but once you get the hang of it it’s one of the fastest systems we’ve used for removing the front wheel.   Components It’s hard to know where to start here, so let’s go with the dropper post. Being able to adjust your saddle height on the fly by up to 125mm, is genuinely game-changing. Slam the saddle for descending, or lower it by 10mm for technical climbing. It’s fast, easy and efficient. Okay, so the post on …Continue reading »

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When unboxing the Carrera Fury our first thought was that Halfords must have made a blunder. How could the Fury possibly have an air-sprung fork, wide-range Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain, Shimano hydraulic brakes and a dropper post and still hit our £600-700 target price range? Best hardtail mountain bikes: classic trail-shredding machines Sounds impossible right? Obviously not, as the Carrera Fury is indeed £680 with no hidden catches or loyalty cards required. It clearly has the best specification in this category then, so what’s the catch? Well, it is the only bike in this test with 27.5in wheels, so they don’t roll over bumps as effectively as 29in wheels, or 27.5in wheels fitted with Plus size (2.8-3.0in) tyres. This translates to a harsher ride, especially when combined with the Carrera’s skinny 2.25in tyres.  But there are also advantages of smaller wheels, like increased strength and reduced weight. They also make it easier for smaller riders to get off the back of the bike on steep descents without buzzing their bums on the rear tyre. Carrera hasn’t really lent in to this advantage though, as the size L frame is really tall, both in top tube height and seat tube length. The 510mm seat tube is so tall in fact, that at 5ft 11in, even with the 125mm dropper post slammed in the frame, the saddle height was still borderline too high. And while the older 1⅛in head tube instantly dates the frame, it’s not a big deal, as most of the bikes at this price point use 1⅛in forks anyway. And the Fury has the best fork in class. No, the real limiting factor here is that the bike is only available in three frame sizes, S, M and L and fewer options mean lower costs for the brand, hence the ability to splurge on the parts.  Suspension Being air-sprung, the spring rate on the 120mm travel Suntour Raidon LO-R fork can be matched precisely to the rider weight with nothing more than a shock pump. It also has externally adjustable hydraulic rebound damping, so the return rate of the fork can be matched to the spring rate. Confused? Don’t be. This simply means the fork on the Fury offers the most controlled action in its class. It’s the most sensitive, so it offers the best grip and comfort too. Best mountain bikes under £1000: brilliant bargain bikes Alloy upper tubes save weight and the icing on the cake is the stiffer Q-Loc 15mm bolt-thru axle. There’s definitely a knack to removing it, but once you get the hang of it it’s one of the fastest systems we’ve used for removing the front wheel.   Components It’s hard to know where to start here, so let’s go with the dropper post. Being able to adjust your saddle height on the fly by up to 125mm, is genuinely game-changing. Slam the saddle for descending, or lower it by 10mm for technical climbing. It’s fast, easy and efficient. Okay, so the post on …Continue reading »

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A keenly priced road bike, but the limited bottom gear may hold you back on the hills

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