Halfords brand Carrera launched 26 new 2020 bikes this June with road, mountain and commuter bikes all getting an extensive overhaul. Priced under £600, the mountain bikes hardtails all get updated geometry and specs, details of which are all here. The full suspension Titan range is continued this year too with appealing prices all under £1,000.
- The best mountain bikes for under £600 – our top picks
- The best mountain bikes for under £1,000 – the best budget buys ridden and rated
- The best mountain bikes you can buy for under £1,500 – full sus and hardtails
With a number of new mountain bike models, Carrera say they bring trickle down tech at an affordable price point. Priced between £250 and £600 they include all new modern tube profiles and geometry, which helps deliver strong, robust and rideable frames. Carrera says they have dropped the top tubes of frames in 2020 to ensure a lower standover and more room for the rider to move about on the bike. Across the range there are 2x drivetrains and dropper post routing, completed by shorter stems (45mm or 50mm across the range) and wider bars (size dependant between 720-760mm).
Updates across all bikes include ‘Carrera puncture protect’ branded tyres, meaning they will be fitted with a lining to reduce the risk of punctures. The brand also says the geometry of the mountain bikes has been brought in line with other aggressive trail bikes, across the range the bikes get a 67 to 68 degree head angle and some get a 74 degree effective seat angle too, but unfortunately reach isn’t listed. Plus there’s 1x drivetrain on the more expensive bikes and the £600 Fury gets a dropper post, with routing for dropper posts should you upgrade featured on all bikes. There’s no bolt through axles in the new range so no Boost spaced forks and most bikes get a 135mm rear end but the Vendetta, Vulcan, Kraken and Fury get a 141 QR rear end. All wheels are QR throughout the range.
All bikes with the exception of the Kraken and the Fury are available in both men’s and women sizes and have identical components. The men’s bikes are available in sizes ranging from XS (14″) to XL (22″) with the women available in three sizes; Small (14″) to Large 18″. Geometry is different between the two with the women getting shorter effective top tubes, size for size comparison with the men’s bikes which will probably also equate to a shorter reach figure too. As ever, we’d recommend trying out the bikes first and pick one based on the fit and how you feel on the bike rather than based on your gender.
2020 Carrera hardtail mountain bikes
Below are the new mountain bikes with the main spec details listed. If you’re after the details of new Carrera road bikes, click here.
Carrera Valour
£275
The entry-level bikes gets a 100mm coil sprung Suntour XCE28 suspension fork, 27.5″ wheels, a 2 x 7 speed Shimano TX drivetrain and v-brakes.
Carrera Vengeance
£325
The next 27.5″ bike in the range gets Shimano Altus 2 x 8 speed gearing plus 100mm Suntour XCM forks with 30mm stanchions. There are mechanical disc brakes this time but Carrera don’t list the manufacturer
Carrera Hellcat
£350
Another bike getting the 100mm Suntour XCM forks and 2 x 8 Shimano Altus gears, this bike also gets Clarks hydraulic disc brakes and 29er wheels.
Carrera Vulcan
£375
This 27.5″ bike features a 2 x 9 speed Shimano Altus drivetrain with the same Clarks Clout hydraulic disc brakes and the Hellcat. Upfront there is slightly more travel with a 120mm Suntour XCM fork fitted which also has a lockout.
Carrera Vendetta
£400
With the same gearing as the above bike, the Vendetta is a ‘plus bike’ meaning it has wider tyres 27.5 x 2.8″ in this case. This bike also has Tektro brakes but these are mechanical rather than hydraulic. It uses the 100mm Suntour fork as seen on the Hellcat.
Carrera Kraken
£450
£450 gets you Acera 2×9 speed, Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes and a Suntour XCR-32 fork with lockout and 120mm of travel. This is still a coil spring fork (rather than air) but it gets 32mm stanchions rather than the slimmer 30mm ones on the above bikes.
Carrera Fury
£600
The Fury is the top of the range 27.5″ wheeled bike, it gets an air sprung fork in the form of a 120mm Suntour Radion LO-R fork which will give the rider more adjustment potential. There is a Shimano 1 x 10 speed Deore drivetrain and Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes. oh, yep, and there’s an internally routed dropper post on this bike, it has 125mm of drop and is a Satori Satoro Pro dropper.
2020 Carrera full suspension mountain bikes
Carrera Titan
£600
This full suspension bike didn’t get an upgrade in 2020, it’s the same as last years version. The bike is fitted with a 130mm Suntour XCR 32 fork (same as the Carrera Kraken) as well as a Suntour Raidon LO-Air shock to take care of the rear suspension duties. The Titan gets 18 gears in the form of a 2 x 9 Shimano Altus drivetrain and there are Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. Finally, this 650b machin runs on 2.1″ Kenda Kadre tyres.
