Carrera vulcan or crossfire electric bike?

[Ash.wylie]

Hi everyone, im new on here so all advice would be really appreciated.
My wife has recently bought a wisper 906 alpino for riding to work and she absolutely loves it and after having afew goes im now looking at getting an ebike. Im looking at getting one on the cylce scheme so needs to be around £1000 mark so have been looking at the carrera vulcan and crossfire, both seem to get very good reviews. My problem is deciding which one is best, i understand they both share the same battery and motor but which has the best spec regarding gears, brakes, forks ect. The vulcan is £1000 and the crossfire is £1200 so this would suggest that the crossfire is the better bike, is this correct?
The bike would be used for a mixture of road and off-road use so im not sure if i should get the crossfire as it is a hybrid or get the vulcan and swap the tyres for a more hybrid type?

 

[Amoto65]

Hi there i was much the same as you after my wife got a Juicy e bike, at the moment Halfords have got the Crossfire at 20% off so it is actually £40 cheaper than the Vulcan, I went and collected a Crossfire at the weekend and really like it, your best bet is go and have a test ride at Halfords and see what you think, good luck, Steve.

 

[Ash.wylie]

Hi steve, thanks for your reply, do you know why the crossfire is usually £200 more than the vulcan? Is the crossfire a better spec bike? Ash.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I wouldn't worry about which one has the best spec. What's more important is which one suits your needs. The Vulcan is probably better for rough stuff and the Crossfire for tarmac. Only you can decide which is best.

 

[Ash.wylie]

Hi d8veh, plan to go this saturday to try them both out to see if i like one over the other, my problem will be if i like both equally, do i get the hybrid crossfire or the mountain bike vulcan and put hybrid type tyres on as it will be used for road aswell. Ash.

 

[soundwave]

what spec do you want ? parts wise both bikes cost as much as my wheels on there own rrp from new

 

[Ash.wylie]

what spec do you want ? parts wise both bikes cost as much as my wheels on there own rrp from new

To be honest i dont know what spec i want, i havent been on a bike for 20 years so know very little about them. Just want to know from you knowledgeable people if for any reason i should choose one over the other, as i think both could fit my needs.

 

[Mal69]

I would pick the Crossfire if you are going to mainly use on roads including country lanes, I tried that one at Halfords, you will need a new seat, it's not very comfortable, other than that it was a decent bike.

You could put Schwalbe Energizer Pro touring tyres on it, they have good road ability, fine rolling resistance and also work off road and an added bonus is very good puncture protection, I know that Halfords will put those tyres on the bike for nothing as long as they are in stock.

 

[Ash.wylie]

I would pick the Crossfire if you are going to mainly use on roads including country lanes, I tried that one at Halfords, you will need a new seat, it's not very comfortable, other than that it was a decent bike.

You could put Schwalbe Energizer Pro touring tyres on it, they have good road ability, fine rolling resistance and also work off road and an added bonus is very good puncture protection, I know that Halfords will put those tyres on the bike for nothing as long as they are in stock.

Hi Mal69, thanks for the advice on the crossfire, I will be sure to ask them regarding the tyre change and will see how I go with the seat but I do expect it will need to be changed.

 

[Amoto65]

According to the specs on the Halfords site the Vulcan has different brakes and gears to the Crossfire, not sure of the weight difference but both bikes seem pretty similar apart from tyres and aesthetics.

 

[LeighPing]

It would appear that both bikes suffer from cut out problems. Have a read of the reviews.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-vulcan-electric-mountain-bike

 

[Amoto65]

Have read the reviews and you are right, there are a small percentage that do seem to suffer from cut out problems mainly with the old style LCD, but it seems that other makes suffer problems as well as can be found on the forum pages. Halfords have probably sold shed loads of Carreras and for the novice like myself who thinks messing with electrics is a dark art akin to witchcraft wheeling it back into the shop with a two year warranty for them to sort out is a damn sight easier than posting it back or trying to fix it by e-mail.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi everyone, im new on here so all advice would be really appreciated.
My wife has recently bought a wisper 906 alpino for riding to work and she absolutely loves it and after having afew goes im now looking at getting an ebike.

Great to read the Alpinos are still going strong. We do have a few 905Classics available, they use the same battery as the Alpino. We can sell you one of those with a 16Ah battery for £1,199.00. They were originally £1,699.00 for that spec and as they are a couple of years old now, they still have the throttle. We have held a few back for people who must have a throttle.

Just a thought!

All the best, David

 

[Ash.wylie]

Have read the reviews and you are right, there are a small percentage that do seem to suffer from cut out problems mainly with the old style LCD, but it seems that other makes suffer problems as well as can be found on the forum pages. Halfords have probably sold shed loads of Carreras and for the novice like myself who thinks messing with electrics is a dark art akin to witchcraft wheeling it back into the shop with a two year warranty for them to sort out is a damn sight easier than posting it back or trying to fix it by e-mail.

These where my thoughts exactly, nearest proper electric bike shop to me is around 20 miles away, but Halfords is only 3 miles, and when it comes to cycling electric or not I'm definitely a novice.

 

[Ash.wylie]

Great to read the Alpinos are still going strong. We do have a few 905Classics available, they use the same battery as the Alpino. We can sell you one of those with a 16Ah battery for £1,199.00. They were originally £1,699.00 for that spec and as they are a couple of years old now, they still have the throttle. We have held a few back for people who must have a throttle.

Just a thought!

All the best, David

Thank you for the offer but the 905 isn't really my style of bike, I'm looking for a more of a mountain bike look rather than a commuter.

 

[RobF]

These where my thoughts exactly, nearest proper electric bike shop to me is around 20 miles away, but Halfords is only 3 miles, and when it comes to cycling electric or not I'm definitely a novice.

Having Halfords three miles away could be handy.

Bear in mind most branches are clueless about ebikes, so if yours goes wrong they will have to 'send it away' to be fixed.

Could be a nuisance if you mind being without the bike for days - or weeks - at a time.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

No worries, though we do have three Wisper Martins in-stock unused at £1,000 they are 11AH. Nice bike, £600 off retail. They are a discontinued ranhe. They are more trail bikes than commuter bikes.

 

[Amoto65]

Must say even though i have bought the Crossfire the Wisper Martin is pretty damned nice, i suppose you pays your money and makes your choice, test ride them at Halfords and see what you think.