J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Got back into riding push bikes again a while back, bought a Carrera 'Kraken' of Ebay, barely used for 150 quid, I have enjoyed the riding I have done but the bike seems deficient in a few areas, most notably the brakes, they are crap, I have spent ages p1ssing about with them and they just never work as well as I would expect, I am six foot plus and about sixteen stone so they have got their work cut out, they just seem to stretch the cable, they are 'Tektro' and I think a dead loss at least on the front so was wondering what I need to do to improve the front braking, the back is ok, do I need to go hydraulic and how much would it cost, considering the lever is integrated with the gear shift.

Also the suspension on the front forks, its very soft, have not ridden any others with suspension so I dont know what it should be like, but I can say that these seem counter productive to the point of thinking a solid front end would be better, I do have a mate who has recently bought a fram for 2.5 K donating his old forks so I am hoping they fit on and are better.

I need to be cost effective with any changes so suggestions of three grand being how much I spend will be a bit pointless, basically am stuck with what I have got for a bit but can make a few changes, the rest of it seems ok for my purposes.

BrettC

The Tektro brakes are notoriously rubbish. If you dont want to go down the disk brake upgrades (which can be pricey, especially as it sounds like you will need new hubs too) I would invest in some LX or XT 'v' brakes. These,set up well,work very well and in the dry I actually prefer them to my Hope minis. My Hope M4s on my other bike on the other hand....wow.Ayway as you have integrated gear/brake pods this would be the best choice for you (IMHO)

Alternatively and much cheaper again you could try some different brake blocks.

If you intend on really using the bike off road and in all conditions then it is a worth while investment to go to hyraulic disks. And if this is the case then I would seriously consider selling the carrera for something a little more up to the job. The carrera for just pootling about on nice country trails though will be fine.

If you change your front forks becareful that you match up head angle and travel with the frame. I have ridden a few bikes where this hasnt been the case and it is very odd!

Good luck

BrettC

J4CKO

These might help.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=4786

let us know how you get on.