Carrera Virago

So you've got a thousand quid to spend on a road bike, you've been to the shows, you've got the brochures and you've made your shortlist, but what's the betting Halfords' Carrera Virago isn't on there, more to the point... should it be?

The Virago model has been around for a fair few years now with a magnesium version being released back in 2002 (I wanted one because I liked the paintjob, what all bike buying decisions come down to!). This latest incarnation is built around a monocoque carbon fibre frame with a full 105 groupset, save for the BB30 FSA Gossamer chainset, tapered carbon fork and Mavic CXP-22 rims which ain't bad for the £999.99 asking price.

First impressions, it certainly looks the part. The red, white and black colourway has been pretty much done to death over the last couple of seasons but the Virago still manages to look fresh. It's also bang up to date with the frame being BB30 ready, the large diameter press fit bearing cups requiring an oversize bottom bracket area leading to greater stiffness and little flex.

After testing three bikes in a row with this technology I can safely say it runs very smoothly and does make for great power transfer due to that oversizing, and to my eyes it looks better too. While we are on the subject of oversizing for stiffness, the headtube tapers from 1.125' to 1.5' at the bottom headset race. Not only does this allow a larger diameter tube for the fork crown but also the outer diameter of the fork legs where they meet the frame can be increased. You can feel this all working when you really push into a roundabout or tight corner at speed, the front end feels planted while the legs narrowing towards the dropouts take out some of the road buzz and bumps thanks to some fore and aft movement. As is quite common on frames designed for stiffness, narrow profile rear wishbone stays are there in a bid to absorb some of the vibration. The flat solid profile above the brake mount is a smart touch, you'll be forever cleaning it though.

The heart of the frame is the triangular shaped downtube, with the oversized bottom bracket and the tapered headtube means solid anchor points either end. The shape lends itself to combating the stresses found when the bike is in motion plus makes a change to the usual round profiles.

Kit wise, the performance difference in equipping a bike with 105 rather than Tiagra is probably the most noticeable step in Shimano's range so it's great that Carrera's budget could stretch to the more expensive mechs and shifters as they really complement the solid nature of the frame. FSA continue their dominance at this BB30 price point with the Gosammer model, shifting is spot on between the 50-34 chainrings as always and ran beautifully smooth.

The CC finishing components come in to play here as well, with the oversize bar and stem combo working with the solid front end. Even though the seatpost is 31.6mm diameter the length of post sticking out of the frame equates to some flex, partnered with the slim seatstays hardly any road buzz makes it through to the saddle. The saddle itself has a narrow race profile and is pretty comfortable offering a good supportive perch without being overly hard.

Braking is taken care of by Tektro dual callipers and they scrub off speed well. As said in previous reviews on bikes using these, they're better brakes to be had but not at this price. Late braking is the order of the day with very little chance of lock up.

The Mavic CXP22S wheelset is a reasonable performer, not the quickest by any stretch of the imagination but solid and dependable remaining true throughout the test period. Unfortunately there was some play in the bearings when I handed the bike back and the Formula hubs started to sound a bit dry over the last few rides. This was after 800 odd miles so should show itself around the first six week service, some grease and a tweak so should see them running smooth again. The Zaffiro tyres our test bike was shod with (production models come with Conti Ultrasport) performed brilliantly, rolling well and thanks to the surprising levels of grip some serious lean angles are possible in the dry. Wet weather grip is impressive also even once the layers of salt started going down on the roads. A few muddy and thorny back lane miles seemed unable to leave their mark on the tread and they finish pretty much looking the same as they began the review.

The Virago wants to be ridden hard, all the time, the compact frame is tight and the race style geometry lets you get your head down and just get on with it. As I mentioned above the front end tracks beautifully giving you confidence to push it really hard when descending or trying to maintain speed.

Point it upwards and the Virago continues to be fun, thanks to the low 34-28 bottom gearing and a price respectable weight of 8.6kg it climbs quickly. Changing the Mavic wheels for something lighter would take its climbing ability to another lever... as it were, but it's not a major concern straight away.

The only fly in the ointment, is when you really put the hammer down and take a glance between your shoes will see the rear tyre sliding about as you do exploit some of that comfort induced flex, but we are talking hard sprinting efforts and for the non racer it's not going to be an issue. Everywhere else though the Virago excels, it's ability to maintain speed keeps the average up and pace changes on the club run are handled with ease.

All the kit, frame and fork come together to create a good all rounder. The confidence inspiring ride will suit newbies (after all its right on the bike to work scheme limit so this could be a first bike for some) and the quick, bordering on twitchy steering will keep more experienced riders interested. A change of wheels would be the only performance gain really worth spending any money on and it would transform the Virago form a good bike into a truly great one.

Verdict

Taking everything into consideration the Carrera is a performance bargain and as thousand pound carbon bikes go it can hold its head high against the budget carbon offering from the likes of Ribble and Planet X, etc. Versatility is the key and fair weather commuting, club runs, sportives and even 4th cat racing are all possible on the Virago. Its just an easy bike to live with and thanks to the sensible build spec it'll happily eat up the miles without complaint.