Vengeance
Origin
Carrera is Halfords' in-house bicycle marque, not an independent framebuilder — the name has been used by the UK retailer for decades to sit above its budget Apollo bikes and below the premium Boardman and Voodoo lines it also owns. The Vengeance is one of Carrera's longest-serving nameplates: a value 27.5" hardtail that has been on Halfords' shop floor in one form or another since the mid-2010s, quietly updated year after year while keeping the same recipe — an alloy frame, an entry-level Suntour coil fork, Shimano Altus gearing and cable disc brakes. It exists to be the first 'proper' mountain bike for someone graduating from a supermarket bike: cheap, widely stocked, built and serviced in Halfords stores across the UK. Because it is a high-volume own-brand model, it appears constantly on the UK second-hand market and, via that route, trickles into the Baltics as a used import rather than through any official Carrera dealer network.
Specifications
- Frame
- 6061 aluminium alloy hardtail, sloping top tube
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Shimano Altus 2x8 (16-speed), Prowheel 36/22T crankset, 12-32T cassette; 2020 also sold as 24-speed; Trail build = Shimano ESSA 1x8
- Brakes
- Mechanical (cable) disc brakes, front + rear
- Wheels
- 27.5" (650b) Carrera alloy rims, quick-release hubs
The verdict
- Cheap, ubiquitous and easy to service — commodity Suntour/Shimano parts, spares everywhere
- Comfortable, forgiving beginner geometry that doubles well as a rough-road commuter
- Disc brakes and a suspension fork at a price where many rivals still use rim brakes
- Heavy (~14.5 kg) with a crude, undamped Suntour XCM coil fork that dives and offers little control
- Low-end Altus 2x8 drivetrain and basic mechanical discs — fine for paths, out of depth on real trails
- Not a genuine off-road 'trail' bike; overwhelmed by technical descents, best kept to gentle XC/leisure
Generations
Classic hardtail (2015-2025)
- The core value XC hardtail. Recipe barely changed for a decade; brakes stayed mechanical (the pricier Vulcan is the hydraulic step-up).
- Wheels
- 27.5"
- Brakes
- Mechanical disc
Vengeance Trail (1x8)
- Simplified single-ring drivetrain, more fork travel and fatter tyres — aimed slightly more at trails than the classic build.
- Wheels
- 27.5" x 2.4"
- Brakes
- Mechanical disc
Vengeance E (electric)
- Torque-sensing rear-hub e-MTB. Smooth, natural assist and good value sub-£1000, but small ~317Wh battery and a hub motor short on real climbing grunt.
- Wheels
- 27.5"
- Brakes
- Tektro mechanical disc
Versions & builds
Every official build side by side — differences highlighted.
| Spec | Vengeance (2020, 2x8) | Vengeance (2021-2024, 2x8) | CurrentVengeance (2025, 2x8) | CurrentVengeance Trail (1x8) | Vengeance E (electric) | CurrentVengeance E 2.1 (Shimano) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2020 | 2022 | 2025 | 2024 | 2019 | 2023 |
| Drivetrain | Shimano Altus 2x8 (24-speed on some builds) | Shimano Altus 2x8 (16-speed), 36/22T x 12-32T | Shimano Altus 16-speed, Prowheel 36/22T, 12-32T | Shimano ESSA 1x8 (single chainring) | Shimano Altus 8/9-speed | Shimano 8-speed |
| Brakes | Mechanical disc | Mechanical disc | Mechanical disc | Mechanical disc | Tektro mechanical disc 180mm | Tektro mechanical disc 180mm |
| MSRP | €380 | €430 | €450 | €500 | €1,100 | €1,050 |
| Purpose | Value | Value | Value | Balanced | Flagship | Flagship |
Tags
Related models
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