Boardman Bikes

ascurrell

is there a degree of bike snobbery here,my brand is better than your brand.


Snobbery !!! seems a pretty appropriate description to some of the guys who are dead set on knocking Boardman bikes. The sort of people who after a test ride wouldn't admit to liking them even if they did.
Don't get me wrong I haven't ridden one myself but I am reserving judgement til I know more about them.

RedAende

Shadowduck wrote:

Zero Sum wrote:

How about we start the green vs blue packet for Salt n Vinegar argument...

Green of course! :P

no way, BLUE !

cougie

Top_Bhoy wrote:

cougie wrote:

Just noticed that my 220 mag reviewed one of the CB bikes vs a Cannondale 613 last month.

They seemed to think the CB was great value, let down by its handling only.

(then again I'm not sure 220 know too much about bike kit)

If it's handling is poor how can it be considered great value, even on a bottom of the range bike? Surely handling is a prime consideration when selecting a bike! Putting it in perspective and not relating it specifically to the CB bikes - this area I guess can often be down to a reviewers personal preferences.

I didnt say poor handling - just that the Cannondale felt better to them. As you say - some people prefer different handling bikes. Twitchy vs steady. I hate the way my mates bike rides - he likes it though. Each to their own.

Gav2000

The £599 model got a very good write up in the new Cycling Plus magazine, I think they gave it 10 out of 10.

Gav.

top_bhoy

cougie wrote:

Top_Bhoy wrote:

cougie wrote:

Just noticed that my 220 mag reviewed one of the CB bikes vs a Cannondale 613 last month.

They seemed to think the CB was great value, let down by its handling only.

(then again I'm not sure 220 know too much about bike kit)

If it's handling is poor how can it be considered great value, even on a bottom of the range bike? Surely handling is a prime consideration when selecting a bike! Putting it in perspective and not relating it specifically to the CB bikes - this area I guess can often be down to a reviewers personal preferences.

I didnt say poor handling - just that the Cannondale felt better to them. As you say - some people prefer different handling bikes. Twitchy vs steady. I hate the way my mates bike rides - he likes it though. Each to their own.

Your right, you didn't say it was poor but the words "let down by its handling only" implies that its handling wasn't that great. No big issue - it still often comes down to an individuals preference. :roll:

naked_ollie

Gav2000 wrote:

The £599 model got a very good write up in the new Cycling Plus magazine, I think they gave it 10 out of 10.

Gav.

Yep.

I think that most of the problem people seem to be having with Boardman Bikes is the association with Halfords and the undeniable fact that pricing on the top spec is about £200 too much.

I haven't ridden one but I think they look pretty good. No-nonsense frames with a little bit of originality on the top tube - probably a gimmick but pleasing to my eye at least.

I bet if you took off the graphics and replaced them with a more boutique brand you'd have people oohing and ahhing over them.

This, for me, is a stark lesson in brand association - the brand in question being Halfords, not Boardman!

So Chris, for 2008: ditch Halfords, lower prices by 10% and watch them fly off the shelves in 'real' bike shops. Or is it too late already...

wildmoustache

got to give up on this thread !!!... agree it might get people out on their bike which is great ... agree it's not a bad bike ... agree it's not a good value bike ... agree the most likely buyer will be the guy in halfords who was thinking about a Porsche but remembers when he was a lad on a bike and that anything with Boardman's name on it must be pro level ... agree they will come out with a carbon frame when they sort out a chinese supplier ... agree aluminium can be a great frame material but the retail price should reflect it's low cost ...

where the HELL are the pringles!!!! ??????

Haynes

They wont seem so expensive when Halfords have them in the sales with 50% off.

vectra

When I first saw this topic and the number of replies, I thought OMG, I've just bought one - what have I done?, I don't want to read this.

However, I think it useful to relate my own experiences.

A colleague bought the Road Comp in early Aug and had trouble with the gear change (the chain kept jumping off the cassette and eventually jammed, throwing him down the road) and he asked me to have a look at it.

It only took 10 seconds to realise that the gear hanger was not straight (looked like a quality control issue with the rear dropout alignment) He said that he had taken it back and they straightened it up by taking off the deraileur, putting a large screwdriver through the hanger bolt hole and bending the whole dropout, thus trashing the chainstay and the frame, but not fixing the gear change problem.

I went back with him to Bikehut and we asked to speak to the manager. After a bit of discussion about the Sales of Goods Act 1987 (amended) and that you cannot bend alu without damaging it, he agreed to a 100% refund.
[A retailer is entitled to make one attempt to repair an article, after which the buyer has the right for a complete replacement or 100% refund, not just replacement of the offending part. The retailer has no choice in the matter - it's the buyer who determines if he/she wants a replacement or refund. Go to your local Trading Standards office if you have problems. Also don't argue with big store managers, they know more about the Sales of Goods Act than you do.]

I commented that they would just return it as defective but he said that the contract with Boardman stipulates no returns, so presumably Halfords have built in a percentage of returns in the price they set. He also, interestingly, said that they make virtually no profit on them - maybe £30 max. and that the range was only on trial for six months, after which Halfords will review it.

My opinion at the time, and reinforced by all the comments on this topic, is that Halfords will drop the range, and this is entirely down to their poor staff training and skill levels (they don't subscribe to Cytech training), and the fact that they would have to increase the price to make any money on them.

If Halfords do drop them then they will either be sold through another chain, or maybe just on line.

Now, you're asking why did I buy one myself after all this? Well actually, I thought a couple of them were very good bikes (the Hybrid Pro and the Road Comp) and I was looking for a commuting bike with disk brakes. Don't know much about MTB's so won't comment on them. I didn't think that the rest of the range was particularly great or good value for money; an opinion reinforced by comments made by others here.

Anyway, I bought a boxed Hybrid Pro, so that they didn't get their mitts on it, and think it's an excellent bike. It weighs a respectable 10kg for a commuter; is very comfortable; handles impeccably; the brakes are awesome (after bedding in); the SRAM gear change works well - has a nice smooth and light action; the hubs appear to be well sealed for winter use; there is loads of clearance for larger winter tyres; regular mudguards fit quite easily (you have to fit the front stays horizontally to clear the brake caliper then bend them up to meet the bridge on the mudguard), and above all, it's a fine, unusual looking, multi purpose machine.

My only reservations are the wheels, which, being a relatively new addition to the Xero range, don't have a reliability history. But time will tell and if the worst comes to the worst, I can always repair them myself. (the spokes are standard elbowed DB and the hubs have regular flanges)

My only other reservation is with the gearing, but this is personal as I would have preferred closer ratios than 11-32 and will eventually replace the cassette with a 13-28 when the original needs changing. The compact chainset is spot on.

Given that I specifically wanted a winter / commuter with disk brakes, there is very little out there to compare it with. Trek do one called the Portland but it sells for £1200 (Evans had some discounted to £900 presumably to clear them out) and Wiggle are about to sell a Cross Disk which looks like a very fine machine, but just a bit dearer at £800. I dare say there are a few MTB's which would have been suitable as well.

However, all things considered, I'm very pleased with it, and so it would appear are all those who have actually bought one which was assembled properly.

fire42

Hi Guys

Recently got into a bit of decent cycling and have an ex-racer as a workmate, who i trawled through the range of CB bikes and said the pro hybrid looks like a good-un. So i plumped for it and picked it up on the 1st of sept. Basically had to set it up myself, gears were out, handle bars went skew wiff at a set of lights as i moved off, rear caliper worked loose in a few days, regardless of how we set the saddle my hands went dead in about half an hour shortly followed by my legs! Unfortunately the guys behind the counter didnt help one bit. Screws fell out of toe clips and i had to BUY some new ones. Yeah i hear you say "your typical of the unsuspecting type" but i'm not quite menopausal! Took it back and said look this is just awful for me to ride. Apparently theres no adjustment in the head set for height either. I said can i return it, to which they said yeah, which was a shock. Rode well but its the best bike i've had, but would have loved to try it for an hour just to see how it felt on a good run, which is always difficult to judge. Got 700 quid in vouchers so looking at specialized sirrus pro, for a bit more money and hopefully better. Really enjoying the cycling though, shame my first foray into it has been a bit fraught with disappointment! Any ideas on a good hybrid for say 850££

cheers

Dave

mea00csf

fire 42- the problem with that is you're now gonna have a specilized sirrus pro , or simiar,set up by the same halfords staff, whih sounds like it might have been the problem with the CB hybrid.

proto

Boardman is not a bike company, it is a brand. They don't make bikes. It's called marketing.

Maybe I'm being a bit simplistic but the Boardman bikes are just bikes like any other. They pretty well all come out of the same factories, made from the same materials, to the same designs and have the same components bolted onto them. They are just budget and mid range bikes. No better or worse than their competitor brands. If they fail in avery short period it is almost certainly as a result of poor assembly or pre delivery adjustment.

Boardman, Specialised, Ridgeback, Carrera, Dawes, Saracen, Trek, Kona etc etc etc etc You could probably add a few Italian brands to the list as well.

northendboy

Just joined the forum to put forward my two penn'orth on the Boardman bikes.

I bought a GT series 4.0 road bike a couple of weeks ago, but had it nicked after just 2 days. The bloke who nicked it and rode off up the lane had ridden it further than me. Anyhoo, reported to the insurance company who were very good, but only offered me a 'like-for-like' replacement from Halfords. I did beg them to let me buy an identical bike from my LBS, but to no avail. So I picked up my Boardman Road Comp yesterday from Lancaster and rode it home.

Absolutely dreadful set-up. The front mech ground away from the off, and the rear mech continually jumped between gears. I stopped several times to try and sort out the gears, but it's not easy on the side of the A6. The handlebars faced about 5 degrees away from the front wheel, and both quick-release hubs needed a fair bit of tightening up before it could be deemed safe.

Anyway, I have fixed most of the problems, but I have a couple of comments:
The front mechanism and STI shifter is for a triple chain ring, but the bike only has a double. Is this normal?
The geometry of the bike seems very strange. It has a 55.5 frame, and being 6' I have had to raise the saddle, but the distance between the seat and the handlebars is now huge, meaning I have to lean way too far forwards to reach the bars which knackers my back.

On the plus side, the bike has reasonably good stuff on it, is very agile, light enough, and looks the part. I just have to decide now whether I try and find a saddle/seat post that makes it comfortable, or try to send it back.

Thanks for listening...

Ste_S

northendboy wrote:

Just joined the forum to put forward my two penn'orth on the Boardman bikes.

I bought a GT series 4.0 road bike a couple of weeks ago, but had it nicked after just 2 days. The bloke who nicked it and rode off up the lane had ridden it further than me. Anyhoo, reported to the insurance company who were very good, but only offered me a 'like-for-like' replacement from Halfords. I did beg them to let me buy an identical bike from my LBS, but to no avail. So I picked up my Boardman Road Comp yesterday from Lancaster and rode it home.

Absolutely dreadful set-up. The front mech ground away from the off, and the rear mech continually jumped between gears. I stopped several times to try and sort out the gears, but it's not easy on the side of the A6. The handlebars faced about 5 degrees away from the front wheel, and both quick-release hubs needed a fair bit of tightening up before it could be deemed safe.

Anyway, I have fixed most of the problems, but I have a couple of comments:
The front mechanism and STI shifter is for a triple chain ring, but the bike only has a double. Is this normal?
The geometry of the bike seems very strange. It has a 55.5 frame, and being 6' I have had to raise the saddle, but the distance between the seat and the handlebars is now huge, meaning I have to lean way too far forwards to reach the bars which knackers my back.[/b[]

On the plus side, the bike has reasonably good stuff on it, is very agile, light enough, and looks the part. I just have to decide now whether I try and find a saddle/seat post that makes it comfortable, or try to send it back.

Thanks for listening...

When you're on the drops, look at the handlebars in relation to the front hub. Does the handlebar 'cover' the front hub ? If not might be worth seeing if Halfords can do you a new stem.

wildmoustache

earlier in this thread i pointed out what you could get from the Focus range for the same money ... it was dismissed by another forumite b/c wiggle was not an LBS where of course you would get great service...

so, to add to the very so-so spec for the money, we are now hearing that many CB bikes are being set up badly/dangerously ...

what an enticing proposition!!

davelakers

northendboy wrote:

Just joined the forum to put forward my two penn'orth on the Boardman bikes.

I bought a GT series 4.0 road bike a couple of weeks ago, but had it nicked after just 2 days. The bloke who nicked it and rode off up the lane had ridden it further than me. Anyhoo, reported to the insurance company who were very good, but only offered me a 'like-for-like' replacement from Halfords. I did beg them to let me buy an identical bike from my LBS, but to no avail. So I picked up my Boardman Road Comp yesterday from Lancaster and rode it home.

Absolutely dreadful set-up. The front mech ground away from the off, and the rear mech continually jumped between gears. I stopped several times to try and sort out the gears, but it's not easy on the side of the A6. The handlebars faced about 5 degrees away from the front wheel, and both quick-release hubs needed a fair bit of tightening up before it could be deemed safe.

Anyway, I have fixed most of the problems, but I have a couple of comments:
The front mechanism and STI shifter is for a triple chain ring, but the bike only has a double. Is this normal?
The geometry of the bike seems very strange. It has a 55.5 frame, and being 6' I have had to raise the saddle, but the distance between the seat and the handlebars is now huge, meaning I have to lean way too far forwards to reach the bars which knackers my back.

On the plus side, the bike has reasonably good stuff on it, is very agile, light enough, and looks the part. I just have to decide now whether I try and find a saddle/seat post that makes it comfortable, or try to send it back.

Thanks for listening...

I bought mine from the very same shop and also rode it home to Preston on the night. The bike was set up perfectly for me. I made sure I did a few laps of the car park with Mike (who set it up for me and seemed very knowledgeable) before I set off and I have had no problems with the bike whatsoever. I love the bike and have done around 500 trouble free miles on it over the last 3 weeks.

nolf

I think it's fairest to say that buying a boardman bike is like buying a bike from the internet.

They are pretty good spec you just have to make sure that you are capable of setting the bike up- most of which is relatively simple stuff.

top_bhoy

nolf wrote:

I think it's fairest to say that buying a boardman bike is like buying a bike from the internet.

They are pretty good spec you just have to make sure that you are capable of setting the bike up- most of which is relatively simple stuff.

mmmmm....not actually pertaining to Boardman bikes in particular but if I bought a bike from a shop I would expect it to be rideable and safe as soon as I left the shop - I wouldn't expect to have to set the bike up myself for which I have paid a premium by going to the shop in the first instance and not an internet site.

There is simply no reason for a bike not being setup properly straight from the start.

Garybee

Top_Bhoy wrote:

nolf wrote:

I think it's fairest to say that buying a boardman bike is like buying a bike from the internet.

They are pretty good spec you just have to make sure that you are capable of setting the bike up- most of which is relatively simple stuff.

mmmmm....not actually pertaining to Boardman bikes in particular but if I bought a bike from a shop I would expect it to be rideable and safe as soon as I left the shop - I wouldn't expect to have to set the bike up myself for which I have paid a premium by going to the shop in the first instance and not an internet site.

There is simply no reason for a bike not being setup properly straight from the start.

As has been said on quite a few occasions in this thread, the problem would appear to be with Halfords not the bikes themselves.

velohead18

The front mech ground away from the off

The front mechanism and STI shifter is for a triple chain ring, but the bike only has a double. Is this normal?

Could this be the problem of cyclists who are not particularly knowledgable about bikes posting their opinions on forums as if they alone have a god-given right to slag off shops?
The amount of road cyclists who do not know about the trim feature on Shimano l/h STI's confounds me....three clicks, not two for a double chainset. Fix the rider, not the bike!

top_bhoy

Garybee wrote:

Top_Bhoy wrote:

nolf wrote:

I think it's fairest to say that buying a boardman bike is like buying a bike from the internet.

They are pretty good spec you just have to make sure that you are capable of setting the bike up- most of which is relatively simple stuff.

mmmmm....not actually pertaining to Boardman bikes in particular but if I bought a bike from a shop I would expect it to be rideable and safe as soon as I left the shop - I wouldn't expect to have to set the bike up myself for which I have paid a premium by going to the shop in the first instance and not an internet site.

There is simply no reason for a bike not being setup properly straight from the start.

As has been said on quite a few occasions in this thread, the problem would appear to be with Halfords not the bikes themselves.

That was the general thrust of what I was saying ie the shop and not the bike. The same can be said for say a Bianchi sold through Halfords BUT the big difference being, Bianchis are sold at other dealers so you have a choice where to buy a Bianchi. On the other hand, the Boardman bikes are only sold through Halfords. You NEED to take the entire Boardman package and why should it be necesssary for someone to pay another LBS, say 60 quid to have the bike set back up for it to be safe to ride? It makes more sense to me to simply invest that 60 quid in a different bike - with perhaps even a better spec (definitely won't be worse) - via a LBS who will set it up correctly at no additional charge and you have, in most cases, a higher chance that it will be safe.

Due to the way they are sold, you can't seperate Boardman bikes with poor Halfords customer service and then claim the bikes are fine, IMO, its the overall package which counts.

velohead18

As has been said on quite a few occasions in this thread, the problem would appear to be with Halfords not the bikes themselves.

Couldn't agree more!
Halfords is a car accessory shop that happens to sell bikes as well but...they're a car accessory shop! Chris Boardman was aware of the reputation that Halfords has when he chose to exclusively distribute his bikes there. His so-called 'meticulous attention to detail' seems to somehow missed that bit.

top_bhoy

I thought that the dealership the Boardman bikes are being sold in is Bikehut - not Halfords; but I take your point as its still being controlled by what is a management who's main line of business is car accessories ..

NFMC

Anyhoo, reported to the insurance company who were very good, but only offered me a 'like-for-like' replacement from Halfords. I did beg them to let me buy an identical bike from my LBS, but to no avail. So I picked up my Boardman Road Comp yesterday from Lancaster and rode it home.

Just out of interest...the same thing happened to me. I was given a voucher for Halfords but they told me that they sourced the 'more expensive' bikes from Leisure Lakes (there's one in Bury and a few others).

I called Leisure Lakes and they gladly took the voucher from me. I was able to get a Specialized and various accesories on the voucher. Good advice and service and I'm happy.

northendboy

Could this be the problem of cyclists who are not particularly knowledgable about bikes posting their opinions on forums as if they alone have a god-given right to slag off shops?
The amount of road cyclists who do not know about the trim feature on Shimano l/h STI's confounds me....three clicks, not two for a double chainset. Fix the rider, not the bike!

Fair point, and consider me thick. However it does make the point that as this was my first experience of index gears it may have been an idea for the shop to have a) set them up and b) perhaps mentioned it in passing before I set off?

Don't worry, I am learning all the time and may one day consider myself knowledgeable enough to make patronising comments about other novice posters too.

flattythehurdler

velohead18 wrote:

As has been said on quite a few occasions in this thread, the problem would appear to be with Halfords not the bikes themselves.

Couldn't agree more!
Halfords is a car accessory shop that happens to sell bikes as well but...they're a car accessory shop! Chris Boardman was aware of the reputation that Halfords has when he chose to exclusively distribute his bikes there. His so-called 'meticulous attention to detail' seems to somehow missed that bit.

leguape

velohead18 wrote:

As has been said on quite a few occasions in this thread, the problem would appear to be with Halfords not the bikes themselves.

Couldn't agree more!
Halfords is a car accessory shop that happens to sell bikes as well but...they're a car accessory shop! Chris Boardman was aware of the reputation that Halfords has when he chose to exclusively distribute his bikes there. His so-called 'meticulous attention to detail' seems to somehow missed that bit.

Yeah really missed the attention to detail that he's in the business of trying to shift as many bikes as possible and keeping overheads such as nationwide distribution, unit cost and promotion to a minimum.

Want to suggest a better way to break into a highly competitive market with tight margins other than by insuring that your goods are placed in a network with guaranteed nationwide distribution; a clearly defined marketing budget and advertising structure; and the ability to order in the sort of numbers that ensure good production runs which keep unit cost down?

As for it being a "a car accessory shop that happens to sell bikes as well", er ANC Halfords ring any bells? Not to mention that they run a development team and sponsor a few riders as well:

http://www.halfordscompany.com/hal/pr/s ... nsorships/

Or that they were one of the companies that really helped popularise BMX when it hit the UK in the early 80s, a time when cycling was in the doldrums in the UK, just before the revival of interest caused by BMX and a golden age in road racing:

http://www.hadland.me.uk/raleigh.htm (go to the section about BMX)

Some guy called David Duffield was their cycling marketing mananger at the time. you might have heard of him. They've always sold bikes, they've even sold some good ones in their time, things like the Raleigh Burner are icons, they used to shift a lot of those.

I've had shonky service from as many bikes shops that profess to be better than places like Halfords as I've had from them in my time.

velohead18

northendboy wrote:

Fair point, and consider me thick. However it does make the point that as this was my first experience of index gears it may have been an idea for the shop to have a) set them up and b) perhaps mentioned it in passing before I set off?

Don't worry, I am learning all the time and may one day consider myself knowledgeable enough to make patronising comments about other novice posters too.

It seems like I've ruffled afew feathers with this one.

Firstly, let me apologise to northendboy. In retrospect, my comment was quite patronising and for that I'm sorry.

You make the fair comment that the shop should have pointed this feature out to you at the time of purchase and that's true. However, cyclists and especially novice cyclists are usually so thrilled at the prospect of their new bike that they often fail to take in much advice from the shop, if it was indeed offered. That's why joining a club and cycling with more experienced riders is an ideal way to learn more. If there's one thing we cyclists are not short of, it's opinions and our need to express them. I only took exception that you automatically assumed that the shop had somehow 'conned' you by fitting a triple shifter and not that there may have been another explanation of which you were, as yet, unaware.

As for the Halfords issue.

They have indeed sponsored cycling over the years but that doesn't make the company any better at selling and maintaining bikes. It's simply that their marketing dept has seen the value of sponsorship of cycling.

The ANC/Halfords team was not run by Halfords...they simply supplied money. They have a shocking reputation for good reason. While it's true that there must be decent cyclists, mechanics and salesman, who work for them, the vast majority know nothing about bikes in general and more specifically, the products they sell. You can't tell me that Chris Boardman has been living in the rarified atmosphere of Terry Dolans, Argon 18's etc so long that he was unaware of their reputation and that allying himself with them would have a catatrophic effect on his own.

It's such a shame because not only has he built a fabulous reputation through his racing career but also through his former column with Procycling. His shameless use of the TDF coverage to promote his line of bicycles within the programme format comes very close to bordering upon 'advertising standards'.

Halfords sponsorship of the programme did not give them an exclusive right to promote their own product within the show itself.

So, to all cyclists who use Halfords and find them to be good at what they do, by all means continue to shop there. However, if you have experienced shoddy service then talk to other cyclists in your area; sort through the different advice that you'll get and make an informed decision about going to a shop where hopefully they'll be able to advise you correctly and provide a high standard of service.

Ask them what they ride, and look for them out on the local roads, because if they know what they're talking about, they'll be out there riding!

northendboy

velohead18, apology humbly accepted. I'm just a bit grumpy that a) my new bike got nicked and b) the replacement currently isn't fit for purpose, which I am trying to sort out.

My previous bike was a 35 year old 'Ron Spencer' handbuild, from the days when index gears were unheard of.

velohead18

Hi northendboy,

I'm glad we're pals again. Forums are great for getting a load off your chest and getting a point across but contributers should never take it so far that they fall out with each other. Staying safe on the roads is such a trial that we all need to stick together.

I ride a beautiful Colnago in the summer months but my winter training bike is a 1952 Flying Scot with a non-indexed r/h downtube shifter and a hand operated 'suicide' front shifter from Simplex. Helps to keep it real!

I hope you get your bike sorted and get out before the nasty weather gets here!