Just ordered a Boardman Pro...

Douche

...arrives a week on tuesday

I coudnt not, heart said one thing but head said this .. felt nice, looks nice, and awesome spec ... Only now my heart is fighting back, did I do the right thing??

Im sure once i start clicking that lovely X0 rear mech and feeling those bumps smoothed out by the Race Rebas i'm sure i'll feel better

The Big Cheese

they are excellent bikes - stunning wish-list of parts and a race ready frame, although it's still an unknown quantity because it is relatively new, initial feedback and reviews were good.

Enjoy it

The Spiderman

Be sure to report back as to how you find it.Lots of folk interested in one,and it would be good to see some first hand feedback.

kpr1969

well in fella...have a good check everything is nice an tight before you take it out of the shop...they got some monkeys spinnin the spanners in there...BB cranks were slightly loose on mine couldn't for life of me suss what was making strange noise..LBS sorted an tightened it all up for me.

KonaMike

You did the right thing ,that spec at that price is a no brainer !!

moeleilio

Bottom bracket cranks were looks, where are they?

When I took possession of my carrera, I found the crank arms loose, tightened them and think its fine now.

garlleg

Douche wrote:

...arrives a week on tuesday

I coudnt not, heart said one thing but head said this .. felt nice, looks nice, and awesome spec ... Only now my heart is fighting back, did I do the right thing??

Im sure once i start clicking that lovely X0 rear mech and feeling those bumps smoothed out by the Race Rebas i'm sure i'll feel better

Been out today lookin at the Boardman Pro, but the medium frame seems to have sold out in the entire country they don't seem to be sure when they're gettin more in. What frame size did you order ?

Cheers

Anonymous

that looks to be a very smart move, the price of the parts added up means the frame must only cost 3 quid to make!!!!!, but it is beautifull and has all the features of any top notch frameset.

looking forward to the review.

garlleg

sheepsteeth wrote:

that looks to be a very smart move, the price of the parts added up means the frame must only cost 3 quid to make!!!!!, but it is beautifull and has all the features of any top notch frameset.

looking forward to the review.

'apparently' they make very little profit on the bikes, I mean very little, which is why they're such good value, but they won't stay that good for long. Mbr gave it 10/10 and said the frame worked absolutely fine, even if the frame is shit, can always buy another...would still work out cheaper ?

icarus

garlleg wrote:

Been out today lookin at the Boardman Pro, but the medium frame seems to have sold out in the entire country they don't seem to be sure when they're gettin more in. What frame size did you order ?

Cheers

I found the same thing.
I considered buyingt one before xmas from my local Halfords but thought I'd see what happened in the January sales - then found I was leaving the country on New Years Day for three months with work.
When I got back 10 days ago there were no mediums about, but tbh I'd already set my heart on a P7 anyway. I know the P7 is much lower spec but its stirs me more than the pro did, I suppose its pure vanity but I just 'like' the P7 more, although common sense says that the Boardman pro is a better bike by far.
I'm sure once you get on it you'll love it.

nick1983

am looking at buying one in the next couple of weeks, am worried about being able to get one now

KonaMike

I looked at the Boardman range in Halfords Cardiff yesterday,very nice looking bikes with incredible specs for the money,loved the top tube shaping too !!

Douche

The one ive ordered is a large. speaking to the shop they have plenty of the large ones and its just a case of waiting for the next delivery, im not sure about the small or mediums though.

like the above I was playing with the idea of an Orange, ive wanted one for soooooo long now, thing is Id get the Orange with huge expectation and from there the only thing i was going to get was disapointment. With the boardman im sitting here thinking 'have i dont the right thing', thing is I know i have and that all its going to do (I hope) is bring miles and miles of smiles to me riding.

Ive just called up Halfords and they reckon the bike might even be in store tomorrow!!! .. OMFG!!!! ... I think im going to wet myself

Matteeboy

I know, you pay under £1000 for a hardtail with a MUCH better spec than my £1200 bike

Douche

thats not even the half of it ... Im getting it through the cyclescheme so by the end of the year I'll of paid approximatley £550, plus a 5% charge at the end, basically it means I'll be getting the bike for about £600 ... £600!!! for a bike with juicy 7s, X9/X0 groupset, Race Rebas, and fitted with the Ritchey WCS kit ... its almost too good to be true .. infact i think it might be .. somebody pinch me ... please

...."theres no place like home theres no place like home theres no place like home".........

Matteeboy

Got mine through Cycle 2 Work so at least it was cheaper.

That spec is the same as most £1700++ bikes (hardtails).

Oh well, I do like my frame and other Spesh bits.



Enjoy - I'd be damn excited too!

icarus

Douche wrote:

like the above I was playing with the idea of an Orange, ive wanted one for soooooo long now, thing is Id get the Orange with huge expectation and from there the only thing i was going to get was disapointment. With the boardman im sitting here thinking 'have i dont the right thing', thing is I know i have and that all its going to do (I hope) is bring miles and miles of smiles to me riding.

No disrespect bud but it sounds like your desperatly trying to convince yourself you've done the right thing.
I went into the shops with a grand to spend but let my heart decide. I knew the Boardman was a better spec, but it didn't stir my heart and when I sat on it it just didn't feel right. I sat on an Orange P7 and it just felt amazing and screamed BUY ME.

I'm not having a go at all mate, its all horses for courses and if the Boardman Pro felt good to you then you've obviously found the right bike for you. It just came across like you'd spent the money but you weren't quite sure if you'd bought the right bike - thats a hell of a gamble with a grand.

Douche

No disrepect taken.

The truth is i am trying to convince myself ive done the right thing, for the past six months ive been getting an orange evo8, i investigated Marins, and Fishers, and Merlins but in the end i settled on the Evo8, it felt okay and did everything i wanted, however somewhere between me leaving home to order my Evo8 and getting back again, i found id actually ordered a boardman. ... So yeah, its definatley a gamble, and im definatley unsure but as they say 'Men can't help acting on impulse'.. So hey!!! whats the worst that can happen?? I either spend an extra couple of hundred on a new frame or I wait 12 months and get a another new bike then on next years cyclescheme

Cps

Simple way to see if you have made the right decision for you is flip a coin


Best of 3......5......7.......etc will tell you what you really want !! works for me every time

icarus

Douche wrote:

No disrepect taken.

The truth is i am trying to convince myself ive done the right thing, for the past six months ive been getting an orange evo8, i investigated Marins, and Fishers, and Merlins but in the end i settled on the Evo8, it felt okay and did everything i wanted, however somewhere between me leaving home to order my Evo8 and getting back again, i found id actually ordered a boardman. ... So yeah, its definatley a gamble, and im definatley unsure but as they say 'Men can't help acting on impulse'.. So hey!!! whats the worst that can happen?? I either spend an extra couple of hundred on a new frame or I wait 12 months and get a another new bike then on next years cyclescheme

Fair play dude.
I doubt you'll be disappointed with a bike like that, its awesome.
I can't imagine it not performing in any way.

The only problem I can see might be in your mind when you go past a shop window and see an evo8.

supersonic

The evo8 has a parts spec off a 4-600 quid bike. And parts do make a difference. Sure, go for a frame that gives you the position you want, but to assume an Orange does this automatically is folly. I look in the window and see this bike and think its a bloody rip off. Doesnt even have eyeletted rims. As Brant from OnOne says, it doesnt cost any more to make a frame with good geo than one with bad geo.

icarus

supersonic wrote:

The evo8 has a parts spec off a 4-600 quid bike. And parts do make a difference. Sure, go for a frame that gives you the position you want, but to assume an Orange does this automatically is folly. I look in the window and see this bike and think its a bloody rip off. Doesnt even have eyeletted rims. As Brant from OnOne says, it doesnt cost any more to make a frame with good geo than one with bad geo.

I'm not technical enough to worry about geometry on paper.
I just sit on and see how it feels, if it feels good then thats enough for me.

I've noticed parts from my P7 on cheaper bikes, I've also noticed bikes for the same price with a higher spec (Malt-4), but sometimes bikes can all come together and be more than the sum of their parts and bikes with a great spec on paper can feel cheap and nasty to ride.
For a normal mortal like me I'd prefer to ride a bike that maybe hasn't got the best spec but feels great rather than one that doesn't feel too good but has the best spec possible on paper.

Maybe the OP will sit on the Boardman and it will fit him like a glove, perfect for him. Sadly it wasn't perfect for me, so I went with what felt good rather than what the figures say.

KonaMike

I really liked the look and feel of the Boardman,the frame looks well finished and the top tube shaping makes it a bit different,its worth the price for its components alone but personally I dont think the frame will let it down at all.
It comes down to personal preference I suppose,everyone wants something different from a bike.

I think its a Bargain !!

icarus

KonaMike wrote:

I dont think the frame will let it down at all.

I'd bet my right nut that the frame won't let it down, its an awesome bike and I'm absolutely not slagging it off.

All I'm saying is it didn't feel right to me and rather than ride something which is great on paper but doesn't feel right I went for a lower spec that felt great.

We all work hard for our money and make our choices, I don't think right and wrong solutions exist in this context, just personal choice.

Douche

Im with you there Icarus ... though im not sure with the comparison between the boardman and the P7, they both feel completely different becuase they are different, one being very much a specific XC trail bike and the other being a bit more towards the AM/XC Trail .. though i do appreciate your not so much commenting on the difference in the bikes more the difference in how each bike makes you feel ... and yes cost is not always an indicator of how a bike feels to ride, one of the most fun and enjoyable bikes i ever rode was a sub £200 rigid peugeot from about 13 years ago

icarus

Douche wrote:

between the boardman and the P7, they both feel completely different becuase they are different, one being very much a specific XC trail bike and the other being a bit more towards the AM/XC Trail

You could start a whole thread on this alone.

I read the differences as being..

Generally an AM rider will pedal up hill, but prefers the downhills and doesn't mind taking on a few jumps and drops and going fast downhill.

An XC rider is typically your road bike equivalent mountain biker, where efficiency is key, light weight is better, and all aspects of the ride are equally as fun (uphill, downhill, flats).


But everyone who doesn't work in a shop or have anything to sell reckons its just marketing hype and the difference is negligable.
Personally I'm not sure but a lot of XC bikes seem to run very close or the same spec as AM bikes - other than sometimes fork travel.

ride_whenever

I'd say an AM bike is built a fair bit stronger due to being ready to leave the ground, put it like this, an xc rider will pump a easily air-able lump whereas an AM rider will probably leave the ground, and the bikes are built to reflect that, look at the difference between the 456 and traditional inbred.

Douche

"An XC rider is typically your road bike equivalent mountain biker, where efficiency is key, light weight is better, and all aspects of the ride are equally as fun (uphill, downhill, flats)."

Thats me and thats the Boardman!!! ... on paper it looks like a match made in heaven ...

Only another 103 hrs 47 minutes until I find out!!!! ... Cant help but feel a bit sorry for those hunting the 18" frame, it seems like theres a supply issue with those, or rather they appear to be obscenely popular

icarus

Douche wrote:

...it seems like theres a supply issue with those, or rather they appear to be obscenely popular

I'd say popular.
If you went and sat on one and it suited you then you'd be nuts not to buy it really.

I'll be watching for your review once you get on it.

BTW on the subject of XC/AM it seems I also made the right choice.
If I see anything that can result in some air then I hit it and take off, and we're always looking for drop offs and gnarly downhills.
I'm sure the Boardman would have coped with it all but I suppose at least now I satisfy the new categories springing up.
When I bought my last bike it was simply downhill or XC.

Douche

Well the MBR reveiw kinda suggests that the Boardman is a little 'lively' on the down hill, it would cope but i very much doubt it would excel at big drops and descents, whereas your P7s the perfect puppy for the job ... Hmmm bikes are like women, there's a model type for all of us, unless of course you bat for the home team in which case your probably a roadie!!!

Sorry for the slander!!!

nick1983

i've ordered an 18" and will prob be waiting until early June for one... will be worth it though...