Bianchi vs Boardman Commuter

robeekay67

hello to you all!

am swapping my motorized 1000cc bicycle (yes it is as it says so on the tax disk) for one powered by me for an 18 mile round trip daily commute.

trouble is, i am being seduced by the bianchi history/colour/clothing (how shallow am i?) vs the obviously excellent value of the boardman range.

in terms of performance, are disk brakes worth the extra weight? does that front carbon fork matter? has avid sorted out their rumbling rear brake on the boardman? anyone else here suffering the same choices?

ive also found the bianchi range vs what the shops sell to be a trifle confusing. what do you ride????

thank you for your help !

robeekay67

49 looks but no views yet????

chronyx

It'll happen if I'm anything to go by people are too hungover to form a coherent reply.

That one was pretty good though.

BentMikey

Ride 'em both before you make a decision is what I'd do.

TheBoyBilly

Firstly, what is it about Bianchiis' history that is seducing you? There are brands with just as good a lineage, or even better. Clothing is subjective but why Bianchi in particular? Is it really just the colour/style? Even the mainstream brands make cool looking kit and is very often better and cheaper.
As for Boardman, they have their devotees but remember they are only available through Halfords/BikeHut and the forum debates on here make the case that that is not such a good thing, and that the service can be questionable.
If you are looking for indivuality perhaps you could look at brands like Planet X, Condor etc which have a great reputation. Maybe a little expensive for some tastes but excellent quality. I always think Bianchi are a little bit of an "Evans" brand anyway.

beesneez

I was looking at the Boardman's a while back, particularly the Team hybrid (£500). I reckon it was really good value for money. The only thing that put me off was the fact that it was from Halfords and that I considered that it's re-sale value might be less as I'd be selling a bike from Halfords (stigma). But in the end I decided to go singlespeed.

IMHO, I don't reckon disc brakes are really worth it on 23c or 28c tyres - they're not going to stop you any quicker, especially if you lock up and get into a skid. It's easy enough to get full braking with dual pivot brakes. A benefit may be seen in the wet, but even then it's easy enough to lock up a set of dual pivot brakes when necessary. There's also the maintainance of disc brakes to consider, I can't recall whether the boardmans had hydraulic bakes or not, but if they do, bleading brakes can be a hassle to do with out. Also, I know with my MTB avid juicy's, the replacement pads are quite costly.

Be sure to go for a ride on a Bianchi and a Boardman, you may prefer one over the other, especially considering one is a hybrid with more relaxed geometry, the other a roadie.

andrewc3142

If you're seduced by the image/style/history/whatever but want a good bike for a reasonable price, I'd suggest having a look at the Condor Acciaio. About £1,100 with a 105 groupset and very good indeed. At least, that's my opinion of mine. If your employer plays ball you can get the first £1k through the ride to work scheme so the real cost would be less.

hodsgod

Buying from Halfords is just a pain. You have to be prepared to set the bike up yourself. That said the Boardman bikes do look nice.

delcol

what sort of surface is your commute on.

if your on road /paved surface then you shouldnt need disc brakes.. i would only go for disc brakes on a mtb as they are better in wet muddy conditions..

which bianchi and which boardman is it your after....

best bet is as mentioned above try both bikes before you buy,...

if your 18 mile commute is on road then i would defo go for a hybrid or a road bike,..

beesneez

hodsgod wrote:

Buying from Halfords is just a pain. You have to be prepared to set the bike up yourself. That said the Boardman bikes do look nice.

I second that on both accounts. The Boardmans I saw were assembled shockingly eg. brake cables slack, things put on upside down, stems not tightend evenly! Pity really. Wonder why Boardman chose Halfrauds to sell his bikes.

mailmannz

Dont be put off by hellfrauds because, if you have a bike to works scheme that works through these guys, you can at least get pretty much any bike you want through them.

Yes you must carefully check your bike if you buy from them BUT the boardman hybrid pro I got absolutely rocks! I love it and all at a pretty damned good price to match!

So in essence, dont take anyones word about the quality of hellfords...get down and check them out yourself.

For me, helfords lack of quality staff worked in my favour as I got an additional 20% off when I bought my boardman EVEN though the coupon said the sale didnt extend to boardman bikes. Go figure

Mailman

gvlieghe

I have a bianchi (C2C with Ultegra) and absolutely love it, they're great bikes and have great spec for the money and are well built. Essentially bianchi do 2 frames, the C2C and B4P, with the C2C slightly more relaxed geometry. As you go up in price, you get more carbon bits (eg rear stays), fewer unbranded components and higher spec groupset. My only gripe was the non-branded brakes had very cheap pads, but once replaced with decent ones all was well.

And I second other readers' advice not to buy from Halfords nor from Evans. Buy from a shop where the person behind the counter knows something about bikes.

TheBoyBilly

It's all very well going down to Halfords an "checking them out" but you'll find very nice, helpful people trying to make a sale. Only when you get a bike home and something is amiss will you be irritated especially after the third or fourth time of taking it back.
That's why folk come on here and ask for advice. Plenty of people have issues with Halfords/BikeHut and therefore don't recommend them. That's why I'd never buy a bike from them.
I don't know the job interview procedure for this company but I'm sure knowledge of bikes isn't top of the list.

CyclingBantam

mailmannz wrote:

Dont be put off by hellfrauds because, if you have a bike to works scheme that works through these guys, you can at least get pretty much any bike you want through them.

Yes you must carefully check your bike if you buy from them BUT the boardman hybrid pro I got absolutely rocks! I love it and all at a pretty damned good price to match!

So in essence, dont take anyones word about the quality of hellfords...get down and check them out yourself.

For me, helfords lack of quality staff worked in my favour as I got an additional 20% off when I bought my boardman EVEN though the coupon said the sale didnt extend to boardman bikes. Go figure

Mailman

I am planning on joining my Cycle 2 work scheme next year however unfortunately my company only do it through Halfords. I spotted within your post that you can get pretty much any bike through them. Is that literally what you meant? If I see a bike I want I could get Halfords to order it in for me. If it means I have to set it up myself due to their lack of skills then so be it but it sounds like it could be a possibility for me.

I know Halfords are the ones I really should ask however if people know on here great. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to explain to them the process!

TheBoyBilly

Ben, Quest Adventure in Worthing can get you a Marin through the Ride2Work scheme even when bought through Halfords. Perhaps your LBS can do a similar deal on the brand of your choice. I'm not sure why QA can only obtain Marins. But asking won't hurt.

mailmannz

BenBlyth wrote:

I am planning on joining my Cycle 2 work scheme next year however unfortunately my company only do it through Halfords. I spotted within your post that you can get pretty much any bike through them. Is that literally what you meant? If I see a bike I want I could get Halfords to order it in for me. If it means I have to set it up myself due to their lack of skills then so be it but it sounds like it could be a possibility for me.

I know Halfords are the ones I really should ask however if people know on here great. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to explain to them the process!

Ben, yes you can get pretty much any bike through Halfords.

Our bike to work scheme is through these guys too BUT go check them out because there are some good staff in these shops. You never know, you might find that needle in a haystack at your local halfords shop?/

Also, there is a think streak of arrogance that sometimes pops its ugly head up...and you can be guaranteed that ugly head will pop up in any thread that contains any mention of Halfords.

Mailman

u01akrg

I'm in the same boat (pedal boat, surely?) that my work have an exclusive deal. I've had mixed experiences with Halfords staff, some know a decent amount (mainly MTBs but wouldn't hold that against them) while others aren't that clued in. Can't comment on the quality of the bikes, how they've been put together or the post-sales service.

My commute is 24 miles each way, or 10 miles when wimping out and taking the train, and I'm wanting to use panniers. I'm torn between a Boardman Hybrid Pro, a Voodoo Limba (but I don't know if these are suited to using panniers), or trying to get them to order something else in - they apparently ordered in a Specialized road bike (don't know which model) for someone else using the Cycle2Work. I was told they can order most brands for Cycle2Work, the best bet is to use the contact number your work should have been given. Any advice to help me make a choice would be appreciated.

TheBoyBilly

u01akrg, I'm not sure if you could buy one of these using the Cycle2Work scheme but have you considered the Cinelli Bootleg Hoy Hoy Rats (great name eh?) which was included in a 4-bike review in last months C+? It came out top for a commuting machine beating the top-of-the-range Trek (the 7.9FX) into the bargain. It was considered better value at £499 than the Boardman hybrid (I think it was the Pro, but I'm not too sure) The other bike was a Cube commuter, by the way.

sonnyb

I bought a Boardman Urban Pro from Halfords through the C2W scheme and the bike is fantastic. Very light and fast and the hydraulic disc brakes are awesome. I have never had any trouble with my local Halfords, always very honest and helpful. Plus I bought the 3 year service plan for £30 and had all sorts of little adjustments made and they are always pleased to honor the terms of the plan no matter how frequently I go, as I know very little about bike mechanics, both my bikes (the other is a Carrera Kraken mtb) are covered by service plans for three years, and for this reason alone I would only buy from Halfords. I know many people don't like them but I think my Halfords has been fine.
Go for one of the Boardmans. Brilliant in every way!

u01akrg

Just read in Cycling + that there is a loophole in the Halfords only policy in the event they can't order the bike you want. An independant shop should be able to provide the bike and recoup the cost by invoicing Halfords. Think I'll try one of the Boardman bikes once they back in stock and compare with what's on offer from my trusty local bike shop. Now I need to decide whether to go for a dedicated commuter/tourer and that cyclo-cross that caught my eye...

robeekay67

read all your reviews with much interest.

i am going for the boardman pro: carbon forks seem worth it as i will be 9/10 of the time on tarmac. i understand the shuddering rear brake on the boardman was traced to the bolts being wrong. incidently, i am buying it from halfords in harlow. young lad called jon has been brought in to sort out the dept prior to them doing boardmans full time. he deserves to do well

i am giving the bianchi a miss simply because my local dealer is really expensive over the likes of evans etc and i can't afford to ignore this. i wish he wasnt, id happily have gone with him but wallet dynamics have played apart here. nearly forgot, the other reason i elected agaisnt the local guy was his indifference to the cycle schemes out there to get the discounts on. take a horse to water........

thank you again everyone.