Does anything come close to a Boardman hybrid team?

dirtbiker100

Looking around at bikes and I can't find anything close to matching the boardman hybrid team for the money. i'm not keen on the looks and lets not talk about hellfrauds (i can build a complete bike myself thankfully) but it looks like thats where my money is going.

Thought about the Bianchi Camaleonte 4 even but apparently the boardman is the same weight (10.12kg/22.3lbs) despite the carbon bits on the bianchi and lack of discs?!?
cannondale bad boy 700 - yet to see weight...
charge mixer - expensive!
lapierre RCR 500 - touch more pricey and not as good brakes but nice n light.
specialized globe san francisco 2 - heavy! small wheels. not bothered by gears though.
charge plug - singlespeed - but still a possibility

for flat bars and flat pedals is there anything else out there? looking at anything up to £800 *max*

cycle2work via h*****ds and evans not that it seems to make much difference with ordering bikes in.

il_principe

If you can build a bike yourself, and aren't bothered by gears, then why not buy a frame and build yourself a singlespeed.

Also - why spend £800 and then compromise the bike by using flats? (both flats).

prawny

I've got a boardman road bike and I agree they are fantastic value.

I think they must build compensation into the RRP for dealing with halfords and the feeling of not having a fancy name on your down tube.

Like you say if you can do the maintenance yourself - happy days!

dirtbiker100

first bit - it'll be far cheaper on the cycle to work scheme i think. and i've no idea about road components etc at the moment.
not keen on a singlespeed as if i ride out of cheltenham towards my parents/old friends the hill is 11% for a mile or so which won't be fun. a ride around the area would include hills of over 20%.

second bit - i can see the pedals being a comprimise but i'm a flats rider for the time being - no change within the next year.
handlebars, prefer the feel and ride of flat bar bikes. i'm not going to want to get anywhere in that much of a hurry.
they both suit nippy town traffic a bit better too i feel.

Aguila

I quite liked the look of the Kona PhD when I was buying my commute bike, might be worth a look if you're set on a hybrid.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kon ... e-ec000807

dirtbiker100

Aguila wrote:

I quite liked the look of the Kona PhD when I was buying my commute bike, might be worth a look if you're set on a hybrid.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kon ... e-ec000807

looks nice but with no idea when the sale ends and us not getting our vouchers till the end of march i'd have to look at the 2009 model. £980!!
nice bike though.
what did you get in the end?

Aguila

I'm not a fan of flat bars so that put me off, I do 22 mile round trip and like to be able to get down out of the wind. I got a dawes audax supreme in the end:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec000399

I really like audax bikes in general for the commute, they have a more relaxed frame geometry (longer wheelbase etc) generally steel frame which IMO is most comfortable. Also usually come with mudguards on and sturdy wheels.

I'm pleased with my dawes, I think dawes have culled it for the 2009 range though and replaced it with atitanium (so v pricy) sportive range. There's a cheaper audax sport available in the 2008 range which is probably good too.

dirtbiker100

ah fair enough. my commute will only be 5 miles max i reckon and the other trips up n down hills will be jaunts rather than racing.
audax bikes had passed my radar.

Breathless Commuter Man

For what its worth I have a boardman pro and I absolutley love it. I did have an odd part "failure", but I am reasonably sure that this was a random thing rather than a systemic problem with the bike.

I agree about the flat bars, but have to admit i didn't really try a road bike. I was put off by the back aches I used to get from my previous hybrid bike and the thought of getting lower was enough to put me off.

prawny

Breathless Commuter Man wrote:

I agree about the flat bars, but have to admit i didn't really try a road bike. I was put off by the back aches I used to get from my previous hybrid bike and the thought of getting lower was enough to put me off.

TBF the boardman hybrids have longer top tubes than the road bikes so there's not that much difference in position unless you're riding on the drops. I flipped the stem on my road comp and it's nice and high on the tops but I can still get down on the drops in a headwind!

richiebaby_brum

hi,

I am riding 300 miles later this year and will be using this bike for 10 mile commutes and fitness riding (30 miles or so) so i want something decent for my money. I've been looking at a range of bikes: - firstly i dont want the road racer drop handle bar bikes, so im looking at the hybrids. Ive looked at: -

Boardman team and pro
cannondale bad boy

Has anyone tried these ? Ive road tested both (persuaded Halfords to let me trial one in car park!) and was very impressed with the boardman. Any ideas on the comparison between these guys would be helpful. and im also in 2 minds whether to go for the boardman team or pay another 150 and upgrade to the pro.

dirtbiker100

get the boardman team, pro is not worth the extra in my eyes.
how heavy is the badboy? not as light as the boardman i'm guessing.

biondino

i dont want the road racer drop handle bar bikes

Do people actually have a clue why they say this? Do you think you're going to be suddenly possessed by the spirit of Eddy Merckx, drop into a tuck and break the sound barrier down the Archway road before ending up under a fleet of buses?

You may have worked out the pros and cons of each method but a lot of people don't, and your comment reeks of kneejerk reaction. Drop bars have benefits which work in a number of contexts, including commuting, and are a massive boon if you're ever going to use your lovely, expensive bike for actual fun rather than the daily grind.

richiebaby_brum

You may have worked out the pros and cons of each method but a lot of people don't, and your comment reeks of kneejerk reaction. Drop bars have benefits which work in a number of contexts, including commuting, and are a massive boon if you're ever going to use your lovely, expensive bike for actual fun rather than the daily grind.

I have researched into it and tried out various types. I dont believe a road bike with drop handle bars are very good for a commute and wont suit what i want it for. I dont feel comofortable on them, and i dont like the lack of leverage you have when using the brakes from the upright position. Ive tried various models from Trek and bianchi for road bikes and much preferred the hybrid. Admittedly i dont know too much about bikes or the parts in general hence asking the question. But no it wont be a knee jerk reaction when im looking to spend this kind of money.

i forgot to say the cannondale is the bad boy 700 disc. How do the parts of this compare to the boardman team range? the boardman team is £650, the bad boy is £700.

richiebaby_brum

how heavy is the badboy? not as light as the boardman i'm guessing.

Funny....ive just been trying to research this and can find it anywhere. I've found a comment that says cannondale dont like to release the total weight due to discrepencies in welds etc....i mean we only want an approximation. the team is 22.3lbs, does anyone know the weight of the cannondale badboy 700?

dirtbiker100

yeah i went on the cannondale webby and they talked about the reasons why they didn't want to give the weight:

WEIGHT: Don't see a weight listed for this bike? Wondering why that is? Well, we used to list our weights based upon medium or 56 cm frame and err on the side of caution when we know there will be variances due to welds, paint thicknesses, etc. But some of our competitors are weighing their small or extra small frames and rounding down. Then you're left wondering what's going on and making important buying decisions based upon faulty information. That's not right.

which is a fair point.
Good for you Richie sticking up about the handlebars. I didn't want drops as I'd really only use the bike for commuting and prefer flats for that. If I did use the bike for a jolly I really wouldn't be that bothered about dropping down and getting speed up. If I want fun on a bike then I'd get on my downhill bike. I just don't find road riding fun in the slightest

richiebaby_brum

road biking is great for keeping fit, but i find it more fun when you stick to the country lanes and then switch to the a roads every now and again. but now ive just goto find someone who knows their stuff about their bikes and can compare the broadman hybrid to the cannondale 700....its going to be either one of those two for me, unless i find something else that particularly sways me. :roll:

dirtbiker100

in my eyes:

boardman pros:
carbon fork
most likely lighter
cheaper
barends

cannondale pros:
you don't have to check over every nut n bolt to make sure its been put together properly
its a cannondale
better shifters (not that important i don't think)
triple chainring (again not that important i don't think unless you've got killer climbs)
looks better! yummy

they both have same brakes and rear mech which are the important things.
but the carbon forks on the boardman are a big plus i think. with the cannondale you don't have to be put off by the hellfrauds mechanics putting the forks on the wrong way round or pedals falling off after 1 ride.
I know how to maintain a bike and the slightly cheaper price and the carbon forks swayed it for me.

I say it swayed it for me.. but i'm going to get a charge plug now... but if i was getting a hybrid the boardman team would probably be it. i love the cannondale though

richiebaby_brum

boardman pro is £800, boardman team is £650 and the cannondale 700 is £700....so if i was to compare it would be the boardman team to the cannondale 700.

dirtbiker100

yeah the team boardman is far more worth it in my eyes. thats what i was comparing above, the boardman team and the bad boy 700

pintoo

I tested the Kona phd and found it too uncomfortable. I went for a Pinnacle Expede Street 1.0. Very fast, light and good spec - carbon forks, seatstays and seatpost, Shimano 105 gearset and Alex wheels. Excellent value at £650.

richiebaby_brum

yeah i was swaying towards the boardman. just goto choose between the pro or the team too...tempted by the pro just for another £150.

dirtbiker100

why?
won't notice the difference with the brakes or the gears performance especially on a road. those brakes and gears are designed for full on mtb - too much on a hybrid. you might notice the weight a bit. save your money!

it does look better mind you. i'm not fond of the shiney grey team...

AdiMac

I've got the Pro but I only paid £675 for it and got a free helmet to boot.

It's a great bike but the brakes make a load of noise in the wet and the gear setup wasn't the best.

My comute is a 4 mile flat blast and it only takes about 20 mins. Don't what it'll be like over a longer distance or hilly route.

snooks

Here's a thought.....

http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/bikes/roadrat/flat_bar/

Anyhooo back to the the flats/roadie bit...I went from flats to drops, and I now commute on my road bike 99% of the time, it's faster, lighter, more comfortable...Yep the brakes take a bit of getting used to, but they are far more powerful that either my of my MTbs with rim brakes. I can stop when I need to...and it I have to do a real emergency stop then I didn't look far enough down the road

And I can use it to ride around the countryside for hours at the weekend without having to put in in the back of my car to find the terrain it requires

I went roadie, cos I saw so many road bikes on my commute, that I thought that there must be something I was missing. I also had three flat bar bikes already