Boardman Team Carbon or Viner Gladius?

DJD

Hi all,

This is my first post so I hope I've put this in the right place...

So, like many people on here I've been inspired to get a bike as a result of the Cycle2Work scheme tax incentives. That said I really want to get something good, so that I can enjoy a bit of distance cycling and maybe do some events.

I've pretty much decided that I'm going to use the whole 1000 pounds the scheme allows, and the options at the bikehut in St Pauls at that price point seem to be either the Boardman, or the Viner Gladius, both at £999. Both seem incredible in comparison to the kind of bikes I'm used to, but I really am clueless when it comes the realistic pros/cons of each one. For no reason what so ever, i'm leaning toward the Viner at the moment, but would really appreciate any advice you may have.

Thanks

Slow Downcp

Of the two I'd probably go for the Viner as it has Campag groupset, which I prefer, and the Boardman has Sram. The Viner probably has the better 'name', although this doesn't mean it's any better. Both get good reviews though, so it really depends which you find more better suited for you and the riding that you're going to do.

bikeboff

Viner is a big name in Italy, but still fairly rare here. A year ago I acquired a Viner Magnifica which I am very, very pleased with.

If you can, it's a good idea to ride before you buy,

Enjoy whichever you choose.

graemenm

I picked up a boardman team carbon on Saturday but have not had the chance to ride much distance yet due to a knee injury.

Have to say that it looks great and is certainly pretty stiff, SRAM takes a little time to get used to after Shimano but only took me a few shifts to get used to it.

As others have said then, try before you buy, but from my experience they are as rare as hens teeth in store so you'll end up buying based on other's opinions. (Unless you're in central scotland and want a test ride on a medium).

Personally, the Viner looked a bit cheap and more likely to go out of fashion from what I saw of it.

G

bigmat

I have just picked up a Viner Gladius, pretty good bike although I have changed a lot of the parts already - wheels, forks, saddle, bars/stem/seatpost. I ride Campagnolo so was pretty limited in my choices. Given a free choice I would have looked very seriously at the Boardman, which is pretty much ready to go out of the box. Its a fair bit lighter than the Viner. Never ridden Sram so can't comment on that. What I will say for the Viner is that the frame seems well finished and the groupset is very good - carbon rear mech and shifters were a bonus. I imagine you will be very happy with either.

Chip \'oyler

Go for the Viner. My LGS stocks them (I also own a Maxima) and the finish on the frames are superb. It bit better kudos too

softlad

my choice would be the boardman, as I think the spec is better value. I don't think either would be a bad choice though - it might even come down to which colour scheme you prefer..

edhornby

go for a good long ride on both of them - you could argue all day about the relative merits...

DJD

Thanks all for your replies so far.

I'm going to take the advice that everyone seems to giving, and test out both tomorrow... this may by a rare piece of luck, but the Bikehut near work seem to have plenty of both bikes, so hopefully I'll get a decent chance to compare the two. That said, the roads round the City, are probably not ideal territory.

Will report back with the results, I definitely think the Viner looks cooler though!

Leodhasach

I bought the Boardman about two weeks ago and I'm very pleased with it (Halfords pathetic excuse for 'service' is a different matter entirely!). I've had a few runs out on it and it's been great so far. I'm new to SRAM too and I didn't have any trouble getting used to it.