Boarman hardtail or GT I Drive 5 XCR - Help!!

matt1631

Hi,

Can anyone please help me decide? I have a daily commute of 2.5 miles each way but sometimes extend this after work when the mood and the weather suits, this is mainly track and not too rough. I then try to pull in a long ride each week (peak district where i live) which does have some rough stuff. I then have a couple of weekends away to the likes of Bwets-y-coed, Coed-y-brenin, or the Mach's and Cli-Machx. I have been doing all of this on my current bike a GT Ruckus hardtail I have had for some time now.

Thats the explanation of my riding now to the point, the company I work for have finally agreed to do the cycle to work scheme but have however stated that a) it has a £1000 limit and b) it must be done through Halfords. I therefore have the above dilema having researched the options at Halfords I seem to have to choose between the Boardman hardtail ot the GT I-Drive 5. I have never had a full sus before but am considering. What I don't want to do is get the GT if its going to be bottom of the scale for full sussers and rather heavy also is the boardman worth the money being a relatively newcomer to the market. I am not the best climber in the world but slug through them, would i find the GT a drag uphill? is the boardman a real top range hardtail contender.

I really would like others advice on which to go for............Matt :?

seataltea

Buy a copy of the current What Mountain Bike to see why the Boardman is becoming the default £1000 bike of choice.

You can choose alternative bikes not stocked by Halfords on the scheme by special order by the way.

matt1631

Thanks seataltea,

If i order something else through the scheme do i still do it through halfords?

I will buy the new What mb tomorrow but give me taste of what their saying as they were very glowing of the GT. What's you view on the Full/HT issue having read what i use it for?

Matt

seataltea

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... o-09-34707

I'm ordering the Boardman in the next couple of weeks when my voucher arrives and fitting one of these to soften the rear end...

http://www.thudbuster.com/

A pair of these for maximum summer speed...

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle ... king.shtml

There should be little the Boardman can't handle.

The GT is heavy.

If you order something else it can be delivered to your home or a Halfords store of your choice.

nfrang

Sounds like the boardman tbh...the GT's tough as you like and you feel invincible coming downhill. Admittedly climbing is not it's strong point but i never get left behind. I did get it with H's 20% off so i cant complain.
Boardman Pro + Thudbuster LT sounds pretty fooking cool and there's not much else(especially at Halfords) for that money.

Northwind

I'd be really tempted by the I-Drive myself, the spec of the Boardman is outrageously good but the I-drive always reviews very well, Bikeradar says

"The current i-Drive 5 is the best all-round suspension bike GT has ever made, and one of the best available anywhere for high traction, high trust riding. We found that it was more than light enough to upgrade to any top line spec you've got your eye on too, which makes this very well equipped entry level version even more of a bargain"

That's a hell of a review. 33lbs is pretty heavy, but the I-drive system is a proven design and the spec's decent. It's an awful lot of bike for the cash, that's for sure. The only downer is that it's direct sale only, the shops don't carry it so you can't testride it.

I don't think either is "better", since they're each best suited to different purposes. I think you just need to figure out which suits you better. I already have a superb hardtail so I don't need another one, I wouldn't mind a rock-solid budget full suss to join it. But the Boardman is probably overall the smarter buy for most people.

matt1631

Many thanks guys, please kkep letting me know your views, I'm edging towards the Boardman from what you lot are saying.

ji_

Halfords can get most other bikes - your work should give you a hotline number to phone and ask them. Some brands won't let Halfords sell their bikes, and bear in mind they will only get them at RRP - no cheap deals sadly.

Why not go for the Boardman full sus - I did and have not regretted it at all. Light, fast, excellent spec, and a touch under £999.

a1tchy

Why not go for the FS Boardman Comp £799, rave reviews in every magazine !!

jmillen

I'm starting to sound like a broken record on these posts

I was having the same problems deciding on whether to get a Boardman or a sub £1000 full sus (either I drive or spesh). I decided to go for the Boardman HT (pro) which I picked up last week and haven't looked back since. It can take some abuse, okay, not as much as the idrive but will make climbs and commuting alot easier and as an overall package, the value for money is outstanding.

Comp FS @ 799 & Team FS @ 999 are also worth a look if you start to edge towards FS, but personally unless you're doing full on down hill, I can't see you having any problems with the Boardman short of maybe having to change the tyres from the supplied Speed Kings

Anyway, just my 2p worth

Big Shoes

Just for info, Halfords in Crawley have 3, 07' I-Drive XCR 5's in stock for £596, its the lovely blue one, i have one and it is amazing, and you really cant go wrong for that price.
If you want to spend a grand, maybe the XCR 5 I-Drive + The GT Aggressor/last years Carera Fury, then you have both for £1000