Boardman Bikes 2009: An update from Chris Boardman

STEFANOS4784

chrisbl4 wrote:

Not often I quote Arnold Schwarzenegger (not even sure I can spell it) but to quote the former Mr Universe:

"I'll be back"



Chris B

O.k now i feel like an idiot, and quite humbled :oops:

Received this as p.m

You must be a good bloke Chris to take the time.......... 8)

UnworthyPapaLazaru

Chris

I hope you also informed Halfords of some of the happier stories, like mine. Halfords Seafield in Edinburgh were great with me. Helpful and patient when I was on the waiting on stock and they also set up my bike perfectly. Happy with the bike and happy with the service!

Cheers!

sturmey

Why does the Boardman website not state what size bars and stem come with each frame size?
I thought about buying one once but when i asked this question at Halfords the bike 'specialist' I spoke to found it such a hard question I could see his brain was physically hurting at the thought of answering it.

ji_

Just to echo the comments here - wasn't sure about the MTB pro, but after 6 months I am loving it. Did the Lincolnshire Bicyclemania challenge today, and it was interesting quite how many Boardmans (of various types) were in the car park at the start.

My only criticisms (very minor) are the awful saddle and I reckon the tyres (whilst better than those on on the 08 hardtails) are still a bit sketchy for some types of riding. Both are very personal points however. Only other issue was the allen key adjust seatclamp - perhaps an option for a QR seat clamp for a few extra quid?

guilliano

Good to see a brand manager on here responding to customers. I agree that the Boardman bikes are stunning spec for the cash..... to beat the big boys like Trek, Giant, Spesh et al in that area is a great achievement. The downside is the really poor profit before all else attitude of the Halfords bohemoth. I know various current and ex Halfords staff and they all say the same thing...... complete lack of training, no product knowledge (apart from what they can find out themselves and they are simply told to shift units. Many stores do not have a trained mechanic (not always as bad as it sounds, I'm not a trained mechanic but I can set up or build a bike better than many). The problem is that in general (not all, but most stores) most staff at Halfords are there for a job, not because they care about bikes and as such the average customer with £500+ to spend knows more than the person they are talking to and this does not inspire confidence. The other problem is that Halfords will view their recent increase in profits from bike sales as proof that things are going well and will not do anything about the generally poor standard of service as they would then have to shell out cash, meaning reduced profits for shareholders. Get Boardman bikes into the independants ASAP where the customers will be more likely to get the service they deserve

Anonymous

here is a copy of the PM I got from Chris Boardman

chrisbl4 wrote:

NapoleonD you are freakin' awesome, I want you to try all my bikes and give me a report, I'll throw in a free pair of Zipp 303 tubs. I've seen your OCP rules on bike photographs and I'll ensure all Boardman bikes comply with this necessary legislation

Si78

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

chrisbl4 wrote:

Not often I quote Arnold Schwarzenegger (not even sure I can spell it) but to quote the former Mr Universe:

"I'll be back"


Chris B

O.k now i feel like an idiot, and quite humbled :oops:

Received this as p.m

You must be a good bloke Chris to take the time.......... 8)

See, I told ya so

Ive gotta say, I dont think there are many who care so much about their brand, and their customers, that they would come on here and chat to us directly.
I'm very impressed!

skyd0g

Boardman bikes are excellent value for money and very well specified.
They are however, let-down by *ahem* "patchy" service by Halfords.

I have a Boardman Road Comp, not the most expensive bike in the range, but you would expect the "mechanic" to know which way the pedals should face. :roll: I have also had to replace the headset, due to it being over-tightened.

I did not take it back for the "free 6-week service check" for fear of it coming back with more problems than it had already. Instead, I preferred to do this myself.

This reputation (of Halfords) makes people pause and often reconsider and shy-away from buying a Boardman, but also frequently leads to customers being dissatisfied after having bought one.

+1 to the suggestion for Halfords to invest in their staff to get Cytech certified, and for the Boardman range to only be built-up and serviced by these Cytech qualified staff. (Especially since the BikeHut branches are being dis-banded). By Halfords getting their staff Cytech qualified, this would raise Halfords reputation as being serious about bikes and sell more Boardman bikes as well as others in their range.

You could give me the finest eggs on the planet, but it wouldn't mean that I could cook a decent omlette.

Anonymous

Another fear I had about buying the top spec was whether or not I could trust the 'mechanic' with the fitting of the tubular tyres when they can't get the basics right...

benpinnick

Chris,
Good work for getting online and out there with your customers. I run a software company and I know what it can be like trying to herd your suppliers, distributors and everyone else in the direction you see best for the brand you're building. With that in mind, I think you'd want to know about the experience my sales director has had since he bought a Carbon Pro road bike a month or so ago. Bear in mind he hasn't bothered taking the bike back to Halfords after the first issue, as he's already lost faith in them, we just fix it at the office....

1. Bike was sent out of the store unable to get into top gear on either chainring. Thats right, a whole gear missing which no-one picked up on. He took it back in and they adjusted the mech to get it just about working, but it was patchy at best. He let me have a look and I found that they'd routed the cable wrong through the mech, and the tension adjuster was way off on the mech too, meaning the chain was held too close to the cassette. 2 minutes later gears now working.

2. Within a week, headset loose. Unless the headset was pressed in wrong, the only way this can happen is from bad setup as I am sure you know. Sure enough, the star-fangled replacer butted right onto the top cap, meaning that there was no actual preload on the headset, so it had come loose over time. This time I reset everything and we're good to go - but you have to realise that it was obvious there was a problem as the pre-load bolt couldn't go in further - which should never happen on an aheadset.

3. A week later, the front mech slips down the seat tube into the chainrings. With my guy not being to technical, thats a long walk home. Easily fixed but something that shouldn't be happening on a nearly new bike I am certain!

Ultimately I think that Halford has as much potential to kill your brand as see it fly - I would be very careful about nailing your colours to that mast entirely.

ugo.santalucia

How cool, Mr Boardman intervenes on this forum...

This reminds me of a few years ago on an Italian forum a believed to be doped cyclist intervened to defend himself against the rumours. A few months later he was on the news, caught for something like 8 different banned substances...
That was a laugh, really...

Anyway, nothing to do with mr Boardman's post, of course...

jonmack

NapoleonD wrote:

Another fear I had about buying the top spec was whether or not I could trust the 'mechanic' with the fitting of the tubular tyres when they can't get the basics right...

The assembly of a bike at Halfords is fitting the seatpost, clamping the bars in the stem, putting the front wheel in and setting up the gears and the brakes. If you were that worried about their performance as mechanics, why not buy it in a box? Or do you not have an hour to spare of an evening to "build" up a bike?

edd_o_brain

Halfords probably will not sell you a box beccause:

1. The warranty is probably not valid unless the bike is assembled one of their own mechanics.
2. I think Halford's want to satisfy themselves as far as possible the customer leaves the shop with a bike that is safe to ride, rather than let the customer assemble the bike and risk litigation later on.


I must admit, I considered buying a Boardman bike but after my experience buying a folding bike from Halfords I too didn't feel happy about buying something so specialist from Halfords.

That said, I recognise the range has improved considerable over recent years, especially with the introduction of Boardman bikes but I also recognise the good reviews some of the other Halfords (own brand and propietry brand) bikes receive.

jonmack

Yeah we will happily sell any of our bikes boxed. You have to sign a form saying you've taken it in a box, but it doesn't affect the warranty in any way, and you still get the 6 week service.

edd_o_brain

I stand corrected.

chrisbl4

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

He wont be back, just copy paste and away he goes

To quote the former Mr Universe (which is not something you do every day)

"I'll be back"

Chris B

hammond1975

To sum Halfords up, I was stuck on a Saturday with removing a crown race, so popped in to see if they could help, was shocked when he told me to go to a bike shop as it is a specialist job.

If your in the market for a £1k race bike are you going to shop in Halfords, I would not but some people will.

Aggieboy

Having to carry it back to Halfords, Chris?

chrisbl4

Very good

Its our new corporate cyclo-cross model

Chris B

STEFANOS4784

Aggieboy wrote:

Having to carry it back to Halfords, Chris?

8)

fraz167

I must admit I was a bit sceptical about the brand and association with Halfords, mainly due to experiences in the past and concerns about how the brand will sit with Apollo and others. I thought it was a name licensing cash in by Halfords, which i have been proved wrong on!! My concerns are still there to a certain extent. However, after having a good look at the range and comparing each bike I think its a strong range with a lot of potential.

I am sure that we all are aware of horrendous experiences with mail order bikes, at least with Halfords there is a local store presence and if you are not happy there is a management chain there that should be receptive to feedback!!

Whilst I am not in the market for a new bike myself, i have just recommended a Team Carbon to a mate, for bang per buck i don't think it can be beaten.

Regards

Fraser

PS I have no connection to Chris, Boardman Bikes or Halfords, just keen for a homegrown brand to do well.

Anonymous

You doing a spot of Cyclo-cross then this winter Mr B?

jonmack

hammond1975 wrote:

To sum Halfords up, I was stuck on a Saturday with removing a crown race, so popped in to see if they could help, was shocked when he told me to go to a bike shop as it is a specialist job.

If your in the market for a £1k race bike are you going to shop in Halfords, I would not but some people will.

We have a crown race removal tool at our store, assumed it was standard for all Halfords.

mrushton

excellent replies from Mr.Boardman and his brand is doing well in the Tour Series. it really comes down to Halfords in the end. Do they want to take cycling seriously or just do it as they've always done it - sort of catering to the person who wants some oil and a cheap tyre. Planet-X ,Enigma and Sabbath seem to have managed to strike out on their own and maybe that's a way forward.

hammond1975

jonmack wrote:

hammond1975 wrote:

To sum Halfords up, I was stuck on a Saturday with removing a crown race, so popped in to see if they could help, was shocked when he told me to go to a bike shop as it is a specialist job.

If your in the market for a £1k race bike are you going to shop in Halfords, I would not but some people will.

We have a crown race removal tool at our store, assumed it was standard for all Halfords.

Not in Bridgwater, he looked glazed when I asked.

workhard

when 'prospecting' I've been better treated in my local Halfords (Crawley & Horsham) than in several LBS's and one well known chain whose warehouse is quite near at hand.

Reading CB's post's in here; sealed the deal for me!

as soon as my coupon arrives roll on the HT Pro

( bike2work wise I have a choice of Halfords, CycleScheme, Evans and Edinburgh Bicycle Coop so I've plenty of options)

Cycling is Forever

Dear Mr Boardman,

Do you think Halfords have back tracked by closing or rebranding Bike hut & Cycle Republic stores?

skyd0g

I'd say that Boardman bikes are an excellent product, that are very well designed and competitively priced throughout the range. I can also fully appreciate how the figures add up by going via the Halfords route, in terms of distribution and cost etc. in order to get that product to the market.

I would however be concerned, that in the longer-term that the Boardman range is damaged by the, shall we say "variable" support that Halfords currently appear to offer.

It would be helpful if the Boardman website offered a direct e-mail address, so that customers could contact Boardman themselves direct for sales and service advice. Any plans for development in this area Chris? :?:

chrisbl4

Just to let everyone know (so I don't come across as rude) although I will keep reading posts, I'm not going to be able to enter into debate/corespondence as I need to focus on helping the team make bikes!

Thanks again to everyone for your input, support and suggestions

Best

Chris B

Infamous

thinly veiled "I can't be bothered to talk to you cretinous nobodys, just buy my bikes." post imo.