Boardman Bikes 2009: An update from Chris Boardman
Comments
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do we know it was actually Chris B?
Could be a hoax and that is the best way to 'kill' the thread as they are now bored?
Everything that was said seemed to be common sense business speak to me...Cheers
Rich
A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.0 -
Infamous wrote:thinly veiled "I can't be bothered to talk to you cretinous nobodys, just buy my bikes." post imo.
) and I will be pleased just to get the occasional update or contribution. Whilst it might be good to get a detailed response to every comment on here that is an unrealistic expectation. I don't think he has shown any disrespect to us, on the contrary...
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Infamous wrote:thinly veiled "I can't be bothered to talk to you cretinous nobodys, just buy my bikes." post imo.
So (uniquely) an Olympic gold winning, Tdf stage winning, world record holding maker of universally acclaimed bikes willingly comes on here to address a few perceptions of his brand and you decide that must be his attitude......I guess some people are never happy.Cannondale Supersix / CAAD9 / Boardman 9.0 / Benotto 30000 -
No I was joking. But if I was him, I wouldn't talk to you common people.0
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Hi Chris
Last month I purchased a Boardman Pro HT mountain bike. When I got the bike home I noticed the frame had numerous paint imperfections and a decal that was not straight. I emailed Halfords with some photos of the faults and waited 2 days for a response. They said they would get a replacement frame for the bike but could not tell me when and if there was one in stock. After a couple more days I contacted Halfords again and there was still no news. After a week of this issue not being solved I decided to reluctantly return the bike to Halfords for a refund. I didn’t want to take the bike back as I had been looking for a while and had my heart set on the Pro. It would have been nice to have been offered a replacement bike straight away instead of having a bike sitting in my shed for a week that I couldn’t use.
I do think Boardman bikes are great spec for the money and that may be I got unlucky with the frame. It’s just a shame I was let down by Halfords.0 -
To be fair to Halfords, if they employed ex tour de france mechanics as sales staff then they couldn't survive as a viable business but perhaps they did need to improve slightly.
Chris - you have done the right thing here by breaking your silence. all the feedback is patting you on the back and i think you deserve it.
Good luck to both of you. Hope the success continues. I think we deserve some good news somewhere.
Nice one Boardy!!0 -
Chris,
Have been looking at the Team Carbon at a local Halfords and while they did not have all the sizes in stock to help fit me - they have been very helpful and have promised to fit me to the bike I get (on spec/order) or get the correct frame size if I have problems. The store I am dealing with is a Bikehut store that regualrly supplies Boradman bikes and as such they know the product and range really well and are bike riders themselves.
Keep up the good work with the range.0 -
The only problem i have with halfords is the sizing due to lack of stock (any advice on road bike size for someone 5'11"?? i'm thinking Medium)
I've found the actual service from them just as variable as it is from 'proper' bike shops. Halfords at least has the benefit that its almost always open until 8pm so its easy to get to after work.
i'm not too fussed if a bike needs a bit of tinkering when its bought, i'd happily build the entire thing myself if possible.0 -
Rykard wrote:do we know it was actually Chris B?
Could be a hoax and that is the best way to 'kill' the thread as they are now bored?
realistically, if it wasn't CB, then someone from Boardman's or Halfords' legal team would have been on to Bikeradar by now and the thread would have been canned...0 -
good point.
I would hope it was CB, and I hope that he will pop in periodically with updates where he can. It would be nice to see some progress because he has a good product that is being hampered by a dodgy retailer..Cheers
Rich
A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.0 -
Some of the responses on this post are quite pathetic. Halfords be damned, you be damned, Boardman be damned blah blah blah ..... be damned.
I am buying one of these bikes purely because Chris Boardman was a standout figure in British/World cycling at a time when most didn't care a bit about cycling and he comes across as a real determined and intelligent character. If he uses the same attitude he had when cycling bikes the Boardman brand will be up there with the best. He paid meticulous attention to every detail from his bike setup/design, his training and his nutrition; everything was geared towards winning.
If you're that bothered about Halfords you can always buy a bike elsewhere with poorer specification or use your own intelligence and get a book on bike mechanics and set-up.
Quote Mypace:
"I've found the actual service from them just as variable as it is from 'proper' bike shops. Halfords at least has the benefit that its almost always open until 8pm so its easy to get to after work."
I couldn't agree more.
Let's support his brand and the Uk economy in an industry that is booming.0 -
Nice to see someone at the 'top' actually giving a damn for it's customers.
I had a few issues trying to get a Team FS but Halfords bent over backwards and in the end I got a Pro FS for the same price.
I really couldn't be happier with Halfords service, and although I had some initial misgivings when I was told that my Team FS would be delivered in 2 months, instead of the 2 weeks that I was promised, the outcome and solution from Halfords alleviated all that inital worry.
Great work Halfords and good to know that you are listening Chris. Hope you can keep it up and can avoid becoming a faceless corporation.
PS Do you have any jobs going at the moment?0 -
softlad wrote:Rykard wrote:do we know it was actually Chris B?
Could be a hoax and that is the best way to 'kill' the thread as they are now bored?
realistically, if it wasn't CB, then someone from Boardman's or Halfords' legal team would have been on to Bikeradar by now and the thread would have been canned...
I reckon it would been one of the Halfords/Boardman team, rather than a randomer, if wasn't CB anyway...0 -
redddraggon wrote:softlad wrote:Rykard wrote:do we know it was actually Chris B?
Could be a hoax and that is the best way to 'kill' the thread as they are now bored?
realistically, if it wasn't CB, then someone from Boardman's or Halfords' legal team would have been on to Bikeradar by now and the thread would have been canned...
I reckon it would been one of the Halfords/Boardman team, rather than a randomer, if wasn't CB anyway...
and why would anyone seriously go to the effort of typing all that up if they weren't involved?0 -
hammerite wrote:redddraggon wrote:softlad wrote:Rykard wrote:do we know it was actually Chris B?
Could be a hoax and that is the best way to 'kill' the thread as they are now bored?
realistically, if it wasn't CB, then someone from Boardman's or Halfords' legal team would have been on to Bikeradar by now and the thread would have been canned...
I reckon it would been one of the Halfords/Boardman team, rather than a randomer, if wasn't CB anyway...
and why would anyone seriously go to the effort of typing all that up if they weren't involved?
Exactly0 -
Chatting to the bike guys in my local Halfords it transpired that they don't have a comprehensive array of tools. The enthusiastic guy was telling me they had to buy a bottom bracket tool from the LBS in town so they could sevice a customer's bike :shock:.
Apparently tool kits Halfords provide for their bike "mechanics" are pretty basic. If the "mechanics" need a tool they haven't got they need to a put a requisition form in for one which can be rejected!! :roll:
It would be handy if Halfords actually stocked decent components as well.
I have looked at the cheaper Boardman road bikes several times. I have too many bikes so haven't been that serious about getting one. The ones I've seen have had fairly basic SRAM kit on them and Truvativ chainsets which IMHE are cheap and nasty. Those bikes specced with Shimano Ultegra through out offer much better value for money.
I would be anxious purchasing a top spec Boardman that it was set up properly by the Halfords "mechanics" so would prefer to self assemble or take to a proper bike shop for them to assemble it.
It's obvious why CB chose Halfords - maximum number of outlets so potentially huge market penetration, very little competition from other brands as Halfords don't sell decent road or MTB bikes of any note. Halfords are open 7 days a week 9-8pm most days. Also reduced costs in that he can manufacture a lot of units at once to supply to the distributor Halfords who have thousands of retail outlets. He's thinking big. Good on him. Just hope he can knock Halfords into line. He is in business with them only to sell his bikes not to develope Halfords into a half decent chain of bike shops. The latter is down to Halfords themselves.Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
Think how stupid the average person is.......
half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.0 -
Visited the St Albans store on Thursday as they were the only store local showing stock of both the Hybrid and MTB HT pro in the large frame. Had trouble deciding which to go for as either would be ideal for me as I do nature photography and spend a lot of time walking around miles of nature reserves and countryside. I made my mind up that night to go for the MTB HT pro. Friday went in the shop and saw both bikes again but rashly decided on the hybrid! the Boardman trained mechanic told me he was having trouble with the bleeding of the brakes and was going to get the bike ready for me for Saturday morning as he needed another part. This delay was nicely timed as I realised I needed the MTB for the rough terrain I sometimes go through. I phoned up and told them I wanted them to get the MTB HT Pro ready instead. They said it wasn't a problem and I would be able to pick it up by latest midday. I got to the shop at 11.00am to see how the guy was getting on. Unfourtunately the guy who was going to do it hadn't showed up for work the other guys said they couldn't get the bike ready as they were not Boardman trained. Luckily the Boardman trained supervisor arrived and did a grand job setting up the bike to suit me. They were kind enough to give me £40 voucher for keeping me waiting. Also I got the Boardman helmet thrown in as the bike was a display model.
but it was perfect not a mark.
I had a great day Sunday did about 20 miles rode around the nature reserve. The bike was awesome but I decided I needed to compromise the grip and get slicker tyres for the journey home. Phoned the Halfords store and asked them for the best options. They recommended the Continental travel contact 26"x1.75. I fitted them on today. Total perfection and the tyres are excellent. I will use the original tyres for special long nature treks.
Normally I get walkers commenting on my big white Canon lens now they are also commenting on my cool looking white bike. :oops: Well done to the Halfords guys top class service and C Boardman for an amazing bike. My only recommendation is maybe they should all be Boardman trained. If anyone is interested in nature photography here are some of my nature pics
http://photo.net/photos/Neciphoto
http://www.naturealbums.com0 -
Roflcopter...
I am gonna do a nice long thread and pretend to be Cav...can't wait for all the replies.
And though I will be keeping an eye on the forums I will be too busy choosing a pair of Oakleys that won't fall off in the TDF to actually post etc. 'cus that won't leave me any time in the evenings now will it.
And Napoleon you are freakin' awesome, I am gonna send you every pair of glasses from the Oakley range to try for me mate, and I will even throw in a pair of 303's.
Roflcopter.0 -
Anyone read the article in the Times yesterday staring CBoardman?
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 549427.ece
Boardman sold 10,000 bikes in their first year!! Thats incredible.Shazam !!0 -
My wife has her heart set on a Boardman (Comp) but our two experiences with Halfords so far have been disappointing.
In the first Halfords store we tried (Rustington) there clearly wasn't a trained member of staff. We tried the medium size bike ourselves but the reach was too far, otherwise it looked OK. I'm no expert but it seemed to me that a shorter stem might fix the problem. The best the staff could offer to do was to 'put the saddle down a bit'.
My wife then tried a small size in the St Paul's store in London. Here the staff did seem more knowledgeable but said the reach on the small bike was still too great. When my wife asked about changing the stem they didn't seem to think that was an option.
From the FAQ on boardmanbikes.com:Do you have a female specific bike?
We don't have a female specific range, but Nicole Cooke won a Gold medal on the road frame - so the geometry has been proven at the highest level. We would suggest that you speak to a trained member of staff who will be able to assist you with making the bike as female friendly as possible - including looking at the options for saddle, stem, bar dimensions etc.0 -
to be fair, I've been a member of another (non bike related) forum that Chris himself occaisionally posts on, and the style of writing is consistent between both so I'd say it is him"I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
--Jens Voight0 -
We have the Cycle to work scheme & today is our last free car park day
. I have persuaded 5 people to start cycling (truth be told I have made 5 people buy bikes but only 1 has actually ridden theirs, what more am I supposed to do, do they want me to run behind them holding their saddles? :roll: ) Our scheme is Halfords only so my mate and I went to the Branch in Wembley yesterday after work to have a look at a bike for him. No Boardmans on display, my mate approached a member of staff to be told "none in stock, no idea when we will have any more you will have to go to Evans :shock: to try out Boardmans, they have branches in Hendon or Chiswick".
My mate wants a Boardman Hybrid Comp, but the only Company that sells them told him to go somewhere that doesnt sell them.
He has to go to Halfords for the Scheme, we are going to Evans one evening this week after work, where my mate will get to try out Spesh, Scott, Trek, Cannondale and the like. Halfords have said that they will source whatever he chooses. Got into work this morning and have checked Halfords website and found that their branches in Alperton and Hendon both have the Boardman Hybrid Comp in stock. So I mentioned this to my mate, who said "Im not effing going back to Halfords".0 -
I can reccomend the Halfords in Crawley and Brighton. Both have at least one decent member of staff which i've spoken to about Boardman bikes. Was told more stock was expected at the end of August.0
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edhornby wrote:to be fair, I've been a member of another (non bike related) forum that Chris himself occaisionally posts on, and the style of writing is consistent between both so I'd say it is him
...sorry Chris, not entirely technically accurate, but I couldn't resist.Cycling weakly0 -
Interesting to read Chris's post and provide an insight into Boardman bikes. I have bought a Pro HT MTB and a Team Carbon road bike through a C2W scheme. I have been very happy with both purchases.
I would just like to add that Matt at the Brislington branch of Halfords provided a top class service. He built both my bikes, did all the sales stuff and proved very knowledgeable. Chris, if you read this and are ever passing Brislington in Bristol, pop in and say hello to Matt0 -
Cracking to see a legend (i) posting on BR and (ii) giving a damn about the consumer. Great work.NapoleonD wrote:here is a copy of the PM I got from Chris Boardmanchrisbl4 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 legislation0
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I just bought a Boardman Team HT mountain bike less than 2 weeks ago and I'd like to share with you my experiences.
Firstly when I was researching bikes I looked at all the reviews and the forum posts and came the conclusion that the Boardman bikes were top spec and top value compared to other bigger brands, however I was a little put off by the numerous poor customer service experiences from Halfords, but I thought I would give my local Halfords (Banbury) a chance, i dont mind a bit tinkering to get the setup right and so I finally bought the bike.
I should have seen the warning signs when the staff in Halfords refused to let me try the bike out in the car park because "this ones not been set up properly yet". But I pressed on and made the purchase. When I collected it a couple of days later I took it out for a spin and the gears weren’t set up, it hadn’t been lubricated (a couple of chain links were sticking) the tyres were soft, the brakes were sticking and it made a strange clicking/creaking noise coming from the frame/crank. I took it back last Friday and was told that they would sort out the gears & brakes for me that day, but nobody could look at the ticking until today. II picked the bike up Friday nightand went for a ride to find that the gears still weren't set up right, the front derailleur was clearly at and angle and it wouldn’t change onto the largest cog. So I spent a couple of hours saturday morning with the help of the park tools website (excellent resource by the way) and finally got the gears working to perfection (although the SRAM X7 front derailleur is a bit fiddly to get right).
I went for a ride and was really impressed with the handling especially the Reba forks, but this strange clicking/creaking noise got louder and more persistent and this noise was there when you try to flex the frame without riding or touching the crank.
Anyway I have just taken the bike back to Halfords this morning explaining that I need a solution today because I am heading up north tomorrow evening to do the coast to coast cycle this weekend.
So lets see what they do, can they sort it out? Will I be forced to endure a noisy C2C ride? or even worse will this noise turn out to be a frame defect (which is my suspicion) and our C2C weekend will be ruined by the frame giving way halfway down a big hill. And if i do get a new bike from them will this one be set up any better than the last?
I'll keep you posted. :evil:
P.S, Chris if you're still following this thread it would be a really great gesture if you could pull some strings to make this a happy outcome so I can tell all the cyclists I meet on the C2C this weekend just how great the bike is and just how brilliant Halfords customer service has turned out to be.0 -
Neilos, I too have this creaking noise on my Pro HT. I was a bike mechanic as a student, so am handy with a spanner or allen key! I have stripped the crank and bottom bracket down, clean and re-greased everything, assembled it all back to the correct torque settings etc and it still creaks! It does appear to be coming from the BB area, done the usual of checking the seat/seat pin, bars etc. Tried different pedals as well. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this issue?
As for the bike setup, mine were setup well, did the usual adjustments to seat, bars etc. The bikes come more or less assembled to Halfords, there's not that much to do at the shop. Gears/brakes etc should be pretty much there, minor adjustments required. Chains are pre-lubed, more like greased from Shimano, so stiff links are rare, but probably just need a bit of a twist from side to side. I don't know what you mean by brakes sticking? The pads may drag a bit until bedded in. Why did you leave the shop with soft tyres in the first place?
Remember, as you use the bike from new, parts will bed in, cables will stretch, gears will need adjustment, so if you can learn to do these simple maintenance tasks yourself you'll save a lot of bother.0 -
Hi bodisgod, it sounds daft but try some different skewers. Only takes a minute and it's worked for me in the past. Amazing how the noise travels from the source.0
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Yeah tried that as well, have fitted some Halo allen bolt skewers, XT QR's and the ones that came with the Formula hubs on the bike.
Maybe it's my knees! :shock:0