Boardman Bikes 2009: An update from Chris Boardman

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  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    So Friday became Monday and you've cancelled it?

    Isn't that a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face?

    That bike gets awesome reviews all over the place, and you're dropping it for the sake of a weekend waiting?

    I'm not saying it's ideal to have to wait a few more days, but then again, it's just a few more days!
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • frogstomp
    frogstomp Posts: 412
    Agreed, Friday to Monday isn't on the face of it a huge delay - but becomes very awkward when you've specifically organised permission etc. for the delivery on a specific day (I almost took a day off work to be at home for delivery). And, as mentioned, they have now decided they are out of stock anyway..

    So I've cancelled because of the terrible customer service - it's blatantly obvious they (Halfords) are just stringing people along saying they have the bikes 'in stock' and then continuing to be economical with the truth when spoken to on the phone. It's not an isolated incident either - I've checked stock in-store online, rung to confirm and then travelled to the store only to find they don't have the bike.

    Like I say, great bikes no doubt (and I hold nothing against Boardman bikes themselves)..
  • DanEvs
    DanEvs Posts: 640
    I have it on good authority that the bike I have on order (pro Carbon) is 5-6 weeks away from the stores and I ordered on the 1st August. :(
  • Hi All and especially Hi Mr Boardman,
    I thought this might be a good post to attach my letter to Halfords on.
    I want to get the point across that the excellent quality and ethos of Boardman Bikes are being let down by it's stockist...

    _______________________________________________________________________

    19/08/09

    Dear Sir/Madam,
    I am writing to complain about the terrible customer service I have received at one of your West London branches.
    I purchased a Boardman Comp Road bike from a branch of the now defunct Bikehut about 5 months ago. I chose this shop as I found the staff to be knowledgeable and helpful.

    The gear shifter on my bike broke last Tuesday and I immediately took it into my local Halfords superstore. What I have witnessed since my original visit is symptomatic of the gross
    under staffing I have come to expect in corporate chain stores such as yourselves.

    I was informed that an internal part of the shifter had broken and that the replacement part was not available and needed to be ordered in. This part had been serviced only 2 weeks prior to breaking. I was promised a call within 2 days to inform me of the status of the replacement part. This never happened.

    When I next called the shop I was asked if I would hold the line and not even given time to answer before being put on hold anyway. I have seen other callers put on hold on every visit I
    have made to the shop as the staff were clearly juggling several tasks at once, be it repairs, stocking, customer service etc. and were obviously beyond the limit of functionality with anything close to acceptable customer service.

    After 10 minutes on hold I redialled. The phone rang once or twice before the hold button was pressed at the other end without the phone being picked up. On my 3rd attempt, and
    every attempt to call the shop subsequently I have been met with an engaged tone.
    My only choice was to go into the shop itself and I have been doing so for a week now to try and determine the status of my bike.

    The scene upon arrival is always of gloomy, stressed-out, fed-up staff who have absolutely no interest in making eye contact with me or acknowledging my presence whatsoever. This I
    attribute to the fact that any inkling they have had of considering that their primary reason for being there is for their customers, has been driven out of them by a sense of anger and frustration at a failing upper management level. I imagine the customers become both the symbol of, and the target for this frustration and, having worked in retail for many years and thus being sympathetic to your staff, I am almost driven to feeling guilty for asking for their help at all.

    I have on every occasion waited while the staff member behind the counter has carried on performing one of the probably countless duties they are attending to at any one time. I have been ignored and even frowned at.

    It has now been a week since I sent my bike in. I have not been contacted by the shop. I have not been offered a temporary replacement bike or even a replacement gear lever while the part is in transit. Every time I have called in to the shop to query the repair I have been misled, possibly deliberately. The erroneous phrase 'It will definitely be here tomorrow', used by one staff member, is obviously a tactic to get rid of me rather than assure me of a swift, reliable service.

    I have also been told by another staff member that the supplier, Fisher (dubious, as I believe Fisher do not supply Shimano parts) were not getting back to them. This is a) not my problem and b) a further stain on your company if you, the UK's biggest bike retailer cannot in this day and age organise themselves to obtain the tiniest of bike parts in a reasonable time. I do not expect next day delivery (even though I was nigh-on promised it) but surely it is not beyond your abilities. The smallest of businesses can arrange near instant trade and release of goods so I question what motivates your company's inertia.

    I run a small business that is suffering immensely in these trying economic times. One of the things we refuse to sacrifice is proper service to our valued customers despite the fact that as a business we are profit driven. We operate under the reasonable hope that a top quality service will place us above the competition. Would it seem fair to assume based on my experience that Halfords are no longer interested in maintaining a long term customer base? Because with service this bad I would expect more and more people to abandon your company in search of even basic consumer rights readily provided elsewhere.

    I cannot help feeling my bike has been impounded and that my free one year 'service' period is ticking away whilst I am bikeless.

    I will not be returning to Halfords unless I am satisfied I will receive a vastly improved service.

    For the benefit of the excellent bike manufacturer that has chosen your company as its soul outlet, I have forwarded a copy of this letter to Chris Boardman on an online forum.

    I await your prompt reply.

    Yours sincerely,

    Richard Bull
  • julesmay
    julesmay Posts: 33
    excellent letter mr bull- only let down by the spelling mistake at the end- soul should be spelt sole.

    I rang halfords this morning to ascertain stock levels of the mtb pro ht- was told to speak to branch- got put through to some pubescent prik, i asked if they had any stock so i could gauge the correct size for me

    he asked for my inside leg and then performed some wonderful calculation and informed me that i would need a medium
    i asked if a small would be better and just increase seat height etc- no the calculation says medium

    i commented that if i was spending a grand, then i wanted a good fit, and also enquired whether 2010 were around the corner- again kiddy was clueless

    this thread does not entirely fill me with hope!
  • guilliano
    guilliano Posts: 5,495
    If (and it's a huge IF) Boardman bikes are in fact an independant manufacturer then they really need to get their bikes into independant stores. You'd think that supporting the independants would be at the heart of a company with a front man like Chris Boardman, rather than prostituting itself to the bohemoth that is trying to destroy cycling in this country
  • I've had many issues with Halfords and my bike.

    It's too long to post all the grotty details but it's on my blog: http://cycle-scotland.blogspot.com/2009 ... tmare.html

    I'd be interested to see what Chris thought about the fact that they swapped the broken chainset from my bike with one in another instore. This was becuase they ordered last years SRAM Rival chainset! This is now sitting on a Team comp on DISPLAY in store. I can only presume some poor sod will end up buying the bike with 2008 components fitted.

    Appalling service, appalling standards.
    Boardman Team Carbon

    Cube LTD Race

    Knackered old Mountain Bike of indeterminate origin.
  • julesmay wrote:
    excellent letter mr bull- only let down by the spelling mistake at the end- soul should be spelt sole.

    Oops! No quality control anywhere these days!
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    A lady I know has told me of some excellent service she received at a Halfords branch somewhere in Suffolk.

    She had a problem with her derailleur on her Boardman road bike (not sure which model), and he derailleur needed replacing, she went into Halfords one day, they didn't have the parts or a spare bike so the mechanic called the Ipswich branch. The person in Ipswich took the part of a Boardman they had in store, sent it on to the next branch. The very next day the bike was prepared and she picked it up.

    Not all Halfords stores are bad, I just think it depends on who deals with you.
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,451
    therichieboy

    I had exactly the same problem with mine twice. My local halfords had my bike for 2 weeks the first time. They were supposed to call me when the part came in so I could take it in the second time. I rang after 3 weeks and miraculosly the shifter had come in that morning hmmmm.

    The first time the re did the bar tape on the side that they replaced the shifter with different tape to the original but left the other side on. I complained and they said they'd do it but they did such a crap job I had a go myself and did it much better. The second time they just wrapped the tape round and left it short of where it used to be but didn't cut it off, just wound it around and around so it's massively fat.

    It's a great bike and the Team and Pro Carbons look great but next time I'll go somewhere else, if I could get a boardman from there by then great if not, so be it.
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    What is the deal/contract that Mr Boardman has with Halfords?

    I'm fairly positive that many a LBS would bite his hand off to sell what is obviously an excellent product range. Why can't these bikes be distributed and sold solely by independent shops?

    It does seem a genuine shame that the brand is been rubbished in this way when the product is apparently excellent.
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • seataltea
    seataltea Posts: 594
    The problem with threads about people who have had problems with a product or a service is that those with positive experiences rarely post.

    To that end as the owner of a Boardman HT Pro bought on the Cycle2Work scheme from Halfords in Huddersfield I am happy with the bike and the store.

    The paint is a somewhat brittle and chips easily, after a few weeks the bottom bracket broke but Halfords fitted a replacement within 24hrs.

    It continues to be the fastest, best specified bike for the money (less than £600 on the scheme) and brings a smile to my face every time I ride.

    I suspect there are many more happy owners out there but who, because they have no problems, don't look for or feel the need to post about their store or bike.

    In general Halfords should however take a leaf out of Decathlons book, they have mass market selling of bikes down to an art.
    'nulla tenaci invia est via'
    FCN4
    Boardman HT Pro fully X0'd
    CUBE Peleton 2012
    Genesis Aether 20 all season commuter
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,451
    Oh I'm very happy with the bike, the problem with halfords is that most of the stores have no idea about road bikes and don't keep a stock of spare parts. My local halfords is full of keen experienced MTBers that haven't got a clue how apply handlebar tape - it aint that hard.

    Like I say if i could get a boardman from the bike shop down the road I would deffo.
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • Likewise I love the bike, I just hate the service. If Chris Boardman could somehow get out of the Halfords deal then I believe he would sell more bikes and gain a better reputation.

    The bike is bloody great though (now that it works) and absolutely flies up and down the hills round here.
    Boardman Team Carbon

    Cube LTD Race

    Knackered old Mountain Bike of indeterminate origin.
  • julesmay
    julesmay Posts: 33
    i went in today to try and size myself up as whether i needed a small or medium, low and behold they only had large in- so was unable to tell
    i am sure complaints are store specific and i think seataltea is probably correct in that people post about bad experiences and not the good.

    my search for a ht pro continues
  • merlie
    merlie Posts: 276
    I got very little attention when I went into the Slough branch recently ... I am looking at getting the boardman comp road bike through the c2w scheme. Having no experience on a road bike I was looking for advice ... wasnt sure if the bike fitted me etc etc ... and really wanted convincing this was the bike to get ... not convinced at all !
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    guilliano wrote:
    If (and it's a huge IF) Boardman bikes are in fact an independant manufacturer then they really need to get their bikes into independant stores. You'd think that supporting the independants would be at the heart of a company with a front man like Chris Boardman, rather than prostituting itself to the bohemoth that is trying to destroy cycling in this country
    So presumably the OP was lying when he explained why they decided to go with Halfords
  • I bought a Team Carbon from the St Paul's Bikehut branch through the C2W scheme. No complaints at all about the set up. The gears work fine and the bike is a rocket. The paint job is a bit rubbish - there is a section of paint missing from one part of the downtube but I'm not taking it back for that.

    I had to wait five weeks for the bike but when I eventually got it they said at the shop this was the first 2010 model they'd seen with up-rated brakes, so that's a silver lining.

    However, after 50 miles of riding it's developed a loud squeak from the headstock when I turn the bars in either direction. It's definitely coming from the headstock and it's definitely when I turn the bars. I rang the shop who said they'd have a look at it during its six-week service, and that it would be perfectly safe to ride in the meantime, but I'm a bit concerned that the thing might disintegrate at 30mph in the middle of traffic.

    Anyone else had this squeak?

    Mudguard Nazi, FCN 10
  • probb66
    probb66 Posts: 11
    Just got a Boardman Hybrid Pro and Halford have had two attempts at setting gears up. Despite emailing their customer service to ask which Halfords I should go to to get the bike set up properly they have ignored my emails. Although it may be impossible for them to answer as it would be an admission that service in one store is better in another they havent bothered to reply at all. (The reallity is service will be better in some stores depending on the experience of the mechanic) . I just wanted to pick up a bike and ride it . I acknowledge tweaks have to be made after bedding in, but when it comes out worse the second time questions have to be asked about competency. On the plus side Chris Boardman has actually taken the time to monitor my issues. Unfortunately the only email I have received from Halfords is an advert to buy more stuff. I cant wait to get back on the bike as its phenomenal so its going to a local bike shop to get set up at my expense. This experience wouldnt stop me buying another Boardman, but its not going to be from Halfords. -ps when I went to Halfords to size the bike I tried a small hybrid pro. I was on the cusp so asked the guy if I could try a medium. He disappeared and came back with a mountain bike. When I explained it was a differnt bike his reply was "yes, but its a boardman mountain bike" . I should have known then there was going to be trouble ahead.
  • probb66 wrote:
    On the plus side Chris Boardman has actually taken the time to monitor my issues.

    Are you in direct contact with Chris Boardman?
    I'd greatly appreciate any contact info you have so I can forward a copy of my letter to him.

    Halfords update- still no reply, still no bike.
  • oh, right
  • The Rock!
    The Rock! Posts: 14
    edited October 2009
    ***To Chris Boardman***

    Hi Chris,

    Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to your existing and potential customers. I can see clearly why you chose Halfords as your main channel to market. On paper a very sound strategy but in reality Halfords culture and staff IMHO does not have the passion, knowledge, experience nor the expertise to be handling a world class product like yours.

    The product

    I have read all the reviews there is to read and having actually ridden the Team Carbon myself I was surprised how well it rode, handled and well equipped eventhough I must say it was NOT a full SRAM Rival groupset (the astute amongst us would have spotted that right away).

    For sure, one can understand the need to keep the costs down by offering lesser wheels as opposed to Mavic Aksium which would have been better and decent tyres like Conti GP 4000S would have costed only a fraction more without going over the magic £1000 threshold. In doing so, some parts got skimped along the way which is not a major issue but for serious bikers looking at the offering, yes it does appear to be good value for a grand, but look more closely to see that Planet-X offers an even better value and the ability for custom build your bike online. This makes Boardman offering seems less enticing. I hope that you can improve on the standard componentry whilst keeping it under £1000.

    Halfords
    The perception of Halfords is poor even amongst folks who are not likely to spend a grand on a bike. So when a bike like the Team Carbon, Pro Carbon and Nicole's Beijing gold medal winner Race Prepared Carbon (oh I hear that she now races for Vision 1 on Focus bikes, ooops) gets thrown literally into Halfords cage, it's going to do more harm than good to your product not forgetting your brand image.

    It only takes a few unhappy customers to tarnish the brand image even after lets say Halfords manage to up their ante and drastically improve, people remember the bad experience. I'd say the damage has already been done and it would take more than a miracle to climb back out to detach oneself from the negative Halfords image. Ok some say, why don8t you buy the bike and have it checked over with a specialist bike shop for a tidy sum of lets say £150. That's not the point. When a customer spends a grand on his/her dream bike like a Boardman, the least one can do is make sure all safety checks are done properly. There should be zero tolerance on safety. It's totally in-excuseable to let anyone walk away with a Boardman let alone any bike where things are going to fall apart literally withing 5mins (ok I may have exaggerated the timescale but people know what I am talking about).

    Consumer confidence (or the lack of in our case) is really key as I'm sure you have found out since the product launch and the fact that you have addressed the issues customers faced with Halfords even to this day, is all well and great. Having seen your bikes and tested them, they are very good indeed but I think the Boardman brand has been tarnished beyond repair. I have a solution for you at the end of this rather long essay (apologies).

    To be honest, not all the Halfords stores are that unhelpful or lacking customer service skills as I found out from going to several Halfords to experience it for myself. Some branches are better than others but they need to be more consistent like McDonalds or any BMW dealership you walk into no matter where you are in the country. I know that it's a Halfords issue and the fact that BikeHut is now part of Halfords does more harm than good. I found the service better at one of the stores which used to be a BikeHut than just a normal Halfords store because at least some of the mechanics knew what they were talking about or knew what they were doing.

    The issues that customers have experienced earlier on with loose nipples (Oooo err), spokes coming off, brake cables, braking, gear shifting etc etc was enough to put me off from handing over my mastercard and walking away with the bike. My riding style is very much Cavendish (fellow cyclists will know when they are around me even in and around London the way I really spanked your Team Carbon). It was scary to tell you the truth as I really wanted to test how good the Boardman was. Forget Cycling Plus review which is good but tame in comparison to my test ride.

    Am glad to say the Boardman passed the Cavendish test albeit me not being Cav. So, if you can endorse your bike durability and performance by lending Mr. Cavendish the bike for the weekend, I might just be persuaded to reach for my wallet once again. So until then, like James Khan (one of the Dragon's) would say for that reason "I'm out".

    Perhaps can you throw in the lifetime warranty like Cannondale and Orbea can. That might help alot of people sleep better including me, knowing that a grand is alot of £ to alot of folks especially in the current recession. Until then I'm still shopping around for my dream bike which includes dare I say 'Planet-X' or even go really high end and splash out on a Titanium beauty.

    You see Chris, what you have to remember is that, it's not about all about how expensive the bike is, it's alot to do with the buyer having confidence in your product, the brand and whether you can make them feel special in walking away with your bike knowing the experience of owning and riding a Boardman will make them cherish that memory to last a lifetime.

    So here's what call the Rock's rescue package; don8t laugh, it's serious.

    1. No need to disassociate completely (unless absolutely deemed necessary as we would all like to support Halfords/Bikehut as part of the British cycling heritage) hence keep the Halfords channel open exclusively for your lower end value bikes up to and including Team road bike.

    2. Bikes with a retail value of £999 or greater including the Team Carbon; move them out of Halfords altogether and cheery pick carefully the Independents based on their passion, knowledge, experience and staffed with club level enthusiasts as a minimum to start channeling them to your customers. You will be amazed how things will turn out. Not all Indy's are perfect, hence cherry picking and reinforcing the Boardman image is absolutely paramount. You would choose Halfords to sell your TT/Air/1 bike would you?

    3. Offer custom build options (an easy plug 'n play bike builder) with a wider choice of componentry, both on the Boardman website as well as giving the option for the Independents to do so if they have the means and capabilities, otherwise don8t do it.

    4. Set up an online forum via the Boardman website to enable customers who have recently bought a Boardman bike, who already owns one or thinking about getting one, to share and exchange their knowledge, experiences about their Boardmans. Let non-Boardman cyclists join the forum so they too could become a proud Boardman bike owner one day :)

    5. Do a national re-launch of Boardman with prizes and give aways by inviting the Rock (yes that's me :) no worries Chris am happy to do it free of charge) and a certain rider Mr.Cavendish who may charge a small fee, but don8t quote me on that!

    Last but not least, all the best and see you @ the re-launch!

    So c'mon let's do it...what are you waiting for?
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    The Rock! wrote:
    5. Do a national re-launch of Boardman with prizes and give aways by inviting the Rock (yes that's me :) no worries Chris am happy to do it free of charge) and a certain rider Mr.Cavendish who may charge a small fee, but don8t quote me on that!

    Cav is contracted to ride Scott bikes - I can't really see him supporting a Boardman re-launch...
  • sturmey
    sturmey Posts: 964
    Hi Chris,

    First of all may I say thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to your existing and potential customers. I can see clearly why you chose Halfords as your main channel to market. On paper a very sound strategy but in reality Halfords culture and staff IMHO does not have the passion, knowledge, experience nor the expertise to be handling a world class product or brand reputation like yours, period.

    Could there be a more sycophantic post than this? Where's your self-respect man?

    Or your modesty for that matter.
    My riding style is very much Cavendish (fellow cyclists will know when they are around me even in and around London the way I really spanked your Team Carbon
  • Infamous
    Infamous Posts: 1,130
    The Rock! wrote:
    1. No need to disassociate completely...
    Why dissassociate at all? They can't build bikes fast enough... thanks to halfords vast distribution.
    The Rock! wrote:
    2. Bikes with a retail value of £999 or greater including the Team Carbon; move them out of Halfords altogether and cheery pick carefully the Independents based on their passion, knowledge, experience and staffed with club level enthusiasts as a minimum to start channeling them to your customers.
    So just go round all the LBS's in the country and ask them to sell his bikes at a very small profit margin?
    The Rock! wrote:
    3. Offer custom build options (an easy plug 'n play bike builder) with a wider choice of componentry
    This will slow down build times even more and cost more and it's pointless, if you want different components, buy them.
    The Rock! wrote:
    4. Set up an online forum via the Boardman website
    There are enough imbeciles with keyboards as is.
    The Rock! wrote:
    5. Do a national re-launch of Boardman with prizes and give aways
    I'm sure he wants to spend his time at a tedious re launch with the great unwashed all telling him how rubbish Halfords is.
    The Rock! wrote:
    So c'mon Chris let's do it...what are you waiting for?
    A restraining order.

    I don't know what's more pathetic, that you wrote all that in the hope that the real Chris Boardman would actually bother to read it and respond, or that I read (some of) it and replied.

    Stick to wrestling.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • Did anyone notice the price of Boardman Pro Carbon bike has creeped up from £1499 to £1599!!! Sneaky little move running up to X-mas. Is anyone willing to spend this much on a Boardman knowing Halford's reputation or know of an equally well spec'ed brand for the same money?
  • The Rock! wrote:
    Did anyone notice the price of Boardman Pro Carbon bike has creeped up from £1499 to £1599!!! Sneaky little move running up to X-mas. Is anyone willing to spend this much on a Boardman knowing Halford's reputation or know of an equally well spec'ed brand for the same money?

    I think the £100 increase is ok for the updated 2010 frame plus you get Force 2010... pity
    that they are keeping the Halfords link...
    Sunday Best : Cervélo R3 / SRAM Red / 3T / Fulcrum Racing Zero tubeless
    Everyday : Cervélo S1 / SRAM Force / 3T / Fulcrum Racing One tubeless
    Winter : Kinesis TK2 / SRAM Force / 3T / Fulcrum Racing 3 + full guards...
  • pastey_boy
    pastey_boy Posts: 2,083
    hi chris
    i sent an enquiry to the customer support department list on the boardman site enquiring about where i could source a replacement freehub for my 2009 boardman pro carbon bike. it is listed as having a ritchey wcs wheelset but the hubs are unmarked generic units. the halfords customer support agent said he could not find any info on the hubs and that i should go to a local specialist shop for info on a new free hub. there are quite a few things amiss here. for one it seems as if the people selling your bikes dont consider themselves bicycle specialist. they also have no idea on the product they are selling. if tthe people selling your bikes dont know what replacement freehub mechanism i need them how the hell would a local shop know ??? ive basically been told that when my freehub breaks then i have no option but to buy a new set of wheels. in my opinion this is very wrong for a £1500 bike. my freehub is fine at the moment but im a 16.5 stone bodybuilder who rides hard and goes through freehubs quicker than most. all i want is a spare as i use my bike daily. you say that boardman is a seperate company from halfords so please could i have a number or email so i can contact boardman direct so i dont have to deal with the joke that is halfords who have told me they are britains largest non specialist bicycle retailer
    regards
    carl
    Viner Salviati
    Shark Aero Pro
    Px Ti Custom
    Cougar 531
    Sab single speed
    Argon 18 E-112 TT
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    Orange Clockwork 2007 ltd ed
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    Cove Hummer XC Ti
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    pastey_boy wrote:
    hi chris
    i sent an enquiry to the customer support department list on the boardman site enquiring about where i could source a replacement freehub for my 2009 boardman pro carbon bike. it is listed as having a ritchey wcs wheelset but the hubs are unmarked generic units. the halfords customer support agent said he could not find any info on the hubs and that i should go to a local specialist shop for info on a new free hub. there are quite a few things amiss here. for one it seems as if the people selling your bikes dont consider themselves bicycle specialist. they also have no idea on the product they are selling. if tthe people selling your bikes dont know what replacement freehub mechanism i need them how the hell would a local shop know ??? ive basically been told that when my freehub breaks then i have no option but to buy a new set of wheels. in my opinion this is very wrong for a £1500 bike. my freehub is fine at the moment but im a 16.5 stone bodybuilder who rides hard and goes through freehubs quicker than most. all i want is a spare as i use my bike daily. you say that boardman is a seperate company from halfords so please could i have a number or email so i can contact boardman direct so i dont have to deal with the joke that is halfords who have told me they are britains largest non specialist bicycle retailer
    regards
    carl

    You've got it in one! Halfords aren't specialist at much in the car world, let alone in bicycles. Their product are generic and for good reason, they shift more stuff that way.