Boardman Performance Hybrid Comp 09

luca_79

Hi all,

I've got a Cycle2Work voucher, I wondered if anyone has a Boardman Hybrid, and has any feedback?

Also, which frame size should I go for? The clueless guy in Halfords (didn't have any Boardmans in stock but had some Carreras) came up with the following pearls of wisdom:
"You should probably go for a medium as I assume the Boardman sizes are roughly the same as the Carrera. You should be fine with the medium."

Inside leg is 76-77cm and I'm 5'9''. I was thinking the small (45cm)?

Cheers in advance

il_principe

Do you have to buy from Halfrauds? They are sodding useless.

No opinion on the Boardman I'm afraid, except that it's a Hybrid, and I dislike Hybrids!

Eau Rouge

At 5'9" I doubt you'll want the small, but can't be sure. Inside Leg used be the key measurement when bikes all had flat top bars you needed to be able to clear, but that hasn't been the case in a long time now, hence why bike manufacturers use Small Mediuam and Large rather than seat-post length to describe the frame size. Virtual top tube length is the best single number to look at, but vastly inferior to sitting on the bike to get one that fits. Getting a bike that fits is the most important thing you can do to be comfortable on it. Don't go on a "you probably want this" from some guy in Halfords though. You'll probably want different sizes in different models in the Boardman range, let alone going to a different company.

The Boardmans's seem good bikes by their reputation, somewhat let down by Halfords, but there are some Halfords out there that are better than some LBS's.

Oh, but get drop handlebars as they are more confortable and useable, and get a CX bike (do Boardman do one?) if you want to do some off-roading. There, that will save everyone else having to say it.

PBo

not sure you can change the handle bars - boardman hybrids have disc brakes i believe.
I'm sure I read on one of these forums that you can't use drop handlebar brake levers for discs....

...actually, anyone know if this is true?

PBo

rinko

Also - worth asking how many are in stock in the country or when they will be available.

I was looking at buying a Boardman road bike, but wasn't prepared to wait for 3+ months for it to be available, so I bought a Trek instead and had it within a couple of days.

It's also worth noting (and I don't know whether this is all stores), but I was told I would not be able to test ride any of the bikes, as it was "company policy".

amnezia

I'm 5'8 and i take Medium 50cm but sizes are not the same on every bike.

I would say try the bike before you buy but with this being halfords thats usually not allowed. :roll:

Never tried a boardman but i'd never buy a bike from halfords.

Deadeye Duck

Try and have a sit on one, even if you have to go to another store to do so. I'm 5'10 with a 32" inseam, but I need a stumpy top tube as I struggle to reach on a bike fitted to my saddle to pedal sizing.

luca_79

Thanks for input guys- bit of a catch 22 then....

Halfords dont seem to actually have the Boardmans in store, only to order, and wont let you trial them even if they did have them in store, making getting the right size frame a real ballache.

I was under the impression that I could use my voucher at Wiggle and other outlets, but it appears not.

Do Halfords have exclusivity over Boardman, or do other outlets stock them?? - I may be able to try the Boardman out in that case, and also see if the road version is more appealing than the Hybrid.

lardboy

It's a Halfords exclusive brand at least for the foreseeable future. I'd try out a bike somewhere else (Evans maybe) and then use the C2W helpline to get the right one delivered to Halfords. The main problem with this is that you'll have to pay RRP on the one you order, rather than taking advantage of any sales that are on elsewhere.

What's your budget? Perhaps people here can make suggestions for you to try out.

If you've got the full amount (£1,000), then you could try Condor Cycles, but I doubt you'd be able to afford anything without that much.

skyd0g

The Boardmans are sold exclusively through Halfords.

I have a Boardman Comp, which is excellent IMHO, and the Boardman bikes all have rave reviews.

Is your chosen Boardman available at any other Halfords within your area? Try to search for availablity via their website. If you are extra lucky, you may just find a store with one in stock and maybe even a member of staff who can recognise the pointy end of a screwdriver.

il_principe

So let me get this straight.

Halfords sell bikes.
Sometimes expensive bikes...

... but they won't let you test ride them?

WTF is that all about?*

oscarbudgie

I'm just under 5' 9" - my road bike (a caad9) is a 54 frame but my Boardman hybrid is small (45cm) and both fit me perfectly - compact frame sizing to be all over the place depending on the bike. I only bought the Boardman because I had an insurance voucher limited to Halfords when my mtb got nicked but its a terrific bike which I often choose over the 'dale for shorter journeys and Halfords weren't too bad at all - whereas my experiences with Evans have been uniformly negative.

luca_79

cheers, ill try and track down a london halfords that has one in stock, or test ride something at evans and get it ordered in.

lardboy>> I have a £600 voucher, £500 of which I want to spend on the bike itself (need new helmet, pump etc) - any suggestions welcome on a decent city/hybrid bike, that can handle the old in and out on a daily basis, but also go the distance a bit at the weekend.

I quite like the look of those charges mind.

luca_79

oscarbudgie, whats your inside leg measurement, if you dont mind me asking such a personal question

spursn17

luca_79 wrote:

cheers, ill try and track down a london halfords that has one in stock, or test ride something at evans and get it ordered in.

lardboy>> I have a £600 voucher, £500 of which I want to spend on the bike itself (need new helmet, pump etc) - any suggestions welcome on a decent city/hybrid bike, that can handle the old in and out on a daily basis, but also go the distance a bit at the weekend.

I quite like the look of those charges mind.

The Boardman is a very good bike, my mate has the hybrid and I've got the mtb Pro and the Team Carbon road bike.

Go to the Bikehut standalone shop at St pauls, they'll let you have a decent test ride and know how to set the bike up.

PhilTheFish

I am the happy owner of a Hybrid Team which I got last year. Great sporty Hybrid. The only changes I made to it were fitting Armadillo tyres for puncture protection after suffering 1 a week with the Maxxis Detonators for a month.

Light and slim enough tyres to get up to some good speeds on the road but also not too bad on half decent trails/tracks.

If you can, spend the extra on getting the hydraulic brakes (Team and Pro). I thought they were a bit of a gimmick when I heard about them, but they are extremely good and I would never go back to mechanical brakes where possible.

Forget the fact it's from Halfords. It's a great bike and you can always take it to your LBS for a check over if you're at all concerned about build quality.

biondino

"Detonator" is about as good a name for a tyre as "Inferno" is for a helmet. Next up - the Fizik Barbed Wire, or the Pinarello Splinters.

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Pinarello Splinters.

This will the name of my team one day!

oscarbudgie

luca_79 wrote:

oscarbudgie, whats your inside leg measurement, if you dont mind me asking such a personal question

I don't - about 30"!

fwiw I think mech disc brakes are fine - cheaper and less maintenance

luca_79

cheers all - went over to st pauls today and they seem a bit more clued up than other halfords - will take the M and S out for a test and see what suits, looking forward to the commute now after a year on a MTB with road tyres!

Maybe one day i'll even ride for Pinarello Splinters!

Spudpig

Halfords = useless!!! They should stick to spanners or something they are good at.I had loads of issues with them...if you want to use the Boardman for a commute you cannot fit panniers or mudguards, but the spotty teenager in the shop did not know this, so 7 weeks later I am still waiting for a bike.

The best option was to speak to Halfords central team, they have some sort of arrangement with 'On your bike' (if you are near one I am using London Bridge store) and then you can get a proper bike from a proper bike shop. I am hoping to pick mine up on Sunday!

The person who sorted it out for me at Halfords was Carl Handly... carl.handley@halfords.co.uk 07944 332338

Hope it helps!

GOOD LUCK!

il_principe

Spudpig wrote:

Halfords = useless!!! They should stick to spanners or something they are good at.I had loads of issues with them...if you want to use the Boardman for a commute you cannot fit panniers or mudguards, but the spotty teenager in the shop did not know this, so 7 weeks later I am still waiting for a bike.

The best option was to speak to Halfords central team, they have some sort of arrangement with 'On your bike' (if you are near one I am using London Bridge store) and then you can get a proper bike from a proper bike shop. I am hoping to pick mine up on Sunday!

The person who sorted it out for me at Halfords was Carl Handly... carl.handley@halfords.co.uk 07944 332338

Hope it helps!

GOOD LUCK!

OYB are not a proper bikeshop. They've dropped massively in my estimation recently after they totally ripped off a colleague, charging him over £100 for a "service" - charges included £30 odd for a brake service ffs! Total rip off. In contrast I had my Pinarello serviced by Condor the other day, cost me £40 and I had the BB taken out and the bearings etc regreased as well as the usual once over etc.

AdiMac

I've got the Pro Hybrid and I'm very happy with it and the staff at halfords who were spot on. People slagging them off on mass are forgetting that you can have fools working in any kind of retail outlet.

Can't help you with sizing as I'm 6' 4" so it was large all the way. I got my Pro for £675 as they had the '09 bikes on the website before xmas at the wrong prices so I made them give it to me at that price. It's a great ride very fast and comfortable, I only have a 4.5 mile commute but I can get up to 25mph on the flat (if it's not to windy!!)

Don't be put off by halfords as it's the bike your riding not the shop or the staff.

Corporate Camper

I also have the Pro Hybrid and I think it's ace, I paid £800 on the Cycle2Work scheme and spent £200.08 on swag (they gave me an 8p discount so that I came in at exactly £1k!)

Being a bit of an impatient type, I wanted to collect the bike as soon as I got the voucher, and having a company car, fuel card and a bit of time on my hands I did a bit of a road-trip.

I visited the Halfords stores in Bicester (completely shit, couldn't get any of the staff to speak to me, they were too busy hiding or texting), Tottenham (good chap in there, knew his stuff but very busy), Luton (again good) and finally Northampton Riverside (A1 chap in there, spent ages with me, knew his stuff)

I wanted to see the bikes in the flesh, so I got the stores to do a bit of ringing around; the Luton store had the Pro Hybrid in Large but when I got there we noticed that some scroate had nicked bits off it. The lad in the store phoned around, secured one at Northampton and they built it while I drove up the M1.

People knock Halfords, but they are as good or bad as the person they have working there. You'll know instantly if he/she is a halfwit or not, the chap at Nothampton was great.

I'm pleased with the bike, no problems so far and even though I'm a fat bloke I can still do a Lance Armstrong down the A40 into London.

glennpro09

hi luca got the boardman book here
hybrid sizes ie the seat tube
small 45cm
medium 49cm
large 54cm
hope this helps
i have the pro ht and i'm happy as a pig in sh t with mine lol

luca_79

glennpro09 wrote:

hi luca got the boardman book here
hybrid sizes ie the seat tube
small 45cm
medium 49cm
large 54cm
hope this helps
i have the pro ht and i'm happy as a pig in sh t with mine lol

cheers glenn, i did look up the frame sizes in the first place, just wasn't sure if i should go small or medium as im pretty much on the cusp in terms of inside leg. but gotta get the reach right too - will test the pair of them at st pauls as soon as i can, then job done!

luca_79

Corporate Camper wrote:

People knock Halfords, but they are as good or bad as the person they have working there. You'll know instantly if he/she is a halfwit or not, the chap at Nothampton was great.

I'm pleased with the bike, no problems so far and even though I'm a fat bloke I can still do a Lance Armstrong down the A40 into London.

good effort.

brixton halfords were totally disinterested and clueless (see first post), apart from the chap who takes care of C2W there, who i got some sense out of, but they had no boardmans to actually have a look at.

the chubby guy in st pauls halfords seemed to have his head screwed on.