Trek 1.2 or Boardman?

Penn

Hey guys, I am sure you get this quite a lot, but I am currently going from a hybrid bike to finally owning my own road bike (my cycling club has been lending me theirs).

I am looking for a bike in the £500-£700 range. I do a commute every weekday (about 20 mile round-trip) and a member of a Sunday cycling club (I rank up about 180 miles a week). But I finally have the finance to buy a half decent road bike (student life sucks) and I have decided between the trek 1.2 or a boardman.

Orignally I was going to just save up a little move a invest in a Cervelo S1 but I would really like to get rolling on my own road bike, furthermore I thought anything from halfords was a no-go area, but I am hearing lots of rave reviews about the Boardman range, so i guess my questions are:

1) Is is worth saving up for a better bike (i,e Cervelo S1)

2) Which is the better out of Trek 1.2 and Boardman range.

3) Are there any better bikes out there for the Sub £700 budget?

Thanks a bunch guys!

frenchfighter

Both the bikes you suggest are ugly in my opinion. I cannot comment on their performance etc.

Personally I would opt for a Bianchi.

There is actually a thread somewhere on this forum about Boardman bikes with Mr Boardman himself making various detailed comments which would be good for you to read.

alfablue

Can all of these options take mudguards (and possibly a rack?), though some masochists will disagree with me, I think guards are a must for commuting, and a rack is useful. I know the Trek 1.2 can (my g/f has one, and in fact it has made an excellent tourer too), not sure about the others. The Trek rides very nicely, the wheels are a bit heavy, and the bike was greatly improved with some Planet-X model B's (which severely upsets ACMadone). I have no experience of the other bikes, but consider the practicalities over aesthetics for a commuter.

Garz

If your commuting, like alfa has highlighted the boardman cannot accomodate panniers/mudguards (at least mine cannot). A direct comparison though in my eyes would be the trek 1.5 with the comp. Even still the boardman beats the 1.5 spec wise.

On another note its alright suggesting bianchi and fancy makes but not all dealers stock these. The most important factor before you buy is trying them out and ensuring your fit is comfortable!

speedo

bought a 1.2 trek double 6 months ago,(with mudguards fitted),currently riding around 120 miles a week.
Suits me a dream
If you go for a 2009 model you could save pounds
Took advice from my local cycle / racing club,and they confirmed it is best value for money - paid £450 including water bottle and frame / mini pump and saddle bag