GT I-Drive ID5 XCR or Boardman Comp

handful

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_512551_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_556661_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

I am thinking of upgrading my Avalanche 1 for one of the above and am trying both out for size/feel over the weekend. Assuming I don't have an great preference having done this, what do people think about the comparable spec? I can only go to £800 (C2W scheme) so this rules out my earlier favorite which was going to be the higher specced Boardman. The I Drive is only an option because of a 20% off GT offer running and this ends on Monday so time is the essence!! The rear shock (Fox) on the GT is swinging it that way for me at the moment but is there anything else I'm missing to favour the Boardman, weight maybe? I do a wide variety of riding but do a fair bit of rough trails on the Mendips and Quantocks as well as the occasional trip to Cwmcarn, Marin etc although I'm not too mental and don't do jumps if I can help it.

Any opinions to help me choose much appreciated, which would you buy?? I don't need any anti Halfords advice either btw, I'm well aware of their failings!!

Beardface

Halfords suck, go somewhere else

I'm kidding... But seriously, a mate of mine has just got the GT, he was out on it last weekend for the first time (he upgraded from a Spesh Rockhopper)... he loved every second. Looks lovely in the flesh, I was very impressed by it when I had a spin too.. comfy, plush and a good weight IMO. (held up when he had an off too..)

I cant comment on the Boardman range, but everyone raves about the quality and spec for the price. tough choice!

nfrang

At £800 (i got mine on the 20% off deal too) it's no contest. Nothing wrong with the Boardmans though. The GT is a very capable bike. +1 from me.

handful

thanks guys, confirmed what I was thinking but needed reassurance Anyone going to challenge the views so far :?:

Big Shoes

I have the GT and it is AWESOME

supersonic

The GT is quite a bit heavier - though it is designed to be ridden harder.

handful

Big Shoes wrote:

I have the GT and it is AWESOME

Hi Big Shoes, looks like you did a similar upgrade albeit from an Avalanche 3 rather than my Avalanche 1. How do you find the I drive for climbing in comparison? Downhill would obviusly be no contest but I am wondering whether I would see any difference, particlarly on rocky technical climbs?

Thanks Supersonic, how much difference in weight between them do you reckon? I'm not the best climber in the world (although I am improving!) so that is an important consideration. Presumably the upright rear shock on the Boardman would bob a bit more than the flatter GT? I have seen quite a few bad comments about the rear shock on the Boardman wheras the fox on the GT seems pretty good.

supersonic

Shock position makes no difference to bob in that sense. The GT should pedal better with the IDrive system though.

The GT will be about 4 pounds heavier.

handful

supersonic wrote:

Shock position makes no difference to bob in that sense. The GT should pedal better with the IDrive system though.

The GT will be about 4 pounds heavier.

:shock:

That's a lot. What accounts for all that extra weight, presumably the frame is a bit more robust? Some of the stuff I ride on is pretty boneshaking, hence the move to FS so again maybe best to go for the stronger bike?

supersonic

Frame will probably be heavier, heavier duty fork, bigger tyres etc. The Boardman seems to have slightly lighter stuff throughout which all adds up.

Beardface

To add to my 2 cents above.. the friend that came out at the weekend was out for the first time in about a year, over the Surrey Hills on his GT.. theres some nasty climbs on the route, and for those that he didnt push up (due to lack of fitness... he said this himself), he was chuffed at the climbing ability of the GT.

It is heavier than the Boardman, but as SS says, it'll take more of a beating. Plus, the propedal on the rear fox was a revelation to my mate.. he said that made the climbs so much easier (I can agree.. I love my propedal!)

Edit: You can always upgrade over time and make the bike lighter if weight really is an issue

handful

Ok, thanks gents. My mind is made up! I have reserved the GT 8) and will have a try over the weekend to see how it feels and go from there. I love the feel and quality of the Avalanche so I'm sure I won't be disappointed......until some whippersnapper flies past me on a Boardman

I don't intend changing again for a while so will go down the 'upgrade bits as they wear out' route now rather than take the pi$$ out of the C2W scheme every year :oops:

joshtp

well done bud, i hear its a top bit of kit....

handful

I'm mad now....bl00dy Halfords

I went in to try the I Drive earlier, loved the feel of it and want to speak to the guy I had spoken to yesterday about reserving it for me for a couple of weeks whilst I'm waiting for my Letter of Collection to come through. He wasn't there but the guy I did speak to said he had spoken with him about me and had told him that he had given me incorrect information and that I couldn't buy a bike on c2W at internet special sale prices :x

An argument ensued where I told him that the C2W helpline had told me I could do this but it would be up to the local store whether they would hold it past the specified collection date and that I was told by his colleague that they would be more than happy to do this. He is going to check with the C2W team himself and will get back to me tomorrow.

I then thought I'd try another store who were showing stock and they said, yes, no problem paying for the bike with a letter of collection but they couldn't hold the bike on internet specials for longer than the specified date, something the other store said they would do :?

They really are a shower of shite aren't they :evil:

Slamdunkin

I'll have my moan about them...

Bought bike..derailleur got ripped off on the way home, due to faulty link in chain. chipped and scratched the frame in quite a few places, so I got a refund. Went back in a week later and the badly covered chips and scratches are easily seen if you know they are there, but they refused to knock anything off the price, saying someone will buy it and not notice....Nice!...also rather contradictory, as before I bought it I asked if I called test it out for comfort and size outside and they said no way, as once I'd ridden it, it would be second hand if I didn't buy it.

Bought the same model (different bike)....after it was set up and paid for I test rode it round the car park checking out the gears, and it wouldn't go into the smallest back cog when on the middle front....took it back into the shop only to be given bulsh't about it's not supposed to go into that one. I explained that I knew some gears weren't advised on the inner and outer front set up, but he wouldn't have any of it....so I went and spoke to another assistant that just said sorry mate I'll do that for you and fixed it in 5 seconds. He also noticed that the handle bars weren't put on straight and were also not in the middle of the bracket.

im first to die

go for the gt i have one so they are the best bike in the world

handful

I'd love to but don't know if I can now Halfords have moved the goal posts

supersonic

The two stores need to speak to each other, or contact customer services. Some stores will have own policies depending on stock.

Reserving bikes while they wait to be paid - not many shops do that to be honest, not without a non refundable deposit. Especially when they are on sale. See if you can reserve it as a normal customer with a deposit (at the sale price), then pay the balance on a specified collection date with your letter.

heez29

supersonic wrote:

The two stores need to speak to each other, or contact customer services. Some stores will have own policies depending on stock.

Reserving bikes while they wait to be paid - not many shops do that to be honest, not without a non refundable deposit. Especially when they are on sale. See if you can reserve it as a normal customer with a deposit (at the sale price), then pay the balance on a specified collection date with your letter.

Tbh we try to trust the customer at our store when it comes to this. We dont bother with the whole sale thing aswell with regards to collection dates etc. Generally we refund the deposit in your case aswell.

abductee

If you want one then you need to reserve online before midnight to get %20 off and then collect in store. You may need to cast your net fairly wide to get the model and size that you need because it has to be in stock at the store before you can reserve it.

I bought a GTID5 a few months ago and got the %20 internet deal and cycle 2 work so it was a good price. Check with the store after you have reserved online to ensure that they will wait for the LOC voucher. I offered them a deposit but they didn't need it.

It rides really well unless you get out of the seat and stamp on the pedals then its a bit soggy but it has over 5 inches of travel so I guess that's to be expected.

The paint finish is not very durable so buy some helicopter tape to protect the chain stays and where the cables rub.

There is a general problem with creaking which seems to originate from the bottom bracket area and mine has just gone back to the shop to get this looked at. You might want to read about this on the forums before you buy one.

handful

supersonic wrote:

The two stores need to speak to each other, or contact customer services. Some stores will have own policies depending on stock.

Reserving bikes while they wait to be paid - not many shops do that to be honest, not without a non refundable deposit. Especially when they are on sale. See if you can reserve it as a normal customer with a deposit (at the sale price), then pay the balance on a specified collection date with your letter.

The problem is that I get a different answer from every member of staff that I ask, even within the same store!

I reserved the bike at store 1 at the 20% off price and guy no 1 said he would hold for a couple of weeks at the reserved price with no problem. Guy no 2 this morning said he could hold the bike but I couldn't have it at the 20% price at all if paying with a LOC. Then the guy I spoke to at store no 2 said there would be no problem reserving and paying by LOC as long as it is by the reserved date which is about 3 days and I don't expect to have my LOC by then.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when store 1 check with the help desk tomorrow they will confirm that I can by at the sale price and I would then happily pay a deposit to secure it at that price. Thanks for the suggestion though SS

handful

abductee wrote:

If you want one then you need to reserve online before midnight to get %20 off and then collect in store. You may need to cast your net fairly wide to get the model and size that you need because it has to be in stock at the store before you can reserve it.

I bought a GTID5 a few months ago and got the %20 internet deal and cycle 2 work so it was a good price. Check with the store after you have reserved online to ensure that they will wait for the LOC voucher. I offered them a deposit but they didn't need it.

It rides really well unless you get out of the seat and stamp on the pedals then its a bit soggy but it has over 5 inches of travel so I guess that's to be expected.

The paint finish is not very durable so buy some helicopter tape to protect the chain stays and where the cables rub.

There is a general problem with creaking which seems to originate from the bottom bracket area and mine has just gone back to the shop to get this looked at. You might want to read about this on the forums before you buy one.

Another example of inconsistant policy! And thanks for the bottom bracket advice, I had been reading up about that and found some info on that problem on the GT website with some methods of curing it. I also asked the guy in Halfords this morning and he said they had never had one back in with that problem....don't know why I bothered asking :roll:

Kanya

My ID5 09 has exact same probs - creaking under load.

Bike is 3 mths old. Already been back to Halfords, they replaced the bottom bracket etc with Shimano SLX then told me the issue was with the Idrive itself. Not enough lube. The bikes never been ridden in rain, and coveres around 2.5 miles 3 days a week...not exactly confidence inspiring.

Noise went away after the lubed it, however 1 month later...its back.

Im now contacting halfords to get it either replaced or swap for a boardman FS for same value of £1000...considering the price you would expect the bike to be a lot better and Im really unhappy atm with it.

nfrang

Kanya wrote:

My ID5 09 has exact same probs - creaking under load.

+1 Been back once...also got the SLX crankset on now but still creaking. Going back tommorrow for a pivot assembly(which is where the noise actually is)and i'll see after that.

Doesn't fill me with confidence with new threads popping up on this issue.

supersonic

The pivot is very very easy to whip out and grease. That is all it needs from time to time.

handful

Update, as I've been away for a few days. Had a call from the original store on Monday telling me I can pay by LOC and they will hold the bike for me until it arrives....another contradiction!!

Had a great ride whilst I was away btw, the Marin at Betws y Coed, probably my last ride on the Avalanche and it handled it pretty well. Will have to try it again with the IDrive next time I'm up there...hope I won't be too noisy and scare all the wild life with my creaking pivot

Kanya

nfrang wrote:

show previous quotes

Kanya wrote:

My ID5 09 has exact same probs - creaking under load.

+1 Been back once...also got the SLX crankset on now but still creaking. Going back tommorrow for a pivot assembly(which is where the noise actually is)and i'll see after that.

Doesn't fill me with confidence with new threads popping up on this issue.

Way I saw it is why should I learn how to strip the idrive mech every 4 weeks and relube? Sure it may be only a £1000 bike (cheap some consider) but 1k is still 1k...Id rather get my money's worth.

Swapped it for a Boardman Pro HT tonight for same value of 1k

supersonic

Because part of owning a bike is maintenance? You expect it to look after itself?

handful

Can someone tell me if the Recon 327 on the I-Drive has lockout? It does according to the Halfords ad but I just looked around and it seeems the air version of the 327 has not got lockout? Is this something I should be concerned about if it hasn't? I see the 335 version of the recon air fork on the Boardman Comp does have lockout so is this a reason to maybe go with this option? Starting to have doubts about the GT now, worried about the weight. If I could get the Team I would go for the Boardman I think but what makes it tough is I can only go to £800. Because I have the GT available for that price it is clouding things for me :?

Kanya

supersonic wrote:

Because part of owning a bike is maintenance? You expect it to look after itself?

And part of buying a product is that it actually works correctly, especially given that it lasted 6 weeks before the first "fix" and then another 4 weeks before I took it back...overall I'm glad to see the back of it, although I did love the bike (when not creaking lol)

I'm not disagreeing that bike maintenance is part and parcel of ownership. However I do think the idrive system is flawed on this bike if this what owners are to expect from it - my one was rarely used and yet this problem occured.

I'd rather have a bike that requires normal maintenance, much like my previous bikes and therefore will be happier with the Baordman MTB pro.

supersonic

It is working correctly - it just needs greasing, the same way your chain needs oiling!

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree with how we view this lol.