Can anything beat a £999 Boardman

Langman

I am going to get a new bike for next season and going to spend around 1k. Been reading and looking and it looks like the Boardman for £999 really is by far the best bike available. Can any body dispute this?

Another option is to buy one of those unbranded carbon frames from China via ebay and build it up - does amyone have any experience of these frames?

Which option sounds best?

prawny

The boardmans are great just don't expect a super dream setup from halfords or excellent after sales service, I had two left had shifters fail (tiagra) which took a total of 7 weeks to replace. They replaced one side of the bartape (badly) with different tape but left the other side. They told me it had sealed cartridge bearings, it doesn't. When I picked it up 'ready to ride' the gears weren't set up at all and the chain jammed and broke.

I've had mine a year nearly and every time it's been back for repairs it's come back the same or worse than when it went in.

All halfords differ though apparently some are great.

The bikes themselves are great as long as you know what you're getting into with halfords, go for it.

Oh by the way, some bike snobs may look down their nose at you a bit, but sod them

porker33

Loads of threads on this,,,,everyone has a different view.......!

Personally i declined the Boardman as I didn't like the quality of the frame joints..

I ended up with a 2009 Trek, $500 cheaper than the 2010 model..

Others put forward a strong case for Caad9, Focus cayo and Planet X.

You have to find one you like the look of, try to ride one and feel happy with, doubt there is a right answer to your question.

Chip \'oyler

Can anything beat a Boardman?

I'm sure I could with a nice lump hammer

Nuggs

Chip \'oyler wrote:

nice lump hammer

What makes one lump hammer better than another?

prawny

porker33 wrote:

Loads of threads on this,,,,everyone has a different view.......!

Personally i declined the Boardman as I didn't like the quality of the frame joints..

I ended up with a 2009 Trek, $500 cheaper than the 2010 model..

Others put forward a strong case for Caad9, Focus cayo and Planet X.

You have to find one you like the look of, try to ride one and feel happy with, doubt there is a right answer to your question.

Actually yeah, I'd probably go for the Planet X if i was paying cash.

gkerr4

prawny wrote:

The boardmans are great just don't expect a super dream setup from halfords or excellent after sales service, I had two left had shifters fail (tiagra) which took a total of 7 weeks to replace. They replaced one side of the bartape (badly) with different tape but left the other side. They told me it had sealed cartridge bearings, it doesn't. When I picked it up 'ready to ride' the gears weren't set up at all and the chain jammed and broke.

I've had mine a year nearly and every time it's been back for repairs it's come back the same or worse than when it went in.

All halfords differ though apparently some are great.

The bikes themselves are great as long as you know what you're getting into with halfords, go for it.

Oh by the way, some bike snobs may look down their nose at you a bit, but sod them

sorry this is a bit off-topic - but if it kept coming back the same or worse - why did you keep taking it there for repairs? - couldn't you just have set the bike up yourself?

Scrumple

A £990 Boardman.

Try asking for £9 off?

galaxyboy

I looked at it when getting my last bike but our cycle scheme did not deal with Halfords (thankfully). The bike is great and fantastic value for money but when i asked the shop mechanic about it he knew nothing and could not even find the gears. I ended up with the ribble sportive which is excellent and also very good value for money. I think both must be better value than buyin it all separately.

gregster10217

porker33 wrote:

Loads of threads on this,,,,everyone has a different view.......!

Personally i declined the Boardman as I didn't like the quality of the frame joints..

I ended up with a 2009 Trek, $500 cheaper than the 2010 model..

Others put forward a strong case for Caad9, Focus cayo and Planet X.

You have to find one you like the look of, try to ride one and feel happy with, doubt there is a right answer to your question.

Didn't think it had joints as it's a monocoque frame? Maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, Im going for the Ltd Ed team carbon on my cycle to work scheme, got the voucher, just waiting for it to arrive in early December. I would be hard pushed to buy anything else with my own cash, but there are other very good bikes out there.
As regards Halfords, I seem to be in the minority as the one I've been dealing with has been superb. Boardman trained mech in store and setup for the test ride was spot on. Will see what it's like on the ltd ed, should be no different. That will depend on whether I take it back for the free 6 week check, but will probably use my LBS for everything after that.

jpembroke

Planet X Superlight Carbon with full Ultegra for £999 is probably the best bike for under £1000.

porker33

gregster, maybe you are right with the monocoque frame,,,what I do know is that where the tubing changes direction and creates an angle between, say, the seatpost and cross bar for example,,,of the examples I looked at the quality of the weave appeared inconsistent.

This could even have made the frame stronger??? but all I do know is I was happy to spend my £££, elsewhere.....plenty of people seem very happy with their Boardmans on many a forum.

FOAD

jpembroke wrote:

Planet X Superlight Carbon with full Ultegra for £999 is probably the best bike for under £1000.

Do you mean best bike or best specced? I think at that price point there are a few others which could be regarded as better bikes, with a worse spec. CAAD9 as the obvious example.

The Cookie Monster

The Boardman is a good bike, spec wise, i dont know enough about carbon weave to tell if the frame is strong, but i agree it doesnt have a smooth pattern change between the joins. If i know halfords, which im pretty sure i do after 3 years, theyll have cut costs on the frame and bottom bracket/headset etc (people rarely look at these) to afford to put on more expensive gears and brakes cos they make the bikes sell.

just make sure you tighten up the spokes as i used to work for halfords and regularly had them come back with buckled wheels or loose spokes, especially the real wheel. the kind of after sales service you get at halfords very wildly from store to store, what mood the employee is in or how much of a young attractive girl you are...

gregster10217

The other bike I was considering was the CAAD 9 but would have wanted the 2009 spec bike as the 2010 is now equipped with Tiagra rather than 105. Like many other manufacteuers they're saving costs this/next year by putting on lesser spec gruppos, whereas at least the boardman range is keeping with the same spec for next year even though they're not releasing a 2010 model.

friso

Hi,

I had the exact same dilema and thankfully made the right decission

After lots of research and from my personal expierience with bikes over the years i went for the Raleigh Carbon Comp, yes thats right a Raleigh

Full carbon frame and forks (alloy steerer) Tiagra group set etc

I have completed 2k in 5 months including the Autumn Epic 100 miler in October in a respectable time on it

I have not had one glitch with it and very llittle maintenace required

Available from Pauls Cycles in Dereham Norfolk (on-line) for under £800

If it had a trendier brand name they would twice the price

Certainly worth a look

top_bhoy

Can anything beat a £999 Boardman

yes....a can of petrol and some matches :twisted:

gregster10217

Why do people have a problem with Boardman bikes? The reviews have been fantastic and you cannot deny that. Is it purely because they are sold through Halfords? Is so, get over yourselves, buy a decent bike and don't ever go back to Halfords. Simple. If it's for some other reason, and you've ridden one to be able to give a valid opinion, I'd like to hear it.

nax-ian

I took ages to chose my 1k bike, in the end I went for the planet-x.
Looked seriously at a Ribble but they wanted silly money for transportation costs, an when I asked them "why so much?" They didn't even bother to reply!

Don't know if it's a good bike or not as its my 1st road bike, but it's well specced that's for sure. Plus with all the fittng options available, I'd say it makes it even more attractive.

Mine came with a bent mech hanger, (I was gutted) so I spoke to Adrian at P-X an he had a new one in the post the same day!!
Great service.Don't understand why people are still bothering with Halfords.

gregster10217

This is turning into another Halfords debate and going off topic. However, some of us don't have a choice about using Halfords as the cycle to work scheme is through them. I'd be going to my LBS to put the money in his pocket if I had a choice.

prawny

gkerr4 wrote:

prawny wrote:

The boardmans are great just don't expect a super dream setup from halfords or excellent after sales service, I had two left had shifters fail (tiagra) which took a total of 7 weeks to replace. They replaced one side of the bartape (badly) with different tape but left the other side. They told me it had sealed cartridge bearings, it doesn't. When I picked it up 'ready to ride' the gears weren't set up at all and the chain jammed and broke.

I've had mine a year nearly and every time it's been back for repairs it's come back the same or worse than when it went in.

All halfords differ though apparently some are great.

The bikes themselves are great as long as you know what you're getting into with halfords, go for it.

Oh by the way, some bike snobs may look down their nose at you a bit, but sod them

sorry this is a bit off-topic - but if it kept coming back the same or worse - why did you keep taking it there for repairs? - couldn't you just have set the bike up yourself?

I have now, it only went in for warranty jobs after the first time

andyrr

The C2W scheme, even if administered through Halfords may well not limit you to the brands that they stock - our company operates this and Halfords are the chosen shop but I phoned our HR dept and was told that other brands, inc Cannondale etc were available.

velorazzi

I think that's correct andy, A friend of mine is buying from Halfords via the cycle to work scheme. He says they can more or less order what he wants - it doesn't have to be a stock bike. Maybe that's just the larger stores though.

I like the Boardmans, but I got a second-hand Pinarello off Ebay* (risky!!) for less than £500 quid. Virtually brand new with mostly new components. It had only had a couple of hundred miles put though it ...Miles better than a Boardman, though, not on cycle to work.

*Yes, I did check out the seller beforehand - very reputable bike shop and a very nice chap also.

marin_maniac

Boardman this, Boardman that. Blah Blah blah. I'd be interested to know if all the people that slate Boardman bikes, have they actually ridden one?

Probably not. If they had, it would be interesting to see what their opinion would be compared to their own, more expensive snob value brand.

With regards to the 'I'm not interested in the Team Carbon because I think the carbon weave is inconsistent' give me a break please.

porker33

Marin Maniac wrote:

With regards to the 'I'm not interested in the Team Carbon because I think the carbon weave is inconsistent' give me a break please.

The point I made on the carbon weave, was the difference in apparent quality between 2 team carbon bikes both on display at the same time.

I appreciate the bikes are a good spec for the price, obviously costs have to be met,,,,when I asked the 18 year old Halfords bike specialist about the carbon, he didn't seem to know much about them.

As stated, many are happy with their bikes, but for me spending £1000 of my own, non cycle scheme cash, not being an expert on carbon, but having observed the variance in quality and unable to find a suitable response, I decided to look elsewhere.
Is this a service rather than quality isssue?

Having looked at cannondale, Pinarello and the Trek I ended up with, I was happier to purchase a machine with consistent quality and warranty.

I don't really feel I slated Boardmans, as I was keen to go and look into buying one, just because they are recomended on forums and the distribution process implies a tremendous demand, doesn't really work for me,,far happier to carry out due diligence and buy a machine that I feel suits me.

Enjoy your Boradmans and try not to take the views of others too seriously over your own experiences.

daviesee

Can anything beat a Boardman?

Of course it can be beat!

Then again, I am picturing Basil Fawlty and a tree branch

Sorry, boring day at work..................

rake

gregster10217

rake wrote:

i ride a team carbon boardman and honestly think its a £1500 bike for £1000. i also seen bikes costing double with similar spec and no lighter. i have no doubts about the frame it handles well and best of all seems nice and stiff including the forks and is also lightweight exactly as many reviews have said. i still like shimano but also think the sram is quality.the rival is said by many to be at least as good as ultegra and lighter. the cost savings come in the form of the outlet, the bare carbon finish (which i think looks beautiful) only in one colour and the 18 month model run instead of yearly. the frame is t700 carbon (dont know what that means) but i have seen treks and others made from t700.it also comes from the same mould as the pro t800 carbon exactly the same shape. i would say the frame is a strong point, oversized head tube and bottom bearing looks nice and makes the forks stiff and a very bulky bottom bracket area and large chainstays hold the crankset put when mashing up hills. i would recommend better bar tape. i put phat tape on mine with gel pads. also if the brakes arent too hot put koolstop dual compound cartridges in set slightly toe in and let them bed in for a week. mine stops quick sharp now. i say unbeatable at £1000.

At last, someone who rides one with a review of the bike the OP was asking about.

Gav888

Im in the same sort of boat as you, well nearly.... ive given myself roughly £1500 give or take a few £100 to buy another bike for Spring.

The Boardman Team Carbon is at the top of my list over some nice bikes because at the moment as I can get one for £600 on C2W which makes it a real bargain. The bike has loads of good reviews.

Other new bikes im considering are Giant TCR Advanced, Cannondale Synapse, Specialized Tarmac, Ribble Sportive, Boardman Pro Carbon. The Giant won bike of the year in Bike Radar..... but im still considering the Team Carbon over these despite the price differences.

At the end of the day you can buy alot of bike for £1000 these days and the Boardman is one of the best you can get for the money. It comes down to personal preference.

Yorkshiredoc

rake wrote:

i ride a team carbon boardman and honestly think its a £1500 bike for £1000. i also seen bikes costing double with similar spec and no lighter. i have no doubts about the frame it handles well and best of all seems nice and stiff including the forks and is also lightweight exactly as many reviews have said. i still like shimano but also think the sram is quality.the rival is said by many to be at least as good as ultegra and lighter. the cost savings come in the form of the outlet, the bare carbon finish (which i think looks beautiful) only in one colour and the 18 month model run instead of yearly. the frame is t700 carbon (dont know what that means) but i have seen treks and others made from t700.it also comes from the same mould as the pro t800 carbon exactly the same shape. i would say the frame is a strong point, oversized head tube and bottom bearing looks nice and makes the forks stiff and a very bulky bottom bracket area and large chainstays hold the crankset put when mashing up hills. i would recommend better bar tape. i put phat tape on mine with gel pads. also if the brakes arent too hot put koolstop dual compound cartridges in set slightly toe in and let them bed in for a week. mine stops quick sharp now. i say unbeatable at £1000.

I have to agree with you rake. I bought a Team Boardman after shortlisting the Focus Cayo, Planet X and the more expensive Kuota Kharma. My local Halfords set up the bike as well as my LBS would have done and it only needed a slight adjustment to the saddle. I like the quality of the finish (including the bar tape). The frame is stiff and responsive and, now I am used to them, love the SRAM gears (I have Shimano 105 on my old bike). I don't think the other bikes on my shortlist would have been better, and at least I could see the Boardman before purchase unlike the Focus and Planet X.

Gazzaputt

velorazzi wrote:

I like the Boardmans, but I got a second-hand Pinarello off Ebay* (risky!!) for less than £500 quid. Virtually brand new with mostly new components. It had only had a couple of hundred miles put though it ...Miles better than a Boardman, though, not on cycle to work.

*Yes, I did check out the seller beforehand - very reputable bike shop and a very nice chap also.

Had you ridden the Boardman to compare? I'd think a Boardman would give a cheaper Pinarello a run for its money.