Boardman Team Carbon - Small (50cm) vs Medium (53cm)

beedj
beedj Posts: 7
edited November 2013 in Road beginners
Apologies for such a dull first post but I'm about to acquire a Boardman Team Carbon via C2W and struggling to decide which size. I'm a newbie roadie but experienced MTBer.

I'm 5'7" (170cm) with 30" (77cm) inside leg. I've searched these forums and others, and tried various online calculators which all seem to come out inbetween at 51.5cm frame size !

My inclination would have been to go for Small and get longer stem if it proved necessary, but the Halfords advice at the bottom of this page is very definite in advisng somebody of my size to go for a Medium : http://answers.halfords.com/answers/402 ... stions.htm

Would really appreciate any comments, particularly from anybody who has a Small or Medium Boardman road bike and is of similar sizing to myself ....
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Comments

  • Garz
    Garz Posts: 1,155
    Hi beedj, I hope I may be able to help some..

    I am 5ft 6 (almost 7 but cant round up :wink: ) and have the Boardman comp in small. Although I could fit on a medium, Im glad I chose the small as the stem would have been an issue for sure with the medium.
  • Samson1
    Samson1 Posts: 44
    I'm a very similar size and I would definitely go for the small. I ride bikes with a 53.5cm and a 54cm top tube and I think the reach on the medium would be too long.
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    Def small. 8)
    Cycling weakly
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I'm 5'6" with a 31" inside leg and I would definitely go for a small.

    I have a 51cm Racelight Tk and Epic had to work hard fitting an inline seatpost and a short stem to get that to fit me.
  • juankerr
    juankerr Posts: 1,099
    Go for Small. It's a 55cm top tube on the medium which is on the long side. I'm 5'10 and have a medium and I'd certainly not want it to be any longer.

    Re: Advice on the website re sizing. It's bollox! They recommend a medium for someone 5'7 and a small for someone 5'10!
  • juankerr
    juankerr Posts: 1,099
    Go for Small. It's a 55cm top tube on the medium which is on the long side. I'm 5'10 and have a medium and I'd certainly not want it to be any longer.

    Re: Advice on the website re sizing. It's bollox! They recommend a medium for someone 5'7 and a small for someone 5'10!
  • Barrie_G
    Barrie_G Posts: 479
    I'm 5'10 (30 inch inside leg) and I've normally gone for medium sized bikes, just recently ended up with a bike in a small size and it's a revelation, it just fits soooo much better, if you can't try them out at least see if you can get sat on them, it should give you a much better idea of which feels more comfortable.
  • Beno2010
    Beno2010 Posts: 8
    I'm 5'10 with a 31 inside leg and the medium Boardman is perfect for me so go for the small.
  • beedj
    beedj Posts: 7
    Thanks all - seems pretty unanimous I should go for a Small

    Cheers
  • Fraktul
    Fraktul Posts: 6
    Yup, I'm 5'8" and have a medium Boardman Team Carbon, wish I had gone for a small. The crappy Halfords guys at the Leeds (York Road) store only had a medium and a large road bike to try, regret going for a medium, I can still ride it fine and it is a lovely bike, I would have been a little more comfortable on the smaller one.

    Had a similar problem with my second cycle to work bike, went to try the different sizes on the Boardman team FS MTB bike, they only had a medium, which didn't have as much clearance as I would have liked, so I asked them to try a small and they didn't have one, then the guys said the only Boardman we have in small is the roadbike, as if trying a small roadbike would give me the right sizing for a MTB, I told them there was no way I was going to buy from them and I'll now make the trip over to the Manchester branch where they actually give a toss.

    Halfords should send a mystery shopper to the Leeds (York Road) branch to see what a bunch of muppets they have employed there, disgraceful.
  • ex-pat scot
    ex-pat scot Posts: 939
    Small.

    I'm 5'10 and a medium.
    Commute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX

    Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap

    Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    I'm 5'8" with long body & arms and short legs (please ditch any mental images right now), I found medium was perfect for me - which suggests that small is probably good for more normally proportioned people of the same height
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Mental images of what? E.T.? Orang-utan? Enormous penguin? Lobster??

    C'mon, we need to know!
  • gllewellyn
    gllewellyn Posts: 113
    I'm 5'9 and when I tried the medium the guy at Halfords immediately saw that the reach was a bit of a stretch, so I tried the small, and it was much better.

    Got the small, and it's excellent - so yes, the answer is small.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I might have gone for a Boardman on C2W if they'd made a decent 'small' size frame - a 54cm toptube is too long for many less than 5ft6", particularly with a layback seatpost and suitable stem - the same was when Giant launched the TCR with a similar length of toptube - riding with straight arms is not comfortable.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    Monty Dog wrote:
    I might have gone for a Boardman on C2W if they'd made a decent 'small' size frame - a 54cm toptube is too long for many less than 5ft6", particularly with a layback seatpost and suitable stem - the same was when Giant launched the TCR with a similar length of toptube - riding with straight arms is not comfortable.

    Agree, I have a Comp in medium(I'm 5'10" tall and 30" inside leg) Normally I would need a 120mm stem to suit my long body but the standard one, 90mm I think, is enough
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • pabwal
    pabwal Posts: 90
    this makes intersting reading, i too have been told to get a large from the staff at Halfords yet i'm 5ft 11 with a 32" leg. perhaps i should go for the medium? cheers
    Genius Chronometro TT
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    that sounds about right for you. im 6 feet long have large. i may need a slightly shorter stem but im all leg putting the seat up and back causing a big drop to the bars. average sized person its ok.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    Agree, I have a Comp in medium(I'm 5'10" tall and 30" inside leg) Normally I would need a 120mm stem to suit my long body but the standard one, 90mm I think, is enough
    90mm is quite short for a standard stem, interesting that the Boardman has a relatively long TT and short stem. I always wonder how long TT / short stem versus short TT / long stem (with the same reach) affects ride and handling. People often say that shorter bikes are more responsive but less stable, but a shorter stem will presumably make the steering more responsive.

    The Boardman gets rave reviews, but Cycling Plus in their Bike of the Year test speculated that the reason they liked the Wilier Izoard so much might have been partially due to the short TT and long stem. I wonder if it actually makes much difference.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    my winter bike is bordering on the small for me and ive put a long stem on to compensate. it seems to make quite a difference to how twitchey the steering is . it seems more stable but tight turns are trickier and hard braking tends to lift the rear wheel much easier. the large boardman has a 120mm stem so i wouldnt call that short. i may try a 11cm stem for my long bar brop.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    neeb wrote:
    Agree, I have a Comp in medium(I'm 5'10" tall and 30" inside leg) Normally I would need a 120mm stem to suit my long body but the standard one, 90mm I think, is enough
    90mm is quite short for a standard stem, interesting that the Boardman has a relatively long TT and short stem. I always wonder how long TT / short stem versus short TT / long stem (with the same reach) affects ride and handling. People often say that shorter bikes are more responsive but less stable, but a shorter stem will presumably make the steering more responsive.

    The Boardman gets rave reviews, but Cycling Plus in their Bike of the Year test speculated that the reason they liked the Wilier Izoard so much might have been partially due to the short TT and long stem. I wonder if it actually makes much difference.
    according to this the medium has a 11cm stem and 55.5cm effective top tube. i dont know where he got the 9cm from.
    http://road.cc/content/review/11774-boa ... pro-carbon
  • crumbschief
    crumbschief Posts: 3,399
    So far i have found that even a few mm on the stem can make abig difference to the twitch,as for sm/med to cm sizing i find that can be confusing.
  • shevbot
    shevbot Posts: 1
    Sorry to resurrect this thread but I went into halfords after reading online here and in other places. I thought I was definitely going to be buying a medium team carbon.

    I'm 5"10' with an 85.5cm inside leg. Guy in halfords was saying I should definitely get a large. But the place was a shambles and really doesnt inspire confidence when buying. Ended up thinking medium seemed small and large seemed too big.

    Any suggestions please
  • friso
    friso Posts: 107
    Hi

    I'm 5ft8", and i have the Team Carbon in the small (good bike for the cash)

    It's a great fit but the finishing kit may not be right for everyone

    The bars are 400mm width, which is far to narrow for someone of my build although the size of frame was fine

    I also had to turn the stem upside down to make the drops a more comfortable reach, but we are all different sizes

    Depending on what build you are such as shoulder width, leg length etc be prepaired to change stems, posts and bars and definantly ditch the Ritchie wheels
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    shevbot wrote:
    Sorry to resurrect this thread but I went into halfords after reading online here and in other places. I thought I was definitely going to be buying a medium team carbon.

    I'm 5"10' with an 85.5cm inside leg. Guy in halfords was saying I should definitely get a large. But the place was a shambles and really doesnt inspire confidence when buying. Ended up thinking medium seemed small and large seemed too big.

    Any suggestions please

    I'm 5'11" and ride a medium so the guy in Halfords was talking cr%p. It would be best to get a slightly too small bike and fit a longer stem and a set back post rather than a too big a frame. But this is the problem with Halfords compared to a LBS, you go into a LBS and if you are in an in between size they can tailor the bike to get a good fit.
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    markos1963 wrote:
    I'm 5'11" and ride a medium so the guy in Halfords was talking cr%p. It would be best to get a slightly too small bike and fit a longer stem and a set back post rather than a too big a frame. But this is the problem with Halfords compared to a LBS, you go into a LBS and if you are in an in between size they can tailor the bike to get a good fit.
    markos1963 wrote:
    Agree, I have a Comp in medium(I'm 5'10" tall and 30" inside leg) Normally I would need a 120mm stem to suit my long body but the standard one, 90mm I think, is enough

    Wow! You've grown an inch in exactly 2 months! What diet are you on? :wink:
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    hopper1 wrote:
    markos1963 wrote:
    I'm 5'11" and ride a medium so the guy in Halfords was talking cr%p. It would be best to get a slightly too small bike and fit a longer stem and a set back post rather than a too big a frame. But this is the problem with Halfords compared to a LBS, you go into a LBS and if you are in an in between size they can tailor the bike to get a good fit.
    markos1963 wrote:
    Agree, I have a Comp in medium(I'm 5'10" tall and 30" inside leg) Normally I would need a 120mm stem to suit my long body but the standard one, 90mm I think, is enough

    Wow! You've grown an inch in exactly 2 months! What diet are you on? :wink:

    Well spotted, actually I'm between the two but it makes me sound like a 6yo if I say I'm 5'10" and a half!
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • hopper1
    hopper1 Posts: 4,389
    markos1963 wrote:
    Well spotted, actually I'm between the two but it makes me sound like a 6yo if I say I'm 5'10" and a half!

    Feck! That'd make you the tallest in class!...
    Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    hopper1 wrote:
    markos1963 wrote:
    Well spotted, actually I'm between the two but it makes me sound like a 6yo if I say I'm 5'10" and a half!

    Feck! That'd make you the tallest in class!...

    Shorty :wink:
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • sir_dave
    sir_dave Posts: 1
    Another quick bump of this im afraid.

    Halfords, Cycle Surgery and my LBS have advised that i should be getting a 53" frame - specifically a Boardman now i think, but the reach did seem a little far (tbh i am used to mountain bikes). Am only 5'7" with a 30" leg so would be keen to find out peoples opinions :?:

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