Boardman comp 09

moffmcewan

Is this bike as good as it specs? £649 for all tiagra and 105 setup? Anyone know if it's cheap because it's rubbish or cheap just cause others are expensive?

Got some reservations dealing with halfords so shall I go LBS and pay the same for less gear or go for the boardman?

mattbass789

I have one, and its only front mech and shifters that are tiagra, and only rear mech that is 105. It has tektro brakes, which in my eyes do the job just fine, better than anything Ive tried before at the lower end of the shimano range.

It is a very very good spec for the money and i doubt i would have been happy with anything else, for that money. most other bikes at this price have sora and tiagra stuff and the sora shifters are just plain s***.

The wheels in my experience are its only let down, ive had the bike 1 year, and theyve needed truing twice, and the rear one is looking like it needs a rebuild... Not great, but not every bike is 100% in my eyes. Ill always find a flaw in it somewhere.

Generally my halfords aren't that bad, they know what theyre talking about and they dont give the part timers any freedom in dealing with boardmans, i think theyve realised now that guys who buy boardmans generally are serious about and should talk to someone in the know.

cougie

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=reviews+of+Boardman+Comp+

Lots of good reviews.The Boardman range is pretty well thought of.

moffmcewan

ye read loads of reviews i just keep getting the customer service is very hit and miss, ive only started researching bikes in last fortnight or so and i asked halfords very basic questions and i'd have been as well to speak a different language, he didnt even know what sora and tiagra was, just worries me as a begginer as my LBS knew everything about their bikes, im thinking of aftercare etc, no doubt the bike is well thought of

ALaPlage

Ive had a Boardman Hybrid Pro and it was well put together and an enjoyable ride. Alternatively consider buying used - lots of well specced £2000 - £3000 bikes hardly used and if you take your time can be found for £1000 to £1500. Plenty of people think they will take up cycling - buy the best and then end up leaving it to gather dust in the garage after only a handful of short rides. Six months later when the next interest develops they sell the bike.

I got a Trek Madone 5.9 with full Ultegra SL and the latest 6700 shifters for £1300. A bike that is £3k new. Ebay an obvious source although at this time of year the bids tend to be strong and keep prices high. Try classifieds such as Cycling Weekly - bargains often pop up for realistic prices.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/trek-5-4-madone-/ ... 45f2942951

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-Madone-5-5-F ... 2a0694f3b7

http://www.magazineclassifieds.co.uk/se ... O_56cm.php

The last one a bit more than the budget but may take an offer but supports my point as it is only a few weeks old and is £500 cheaper than new.

nochekmate

ALaPlage wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/trek-5-4-madone-/ ... 45f2942951

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-Madone-5-5-F ... 2a0694f3b7

http://www.magazineclassifieds.co.uk/se ... O_56cm.php

The last one a bit more than the budget but may take an offer but supports my point as it is only a few weeks old and is £500 cheaper than new.

You're talking a different league in terms of budget than the OP suggested. There are some good bikes for £5000 kicking around too if you've got the cash! He's talking £650 and you provide a link to a Scott for £1750! I doubt that he'll take an offer in the OP's suggestd budget, so pretty pointless to mention it. Both Trek bikes are for more than £1K as well.

ALaPlage

The point is buying second hand is a viable option. A £650 budget should get you a 105 specced groupset on possibly a full carbon frame on a bike circa £1200 to £1300 new. It takes patience and a bit of time to search out what you are looking for. Maybe my examples were not the best due to being higher than the OP's budget - If I had more time I am sure I could have found an example - I was making the point simply that you can get a lot more for your money if you are prepared to buy used.

Thanks for you useful comment however.

juankerr

It depends if you feel competent enough fiddling with the bike to get it set up o.k. I got the Team last Jan and have had to fettle the front derailler and bars/stem so far but I prefer to do as much on my bike myself as possible so it's not an issue for me.

For £650 in a LBS you'll probably be looking at Sora and a bike weighing about 2lbs more.

Re: Wheels. I think they must have resolved the problems with these - mine seem fine after 4 months - if they die within the year I'll ask Halfords to sort, if they die after a year then decent replacements can be had for £100 so I'll not be too put out.

Garz

As mattbass says really. +1

I had mine now nearly 11 months and cant complain. I also got £50 off for it being the display model so £600 well spent for me! 8)