Boardman Team Carbon Back To £999.99 - Ideal For Beginners!
Comments
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prawny I agree, that was pure profiteering. But then every other LBS brand sells with 50+% mark up, rather than 20%. Boardman margins are so slim even staff can't use their 15% discount cards on them. That doesn't make the TdF thing right though.
I love the comment about Centaur being as good as Rival.Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
Boardman FS Pro0 -
Profiteering eh???
I'm no fan of Halfords but I'm time served in retail and currently employed outside of retail buying globally sourced materials and finished goods.
Prices of materials and subsequently goods have rocketed like you cannot imagine over the last 12-18 months. Upward price pressure in any manufacturing industry is unbelievable at the moment. I think profiteering is a very harsh accusation.
As for your retail margins, 20% is only sustainable if you can shift volume. The 50% mark up may sound like daylight robbery but even that doesn't generate a lot of wiggle room on price when you consider the actual costs of running a shop.
If anybody saw the apprentice the other week when they sold retail fashion in the Trafford centre, it all looked very exciting condensed into an hour episode and the £3,500 each team took sounds good. Unfortunately, a unit that size would need to take at least double that just to stay open. Retail is not easy money, bike retail strikes me as phenomenally hard work with relatively speaking little reward unless you benefit from a passion for the sport.0 -
When did you ride Centaur Bar Maid?0
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morstar wrote:Profiteering eh???
I'm no fan of Halfords, but.... I think profiteering is a very harsh accusation.
Yes, perhaps it is, especially when the product is a lifestyle product rather than something like an asthma drug.
I am a fan of some elements of Halfords and think the retail model for Boardmans is brilliant. Without the existing distribution network and the volume of sales, the bikes would be 25-30% more expensive as a minimum. Instead they have chosen a volume model and many people have bought great bikes at way below market price. From this, others have sprung up and there is now a large market in high volume/low margin medium quality bikes. These bikes were out of the price range of most people only 5 years ago.
I had 7 years in manufacturing to retail (and wholesale most of it export). Currency prices made life very difficult for the export stuff but I always traded openly. In a niche retail environment, your image can take a big hit if prices yo-yo by such large margins, especially when this coincides with a televised international sporting event that on which you advertise and is fronted by a prominent director in your supply chain. The prices rises and then constant discounting back has pissed off a lot of potential buyers. The bike is still good value at £1200 but buyers don't like being 'played' when spending this sort of money on a bike.
On my club Sunday rides, Boardman are now the most popular single brand. Of those that don't have one, several aspire to get one and they bikes are admired by everyone who has ridden one. It's quite some reputation in such a short period of time. I see that Boardman are now taking the 2011 bikes international. I am sure they will have similar success in their new territories.
Getoffandmilkit its an internet nick name. Changing it to insult me doesn't really work.Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
Boardman FS Pro0 -
Bar Shaker wrote:morstar wrote:Profiteering eh???
The bike is still good value at £1200
No it is not.0 -
Bar Shaker wrote:.
Getoffandmilkit its an internet nick name. Changing it to insult me doesn't really work.
You're right Knee Trembler.
You were going to tell us about when you rode Centaur. Or have you only ridden your Boardman with partial Rival groupset?0 -
Ah, yes.
You're right, its only partial Rival as it has a 105 cassette as standard (also better than Centaur). I have changed my cassette to a Force, which is much better.
I could have ridden Centaur and Athena equipped bikes when looking for a bike to buy. The silly down shift buttons meant they weren't for me.
How do you get on with them, on the drops, wearing winter gloves? I'm guessing you like them.
Each to their own.Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
Boardman FS Pro0 -
ShutUpLegs wrote:Bar Shaker wrote:morstar wrote:Profiteering eh???
The bike is still good value at £1200
No it is not.
Morstar didn't write that! Not sure if you're trolling or whether that's an innocent mistake. Frankly, don't rightly care either.
At £1,200 it appears there may be better deals out there in some peoples opinions. For the sake of £100 give or take, my recommendation would be to get the bike that fits best.0 -
Bar Shaker wrote:How do you get on with them, on the drops, wearing winter gloves? I'm guessing you like them..
It's pretty easy for those of us with opposable thumbs........Faster than a tent.......0 -
ShutUpLegs wrote:Bar Shaker wrote:morstar wrote:Profiteering eh???
The bike is still good value at £1200
No it is not.
Please explain0 -
Rolf F wrote:Bar Shaker wrote:How do you get on with them, on the drops, wearing winter gloves? I'm guessing you like them..
It's pretty easy for those of us with opposable thumbs........
and easy for me too, with Aldi ski gloves on, not a problem at all
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Bar Shaker wrote:Ah, yes.
You're right, its only partial Rival as it has a 105 cassette as standard (also better than Centaur). I have changed my cassette to a Force, which is much better.
I could have ridden Centaur and Athena equipped bikes when looking for a bike to buy. The silly down shift buttons meant they weren't for me.
How do you get on with them, on the drops, wearing winter gloves? I'm guessing you like them.
Each to their own.
Force and Rival are the same cassette PG1070
Doubt if you noticed any benefit getting rid of the decent 105 one unless you changed ratios. I'd have changed the Tektro brakes first then get a Force crank instead of the non-series s350.
As regards groupset heirarchy manufacturers by weight and price and reviewers by comparison tests usually have it something like this:-
Tiagra
Veloce/105
Centaur/Athena/Rival
Ultegra/Force
Then all the ones we can't afford/justify.
I borrowed a mate's bike with Centaur for a while and loved the hoods and was impressed by the look and functionality but after years of Shimano couldn't get used to the thumbshift.
I looked for a compromise and ended up with SRAM Rival-having hoods nearly as comfortable as the Centaur but no thumbshift.
I have in a way been playing devils advocate about Centaur but what I was getting at is that all mid range groupsets perform very well and will not let you down. It all comes down to which feels best to you.
My winter bike has Tiagra and while unlikely to win any beauty contests performs as well as the old 105 I used to have.0 -
Squillinossett wrote:ShutUpLegs wrote:Bar Shaker wrote:morstar wrote:Profiteering eh???
The bike is still good value at £1200
No it is not.
Please explain
The price point for this bike is about £800, improved wheels, brakes and groupset needed to justify £1200.0 -
Links to where I could buy these £800 alternatives please?ShutUpLegs wrote:The price point for this bike is about £800, improved wheels, brakes and groupset needed to justify £1200.0 -
I would also be interested in links to similar spec bikes for £800, rather than just trolling comments to diss what is a great bike.
The wheels are Ritchey deep section and weigh in at 1850g. They roll much better than most other bikes at this level (evidenced from club ride descents). The wheels are atleast as good as anything sold on similar priced bikes and better than most.
The Tektro brakes are light, stiff and very good. The pads are not. Re-face the pads every now and then and the brakes as good as anything available. I will be fitting Swisstop pads in Jan.
I really don't understand why some people feel so threatened by this bike. Is it that some people have paid more for a bike that comes with loads of reputation but can't cut it in a head to head magazine test?
I did change my cassette for an 11 tooth top gear. It also turned out quieter, smoother and quicker to change.Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
Boardman FS Pro0 -
Has shades of Caterham v Westfield and Subaru v Evo around here. I am sure similiar debates must rage all over the internet from everything from pots and kettles and to toasters to slipper and socks. :roll:
I am got a Boardman TC in Sept. Since then I have become really interested in the whole road bike scene. I love the engineering details on the bikes. The engineering designs and the choices available. Boardman is just one more choice out there.
At my level and from what I have seen the biggest difference you make to performance is to the riders fitness and technique. As long as a bike is mechanically reliable then there are miles to be ridden and fun to be had no matter what sticker is on the frame.
I might not get a Boardman next time I choose but I would not discount it seems ok for me so far.0 -
Why is everyone flaming so much?
I have a boardman comp and although it is a lesser and different bike than the boardman team carbon, I love it! It's my first road bike, and I think it would've been difficult to get a similarly spec'd new bike for £630 at the time.
I'm with people on the Halfords thing, a lot of their stores I've been to, they have never been much help. But I've found a store quite local to me, where everyone is very kind, and seem to know what they are doing.0 -
I'd sooner buy secondhand for £1K than spend it on the Boardman tbh.
For not much more than the price of a Boardman Team Carbon (and for less than the proposed new price of £1200), I've just bought a Basso Astra, with Campag Record carbon groupset and American Classic 420 Aero wheels.
Yes I know it's not new (2009), but it's been pretty well looked after (as many expensive bikes have in my experience).
Not so many Bassos knocking around on the roads and the spec is different class - the frame alone retails for around £2K. You pays your money and takes your choice - mine was to buy a more exclusive/better specced bike secondhand.0 -
that doesnt really mean much, although good buy if you like it, a second hand boardman could have been around £500 so the comparison is lost on me. by the way ritchey wheels are made under liscence by american classic so effectively the same make.
http://www.performancebike.com/images/p ... Poster.pdf0 -
I am not surprised by all this Boardman bashing, :roll:
unfortunately some of the British folks are notorious for running down their own successful people, if Chris had of been Italian or German, you can bet that the bashers would be singing about, how good this brand of Bikes is.
For goodness sake give this relatively new brand a chance, they are producing good bikes.0 -
If the exact same bike was sold, but it said Stork/BMC on the side, people would love it....
I will be buying a new bike next summer, but I still very much rate my boardman!0 -
I bought my tc in October last year (after starting road riding in may of the same year) at the same time I put a deposit down on the pro carbon race prepared which I then picked up in march, it had full 2010 red groupset and 2010 404 tubs, all for £3300, bargain. I've ridden hundreds of miles on both and love them to bits, they're great bikes, great value for money, and ride fantastically. Although I only use my tc as my turbo bike now the weather has turned shitty, when I was commuting on it I loved it, and it did me well until I got the RP, in fact, the tc is a much better bike than I am rider, but im 23 years old still living at home rent free and taking home over £1200 a month, blowing my money on bikes is far more worthwhile than spending it on booze (although I haven't drank for 5 years, go figure...)
You can bash Halfords and boardman all you want, but I think they're excellent bikes, yeah the tc could do with an upgrade, but as boardman work on a 2 year product cycle, it was bound to get out of date sooner or later. Raising the price was a little cheeky though, but I'd say it's still worth 1.2k, they raised the pro carbon from 1.5 to 1.6 last year and no one seemed to complain!0 -
out of date?0
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Well it's 2 years old, that's what I mean by "out of date"0
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jonmack wrote:I bought my tc in October last year (after starting road riding in may of the same year) at the same time I put a deposit down on the pro carbon race prepared which I then picked up in march, it had full 2010 red groupset and 2010 404 tubs, all for £3300, bargain. I've ridden hundreds of miles on both and love them to bits, they're great bikes, great value for money, and ride fantastically. Although I only use my tc as my turbo bike now the weather has turned shitty, when I was commuting on it I loved it, and it did me well until I got the RP, in fact, the tc is a much better bike than I am rider, but im 23 years old still living at home rent free and taking home over £1200 a month, blowing my money on bikes is far more worthwhile than spending it on booze (although I haven't drank for 5 years, go figure...)
You can bash Halfords and boardman all you want, but I think they're excellent bikes, yeah the tc could do with an upgrade, but as boardman work on a 2 year product cycle, it was bound to get out of date sooner or later. Raising the price was a little cheeky though, but I'd say it's still worth 1.2k, they raised the pro carbon from 1.5 to 1.6 last year and no one seemed to complain!
you gave up drinking when you were 18.......isn't that the wrong way round??
can't argue with the boardmans, they are great value, how do people find the build quality re frame and finishing kit?My Marmotte 2012 Blog:
http://steve-lamarmotte2012.blogspot.com/
cervelo R5 VWD
Spesh Roubaix
Genesis Equilibrium
Spesh FSR Stumpy Expert
Spesh M4 Stumpy
Brompton SL2
Giant TCX
Canyon Grandcanyon 29er0 -
speshsteve wrote:you gave up drinking when you were 18.......isn't that the wrong way round??
can't argue with the boardmans, they are great value, how do people find the build quality re frame and finishing kit?
Within 3 months of my 18th birthday I was fed up with drinking so gave up, haven't touched a drop since!
I can't find any flaws in the build quality or the finishing kit, I've had my TC for over a year and never had to adjust any spokes or anything at all other than bar height and saddle position. It seems a lot of people complain about the competency of the Halfords staff, but I used to work at my local one and as such knew that they were all skilled mechanics and so had no concerns about them building up either of my bikes.0 -
After the way i feel today, i wish that i'd given up at 18!0
