£1000: Boardman vs Cayo vs Verenti

bernmc

Howdie.

Bit of a familiar story here - I'm a bit of a mountain biker who has been drawn to the dark side... A mate suggested I join him for a 50 mile challenge ride (Stoke leg of the Tour of Britain charity events), so I borrowed a couple of road bikes to train on for a few weeks, and ended up doing the ride in a smidge over 3 hours. And loved it !

So now I want to get myself a decent road bike to do more similar events. I'm never going to be a hard-core racer, and I suspect I won't end up doing anything more than the odd 80-100 mile jaunt. I'm not hugely competitive, but I don't like to hang around when I do get out. More riding less jibber-jabber!

Cycle 2 work will give me a grand, and we have a deal with Halfrauds where they give us an extra 10% of whatever we spend with them, so my budget is around £1000-1100. Maybe slightly more if I can bargain a bit for this year's model on the back of next year's hitting the shops soon...

Some important points for me:

I'm not remotely brand conscious. I have a limited budget, and want the best bike and spec for the money. I don't care what it looks like - I can't afford several hundred squids for a name!
I'm not bothered by the quality of store setup - I always end up tinkering with the bike myself, so eg. issues with spotty yoots putting bikes together at my local bike hut are not a concern.
I can't afford a bike for each season, so I'll be riding it all year 'round.

I've spent days pouring through reviews and umpteen bikes - it's a bloody nightmare!

Current shortlist:
-Boardman Road team Carbon (£999)
-Focus Cayo 105 ltd ed (£999)
-Boardman Road Bike Pro Carbon (£1599) - only if I can negotiate a demo model or similar
-Verenti Rhigos.03 (£1400 - ditto)


The bike I borrowed for the Race was the Boardman Road Team Carbon which scared the bewotsits out of me when I first got onto it! So hard, and completely different geometry to what I was used to. However, after I got used to it, it was great, and the actual event was huge fun on it. I didn't suffer any particular aches and pains from riding position, and my bum was ok after I changed the saddle from the original boardman torture instrument. So I know the bike, and know that I can ride it comfortably for 3 hours.

I've read all the debate about boardmans -no 'pedigree', copycats etc bla bla. However, no matter how much I look, I keep coming back to them as they seem to win hands down on value for the kit you're getting. The frame is race-proven, and reviews in all the mags/bike sites are universally excellent. My MTB is boardman, and I love it.

My concern about the road bike is the harshness of the ride, and the fact that I felt slightly uncomfortable out of the saddle. But this may just be the difference from my MTB.

No idea about the cayo, apart from the fact it has good reviews, and decent spec for the price. Anyone here own one?

The last two on my list are wishful thinking - I might be able to swing a deal somewhere... Do you think the Boardman pro is worth the extra. Again reviews all seem to put it as the bike to beat at that price.

I'm interested in the Verenti (wiggles own brand), as again it has good reviews, and seem to be set up for a slightly more comfortable ride. And after saying I'm not bothered about looks/brand, I have to admit that I can't stand the Verenti Me logos!!! Why did they have to splatter them all over the bars?!!

If I could get the verenti and the boardman at a similar price, which to go for...?

Any helpful opinions from owners or people who have ridden these bikes? Anything else I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance...

Monkeypump

I think you may have answered your own question - at a grand, the Boardman is by far the best value and the reviews are almost universally positive.

Your ability to set the bike up outweighs the pitfalls of having to deal with Halfords.

The Focus and Verenti would be internet buys I guess, which means no test-rides, although there are numerous good reviews for the Cayo. That said, lots of Halfords branches are hesitant to let you loose with a test ride, so you may struggle there too.

If I wasn't 6' 5" and/or Boardman made them in my size, I'd snap one up without question.

keef66

Get the Boardman and put some 25mm tyres on it; you can run lower pressures for a bit less road buzz.

sundog

Wiggle do a 30 test ride for the Cayo. I'd give that a go especially if you've ridden a Boardman. You may be pleasantly surprised.

tim000

i bought a cayo in may and love it. but cant compare it with the others. if you join british cycling you will get 10% off at wiggle and 15% off at halfords too. well worth it if you are spending £1000. wish i`d have known that before i bought.

bernmc

Monkeypump wrote:

If I wasn't 6' 5" and/or Boardman made them in my size, I'd snap one up without question.

Good grief man! Stop eating your greens!

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Some food for thought - like the idea of 25mm tyres.

Problem with the wiggle test ride is that I'd have to pay them first. Not sure how the c2w would get around this if I wanted a refund, but I'm sure I could work something out. I've asked wiggle a few questions, so I'll see what sort of response I get from them.

I think Halfrauds offer to source virtually any bike under the scheme, so that may also be an option.

Anyone actually ridden a Verenti?

merlinghnd

You almost certainly will not get the Cayo through Halfords as Wiggle will not supply to them.

I use Halfords C2W and ring their helpline to see if they can get a certain bike and take it from there.

I think you cannot go wrong with the Boardman though.

bernmc

tim000 wrote:

i bought a cayo in may and love it. but cant compare it with the others. if you join british cycling you will get 10% off at wiggle and 15% off at halfords too. well worth it if you are spending £1000. wish i`d have known that before i bought.

Oo yow little beauty! Joining now!

kingrollo

Boardman - by a mile. I don't own one - but if your not bothered about the brand, and can cope with\correct the dodgy set up - I can't see a downside.

freddiegrubb

:oops: Re. boardman , the team carbon has smaller ch./rings (compact ) than the pro. carbon & this may seriously compromise your pleasure if you do not have the legs to drive the bigger gears . I'm thinking about a team carbon myself but sadly no bike to work scheme.

kayakerchris

Boardman team carbon

Bought one last year. Superb bike.

I would change the bottom bracket quite quickly. It is not SRAM but a no name model. Mine stiffened quite quickly (probably because I went through a few rivers in the rain last year) and I replaced it with a SRAM bearing and a new crank which was lighter and smoother.

At the price point there is nothing better. Halfords certainly to begin with sold them at a loss to build brand awareness and the team carbon was easily £1500 worth of kit.

kayakerchris

Boardman team carbon

Bought one last year. Superb bike.

I would change the bottom bracket quite quickly. It is not SRAM but a no name model. Mine stiffened quite quickly (probably because I went through a few rivers in the rain last year) and I replaced it with a SRAM bearing and a new crank which was lighter and smoother.

At the price point there is nothing better. Halfords certainly to begin with sold them at a loss to build brand awareness and the team carbon was easily £1500 worth of kit.

JKHinton

sorry I have no exprience of the Cayo or Verenti
but I got the Boardman Team Carbon in July 2010
Great bike

sundog

The Cayo is a much better bike having had both. Climbs better, more stable at speed, rolls better and Shimano 105 is much smoother than Sram rival

JKHinton

sundog wrote:

The Cayo is a much better bike having had both. Climbs better, more stable at speed, rolls better and Shimano 105 is much smoother than Sram rival

Good to hear that, I am thinking of getting a second bike as a stand by next year although I am very happy with the Boardman TC and I will be keeping it, I would like to get something different, I can not see the point in having 2 bikes the same model. I like the look of the Cayo it will be interesting to compare it to the Boardman TC, although I also like the look of the Cannon super six, I will have to see how the funds go :roll:

garrynolan

I had a Boardman Hybrid (until a thieving git stole it), you've had a Boardman. Knowing the brand, would you buy another? I would!

nferrar

As has been said I doubt Halfords can supply a Verenti or Focus as Wiggle have the UK distribution rights and might not deal with them, worth checking though. Given you've already ridden the Boardman quite a bit and seem happy with it I'd go for that. I also wouldn't hold out much hope of a good deal on a 2010 bike, Halfords will shift them pretty quickly and it costs them more dealing with C2W purchases so they wouldn't have much of an incentive.

pabwal

Boardman for me, i has a very similar situation but just couldn't get the boardman out of my head and glad i made the decision. Great bike and very light. I have upgraded the chainset and the wheels but managed to do it very cheaply.

also i have been very lucky with my local halfords the guys are spot on. Young team of which 2 race. costs me 9.99 for a year servicing and so far it has been a1.

cheers

Bar Shaker

I love my Boardman TC. My wife had one before me and raved about it. She regularly does 50 miles on a Sunday morning and takes some keeping with.

Mine was my first road bike for more years than I care to recall but I love it. Light (<8kg), stiff, fast but comfortable and the carbon dulls the road buzz compared to the ali bikes that I tried out.

SRAM Rival is an absolute joy to use.

Its still the best buy for £1k.

Is the Pro worth £600 more? Yes if you are a serious club rider doing sportives or TTs every weekend. For recreational riding and the occasional 100k sportive I couldn't justify it.

bernmc

mmmm. Might be worth seeing if I can find a cayo just to try then. Wonder what wiggle can do...

But it seems boardman by a mile...!

rake

sundog wrote:

The Cayo is a much better bike having had both. Climbs better, more stable at speed, rolls better and Shimano 105 is much smoother than Sram rival

if the cayo is more stable at speed you must have a job on turning it at all.
you would have been more credible saying its a 'better' bike, but 'much better', sorry i dont buy it.

phreak

I have a Cayo and whilst I can't vouch for the others it is a lovely ride. I've upgraded the wheels to something a little zippier but apart from that it's the same bike and it's got me over some cracking Italian climbs.

The moral of the story seems to be that both the Cayo and the Boardman bikes are outstanding value for money.

sundog

rake wrote:

sundog wrote:

The Cayo is a much better bike having had both. Climbs better, more stable at speed, rolls better and Shimano 105 is much smoother than Sram rival

if the cayo is more stable at speed you must have a job on turning it at all.
you would have been more credible saying its a 'better' bike, but 'much better', sorry i dont buy it.

Feel free to add your own opinion/ advice for the OP

Headhuunter

I've had a Cayo for the past 3 years and it's been very good. 105 has worked well generally, I've replaced tyres and up graded the wheels to RS80s which has made a difference but I have to add that, like others here I have no experience of the Boardman or the Verenti. With regard to sourcing a Focus through Halfords, I definitely read on this site some time ago that someone had managed to get Halfords to get a Cayo from Wiggle so that they could buy it on the Halfords C2W scheme which their employer had signed up for. Not sure of the details though.

evil_breakfast

further to the OP's question, i'm seriously considering getting a Verenti milllook and consigning my defy 3 to winter hack status
People who work for the DWP can borrow up to a grand to buy a bike and have it deducted from salary over 12 months.
It is tempting.....