spec fsr xc pro vs Boardman pro

moon032

I have an opportunity to buy a spec FSR XC pro for 1199.99 or and expert at 999.
The competition for my cash is with the Boardman FS Pro or Team, which retail at the same cost repectivly.
I have however not bought a new bike since 2001 and my beloved hardtail has been stolen. i am ready to have my midlife crisis and want to buy a new bike.

1. will i notice the difference between a team/expert and the Pro versions.
2. Spec or boardman

torgey33

I had the same decision in Aug with a Giant Anthem thrown into the mix, and finaly opted
for the spesh fsr xc pro. These were my reasons, i wanted an XC/Trail capable bike on a £1500 budget and felt that the extra 20mm travel on the spesh put it ahead of the Giant.
The Baordman has great finishing kit but it just didn`t feel right when i tested it (cockpit felt cramped even on large model), hence the spesh.

If you do go for the spesh go for the pro, the suspension is far better than the comp or elite (Reba SL dual air front is fantastic and the pro-pedal on the Fox rear is very subtle but very effective) and if you can get a 2010 for £1200 like i did you won`t be disapointed.

Only cons for the spesh are the stock tyres, no grip at all on thick mud and wet roots.
Also mud clearance is pretty tight.

Try them all if you can and good luck choosing

thel33ter

torgey33 wrote:

Try them all if you can and good luck choosing

This is basically true of all bikes and bike bits, what is perfect for one person can feel horrible to another.

97th choice

I've recently been in a very similar sitiation and ended up getting the team fs as it was at 899 and the fsr xc expert was 1099 at best, I think think that £999 is a very good price for the specialized expert.

rockmonkeysc

How about the Giant Trance X4? MBR did a test this year of budget full sus bikes & I forget which one won it but the Trance X4 & FSR XC were way ahead of any of the conpetition.
This years model looks great as well http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bik ... 868/45511/
There are a few 2010 bikes still available at under £1000

danlikesbikes

I'd second the option of trying them if at all possible as you never know how its going to feel for you as opposed to other people

Bar Shaker

Trance X4 doesn't come close to either the Spesh or the Boardman. Its at least two grades down on every component and a comparable Boardman would be the Sport.

I agree with trying them for fit. The Spesh felt ok for me but the Boardman instantly felt right. It will be different for everyone so its worth seeing which feels best.

I have had an amazing 9 months on mine and am very pleased with it.

Pudseyp

There the Anthem is a great bike and must be a consideration, not a fan of Spesh and although the Boardman spec sheet is great it's not my cup of tea....the best thing to do is try and let to a few local bike stores and try a few out, note the make amd model and go online as they are great deals to be had on 2010 bikes as the 2011 range is now out...haggle like mad as the markup with some manufactures is near 100% so if a store offers you 10% try for 20% plus.....

rockmonkeysc

Spec of some of components may be lower but is the frame good enough to make up that difference? Giants Meastro suspension is pretty awesome & the frame is good enough for the high spec, high price Trance X0. specialized & Boardman dont make high spec versions using their frames, probably because they are heavier/not good enough.

Bar Shaker

RockmonkeySC wrote:

specialized & Boardman dont make high spec versions using their frames, probably because they are heavier/not good enough.

The Boardman frame is 5lbs lighter than the Trance and has more magazine test accolades than anything else available.

The frame is around 30-40% of the cost of a FS bike. Economically you would be best to buy the bike with the highest spec components and bin the the frame when you wanted to upgrade.

Pudseyp

The trance maybe heavier but you cannot compare it to the Boardman as they are totally different, compare it to the Anthem and you have a different story....as for magazine ecolades yes in a way....but compare it to the Anthem over the years and the Boardman fairs no better....plus with many a XC podium on the World Cup circut and at various UCI events Giant speak for themselves (never heard of a Boardman winning at the Worlds)

Components and shiney bits are nice, but its how the bike works together and your ability is a factor, SLX and X7 will be robust enough to handle anything and the basic Deore although heavy is bombproof and as it uses more durable materials it lasts longer, so in reality all those shiney bits on the Boardman may not last as long and are more expensive to replace....so its swings and roundabouts....

individual6891

Bar Shaker wrote:

Trance X4 doesn't come close to either the Spesh or the Boardman. Its at least two grades down on every component and a comparable Boardman would be the Sport.

The Boardman frame is 5lbs lighter than the Trance and has more magazine test accolades than anything else available.

Well no. The trance is a light 120mm full susser, the anthem even lighter. If you specced the trance frame with boardman components, it wouldn't be that much between it AND 120mm FS. As a bike you can upgrade in the future, the Trance is brilliant.

I picked up an 09 Trance (same frame as 10) with fox F120, fox RP2 and XT transmission for £1099 brand new only 3 months ago. Considering the frame used to RRP for £999, that's a bargain... look out for 2010 sales! Yes the boardman is lighter, but its running X0, Elixir R and light rims.

But as someone said, they're not comparable... as a do-it-all trail bike the trance destroys the boardman, which is more XC. Depends on what you ride. If riding XC, get the Anthem... its won too many races!

rockmonkeysc

As I said above Giants suspension is brilliant, where other people I ride with are having to use pro-pedal my trance can blast up hills without needing pro-pedal, I have met people with higher spec trances & they say that the pro-pedal is pointless with meastro suspension. The trance X4 could easliy be upgraded to X3 spec which would get it down to 28lb.