Would you spend £5000 on a Boardman?

Shotsaway

There is an article in the January issue of WMB stating that Boardman are planning on moving upmarket and that are going to start making bikes that will cost up to £5000. Bikes under £2000 will continue to be sold in Halfords and bikes over £2000 will be sold in LBS's. They are also introducing a range of full sussers.

I can't help thinking that irrespective of cost, that Boardman will always be perceived as Halfords bikes.

So the question is "If you had £5000" to spend on a bike, would you spend it on a Boardman?"

The Northern Monkey

The fact thats its been sold by halfords makes no difference. I'd buy a 5k bike from halfords if it was better than the competition.

Mark_K

Err "They are also introducing a range of full sussers. "
Thought they all ready did !
And yer if the bikes good value then why not !!

Shotsaway

Mark_K wrote:

Err "They are also introducing a range of full sussers. "
Thought they all ready did !
And yer if the bikes good value then why not !!

I'm now eating some humble pie :oops:

For some reason I thought they only made HTs. opps......

The Northern Monkey

Shotsaway wrote:

Mark_K wrote:

Err "They are also introducing a range of full sussers. "
Thought they all ready did !
And yer if the bikes good value then why not !!

I'm now eating some humble pie :oops:

For some reason I thought they only made HTs. opps......

!!!
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbfs/index.html

cooldad

I would never spend that much on a bike, as I have £100's skill, not thousands, but If I did, and it was good, which they are, why not?

WisePranker

I can't imagine buying a Boardman for £5000 as at that kind of price you're not just buying the bike, you're also buying the brand and to me Boardman just don't have that kind of branding.

As far as I'm concerned its like spending Ducati money on a Honda, they both do the same thing but the Ducati has the prestige to go with the price tag and the majority of riders couldn't tell the difference between one and the other apart from by name and looks rather than performance.

The Northern Monkey

WisePranker
But Boardman have produced some of the best value and best spec MTB's on the market, thats not branding.

Northwind

Is it £5000 mtbs or road/track bikes? Boardman have a better brand image in those markets I think. £5000 mtbs are pretty thin on the ground even from the best regarded brands after all.

WisePranker

The Northern Monkey wrote:

WisePranker
But Boardman have produced some of the best value and best spec MTB's on the market, thats not branding.

I agree but at a £5000 price point you're not really looking at value for money and spec the same as you would on a £1000 bike as you're pretty much guaranteed top spec kit throughout.

I just think that once you get to the top end of the price scale you're not buying just a bike but also the brand and name.

supersonic

For as many people that look at your bike and think 'wow, it's a Santa Orange' or whatever, there is an equvalent number who think 'idiot, why spend that much when the Boardman is a lot better for the money'.

All about mindsets. It really is getting to the stage where the frame is not the most important part of the bike {assuming it fits} - this is generally the only part associated with the 'name' of the bike.

Personally if I had 5k for a bike, I would get the one that I found best performing for me. Whether it said Apollo or Ibis on the side.

MountainMonster

I buy whatever gives me good value for money, offers good performance to fit my needs, and looks nice. This applies in all aspects of my life.

I look at how something works and functions, see if it fits my budgets and is good for what I want and make sure it's blingy enough for me, then check brand name. There are very few brands I won't buy based simply off brand. I'm not looking for buying status as some people mentioned above with worrying too much about brands and the stigmas attached to them, I just care I got the right thing for me.

bails87

supersonic wrote:

Personally if I had 5k for a bike, I would get the one that I found best performing for me. Whether it said Apollo or Ibis on the side.

+1

BOYDIE

If I had that sort of money to spend on a bike,(which I don't) the brand would not matter.What matters is the fit and feel,plus the value of the complete package.I have seen some expensive bikes over the years which have the wow factor,but feel and ride terrible.

I owned a 2003 Commencal VIP-s, short travel FS,great bike pretty to look at,dripping with top drawer stuff,XTR Groupset,chris king wheels etc.It rode like a dog tucked into corners,very racy fit, it might have suited others but not me.

Id be quite happy with a boardman,a lot of the guys I work with have them for both road and mtb and they seem great value.

twiggllett

Would you buy a £5k bike at all? IMO there arent many people who would notice the difference in weight between a £2-2,5k bike and a £5k bike, all the kit performs just as well it just weights a bit more.

Boardman have got to where they are by being value for money, I dont see how they can be better value for money at the same price as the competition, you would expect they would be selling what everyone else calls a £5k bike for £3.5k, and they yes, everyone would buy one.

Also, if you actually had £5k to spend, would you blow it all on a carbon framed superbike, or be sensible and spend half on the bike and use the rest for something else - only 1 answer really, bike wins...

chris281192

£5k would spec my dream bike, and within reason, make everybody's dream bike. Who dreams about owning a boardman?

Call me a snob if you wish, but at that price the extra spec you would get over and alternatively priced superbike from a more established brand is minimal i'd say.

I own a boardman, and they aren't any slower than any other race bike, let's not forget, it's the rider who determines how fast a bike goes, but they just dont look or fell 'special'

And does nobody else think that the existing Pro Carbon RP isn't good value anyway?

dodgy

I'm pretty objective when it comes to buying material goods, I'm not easily sold on the value of branding. I drive a Skoda, I know materially what it is and don't care what others may think - you are not your car (unless you allow it to be so ).

Anyway, bikes are the same to me, I'm fortunate to be able to have some nice bikes and I would approach the possibility of buying a Boardman in exactly the same way as buying any other bike. Examine the material value, how it looks (very important to me personally), the ride, fit. Then, compare it with the competition, if the competition costs £10,000 to meet the standard that Boardman are setting at the £5000 price point, then it's worth a punt to me.

I'd expect a £5000 Boardman bike to still sell on value, yes I know that £5000 is still way more than even the most enthusiastic rider would spend, but if it has wheels that retail at £1800, the best group set available and all top end components, then it's still a value proposition (and god I hate that phrase, but it fits here).

But just like some people sniff at the thought of a Skoda on their drive, there will be lots of p[eople that would prefer a Colnago/Yeti/Santa Cruz (or whatever) fitted with a lowly SRAM groupo than a Boardman with XTR.

So the answer for me is yes, I might buy a Boardman for £5000

The Northern Monkey

dodgy
Skoda's are ace though... I want a Fabia VRs!

T1berious

Hmm, I think when you enter this sort of money, brand cachet does play a part, as much as we'd like to say if it's the best for the money you'd get it but the chances are more likely a buyer would get something they lust after.

If it was a road bike, you'd more than likely find yourself getting fitted for a Cervelo

If it was a MTB you'd go for a Carbon wonder by Santa Cruz \ Yeti \ Cannondale the list goes on.

IMHO value at this price point plays second best to image.

Admit it, would you rather drive a Skoda Superb or an Audi A4? be honest. Brand Cachet and perceived value are very strong forces.

And for reasons unknown it gets even stronger with bikes, especially when it comes to halo products.

Just my thoughts

T1b

dodgy

T1berious wrote:

Admit it, would you rather drive a Skoda Superb or an Audi A4? be honest. Brand Cachet and perceived value are very strong forces.

Fairly similar cars, assuming they are both specced at similar standard and if they were the same price, I'd possibly choose the A4

Most people choose one car brand over another because of insecurities, they want to project status, wealth, the "aren't I doing well" factor.

I think it's not quite the same in bike choice, but maybe for some people it is.

I do know people who've been in my car and say they love it, but wouldn't buy one purely because of the badge. They simply can't get over it, they know the engines are identical, arguably the build quality is the same on the Skoda, but the Skoda will tell their friends and neighbours that they 'only' spent X pounds and doesn't project the "aren't I doing well" factor Essentially, they aren't confident enough to own a Skoda

Back to the Boardman, there will be a hard core of potential buyers who will see the bike for what it is and choose it over the obvious competition. People like me I suppose.

llamafarmer

I'd imagine these are going to be road bikes, at least to begin with - like the United Healthcare team bikes...

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/pro-bike-charly-wegeliuss-boardman-elite-slr-28691

It would make sense if they're going to have a pro race presence, to sell the higher end bikes and build the brand.

MacAndCheese

As much as I want to say that if I had 5 grand I'd buy the best value bike and perhaps a Boardman, I know that in reality I'd go for something pretty 'boutique' like a Nicolai or Transition or Ibis. It would be shocking value and be some ridiculous bright colour - Not the boring boardman grey. I'd feel awesome riding it! Its just what i'm like, call me a tart if you wish!

lukasran

dodgy wrote:

Essentially, they aren't confident enough to own a Skoda
.

i would not have any confidence in a skoda either.

dodgy

Your loss

Bar Shaker

twiggllett wrote:

Boardman have got to where they are by being value for money, I dont see how they can be better value for money at the same price as the competition, you would expect they would be selling what everyone else calls a £5k bike for £3.5k, and they yes, everyone would buy one.

They already do this with the Road Pro RP. It's an exact copy of the bike Nicole Cooke won her road race Olympic gold medal on.

Their £5k bikes will be the new AiR frames and the highest spec fittings/wheels available. The AiR frames look stunning but they are a pure race bike and you need to be very serious about your riding to buy one. Its not a bike for a club ride or sportive.

As for the Boardman brand, their Tri team has had a 'bit' of success with a current world champ, under 23 champ, Junior champ and national champ for their 4 riders. Boardman are now also sponsoring and providing bikes for a major US bike team but I forget which one.

Boardman are a new company and their distribution deal with Halfords has worked well. I don't understand why some people want to take the link too far though. You don't consider Spesh as an Evans bike, simply because Evans are only the distributor so why do it with Boardman.

I think this brand will go from strength to strength.


ETA
The AiR frames will only be available through selected LBS. Perhaps that will help some people outside of cycle clubs to take them seriously. Club riders have known how good they are for a few years now.

dan shard

I wouldnt buy a boardman - full stop

A lad I go riding with had three in a year n the frame snapped on every one. finally gave up and bought a zesty 314 (which was subsequently stolen) and so now has an spesh eduro.

If I had that kind of money to spunk on a bike, what could possibly motivate me to buy a boardman over - say a zesty 914, cube HPC, custom built Yeti / Orange

sheepsteeth

if i had that money to waste on a bike i definately owuldnt buy a boardman, id want it to be a gucci object as well as a superb performing bit of kit.

i wouldnt buy a bike that looked good unless it rode good too of course but if i was spending so much money, i would want something special as well.

Northwind

If I had £5K to spend on a bike I'd buy 2 bikes and a holiday And one of those 2 bikes, would be a Boardman. So yes. Or no.

MrChuck

WisePranker wrote:

I can't imagine buying a Boardman for £5000 as at that kind of price you're not just buying the bike, you're also buying the brand and to me Boardman just don't have that kind of branding.

As far as I'm concerned its like spending Ducati money on a Honda, they both do the same thing but the Ducati has the prestige to go with the price tag and the majority of riders couldn't tell the difference between one and the other apart from by name and looks rather than performance.

+1

At that price point you're beyond just buying what's best for the money- you wouldn't be spending that much otherwise!

And while I think that Boardmans are ace bikes and I'd happily ride one, for £5K I'd be buying into something else that (for the moment at least) Boardman just doesn't have IMO.

Edit: Reminds me of that Lotus Elise-type car Vausxhall did a couple of years ago- I expect it was every bit as good as an Elise, but if I were in the market for that sort of car I wouldn't buy a Vauxhall.

pastey_boy

i dont buy the whole "boardman are separate to halfords" argument. try to contact boardman and you get through to halfords customer service which is feckless to say the least. surely if boardman are a separate entity then they would have their own advisors. lord chris himself appeared on these hallowed pages trying to convince us theat his brand is not really owned by halfords but i think he told me a lie. the fact that boardman/voodoo/carrera bikes all have similar specs and price points bear out the fact that halfords are the true masters.

sniper68

MrChuck wrote:

Edit: Reminds me of that Lotus Elise-type car Vausxhall did a couple of years ago- I expect it was every bit as good as an Elise, but if I were in the market for that sort of car I wouldn't buy a Vauxhall.

Our kid had an early Elise and all the instruments and switch gear were Vauxhall made Exactly the same stuff as my 02 plate Vectra