Boardman Team Carbon

StickDigital

Here's my beast... got it for £900 which was a bit of a brucey bonus!

So far I've just set it up properly - the Halfords set up was truley disgraceful!



I've changed the bar tape and added some Ultremo R1s. I have also installed a classic banana handle bar which is Ritchey Carbon WCS.

I plan on getting some Prolite Bracciaon wheels to lift the weight a bit but generally I'm pretty happy with it.

Other changes on the horizon are some Carbon Pedals (keeping an eye out on the Forum!) probley Keo's, Carbon seat post (the set-back seem to be an issue so I'm going for an in-line post).

I'm also getting a shoter stem - Carbon obviously! Maybe Prolite or Ritchey...

Is there a Boarman club I can join? I love this bike!!

TMR

Wouldn't it look better with yellow bar tape? Or you could go for a white Fizik saddle with yellow accents

Very nice bike though mate

Berk Bonebonce

Hmm ... another one of those 'radiator shots'.

Is that saddle pointing down or is it just the way the light has caught it?

StickDigital

@The Rapper - I'm upgrading the saddle at some point so I'll keep an eye out for the Fikik saddle.. Something like this - I thought about the Yellow bar tape but didn't want to OD on Yella... I might add some red atsp

..and YES @ Bonebonce... I think it is pointing slightly down. I still need a proper set-up.. something I can't count on Halfords for! tbh the saddle is pretty shite and wouldn't be surprised it it's shifted around a bit.

Thanks for the comments though!

TMR

Don't go for full yellow mate, you want some white in there to draw on the bars. Have a look at the Fizik customiser on their web site to see what I mean

fred22

it's great as it is. Each to their own as they say though Tbh I would always urge caution when it comes to coloured bits, you have to know when to stop. it's too easy to go overboard. I saw a cracking boardman ltd edition which was white frame and all components black, black bar tape black tyres etc. looked so much better imo rather than all the bits screaming look at me all at once.

StickDigital

Thanks for the tips @fred22!

I've decided to keep it to three colors - Black, White and Yellow. I might add a bit of red but it's such a string color it kinda commands too much attention.

I have the luxury of being pretty a Photoshop veteran so I can always render them on to see what works (I did this with the yellow tires - worked a treat!)

Oh yeh @Rapper I checked out the Fizik Customiser.... VERY nice... can you lend me £135??!

EKIMIKE

Looking good except for the bars/bar-tape.

The bottom of the bars should run parallel to the ground. Then move the shifters up the bend. Classic bars aren't meant to have that 'flat' transition from bars to shifters. The way you've got them at the moment is only contributing to the reach problems you've got.

And that tape job, i hope you can blame it on Halfords...

StickDigital

EKIMIKE - Thanks for the tip on the angle of the bars. I had tried to get them right before bit had the following problem.

When the bars are parallel I can't seem to get the shifters / brakes high enough with them hitting the curve and tilting out too much. I noticed they are already way past the rough grip section and have slipped on a harsh decent.

As for the bar tape... It was my first attempt!

Any advice would be very helpful!!

fleshtuxedo

Youtube is your friend for this sort of thing:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... +tape&aq=f

EKIMIKE

Yeh watch all the youtube vids possible. For me, taping is all about trial and error and patience. Don't be afraid to unwrap a bit and try again if you get it wrong. And keep the tape taught at all times!

As for Classic bars this is where the levers should go:



Hope that helps.

Berk Bonebonce

EKIMIKE wrote:

The bottom of the bars should run parallel to the ground. ...

I disagree. You have your bars at what rotation you like.

EKIMIKE

You can disagree all you like. I'm just trying to help the guy out with his reach problems. By setting the shifters up like in the picture i posted he'd be effectively reducing the reach by a few cm's.

Moreover, the bars were designed so that the bottom of the bars run parallel with the ground.... just saying.

StickDigital

I appreciate all the comments.

Tbh I wanted the bars setup they way there were intended but was bound by the max height of the shifters.

I've tilted the bars down so they are almost parallel and got the shifters as high as poss, using some masking tape to help them grip the glossy carbon surface.

So that's job done.. I've also dropped (and straightened) the saddle - hopefully this will improve comfort.

I was thinking about getting a shorter stem to get rid of a bit if reach. What's your advice? Currently it's a 120mm 8 degree Ritchey stem.

Thanks again!

EKIMIKE

Maybe look into getting a 110mm or 100mm stem. It's probably a better way to go than an in-line seatpost as saddle setback can be an important matter.

Maybe try and pester someone for a spare 110 or 100mm stem to try it out and see what works. You don't want to end up the other way, so that your knee's are knocking the bars when you're riding out the saddle or you feel too cramped. Equally you could ask your LBS if they have spare stems you could try out or you could get their advice on what to go for.

It's hard to say because it's about how you feel on the bike.

Slow1972

EKIMIKE wrote:

You can disagree all you like. I'm just trying to help the guy out with his reach problems. By setting the shifters up like in the picture i posted he'd be effectively reducing the reach by a few cm's.

Moreover, the bars were designed so that the bottom of the bars run parallel with the ground.... just saying.

Like the example you posted up which also doesnt have parallel bars...???

Set the bar rotation with what suits you, there may be a trade off between transition on to the hood and hand position on the drop. Personally, because of how my wrist feels I like a bit of slope on the drops.... much like Cadel appears to like as well - otherwise I find I am rotating my wrists too much when holding the lower part of the drops in the saddle

Then set your levers to suit how you like to ride on the hoods / braking position when braking in the drops. Personally I like a flat trasition from the bar on to the hood, some like the hood up more. It's personal choice but there may be a trade off between where you want the hood when riding on the hoods and brake reach when in the drops. This may be part of your problem and unfortunately it may simply be the case that you can't get along with the bars when you set them up as you like. If that's the case it may be worth trying something else, I switched from some Cinelli bars to Easton EA70s and because they suit my position it has transformed the amount of time I spend on the drops in races simply becasue I now find it a lot more comfortable to be there.

Your comfort, not some arbitrary "rules" is what it's all about.

StickDigital

Wow this is actually my first post on the forum other than the Classifies... great tips guys!

I've rotated the stem upwards which also seem to improve things... I won't really know until I get a decent ride and crank up some serious mileage!

Definitely feeling a bit better though!

seanoconn

I had a few reach problems as well when i first got my boardman tc. Spent £60 on a nice 100mm stem which made the reach more comfortable but put more weight on my hands. After a few months i became more flexible and got used to the boardmans geometry. So i ended up putting the original stem back on and am now very happy with the set up. Moral of the story is, be sure about the stem length before forking out for an expensive one.

Nice bike by the way. Put what you like on it, where you like and enjoy.

Rigga

StickDigital wrote:

Here's my beast... got it for £900 which was a bit of a brucey bonus!

So far I've just set it up properly - the Halfords set up was truley disgraceful!



I've changed the bar tape and added some Ultremo R1s. I have also installed a classic banana handle bar which is Ritchey Carbon WCS.

I plan on getting some Prolite Bracciaon wheels to lift the weight a bit but generally I'm pretty happy with it.

Other changes on the horizon are some Carbon Pedals (keeping an eye out on the Forum!) probley Keo's, Carbon seat post (the set-back seem to be an issue so I'm going for an in-line post).

I'm also getting a shoter stem - Carbon obviously! Maybe Prolite or Ritchey...

Is there a Boarman club I can join? I love this bike!!

What is it that Halfords set up so badly? I read so many posts about poor set ups can you elaborate please im just curious?

StickDigital

Rigga wrote:

StickDigital wrote:

Here's my beast... got it for £900 which was a bit of a brucey bonus!

So far I've just set it up properly - the Halfords set up was truley disgraceful!



I've changed the bar tape and added some Ultremo R1s. I have also installed a classic banana handle bar which is Ritchey Carbon WCS.

I plan on getting some Prolite Bracciaon wheels to lift the weight a bit but generally I'm pretty happy with it.

Other changes on the horizon are some Carbon Pedals (keeping an eye out on the Forum!) probley Keo's, Carbon seat post (the set-back seem to be an issue so I'm going for an in-line post).

I'm also getting a shoter stem - Carbon obviously! Maybe Prolite or Ritchey...

Is there a Boarman club I can join? I love this bike!!

What is it that Halfords set up so badly? I read so many posts about poor set ups can you elaborate please im just curious?

Sure no problem. Let me clarify how I got the bike...

I got it second hand from a guy who had bought it from Halfords in Manchester. He had had it for 3 days. They sold him the wrong size and would refund it! I have all the paper work - and to be fair my local Halfords have honored the warranty and servicing and gave my my free 2 week service. The guys in the shop really didn't have a a clue - I mean less than me and I'm NO expert! I was scared to leave it with them - so the manager (who had lots of experience with the Boarmans did it for me.... I had to push for that!).

When I first rode the bike it felt badly built....

The first thing I noticed was a banging headset - a two min job fixed this and now it's lovely and smooth.

The handle bars weren't straight and a bit too easy to undo... little things really.

The brakes were not installed properly... they clamped closed and wouldn't spring back. The brakes actually are very cheap units as standard on the Boardman Team Carbon. I stripped them down and re-installed to get a nice action.

I think that was it... the longer I have the bike the more stuff I find.

It's running pretty nicely now though!

StickDigital

seanoconn wrote:

I had a few reach problems as well when i first got my boardman tc. Spent £60 on a nice 100mm stem which made the reach more comfortable but put more weight on my hands. After a few months i became more flexible and got used to the boardmans geometry. So i ended up putting the original stem back on and am now very happy with the set up. Moral of the story is, be sure about the stem length before forking out for an expensive one.

Nice bike by the way. Put what you like on it, where you like and enjoy.

Awesome... I've just set-up a FB Fanpage - be the first 'Like' http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boardman-Bikes/199877860022623

I'm the same as you on the Stem... I''m tweaking what I have amap before forking out for a new stem... wheels are my next big buy.

I was thinking about the 90mm stem but might just see how it goes.. Thanks for the tip!

seanoconn

Wheels are definitely the way to go. I was going to scrape my pennies together and buy some braccianos when they were £200 a month or to ago but missed the boat. Now they're nearer £300. Damn!

Saw some lovely mavic cosmic carbones on a team carbon the other day, looked the bizz. Out of my league.

StickDigital

seanoconn wrote:

Wheels are definitely the way to go. I was going to scrape my pennies together and buy some braccianos when they were £200 a month or to ago but missed the boat. Now they're nearer £300. Damn!

Saw some lovely mavic cosmic carbones on a team carbon the other day, looked the bizz. Out of my league.

Yeh I'm defo getting the Braccianos - they're £200 on Ribble but out of stock. DNot think I can quite stretch to the carbon wheels yet.

Hey 'Like' the Boardman FB page I posted in the last post. I'll get some other Boardman guys to join and we can geek-off about our beloved beasts!!

rolf_f

Why not get more compact handlebars? I have some nice ITM Alutech ones on my Look - they aren't that pricey and they keep the hoods nearer to me without forcing a compromise on handling with a shorter stem length. It does help that I have Campagnolo brakes as well as the hoods are a bit shorter than the alternative. The shape of the drop itself is fairly traditional so should be similar to the bars you have on already.

EKIMIKE

Slow1972 wrote:

Like the example you posted up which also doesnt have parallel bars...???

Your comfort, not some arbitrary "rules" is what it's all about.

You've got me totally wrong here. I'm not slating this guy for having his bars set up the wrong way out of some superficial aesthetic opinion. I'm not an idiot.

The fact is, what i've suggested will effectively reduce the reach to the hoods. Guess what, the OP is having reach issues. Go figure...

Secondly, whilst i appreciate what people are saying about having bars tilted however they want, tilting your bars, only very slightly, makes a huge difference. The fact is these bars were designed to be set up with the bottoms "near enough" parallel (is that ok for you pedantic mind?) to the ground. The OP had them in a significantly different position. It's not a matter of 'tilt' but a matter of sheer orientation.

If someone had their saddle pointing at a 30degree angle in the air, complaining of a sore arse, wouldn't you be kind enough to say 'hang on a minute, it might be more comfortable if you have it level'?

Maybe these bars just don't suit the OP. My suggestion is far more helpful and less arbitrary than saying 'get some new bars'.

Seriously, the only thing arbitrary here is your criticism.

Rigga

StickDigital wrote:

Rigga wrote:

StickDigital wrote:

Here's my beast... got it for £900 which was a bit of a brucey bonus!

So far I've just set it up properly - the Halfords set up was truley disgraceful!



I've changed the bar tape and added some Ultremo R1s. I have also installed a classic banana handle bar which is Ritchey Carbon WCS.

I plan on getting some Prolite Bracciaon wheels to lift the weight a bit but generally I'm pretty happy with it.

Other changes on the horizon are some Carbon Pedals (keeping an eye out on the Forum!) probley Keo's, Carbon seat post (the set-back seem to be an issue so I'm going for an in-line post).

I'm also getting a shoter stem - Carbon obviously! Maybe Prolite or Ritchey...

Is there a Boarman club I can join? I love this bike!!

What is it that Halfords set up so badly? I read so many posts about poor set ups can you elaborate please im just curious?

Sure no problem. Let me clarify how I got the bike...

I got it second hand from a guy who had bought it from Halfords in Manchester. He had had it for 3 days. They sold him the wrong size and would refund it! I have all the paper work - and to be fair my local Halfords have honored the warranty and servicing and gave my my free 2 week service. The guys in the shop really didn't have a a clue - I mean less than me and I'm NO expert! I was scared to leave it with them - so the manager (who had lots of experience with the Boarmans did it for me.... I had to push for that!).

When I first rode the bike it felt badly built....

The first thing I noticed was a banging headset - a two min job fixed this and now it's lovely and smooth.

The handle bars weren't straight and a bit too easy to undo... little things really.

The brakes were not installed properly... they clamped closed and wouldn't spring back. The brakes actually are very cheap units as standard on the Boardman Team Carbon. I stripped them down and re-installed to get a nice action.

I think that was it... the longer I have the bike the more stuff I find.

It's running pretty nicely now though!

Ah i see thanks for that! As you say little things but annoying when you daren't leave your bike with them!

rake

seanoconn wrote:

I had a few reach problems as well when i first got my boardman tc. Spent £60 on a nice 100mm stem which made the reach more comfortable but put more weight on my hands. After a few months i became more flexible and got used to the boardmans geometry. So i ended up putting the original stem back on and am now very happy with the set up. Moral of the story is, be sure about the stem length before forking out for an expensive one.

Nice bike by the way. Put what you like on it, where you like and enjoy.

did you move the saddle back when you put the shorter stem. did you set your knee over the pedal with a plumbline on your kneecap. the only reason i ask is looking at the photos of your bike youd have to have very short thigh bones and very long lower leg for the seat height.