Boardman CX Owners Thread

phy2sll2

61Sigs wrote:

Small off this morning thanks to a car pulling out in front of me. No injuries and little amage to the bike. However, I do think that I now have a bent hanger.

Mean Red Spider, having reread back over this thread how did you manage to get a new hanger in the end? I will call Halfords when I'm sure, but I'd appreciate a fallback option

These guys are your friends. Give them a call and they'll know exactly what you need.

http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/items.asp?CategoryID=364&Name=Boardman+Hanger%2FDropout

Super quick delivery as well.

61Sigs

Thanks, I'll clear the crud off later and make certain.

Shame that I didn't get her number, but as it was just outside a country park carpark it was almost certainly on private land. On the plus side she has a nice deep pedal scrape on the rear door of her shiny A3 and it may have ruined the very important phone call she was making.

meanredspider

phy2sll2 wrote:

61Sigs wrote:

Small off this morning thanks to a car pulling out in front of me. No injuries and little amage to the bike. However, I do think that I now have a bent hanger.

Mean Red Spider, having reread back over this thread how did you manage to get a new hanger in the end? I will call Halfords when I'm sure, but I'd appreciate a fallback option

These guys are your friends. Give them a call and they'll know exactly what you need.

http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/items.asp?CategoryID=364&Name=Boardman+Hanger%2FDropout

Super quick delivery as well.

They don't know what you need - but the 238 is the right one (see thread above). Try emailing Boardman to get them to send you one like they did me. If you get stuck, let me know - I have 2 on order from Halfords but no idea when they will turn up. As I said, I'd advise all Boardman owners to order a spare. Glad you aren't hurt

61Sigs

Cheers Mean Red, would you be kind enough to pm me their email address please?

meanredspider

Pm sent. Good luck!

iandennis

I'm rapidly approachin buying another bike and have narrowed it down to either the Boardman or a Tricross comp.

The boardman is cheaper but has the disadvantage of Halfords and its associated problems. Halfords Ruislip is 4 miles from work but I have little confidence in their abilities. The tricross is avaialble from my local concept store who I have already bought one bike from, has the Specialized backup and support. I've 18 months experience of dealing with them and no problems.

Tricross has 105 groupset but canti brakes and will cost an additional £250 over the discounted price of a boardman. I'd like Apex but 105 is ok, i don't want tiagra hence have rules out the tricross sport (although it would be cheaper than the boardman).

What would the boardman owners suggest, given experience of dealing with halfords ?

Bike will be used for commuting, off roading and cx events.

I'm not godd at spannering (but am getting better), bike will be via cycle to work so having good backup and warrenty is of high importance to me.

thanks

ian

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Ian,

I have had issues with Halfords but I had the same problem deciding as you. Even given my issues with Halfords and even with the bike snob within me, I still bought the CX.

It qualified mainly on how it performed and the fact it has really well thought out mounts for guards and rack, which work around the discs really well.

I got the general feeling that the Tricross was a Specialized box ticking bike and really was not as good as the Boardman, also it got tepid reviews. My other bike is a Specialized as well.

Overall if I had the choice again, I would still order the Boardman CX but I would order online using all the discount codes available and then get it put together and BB checked by a local bike store.

The fact I have had a few issues and still would re-order speaks volumes.

If you trawl forums it seems a lot of Canti bikes are fine on fields but suffer on the road, it seems that you need to get them set up perfectly. If you are running a bike with normal road calipers you will be aware of what they are like on grimey wet commuting roads, and the Discs are perfect for these conditions.

The only upgrades I made were, 28mm 4 Seasons tyres, 11-28 rear cassette, and for sheer ease of getting them set up I changed from BB5 to BB7 calipers I am no bike mechanic either but did this myself in under 45 minutes. Some seem able to get the BB5 set up but I couldn't!

meanredspider

Given the choice again, it would be a close-run thing between the Boardman and the Focus Mares 4.0 Disc.

Disc brakes are a must IMO. if you accept that you might need Halfords to replace for BB bearings soon after you get the bike and you order a spare mech hanger, that's the only "price" you are paying for Halfords. After that, any bike shop can service it if you don't yourself. Given the value, that's a small price to pay.

optimisticbiker

OK, so how does the Boardman CX compare to say the Genesis Vapour Disc, the Spesh Tricross Elite Disc or the Focus Mares Disc Ax 2.0, all are on my list but I keep hearing such good things about the Boardman (excluding Halfords issues)

meanredspider

OptimisticBiker wrote:

OK, so how does the Boardman CX compare to say the Genesis Vapour Disc, the Spesh Tricross Elite Disc or the Focus Mares Disc Ax 2.0, all are on my list but I keep hearing such good things about the Boardman (excluding Halfords issues)

The Focus looks good with my preferred 105 (albeit with lower gearing than I'd like). At £300-odd more than you'd pay for the Boardman, though, that's basically what it cost me to convert the Boardman to 105 - with plenty of bits left over to sell on. The Boardman is really hard value to beat

meanredspider

The Genesis Vapour has BB7 as standard which is nice but at the price of Tiagra. The best price I can see is £950 (Swinnerton) - that £150 would put BB7 on the Boardman with change to spare. Again, cyclocross rings - bit short for the road.

optimisticbiker

meanredspider wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

OK, so how does the Boardman CX compare to say the Genesis Vapour Disc, the Spesh Tricross Elite Disc or the Focus Mares Disc Ax 2.0, all are on my list but I keep hearing such good things about the Boardman (excluding Halfords issues)

The Focus looks good with my preferred 105 (albeit with lower gearing than I'd like). At £300-odd more than you'd pay for the Boardman, though, that's basically what it cost me to convert the Boardman to 105 - with plenty of bits left over to sell on. The Boardman is really hard value to beat

How much did you swap out... looks like brifters, front mech and cassette as a minimum. I'd want 105 for compatibility with the road bike so I can swap bit around as needed... however would go for Tiagra... the 10speed is compatible with 105 on cassette/chain... and would swap bits over time...

meanredspider

Tricross Elite's main selling point seems to be a triple chainset. Tiagra and BB5 seems to be the lowest spec of all of the bikes - not great value at £1080

meanredspider

OptimisticBiker wrote:

How much did you swap out... looks like brifters, front mech and cassette as a minimum. I'd want 105 for compatibility with the road bike so I can swap bit around as needed... however would go for Tiagra... the 10speed is compatible with 105 on cassette/chain... and would swap bits over time...

Yes - brifters, front mech, rear mech & cassette - and most of the associated cables. I had crankset and brakes left over from the Merlin 105 kit. Latest Tiagra is meant to be pretty good.

optimisticbiker

meanredspider wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

How much did you swap out... looks like brifters, front mech and cassette as a minimum. I'd want 105 for compatibility with the road bike so I can swap bit around as needed... however would go for Tiagra... the 10speed is compatible with 105 on cassette/chain... and would swap bits over time...

Yes - brifters, front mech, rear mech & cassette - and most of the associated cables. I had crankset and brakes left over from the Merlin 105 kit. Latest Tiagra is meant to be pretty good.

Hmmm... will have to think on this some more. Boardman is 9.97kg, a little heavy compared to the others. Looking around, 10sp Tiagra kit will come in around £270-odd... plus some BB7 calipers @£60-odd so £849 + 270 + 60 = 1179 plus odds n sods less sellng of SRAM kit, say £50 all in = £1120ish - Genesis Vapour Disc 52cm is £960... hmmmm...

iandennis

Why buy a boardman and scrap the SRAM Apex ? I have Apex on my roadbike and have been very happy with it.
Surely you ride it till it breaks then upgrade ?

Got to agree that the new tricross bikes don't appeal as underspec'd and expensive especially the elite.

The 2011 comp has a lot of 105 but not the full suite so still might need upgrading for brakes. However its £250 which is still a lot to find in todays world.

Have already discounted Dolan (geometry), Genesis Crox (weight and tiagra), cannondale CAADX 2011(tiagra)

Cube race looks nice however.

Looks like Boardman still best value (especially with discount codes)

meanredspider

iandennis wrote:

Why buy a boardman and scrap the SRAM Apex ? I have Apex on my roadbike and have been very happy with it.

Apex is fine but 105 is much more refined - plus my other road bikes have it - swapping backwards and forwards leads to jamming on the front disc brake. Won't scrap it just sell it on.

IanTrcp

I thought it might be timely to exchange tyre info again....

If you are using your CX onroad but with a little offroad action, what tyres are you using and how are they working out?

The offroad bits I do mean that Durano's, Gatorskins etc aren't enought. I found the OE Excavaders ok offroad but quite quick to lock up (ie not much grip) on road esp. in the wet. I've got a set of Conti Speedkings and a set of Schwalbe Sammy Slicks to try. Can't decide which to go for first.

All observations, experiences, thoughts, suggestions etc welcomed.....

r1chtea

Hey Folks, found reading through this thread very interesting/informative & wonder if i can just ask a quick bit of advice. I'm looking to buy a CX style bike and have narrowed my choice down to two quite different contenders. I was planning on taking a few more months to come to my decision, but the low price of the CX team at the mo (plus the thought of a shiny new bike) has got me hovering near the "buy" button! So, i'd like a bike for day tours on road/canal paths/country paths and maybe the odd easy & apt green/blue style route. I also like the idea of putting a rack on every once in a while and doing some light touring. My two choices are the Boardman CX team or Genesis Croix De Fer. Different bikes and different prices. I'm coming from mtb so i have no loyalty or love for any particular gear mechanism and think i can at least try to get used to whatever. I also assume the weight/tyre drag etc is going to be so much improved from MTB that both bikes will be brilliant.

I guess the biggest thing for me is the frame. The croix is Steel and i've seen it's able to cope with touring. I'm 16 stone, do you think the CX will be able to handle me!?! I test rode one round halfords car park (hardly the most thorough test) and loved it! I'd love your thoughts/opinions.

meanredspider

Certainly no problem with your weight on the bike - I'm sure there's some heavier guys (maybe even on this thread) riding them. I think the Boardman is great value and, if you felt comfortable on it, there's absolutely no reason not to hit the "Buy" button

r1chtea

Cheers for response. The facts are all starting to add up in the Boardman's favour... There's just something stopping me! (I'm not sure what that is)

tincaman

Don't forget another 10% off using code NUSJAN12, make sure you enter it as upper case. Final price of £764.99

bails87

meanredspider wrote:

iandennis wrote:

Why buy a boardman and scrap the SRAM Apex ? I have Apex on my roadbike and have been very happy with it.

Apex is fine but 105 is much more refined - plus my other road bikes have it - swapping backwards and forwards leads to jamming on the front disc brake. Won't scrap it just sell it on.

Yep, I was exactly the same, used to Shimano, plus it feels a lot smoother.

I swapped rear mech (Tiagra), cassette (Tiagra) and shifters (105 bargain at £135 from Merlin). I got £160 back from selling my Apex stuff, so almost broke even!

r1chtea, 16 stone isn't that heavy, you'll be fine.

r1chtea

I guess i could use the British Cycling discount to make it cheaper still?

meanredspider

r1chtea wrote:

I guess i could use the British Cycling discount to make it cheaper still?

I believe so, yes. I wish I'd known about that discount

optimisticbiker

r1chtea wrote:

I guess i could use the British Cycling discount to make it cheaper still?

Oooh what discount is that? I'm a member of BC, til March anyway

61Sigs

You phone Halfords corporate sales, give them your membership no and buy x £'s worth of vouchers and you only pay 90% of the value of them.

They send you the vouchers, you take them into Halfords.

How slick is that?

Err not really. 10% is well worth it though.

DancesWithHi11s

Would like to share my experience, Ive been lurking this forum for tips : Ive owned a CXTeam since March last year managed to get one of the 1st XL sized bikes in the country from local halfords via Cycle to work scheme.

Am 6ft 3in with long legs, need change the stem for one about half the size of the supplied one but have gotten by without that modification just yet. Intended purpose was do it all comfortable commuter, the long wheel base esp the XL frame maximises the stability, getting the XL frame, Im prolly a little short for it as cross bikes are recommended short / smaller on the rider. My purpose for the machine was all round quality durable and light , comfortable and quick. Also I find having warmed up and spending long sessions in the saddle on roads its pleasant to be able to stretch out is nice on the back and only need move hands back over the substantial crossbar.

I grabbed mine boxed from store and hastily assembled that night at home, ran into the the squeaking bottom bracket quickly which Halfords took in and fixed a week later, since I've learned how to re-grease the BB30 Ive formed to the conclusion that the effort required to take the crank off and re-grease is minimal with bb30, just use a Allen key, rubber mallet and a wooden block is trivial really. Its accessible to the user as changing a flat tyre and only takes 10 - 15 mins max.

I took the bike on a sponsored 1000 mile ride over a fortnight via Edingburgh - Glasgow - Warrington - Leicester, Croydon, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Conwy, Liverpool, , very comfortable on Schwalbe marathon 700x35 I didn't need a shammy and cream lucky my arse is compatible with the stock seat. I completed the event without injury and little discomfort. The bike was a pleasure throughout.

One thing to watch on Marathon+ 700x35 is they spit stones out from underneath wheels, watch you don't embarase yourself accidently stoning other road users in rare instances.

Had an incident however where the rear mech got damaged in a drop preventing it from shifting all the way up the cassette, subsequently the front right shifter decayed as I ran it for a good month after the break without getting it properly repaired, a part broke in the shifter and all things considered I wasn't happy with the left shifter and microshift front draliuer. Dont get me wrong looked after they will last fine however when your doing 100 miles a day on charity run your energy gets low and the pressure required to shift the front mech became hard to find after a good 7 centurys in the saddle.

Having examined this forum I took the advice of the other board members and upgraded last week to shimano 105 5700 front and rear shifter and a 11-28 cassette, Great improvement much more substantial than the apex imho am now converted to shimano goodies. The front mech now shifts positive and reliably, the bigger lever to push against again helps greatly.

Replaced the bar tape with Halfords black cushion tape, 4 rolls to double tape the bars, even more comfortable. Had success with sks p45 guards also. I sawed off the arm thats obstructed by the disc caliper they works a treat tho I dont use them very often unless I need to be particular smart at my destination in wet weather.

I use the bike primarily as my daily commuter 28 miles round trip and find the machine slick and comfortable. No desire to upgrade the bb5 brakes, they are effective when you get the knack of setting them up, found some soft compound pads with a small quanitiy of kevlar in them which brake well but dont wear down too quickly.

I plan on changing the front crank for FSA SL-K on 130 bcd so I can use a spare 55t FSA tooth ring I have from my dahon p18. in spring. Mines turning into more of a road than a crosser. I also want to respray the frame in a dark metallic green. Those tasks should keep my busy this summer.

Boardman would finish off the package had they provided documentation with the bike model , all you get in the box is a generic warranty and unboxing sheet and sram booklets. They missed packaging a manual for the brakes.

All in all this is a superb bike very fond of mine, its sturdy rugged wheels are idea for my riding style, wanted something reasonably hooligan friendly.

Darren74

Hi, I bought a CX just before Christmas. Thanks to this thread I made sure that the BB was greased before I took collection. I know the guys in my local store and they know what they're doing and I trust them. All good there. When I was coming back from a ride last Thursday evening though I noticed a 'judder' from the front when using the front brake. I have checked the h/set and everything seems OK. What I have noticed is that when you apply the brake you can still rock the wheel back and forth. The pads are moving in the calliper. This is happening at the rear wheel too and I don't feel any judder there. Wouldn't really expect to though. As this is the first time i have ever tried discs I'm wondering is this normal? Anybody else have any judder at the front? Any ideas as to what it could be?

bails87

It's pretty normal for discs, don't worry about it.