Boardman CX Owners Thread

fret

So, my thoughts after day 1 of using the CX.

Good things, some VERY good in comparison to the 14 bikes I have owned over the last 7 years.

Comfortable, but not so comfy as the Cannondale CX9 (Not surprising, they made the best alloy frames)

Quick. Almost as quick as the roadie, no quicker than the CX9

28mm tyres are a good compromise between 25mm all rounders and perhaps 35mm, certainly can't tell much difference yet.

Lights easy to fit on, just enough room on the 'bars for 2.

Rear/right derailleur system easy to use, no errors despite having Shimano for years, light and precise.

Brakes, awesome, better than the superbly fierce Shimano Ultegra 6700 on my carbon roadie and it was pouring this morning......................why do people still use cantilevers? I can't believe 300 grammes make much difference. Easy to set up and just a slight rub.

Mudguards easy to fit, just the one bend in the SKS P35's

Handlebars have a lobely shallow bend, similar to the CX9, which is the best bike I have had yet.
Low gears are excellent I guess, I never needed to go below the 4th rear ratio with the small chainring up Portsdown hill.

Not so good things, some may be just because it's new, so bear with me.

Mudguards rubbed first thing as I hadn't tested them under load. Only happened when powering up hills.

Wheels flex quite badly, leading to mudguard rub and disc rub when standing or under hard acceleration. I have been soiled by top end wheels in the past I guess, haven't used cheap wheels for about 4-5 years now :oops:

Lefthand/front deraileur system is diabolical. Far too stiff and far too much movement for it to shift easily. I thought the new Ultegra 6700 were stiff after using the old 105 and Ultegra which were like watch mechanisms in comparison. How these have an RRP of more than Shimano 105 5700 series is beyond me, really poor and takes far too much effort to shift. Luckily I only have to shift 2 or 3 times on my way home/to work. Can't see it improving, so I am saving for 105's again.

Rear cassette so far has too large a step twixt ratios, but then I am used to road gearing.

Weight. Oh dear. Fully commuter kitted it's a massive 13.4 kilos with lights, 'guards, rear rack, pannier, seat bag. A shock after the 11.0kg Cannondale and 8.0kg Ribble. This will be addressed in the new year though.

Old faithful MT Zefal pump didn't fit the seat tube (which I knew) and I couldn't find the old bottle cage fitting bracket doofah, so had to fit a far heavier alloy Halfords pump I have as a spare. Not the bikes' fault, but I will address it as the alloy pump weighs a ton.

Slight rub and occasional squeal from the brakes. Still setting them up, so not a real concern.

So, verdict overall.
Very pleased. Wish I had done it 2 years ago when the CTW scheme was worth doing (it isn't any more)
All I need to do is sort the gears and get some spare wheels fitted with CX tyres for weekend disused railway and woods fun.

Anyone need a spare new saddle? I've fitted my old Specialized Phenom.

meanredspider

Have to agree on that SRAM front shifter - agricultural was the best word I could come up with for it. 105 improves the bike no end and I was able to sell all the SRAM parts to offset most of the cost of a new groupset from Merlin.

The wheels aren't the best and it's worth keeping an eye on the rim tape

fret

Already checked the rim tape when I fitted the Gatorskins. Moved it over as far as I could after reading your reports on it. I hope to get some decent wheels in the future like the MAVIC KSYRIUM SL's I have on the Ribble that don't need tape.

I can get 105 shifters for less than £140.00 new, so that may be the first upgrade and as you say, sell the SRAM to pay for it. Fornt and rear mechs can wait a bit.

fret

Just adjusted the front mech. The cable was a bit slack and the mech returned too far towards the frame on the small front ring. Seems better, but the ride home will tell.

meanredspider

fret wrote:

Just adjusted the front mech. The cable was a bit slack and the mech returned too far towards the frame on the small front ring. Seems better, but the ride home will tell.

Keep an eye on the alignment of the mech with the rings. I had an issue where it twisted slightly on the mount and gave me shifting issues.

fret

I'll give everything a good going over at the end of a week. I do 90 miles commuting.

Got a puncture on the way home tonight. It ALWAYS happens with new tyres/tubes/wheels/bikes. I could see a small split in the tyre, despite having no glasses on :shock: At least that was what I hope. When I got home and repaired it the hole is exactly over the marks where the spoke holes meet/miss the rim tape. I'm hoping I just twisted the tube when putting it in as the OEM 35mm are a squeeze in 28mm tyres. I shall take they tyres off again and make sure the tape is over the holes when back at work in the warm.

Front shifter is not a great deal better in real terms. You still have to push the left lever a long way to shift and it's got an awful agricultural action. 105's it is then. A shame as it is a very good bike. Avergage speed is the same as my CX9 was, around 15mph as compared to 16-17 on the road bike. You ride slower in winter anyway as you overheat in a jacket.

fret

Guess what? Yup, another puncture. This time 100% caused by the rim tape moving as the hole was about 20mm from the valve....................where a spoke is. You can see the edges of the rim-tape pushing into the spoke holes. I shall be fitting my spare rim tape today (in the warm) and taking the offending article, plus the tube, back to Helfrauds to get a replacement under the Sale of Goods Act as not fit for purpose. I run 100 psi on road tyres designed for 140psi, so it must be the poor rim tape.

Keep watching for the next exciting episode.

meanredspider

fret wrote:

Guess what? Yup, another puncture. This time 100% caused by the rim tape moving as the hole was about 20mm from the valve....................where a spoke is. You can see the edges of the rim-tape pushing into the spoke holes. I shall be fitting my spare rim tape today (in the warm) and taking the offending article, plus the tube, back to Helfrauds to get a replacement under the Sale of Goods Act as not fit for purpose. I run 100 psi on road tyres designed for 140psi, so it must be the poor rim tape.

Keep watching for the next exciting episode.

Good luck - Halfrauds muppet offered me 20% off tube and rim tape - I told them to stuff it and I'd lost the will to fight them - just never went back.

fret

No reply from my email and when I saw the quality of the tape my local branch stocks I didn't even bother trying to do anything. Horrible, cheap, nasty plastic rubbish. So, I shall stick to my guns and go for proper stuff or a couple of tubes to replace the ones that were holed.


Latest reports!!!!

Getting quicker as I get used to a compact crank again.
Front shifter..............still not happy with it, I will adjust the cable again.
Brakes. Superb...........until some retard :roll: decided to spray cleaner on them as the pads weren't returning properly, therefore rubbing. Lost the initial WOW factor and now the front one isn't much bettert han a cantilever. The "person" involved has been shot and has learned to protect the surfaces of the brake pads as well as the discs when cleaning and lubing.

Here's a picture of how I fitted the front mudguard around the caliper . Excuse the quality, it's dark outside

diliff

I did the same thing with my front mudguards, fret. Didn't tie them together with cable ties though, but bent them around the front brakes in a pretty similar way.

Speaking of cable ties, I only just noticed, but it looks like the cables on my bike are attached along the down tube to my rear mechs with cable ties, rather than the clips that the frame seems designed to take. Furthermore, the front fork does have one clip to keep the front disc brake cable attached to the fork, but it refuses to attach at both ends of the clip at the same time, so it's fairly loose and it seems like it'll be a matter of time until it pops off and I have a brake cable dangling around. Did anyone else have either of the above experiences? I don't mean to make a big deal of it, but for an almost £1000 bike, I expected a bit more attention to detail than clips that don't fit properly and completely absent clips replaced by cable ties.

bails87

I had the same clips on my mountain bike. They eventually fall off, I reckon cable ties (which mine has on the downtube, but not the fork, same as you) are a better bet. I don't know why they'd use clips for the fork and ties for the frame though, you'd think they'd use one or the other.

diliff

Thanks Bails. One final question regarding racks.. what have you guys used/recommended? I had my eye on a Tortec Velocity Hybrid rear rack, but I can't find it available anywhere online cheaply (that is to say, actually in stock in black... it seems to be sold out everywhere). I used to have a Tortec Ultralite previously and was happy with it, although after a year of commuting, my panniers had really worn them down, not just on the pannier mounting point on the rack's top tubes, but also on the sides of the racks, to the point where they were not tubular but flat. I was therefore looking at the Tubus Vega as a low-weight, minimalist steel alternative and had seen that others had fitted it successfully. Is it worth paying almost triple the price for it though? I see that all the racks are rated to the same weights (25kg). I'm sure that the Tubus rack will last longer but hey, I could buy a couple of replacement aluminium racks for the same price!

essex-commuter

diliff wrote:

a Tortec Velocity Hybrid rear rack, but I can't find it available anywhere online cheaply (that is to say, actually in stock in black... it seems to be sold out everywhere)

How about a standard Velocity? It's the same as I have on my CX and this is where I got it..

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tortec-veloc ... prod20132/

In stock. Oooosh.

fret

No idea what make my rack is. It's aluminium if that helps It's quite heavy though.
I have bent the mudguard stays accordingly, the ties just tidied it up whilst I sorted it out. I use cable ties as I get them for free.

A result today from Helfrauds after complaining about the rim tape on their website contact. "Thank you for your email and I am sorry for the problems you have experienced with your bike.

When you take your bike to Waterlooville, if they have any issues, please ask them to call us while you are there, to save going back and forth to stores. We would like to get this issue sorted out for you asap.

We would also like to offer you a £10 gift voucher as a gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience caused.

Kind regards"

PK, it's still not brilliant quality, but it's free and should work. I can use the voucher for some new tubes as I always try to keep plenty of spares.

diliff

essex-commuter wrote:

How about a standard Velocity? It's the same as I have on my CX and this is where I got it..

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tortec-veloc ... prod20132/

In stock. Oooosh.

Not sure if it will be a good fit. I thought you got the Hybrid version which is a bit wider. I still have the 35mm tyres on my CX but I'm going to fit 32mm Marathon Supremes this weekend. I suspect that the Velocity will be too narrow for 32mm tyres and my 45mm mudguards (SKS P45), which is why I thought the Hybrid version would be more suitable.

What tyres/mudguard combo are you using? I asked on the previous page (I guess you didn't see as it got buried fairly quickly) if you could resurrect your photos as I was keen to see how it all looked and the links don't seem to be valid anymore.

essex-commuter

diliff wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

How about a standard Velocity? It's the same as I have on my CX and this is where I got it..

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tortec-veloc ... prod20132/

In stock. Oooosh.

Not sure if it will be a good fit. I thought you got the Hybrid version which is a bit wider. I still have the 35mm tyres on my CX but I'm going to fit 32mm Marathon Supremes this weekend. I suspect that the Velocity will be too narrow for 32mm tyres and my 45mm mudguards (SKS P45), which is why I thought the Hybrid version would be more suitable.

What tyres/mudguard combo are you using? I asked on the previous page (I guess you didn't see as it got buried fairly quickly) if you could resurrect your photos as I was keen to see how it all looked and the links don't seem to be valid anymore.

Sorry didn't see that. I only use 25mm Marathon's and SKS guards. I still have the pictures but no longer have access to the web site I used to run (and hence used the space there)...where can I upload pics to and link on here?

diliff

You can upload to http://imageshack.us/ without having to register, that's what I usually do. What kind of clearance do you have with the 25mm tyres? Apparently the 32mm Marathon Supremes are thin for their supposed size and measure 30mm with calipers which is fairly close to the 28mm which the Velocity rack says is the limit...

reformedfatty

Picked up the bike today. For comparison, heres the list of stuff that was wrong / had to be adjusted once I got it home, excluding the personal fit items like saddle / stack heigh

Brakes not adjusted properly, coming all the way back to the bar
Various cable clips not put in place
All cables about .5 miles too long
Cable routing incorrect
Brake levers at incorrect angle
Front deraileur poorly adjusted (to be fair the front deraileur on Apex shifters is a bit meh at best)
Every bolt I've had to undo so far has been overtorqued.
Handlebar angle
Saddle angle

Haven't taken it for a proper spin yet, just enough to see what was / wasn't working. See what everyone means about that front shifter...

meanredspider

I think these days, now there's a wide-range Shimano 12-30 cassette (IIRC), the CX would be better supplied with Shimano. The conversion improved the bike no end and I think Apex is comparable cost to 105

arthur_scrimshaw

meanredspider wrote:

I think these days, now there's a wide-range Shimano 12-30 cassette (IIRC), the CX would be better supplied with Shimano. The conversion improved the bike no end and I think Apex is comparable cost to 105

I agree, Apex is clunky and poor quality compared to 105, I'm frankly amazed it's more expensive.
I've had a rear shifter fail after 300 miles and it seems I'm not alone in this, the replacement is hit or miss, up shifts are fine but down shifts are variable throughout the ratios. It requires a lot more force to change as well.

cookdn

essex-commuter wrote:

I still have the pictures but no longer have access to the web site I used to run (and hence used the space there)...where can I upload pics to and link on here?

If you have a Google account you can share/link/embed images for free from Picasa Web. A nice convenience is that you can upload the full size image, Picasa then creates a thumbnail dynamically to any width defined in the image url. This is what I use.

Best regards
David

essex-commuter

Imageshack was easy, ta. Here's the Velocity. Rear tyre is 28mm Marathon (not 25), guards are 38mm SKS. The narrowest section of the rack is the middle strut, the SKS's have a clearance of about 2mm each side, therefore I would say the tyres alone have a clearance of around 7mm each side. The cable tied elastic strap is my addition as is the piece of carbon seat tube bolted on the back to take a rear light.

fret

I think these days, now there's a wide-range Shimano 12-30 cassette (IIRC), the CX would be better supplied with Shimano. The conversion improved the bike no end and I think Apex is comparable cost to 105

meanredspider

I agree, Apex is clunky and poor quality compared to 105, I'm frankly amazed it's more expensive.
I've had a rear shifter fail after 300 miles and it seems I'm not alone in this, the replacement is hit or miss, up shifts are fine but down shifts are variable throughout the ratios. It requires a lot more force to change as well.

The front shifter is now better after adjusting the cable tension. Easy to do, just shift on the big ring but DON'T move the chain, then tighten the cable and it is not bad. Still not as good as Shmao 105/Ultegra though. I have bought a used FORCE front mech for £15.00, so we'll see what that does first before I decide to go Shimano.

MRS, I'm SURE the first CX bikes had 105 when they were first released. As to SRAM being far more expensive than Shimano, Lord knows why, yes it's very precise, but it just feels so agricultural.

fret

Now I have the bike set up how I like it as below.

SKS P35 mudguards. Seem to fit the OEM knobblies OK as well.
Specialized Phenom saddle. Comfy
Shimano SPD M250 pedals.
Gatorskin 28mm tyres, 100psi.
Alloy pump, heavy, but 100 pumps = 100psi. Probably change it soon.
Halfords seat bag. Cheap, can fit 2 lights on the seatpost, which was important.

Current weight with that fitted, lights, pump and seat bag is 12.30kg on the work scales. I can't see where the 2.5kg comes from, but I daresay it all adds up and is a shock after the 8.0kg Ribble and 11.5kg CX9. I removed the rack as it weighed 1kg with a pannier and I only use it once a week, so back to a rucksack to take my gear in.

I feel the urge once again to play about with things (Why can't I keep things standard?)
So far I have ordered a new SRAM FORCE front mech, so I daresay Rival/Force/105/Ultegra will follow in due course.
Has anyone weighed the OEM wheels? Anyone fitted different wheels? This is probably my first upgrade to keep the off-road tyres on.
Has anyone done any weight loss surgery to see what can be gained?

meanredspider

fret wrote:

Has anyone weighed the OEM wheels? Anyone fitted different wheels? This is probably my first upgrade to keep the off-road tyres on.

Think I did both at about this time last year - certainly put some different wheels on with the Marathon Winters

essex-commuter

fret wrote:

Anyone fitted different wheels? This is probably my first upgrade to keep the off-road tyres on.
Has anyone done any weight loss surgery to see what can be gained?

I split a rear rim so have had it rebuilt with a Mavic. Rim and fitting cost £40, bargain I thought.

I don't care what the bike weighs. My only concern is how long bits on it last and how reliable it is, it is my commuter to get me to work every day. Train heavy, race light...my light bike comes out at the weekends.

bails87

From earlier in the thread

bails87 wrote:

I've got a wheelset based around stans crest 29er rims (superstar hubs. Dt revolution spokes), over 600g lighter than the stock ones (2. 2kg-1590g). They work fine with 25mm gp 4 seasons.

fret

I don't care what the bike weighs. My only concern is how long bits on it last and how reliable it is, it is my commuter to get me to work every day. Train heavy, race light...my light bike comes out at the weekends.

I care 8) , especially after I sold my CX and rode a sub 8kg Ribble to work for a week before buying this. It was a shock when I weighed it at 13.5KG, that's heavy for commuting. Once the CX is up to speed it's fine, but you can certainly feel the extra weight of the wheels when starting off or climbing. I totally agree with your comment upon how long components last, that's why I always go for at least 105 groupsets, but the nearest 105 CX bike was £1K and they wouldn't drop the price.

I knew I had seen a post about lighter wheels, but I gave up looking for it, so thanks.
You can get lighter, strong, wheels, but you have to pay for them. I've used Shimano and Mavic on my commuters and play bikes over the last 7 years and never had any problems with them. I want a spare set to put off-road tyres on, but want to try for lighter ones, so thanks for the replies. I've seen some Shimano ones for £125.00, but the rotors are 180mm. 100g from wheels equate to 300g from overall weight.
Weighed some of the components yesterday, it's surprising how much it all adds up to.

6 lights @ approx 80g , 500g
Mudguards 500g
2 spare tubes, 200g
bag, multitool, tyre levers, overtrousers, 5-600g

Best part of 2kg.

Finally sussed the "Double Tap" gears yesterday morning. Guess who thought you had to literally "Double Tap" to shift down? :oops: The front mech shift action still reminds me of SORA form 6 years ago though. Shimano is "Click" in comparison to the "CLINK" of SRAM

bails87

I didn't really notice a change between by Ribble (weight unknown, but it was the carbon sportive with RS10 wheels, 105 groupset and a carbon seatpost) and the CX, even though the CX was heavier in my hands. It only added a couple of minutes at most onto my 50-55 minute commute.

That doesn't mean I haven't spent a load of money making it lighter (wheels, seatpost, bar, stem....).

What tyres are you using, btw? not the original treaded CX tyres? I had the same tyres (25mm Gatorskins) on my Ribble and the CX so maybe that's why I didn't notice much of a difference.

As for the wheels, 29er wheels at £125 (new?) are likely to be pretty heavy. These or the 29er CL25s or the 29er Crests might work out better in the weight loss per £ stakes.

The rotor size shouldnt' really matter though. It's easily changed and I'm sure you could swap with a MTBer who wanted to upgrade to a bigger rotor from a stock 160mm one.

fret

Oooooh, lots of wheels to choose from. I have a New Year gig with the band, so I may treat myself.................
I guessed the cheaper wheels were heavy at 2020g. The Boardamn Ritchey ones aren't too bad as I've (sadly) just taken some calculations from the existing ones.
Weight 3780 fully loaded approx according to our scales
Tyres 640
Tubes 200
skewers 200 approx
Cassette 250 approx
Weight of wheels with rotors approx 2490g, so I guess we're looking at SUB 2000G wheels to make it worthwhile. Like a sad person I just changed the rim tape (see previous) and weighed the naked wheel. 1070g with the rotor and skewer, so at 2020 for the Shimano I reckon they are just lighter.

It is possible to get light wheels with discs, OK these are tubs, but clinchers can be had almost as light http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... isc-35608/

After a week of riding on discs, I can offer some comparisons. OK, so they are only BB5, not the best, but the initial feel was WOW! Stopped on a sizpence. Now they don't seem any different to the Ultegra calipers and the very well set up TRP EuroX's I had on the CX9. Still seems to be a lag and then they work well. I don't brake very often as I plan well ahead, so they haven't been put to hard use yet.
As it hasn't rained hard, I can't say much, but damp weather there appears to be better braking.

Now, this is getting better. Hydraulic discs are almost sorted, by the look of things. Can't wait to see what the price is.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... ook-35887/

As for tyres, I'm using Gatorskin 28's. I tried the fatter tyre as I usually ride on 23's and can't honestly notice any difference in rolling resistance or comfort. I've had 25's too, but they are too close for crud race mudguards on most road bikes. I've used Gatorskins for about 5 years now, fantastic tyres for commuting for lack of punctures and only bettered by Bontrager Racelites (2 punctures and only those 3 weeks ago after 10 months of use)