Boardman CX Owners Thread

fret

I can see where SRAM make more sense for CX racing than Shimano or Campag. Less parts to move when sliding around in the mud, no worries about shoving the brake lever to one side etc.
Not to mention the weight gains.......................but I still like Shimano

fret

WOW! I changed the front mech today for a SRAM RIVAL during my lunch. What a difference. Much lighter and precise. There certainly seems to be less setting up with SRAM than Shimano, that's for sure. I reckon it took me 20 minutes to remove the old one and set the new one up.

wsceats

Hello. I’m about to order a CX Team as my second CTW bike for commuting (as the brakes on my Boardman Road Team are a bit scary in London traffic, and it’s getting trashed with potholes etc.) so I’ve just read the past 29 pages with great interest. Many thanks to all for their contributions – really useful, and I’ll be sure to check the BB30. Interestingly I’ve had no issues with my BB30 on my road team, despite the Halfords assembly.

My question is this; I’m planning on swapping the 35 knobblies with 25 conti gatorskins (as have great experience with their puncture repellence) and transferring my crud road racer 2 guards from my Road onto the CX. From what i can surmise from the web it should work as the key limited factor is tyre clearance. Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Or salutary lessons about how it’s so fiddly you might just go with some stock ‘guards like the SKS P35s? Many thanks in advance!

bails87

Don't road racers attach by wrapping a cable tie around the brake mounting bolt? There is no such bolt on the CX, so you might have an issue there.

wsceats

@bails87 - thanks for your reply. That's a flippin' good point, however on the Halfords website it looks like there's a hole of some sort on the wishbone stays that I might be able to get a zip tie through, so it might just work...

bails87

Yeah, there's probably a way round it, but it might take a bit of bodging.

Sharkyssurfers

wsceats wrote:

@bails87 - thanks for your reply. That's a flippin' good point, however on the Halfords website it looks like there's a hole of some sort on the wishbone stays that I might be able to get a zip tie through, so it might just work...

thats what i did on my specialized sectaur sport disc model, as that has discs so no calipers, so used a cable tie around the middle wear you can fit a caliper brake if you want, works well, wrapped that frame in tape first so it doesnt have any rub marks

wsceats

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

wsceats wrote:

@bails87 - thanks for your reply. That's a flippin' good point, however on the Halfords website it looks like there's a hole of some sort on the wishbone stays that I might be able to get a zip tie through, so it might just work...

thats what i did on my specialized sectaur sport disc model, as that has discs so no calipers, so used a cable tie around the middle wear you can fit a caliper brake if you want, works well, wrapped that frame in tape first so it doesnt have any rub marks

if I can't fix it with cable ties and duct tape, it's not meant to be...

Did you manage to put road racers on your sectaur? If so, what size tyres did you manage?

Sharkyssurfers

i have 700x 25 rims with gatorskins 700x28, i couldnt fit a crud race on the front as there isnt a crossbeam to cable tie to , so had a race blade fitted.

wsceats

ah - thanks. But road racers front and rear, or just front and a crud on the rear?

fret

My question is this; I’m planning on swapping the 35 knobblies with 25 conti gatorskins (as have great experience with their puncture repellence) and transferring my crud road racer 2 guards from my Road onto the CX. From what i can surmise from the web it should work as the key limited factor is tyre clearance. Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Or salutary lessons about how it’s so fiddly you might just go with some stock ‘guards like the SKS P35s? Many thanks in advance

I have personal experience with the mudguard problem that you are facing as I too tried out the CrudRacers on my Cannondale CX9 when I had that. A couple of problems as highlighted by others.
1. No brakes to tie the 'guards to.
2. distance between tyres and fixing points.

These can be overcome by means of old 15mm or 20mm plastic conduit, brackets and cable ties.
The main problem is distancing them as they are a long way from the wheels if you fix them to the forks and rear wishbone (and seat tube if you use the full length rear) and look pretty daft, as well as not working properly. But, to be honest, get a pair of SKS P35/45/55 mudguards, you won't notice the 300g weight penalty and they are brilliant at keeping the wet off. Admittedly the CX9 has more clearance than the CX, but it still looks silly as I found out when I first got the CX and tried the same fitting method. Or some SKS

I have use 25mm Gatorskins, like yourself, but have switched to 28mm for the Boardman as they roll just as fast and can be run at slightly lower pressures (90-100psi), increasing comfort in city riding. I still average 15mph, the same as my old commuter road bike in the winter as you cycle slower anyway due to overheating whilst wearing a jacket.

I'm also tempted to fit a pair of these so I don't have to adjust the guards if I switch tyres over winter should it snow. http://road.cc/content/review/45228-sks ... n-mudguard

wsceats

Fret – many thanks indeed for this as it’s just what I was looking for. Your advice makes perfect sense and I’ll ditch the idea and go the SKS route. And go for 28’s.

Really appreciated –you’ve saved me a few hours bollixing around with my road racers and getting very frustrated so many thanks indeed.

This forum rocks!

fret

No problem. Over the year I have tried several 'guards and these are the best I have used for commuting yet.
I wish I had got the CX 2 years ago on the decent CTW scheme as it was back then. Just keeping hands clean from brake crap when fixing the inevitable wet and cold puncture makes it all worthwhile.
And keep the Ribble for sunny days

wsceats

My plan entirely! Cheers.

cookdn

wsceats wrote:

Fret – many thanks indeed for this as it’s just what I was looking for. Your advice makes perfect sense and I’ll ditch the idea and go the SKS route. And go for 28’s.

Here you go, Boardman CX + 28mm Continental Gatorskins + SKS Bluemels 700 X 25-35 (wide). They are a bit of a fiddle to fit (I guess most mudguards are), but solid and totally rattle free. The steel stays are supplied long and have to be trimmed down; I bought a cheap pair of bolt cutters to save time over cutting eight stays with a hacksaw.

Apologies for the quality of the photos, it is cold and raining this morning so they were taken in the gloom of the garage.

Best regards



















Edit: Added additional image of front guard.

wsceats

@ cookdn: Awesome – superb! Many thanks indeed. Will make fitting them much easier so really appreciated. This forum double rocks!

fret

Looks VERY similar to the P35's.
SKS obviously the BEST you can get.

apreading

Did all the standard bolts that came with it fit ok? And was it easy to screw into the carbon fork eyelets or do you have to be careful with this?

arthur_scrimshaw

apreading wrote:

Did all the standard bolts that came with it fit ok? And was it easy to screw into the carbon fork eyelets or do you have to be careful with this?

The dropouts are aluminium, that said I had to chase mine out with a tap because the paint was too thick. Bolts with the SKS guards fit the bike no problems - M5 I think?

cookdn

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

apreading wrote:

Did all the standard bolts that came with it fit ok? And was it easy to screw into the carbon fork eyelets or do you have to be careful with this?

The dropouts are aluminium, that said I had to chase mine out with a tap because the paint was too thick. Bolts with the SKS guards fit the bike no problems - M5 I think?

As Arthur Scrimshaw states all the bolts, nuts and washers you need are provided with the guards.

The only eyelet I had a problem with was the one below due to paint. I don't have taps so just went very carefully with the bolt.



These two are threaded:





This one is bolt-through:





Best regards

apreading

Great stuff - thanks, didnt realise that parts of the fork were aluminium and superb photography - really helpful!

fret

That's the rear wishbone seatstay.

I had no problems with paint overfill. Just apply some copper grease prior to assembly to stop corrosion/seizing, obviously.

I'm very chuffed overall with the bike. The next upgrade is some shallow handlebars as I prefer those when on the drops. My new (heavy) spare wheels have arrived and are ready to go on with the knobblies when the time dictates it. Then it's time to purchase some lighter wheels for daily use, or perhaps just the rims.
Then a carbon seat post
Then perhaps Ultegra if I decide to go Di2 on the Ribble.

I can't leave things standard :oops:

cookdn

cookdn wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

richVSrich wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Don't talk to me about Halfords. They STILL don't have the rear mech hangers. Last Wednesday they said they'd be here by Thursday - went in on Saturday: no sign of them! 7 weeks and counting

do all boardmans have specific rear mech hangers? i had to order one off the internet (have no idea what the site was..sorry) for my hybrid when i did the rear wheel in last year...google is thy friend?

Dunno - the CX hanger seems to be unique to the CX. There's a aftermarket version available (see further up the thread) though hard to find and expensive. I got a replacement direct from Boardman by contacting them but Halfords should be able to supply spares in less than 7 weeks - after all, it's about the only part on the entire frame that's unique and that you couldn't replace with a generic part.

Did you ever get hold of a replacement rear gear hanger through Halfords?

Mines bent, the LBS are going to straighten it for me but it really needs to be replaced. If they are like rocking horse poo it is probably worth having a spare anyway. Interestingly the guy at the LBS immediately compared it to a Pinarello compatible hanger as this is correct for the Boardman Road frames in his experience.

Best regards
David

I've just stumbled across official UK stock of replacement Boardman Rear Derailleur Hangers for the CX (AF3600). This time we really can blame Wiggle :

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/boardman-rear-d ... ur-hanger/

Change your location to anywhere other than UK in the top right of the page and weep. Cost is about £12 depending on which territory you change your location to.

I'm going to contact Wiggle to see if they are allowed to supply these as replacement parts to the UK. Obviously full bikes is a no-no because you-know-who have got exclusivity. :roll:

Best regards

meanredspider

I actually ordered and paid for 2 hangers at my local Halfords but never collected them

muzzan

Hi,

So, been told by the 'frauds that my CX needs a new freehub body, which will cost around £70. This is after around 1500 miles & 6th months of use. Smelled a rat so did some googling & seems this is way early. Chap actually explained this by saying to keep the price down they use some cheaper components (erm, didnt mention THAT during the sales pitch).... so I am wondering if anybody has had similar experience, or if I should push for a warranty replacement?

Cheers

fret

Warranty. Every time.
Under the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) the unit has failed and is clearly "not fit for purpose".
Reject the WHOLE WHEEL. Also, under the above act, the consumer is not to be "inconvenienced" EG, you get a new or replacement wheel, or yours repaired, depending upon what is quickest.
If they start making excuses then reject the WHOLE BIKE and ask for a refund. Warranty is usually one year from purchase, but has been known to extend as you wouldn't expect a wheel to expire 3 days after the warranty does, so keep pushing.

One of the customers at work had his freehub fail as well, so yes, it is a cheaper item.

On the subject of wheels, I fitted my new ones today, with the road tyres on, a road Shimano Ultegra 11-28 cassette to keep the OEM's for off road use only to discovered that the disc bolts foul the front caliper mounting, badly scratching the paint :evil: , so I need to touch that up before salt gets in.
Mind you, getting two sets of wheels seemed a good idea, a quick swap for snow or green laning, but as the discs are also thicker on the new wheels it's hassle adjusting the brakes each time, so I am just going to revert to changing tyres as this literally takes 10 minutes or less anyway.

Just hosed it all down to get the salt off ready for the next ravages of winter commuting.

meanredspider

Warranty for sure - 6 months is far too short for a freehub

fret

Remember that Warranty is with the place where you purchased the bike, NOT the manufacturer, so don't be fobbed off by Halfords stating they need to send it to the manufacturer, or you have to contact them etc.
All you need is proof of purchase, you don't need to show a receipt, a bank statement or credit card slip is enough.

muzzan

Thanks, sigh, looking fwd to yet another trip to have it out with them...

Actually just had the bike on the stand & there are times when the rear wheel is not catching & turning with the pedals, I assume this is the freewheel failing?

fret

Yup. My customer found he suddenly had no drive whilst going up a hill.

The pawls could be wearing or the springs may have failed. It may just need a strip down and regrease though.