Boardman CX Owners Thread

fret

Hmmm, double post, no idea why that happened.

But check this bargain out. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bon ... e-ec001737

meanredspider

Starting on the Rubinos first

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-rubino ... cher-tyre/

4.5 stars out of nearly 300 reviews I'd say was pretty good. Close enough to Gatorskins to be effectively the same. The Bontragers are horrible - they might be puncture resistant (though not great in my brief trial of them - 2 flats in 2weeks) and incredibly slow. Colleague found the same thing - his average speed dropped by 1mph on them over a month.

As for waterproofs - I think they're a waste of time for riding. Staying warm is what it's all about. Windproof is so much better. No waterproof material I've ever come across can breath well enough to expel the moisture from a bike that's being ridden hard. I'm sure, also, that no hardshell "breathes" whilst the outside is wet. All it means is you bathe in your own sweat. 4 years old commuting in the Scottish Highlands commuting in all weathers in particular has confirmed this to me.

fret

meanredspider wrote:

Colleague found the same thing - his average speed dropped by 1mph on them over a month.

Interesting fact. It could be why the CX is 1mph slower then the roadie and not just because it;s heavier. Don't forget it's also worth pointing out to the others on here that a wider tyre is also less prone to punctures as well for some reason.

I always get a sweat on with the overtrousers, but not the jacket. I also wear windproof kit and sweat just as much as when wearing a weatherproof jacket. I just hate getting cold and wet, which WILL happen in winter and even summer at times. Trousers are a must if you don't want your shoes filling with water, even with decent w#proof overshoes like the Endura ones I use as the rain runs down inside them.
You really need water resistant kit in winter if you don't want to spend all day drying the stuff.
But then years of riding motorcycles has taught me to stay dry, so I know nothing on this matter. There is nothing worse than getting to work soaking wet and having to change completely.
if you don't want to sweat just ride slower. :oops:

Everyone is different, as I pointed out with the tyres, so we will always differ in opinions on kit, tyres, pressures, handlebars etc. I try stuff and if it works I tend to stick with it.

fret

Double post again :oops:

I still prefer overtrousers simply to stop the water running down into my shoes, even when wearing decent overshoes like the Endura ones I have used for the last 5 years. They last about 2 years before they wear out.
There is nothing worse than having to put damp kit on at the end of the day to ride home if you can't dry it at work.

meanredspider

I won't prolong this by disagreeing

What did make me smile was your comment on Endura overshoes - just goes to show about different experiences and opinions - the Endura overshoes I've used are the worst and most useless bits of cycling kit I've ever owned - one pair lasted about 3 weeks....

fret

I've just been thinking about your post on WINDPROOF kit, MeanRed.
As we're both experienced all weather cyclist I'm interested in your actual experiences of it as I only have a top I usually wear as a base layer.
As I pointed out above, I overheat in the summer and then tend to slow down. Do you get soaking wet still? Doe sit take a long time to dry?
I know it doesn't actually belt down a great deal down the South, but we have our share on occasion and I have always been on the lookout for an alternative to summer gear and just carry the lightweight jacket in the seatpack for emergencies.

meanredspider

I just wear barely enough kit to keep me warm when I'm not cycling - I'm then plenty warm enough when I am cycling. I don't get soaking wet from my own sweat. I do ride hard though - average HR often up near 80%

I keep a Montane Featherlite jacket in my pocket - not to keep me dry when riding but as a windproof layer if I need to stop to fix a problem.

In winter I wear an Assos Airjack 851 jacket. Fabulous.

arthur_scrimshaw

I started out with waterproof gear, but soon realised nothing really is, at least not for long apart from boil in the bag stuff which I don't like. I bought an Endura stealth jacket which was waterproof for a year then started leaking in the arms. I now accept I'll get wet but try to remain warm. I use DHB Roubaix bibs in the Winter, wet and dry, when wet I'm still warm, Shimano MW80 boots, again not waterproof but warm, and merino baselayers and sportwool tops with a rain jacket. Never had much luck with gloves, Endura ones leaked (I don't buy their stuff anymore, just don't think it's very good) then went on to Sealskin which are great for the first hour then the water running down my rain jacket soaks into the cuffs of the glove and this wicks down until the glove is soaked. Wear a skull cap with a buff under the helmet.

fret

This is interesting comparing kit.

I've also tried Endura and Altura jackets. Yes, they keep you dry for around a year, but the 2nd or 3rd wash will destroy the rubberised inner material, even if it is done correctly with NikWax or similar and they won't replace them due to "fair wear and tear" :x . I still have a £30.00 jacket I got from Halfords 7 years ago that is the best jacket I have owned. Some of the poppers have fallen off, it smells and the zip is going, but it's still the best I have had and it's a "just-in-case" that is kept at work. I now have replaced it with the fluorescent orange version at £39.99.
I admit one of the main reasons for a weatherproof jacket is the high visibility of them and I wear long leggings in the winter and just the waterproofs on the occasion it really hoofs it down.
I often carry a showerproof top, but that gets wet in a few minutes, but it keeps the wind off, which is most important. Cost me €6 from GO SPORTS in France.
I hear that merino is one of the best as you stay warm even when wet. I may try some different combinations this year.
For gloves I bought some from ALDI at £6 last year. Brilliant kit, good for down to -6C when my Halfords winter ones take over.
They're mostly waterproof and keep your hands warm (see above) without getting too sweaty. In summer it's an old pair of LIDL gloves or some neoprene items. Wet hands, but not cold, which is the goal we aim for.
A skull cap does for winter duties under the helmet together with a neck warmer or silk balaclava for when it is really cold.

reformedfatty

Having resolutely hidden from riding it for commuting following 5 visits from the p-fairy in one day in err. january, I finally fitted some 28mm gatorskins and a tortec velocity rack. 6 prs on strava this morning, and a good battle with a roadie who would get away on the hills but I'd catch him on the flats. Last section before my turnoff is flat so could have had him but thought it would be unfair so let him have the day. 17.2 undulating miles, 1 hr 1 min. Not a bad return to the commuting scene

apreading

apreading wrote:

Just fitted my new wheels - H-Plus-Sun Archetype rims on American Classic 130/225 hubs with D-Light spokes. About 220grams lighter than the Crosslights, so over 500grams less than the standard wheels.

Havent tried them yet, but they look lovely and seem sooo light.

Also moving from Vittoria Zaffiro cheapo tyres to Continental GP4000S front/4 Seasons rear - so even more weight saving and supposedly more grip AND less rolling resistance.

Cant wait to get out for a blast on them!

Went out yesterday, on my local short loop to test them. Felt great - more responsive and corner much better but the garmin froze half way round the route - first time ever...! grrr I think I was on for best ever time or certainly very close to it.

fret

It was a good day for new average speeds. 17.2 for the round trip.

Burndust

not to shabby fret....really looking forward to trying some new tyres on mine...loaded with man flu just now so it def wont be until i get back from canada....hiring a roadie when i'm over there looks like theres some cracking segnents in banff according to strava

fret

It will soon drop to around 15.5 when it gets windy or rains.

jamin100

Had my CX around 18 months now and Im still as please with it as the day I got it.
Only done some minor modifications.
Changed the seat to a charge spoon
Added lights
Btwin count 14 cadence computer
New brake pads
Zefal mudguards (which are crap)
Replaced the tyres with Marathon Racer 30c

Things on my list to do
Swap out the BB5's for BB7's
Replace the bar tape which doesnt seem that padded?
Change the mudguards for proper ones. Any recommendations?

Its still a cracking bike and hope its going to last me many commuting years to come!

essex-commuter

jamin100 wrote:

Things on my list to do
Swap out the BB5's for BB7's
Replace the bar tape which doesnt seem that padded?
Change the mudguards for proper ones. Any recommendations?

Its still a cracking bike and hope its going to last me many commuting years to come!

Replace the tape when you swap out the BB5's, run new cables at the same time.

SKS mudguards just work, fit and forget.

essex-commuter

Dropped my CX in to have new BB bearings fitted, I couldn't get the old ones out and didn't want to cause any damage without the right tools. My local Hight St boutique bike shop wanted £30 to fit, whereas a little back street (well a converted barn) shop that I always use said he will do it for a tenner.

The boutique shop has been open about 6 months now, it's all fancy stuff at RRP+. Like to suport a LBS but not at such high mark ups. Only last month I was changing some cables and ran out of outer, I cycles down there and asked for 40cm of outer...£3.50. Sorry, can't be given you any of my money, you wind me up walking around in your Park Tools aprons and sitting on your Park Tool stools (even though I would like one for my garage!).

fret

Alas there are many shops like that, even though they may set up the bike correctly by pre-tensioning spokes and seating BB's, but that should be done at the factory anyway.
My local wouldn't take £900.00 for the Merida CX when I said I could get it elsewhere for that, even when I said I knew the one they had on the floor had been there for 2 months and they still wanted £1000.00 for it. Their choice, a sale of £900.00 is better than a no sale and the bike was still sat there in March.

As to Mudguards. I use SKS P35, allegedly OK for up to 28, but you can squeeze the OEM tyres in. Now over a year old, been used on my CAAD9 CX9 as you can see even with 23's fitted you don't really need to adjust them.



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far better than these or silmilar which are OK for off-road use.

Burndust

ok so i took the bike in to my LBS....however i left without getting it serviced...they didnt have the tyres i wanted and said that those of you running 23s and 25s shouldnt be!??...they also proceeded to say i neededa new chain....after 1500 miles...now i'm not saying they dont know what there doing and are just trying get extra money out of me..ive ordered the 28 gatorskins so i'll take bike back next week as per the original plan...the shop does come highly reccomended though...but i left thinkin hmmmm

Bubaloo

Tyres Wheels and Punctures

Second day into commuting and my managed to puncture my back inner tube. Running 28mm Gatorskins with OEM Ritchey wheels. The hole is actually on the rimside of the innertube right over the spoke hole, which was just covered with the rim tape?
Now admittedly I had been dropping the bike off some curbs, so is this type off puncture a relatively common occurance if you go off-piste? I am only used to MTB tyres/inner tubes so was a litle shocked at the skinniness of the inner tube. Secondly, when I tried to repair the puncture using a standard repair kit even the small round patch was almost too big for the inner tube and didn't stand up to the 90psi pressure. I just repaired the hole like I normally do, stick on the patch wait for it to get reasonably stuck and partially inflate the tyre before leaving it to set before giving it max.
Also when I looked at the back wheel rim the actual holes for the spokes do not run down the center of the rim but are slightly off. Would someone please check that this is normal, the spoke holes on 26" ritchey rims on my old MTB run pretty much either side of the centre of the rim and in no way elliptical of the 'center line'. It could me me getting paranoid but it seems that rather than a rim 'pinch' puncture from the sidewall it was more of a 'splat' puncture against the spoke holeand if the spoke holes are off center to the rim this is likely to happen again if I do any more kerbside heroics.....

arthur_scrimshaw

I've just pushed the button on a pair of Panaracer Pasela 28's (in black) as the rear Marathon plus is getting a bit worn and tbh I fancied something a bit lighter and with more zip. That said I've ridden over 8000km on them without a p******* so they may go back on for winter use. The Paselas are a lot lighter but I understand they are still reasonable at resisting the fairy. Looks like I'm doing a Jogle in September so hope these tyres will do the job?

arthur_scrimshaw

Bubaloo wrote:

Tyres Wheels and Punctures

Also when I looked at the back wheel rim the actual holes for the spokes do not run down the center of the rim but are slightly off. Would someone please check that this is normal, the spoke holes on 26" ritchey rims on my old MTB run pretty much either side of the centre of the rim and in no way elliptical of the 'center line'. It could me me getting paranoid but it seems that rather than a rim 'pinch' puncture from the sidewall it was more of a 'splat' puncture against the spoke holeand if the spoke holes are off center to the rim this is likely to happen again if I do any more kerbside heroics.....

There was a sticker on mine going on about 'off centre rim technology' and my spokes are definitely off centre!

essex-commuter

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

There was a sticker on mine going on about 'off centre rim technology' and my spokes are definitely off centre!

So manufacturer a bad batch of rims and CYA by putting a sticker on saying latest technology. Smart thinking.

Bubaloo

Thank you Mr Scrimshaw, so I haven't been sold a dodgy rim then, some relief at least. I've, in my very limited experience, no issue with the puncture proofness of the Gatorskins, as I said the pucure is on the rimside of ther innertube. The off-centering of the spokeholes on the rim will unevenly distribute the pressure of the innertube under load though and the hole was smack under the spoke hole, also the tape barely coves the hole because of they holes don't run centrally whereas the rim tape does.
As an aside, since I part commute on a towpath I was wondering about investing in 30mm CX tyres (previous post) and hoping these would fit my 25-35 full SKS mudguards.

arthur_scrimshaw

Bubaloo wrote:

Thank you Mr Scrimshaw, so I haven't been sold a dodgy rim then, some relief at least. I've, in my very limited experience, no issue with the puncture proofness of the Gatorskins, as I said the pucure is on the rimside of ther innertube. The off-centering of the spokeholes on the rim will unevenly distribute the pressure of the innertube under load though and the hole was smack under the spoke hole, also the tape barely coves the hole because of they holes don't run centrally whereas the rim tape does.
As an aside, since I part commute on a towpath I was wondering about investing in 30mm CX tyres (previous post) and hoping these would fit my 25-35 full SKS mudguards.

I hear the OEM rimtape on the CX wheels isn't great although I've still got mine on without any problems. I've SKS chromoplastic guards of that size and as I mentioned have been running 28c marathon pluses, they are a tight fit but actually measure up as over 30mm width wise so I guess it depends on how big the tyres come up rather than the stated label size?.

arthur_scrimshaw

essex-commuter wrote:

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

There was a sticker on mine going on about 'off centre rim technology' and my spokes are definitely off centre!

So manufacturer a bad batch of rims and CYA by putting a sticker on saying latest technology. Smart thinking.

Their marketing man must be a genius 8)

apreading

The off centre rims are to combat the fact that with disk brakes, the spokes are not attached to the hub centrally. So the off centre rim means that the difference in spoke angles between left & right sides is less and the tension is more uniform. Supposed to make it stronger... Not sure it actually makes much difference, but I think the physics is reasonable.

Sounds to me (although I am not sure from the way you phrased it) that you got what is called a pinch puncture, which is where you take a big impact at low pressure and as the inner tube gets squashed it punctures against the rim? Less likely to happen with higher volume tyres but if it does happen, suggests that you need higher pressure or to be more gentle with the bumps!

Bubaloo

apreading wrote:

Sounds to me (although I am not sure from the way you phrased it) that you got what is called a pinch puncture, which is where you take a big impact at low pressure and as the inner tube gets squashed it punctures against the rim? Less likely to happen with higher volume tyres but if it does happen, suggests that you need higher pressure or to be more gentle with the bumps!

The hole was so close to the center to the inner tube on the rim side I can't see how it would have gotten pinched. the hole was close to the presta valve (within 3 spokes) so that when I fitted it back on the rim the spoke hole just looked like the culprit.

Any idea about repairing these inners with a standard repair kit or is my kit/teqhnique duff?

essex-commuter

Bubaloo wrote:

apreading wrote:

Sounds to me (although I am not sure from the way you phrased it) that you got what is called a pinch puncture, which is where you take a big impact at low pressure and as the inner tube gets squashed it punctures against the rim? Less likely to happen with higher volume tyres but if it does happen, suggests that you need higher pressure or to be more gentle with the bumps!

The hole was so close to the center to the inner tube on the rim side I can't see how it would have gotten pinched. the hole was close to the presta valve (within 3 spokes) so that when I fitted it back on the rim the spoke hole just looked like the culprit.

Any idea about repairing these inners with a standard repair kit or is my kit/teqhnique duff?

Replace the inferior rim tape with Velox tape, that should solve the problem.

Bubaloo

Any idea of the correct diameter? i've seen 10, 17 and 22mm. Guess at 17?