Boardman CX Owners Thread

fret

Mine feels completely different to my road bike, yet still familiar if that makes sense. The heavier wheels are only just noticeable on acceleration, personally I am not fit or light enough to notice a difference on hills..............................and I'm old. :oops: Once rolling, heavier wheels rotate easier and the weight helps them rotate, or so it seems to read to me in my research. I would like to try some aero wheels to see what happens.
Currently my carbon road bike is 1mph faster on the weekly commute, but I wouldn't put that down to weight necessarily as there are many factors that could influence the speed. Gearing, wheels, aerodynamics and just the whole feel of the bike. The CX just feels "harder" to get going and to maintain speed.

Here are my thoughts and findings compared to some of the bikes I have owned recently.

Carbon Road Bike
Same or very similar geometry to the carbon Ribble (apart from shorter steering/head tube), same 23mm tyres. I guess the weight is one factor and the carbon frame is probably stiffer on the Ribble. The difference in gearing from a proper man sized 53/39 :twisted: to a girlie compact 50/34 seems to make a difference for some reason.
I have an 11-25 on the CX and a 12-25 on the Road bike, same size cranks, yet ride both on the 4th-6th sprockets and the road bike just seems easier.

Just as good as the Orbea Onix, if not better as I was underwhelmed with my first carbon bike. Stiff, but still heavy and no lighter than the alloy bike I had at the time (Specialized Allez)

Alloy Framed Road Bike.

The CX feels very similar to the Specialized Allez that I had before the CX9 and the Allez is a very capable sportive and commuter bike. Not the lightest or quickest, but probably one of the best all rounders there is and certainly the only road bike I have kept for over 2 years in recent times.
The other bike that was just as good was a Decathlon Sport 7, which is now a B'Twin Triban 5 in comparison, which I also had for 2 years.

Cyclocross Bike.

The CX feels completely different to the Cannondale CAAD CX9 with similar geometry once again. That was an out and out race bike though, not a great deal lighter but had the proper 46-36 chainset. Brilliant for the road as shifting from big to small ring felt just like changing down one on the back, but I did run out of gears on hills and on the odd occasion on the flat with a stiff following wind. The CAAD CX9 was more flighty and nimble, the CX feels like a saloon compared to a sports car and the quickest way to change the feel was to change to compact bars. Still not the same bend as the CX9, but almost there.

So, very good praise indeed. Brilliant brakes and the new 2014 season is bringing a huge influx of disc braked road bikes with SRAM RED and SHIMANO ULTEGRA hydraulics now available.
Start saving now!!!

fret

Well, the dreaded creak is back, around the 1-2 o'clock position of each crank rotation.
I had hoped it was the back wheel moving as it vanished when I tightened the skewer yesterday morning, but it could have been the change of temperature. Or the head moving, or the front wheel. Another similar sound is the pads moving in the calipers, but it's only when I stand up and I eliminated that by backing the pads right out. Crank was tightened as well
New BB's have been ordered, so hopefully this will cure it.

Edit.
BB30 bearings arrived in the post today and fitted in around an hour. I took my time as I don't have a BB30 tool so made simple one from a length of threaded bar and some flat metal and used the old bearings to press the new ones in.
No creak on the test ride. Time will tell if I have done the job correctly.

fret

Creak gone. I am indeed most happy.

Only to be replaced by a strange noise from my front wheel.
It sounds like a loose front mudguard, but it isn't that as it's tight.
Could be the pads rattling in the calipers, but I used copaslip behind them, so not sure.
I backed off the pads so you can see they aren't touching in case it was pads and discs touching.
Spin the front wheel, no noise.
Ride over about 5mph and it's back.
Tried the pump on it's bracket, tried the front lights, suicide levers, cables rattling.

We are talking annoying here. :evil: :evil:

reformedfatty

mine completed its first sportive on the weekend, up and over and all around dartmoor. Lovely ride, no slower than the road bikes on the route and a damn sight more comfortable when it came to the climbs.

The apex hoods still feel horrible though. Waiting for the bar tape to get tired and I'll reposition them to see if that helps. I'll probably axe the top brake levers too.

Ouija

fret wrote:

Creak gone. I am indeed most happy.

Only to be replaced by a strange noise from my front wheel.
It sounds like a loose front mudguard, but it isn't that as it's tight.
Could be the pads rattling in the calipers, but I used copaslip behind them, so not sure.
I backed off the pads so you can see they aren't touching in case it was pads and discs touching.
Spin the front wheel, no noise.
Ride over about 5mph and it's back.
Tried the pump on it's bracket, tried the front lights, suicide levers, cables rattling.

We are talking annoying here. :evil: :evil:

If it's gott BB7's on it they rattle from road vibration unless you have the calipers lever slightly tensioned and pulled upwards a fraction. If the buzz stops when you pull your brake lever slightly then that's what it usually is.

fret

Still running BB5's until I can upgrade, but I think you are correct as I gave it a quick run out tonight with the brakes tensioned and no rattle.............we'll find out tomorrow on the ride to work I guess. I took the road bike in today as I wanted to try out my new 30mm section wheels and seatpost. Sub 7.5kg now and it shows.

I'm out on a ride this weekend and may take the CX just to show these roadies what is what

Avanti Roman

Mine in 'winterbike' mode:


Valvert mudguards & Giant P-SL2 28c folding slicks:


Bontrager XXX post & 3T Ltd bars & stem (ebay/aliexpress). Also removed crosstop levers to make room for lights & bell:

fret

I'm changing mine after I get back from Spain in 2 1/2 weeks time I already had to use my lights on several mornings. (I leave home at 06:30) All it really involes is fitting the 28's and the rest of the lights again. First time this morning with full gloves and a long sleeved top too, I fear autumn is fast approaching now. I can get 2 lights on the bars with the suicide levers at present, but am looking at new lights.

I think I have found out what the noise is from the front wheel. I've said before that the front wheel moves in the dropouts when braking and I have to really wind the QR down to stop this. I think it's now putting too much load on the bearings. I've slackened off the caps and will see what transpires on my wet journey home tonight.

Kept up with the roadies on sunday, much to some disgust from some of the weekend warriors. :twisted: Tough.

cxrodie

NUFC_fan wrote
With the new wheels how does it compare to an out and out road bike? Is there a noticeable speed difference between them and the original wheels? I guess you will see a difference on long climbs etc

The crosslight wheels make the bike more like a road bike for speed and will keep up with most bikes, my Carbon Giant defy weighs in at 8kg and is great for all day hilly rides and will climb much quicker on the steep stuff, on a ride with not to many big climbs there is not much between them, it all depends how strong your legs are and how much time you spend in the saddle. My CX Team is as good on road as an entry level bike at the same price point with the new wheels, i paid £729 for the bike and £235 for the wheels so sub £1000 . Great value and good allrounder
Took it off road on the South Downs Way up some big climbs and very bumpy descents, quicker going up hills than mtb but slower downhill due to bumpy ride, Richey wheels stayed true after a proper bashing

fret

FINALLY found where the noise is coming from on the front wheel. It's the brake caliper, the moving part rattles and gets set off by bumps, the brakes constantly needing adjusting because the pad won't return in the caliper correctly and keep dragging.
I guess the calipers need a good clean and the mech greasing after cleaning with brake cleaner.
Does anyone know what type of spanner/socket/tool to use on the nut to get the caliper apart?

welkman

Well my beast has done two cross races now and is creaking like a bitch. I am hoping it is something simple, sounds like BB or crank arm. Its a bit of a heavy beast to lug around a field but the racing is great fun

Kimble

have just seen the 2014 boardman CX team in the local halfords. Spec wise it's seems identical except it looks to have gotten much better tyres (deeper more agressive tread certainly), and slightly different wheels (looked heavier). paint wise it's clear coated aluminium with lots of red (and blue). intitally it is very flash looking but looks to still be the same frame essentially. think one will tire of looking at it quickly enough though and think the subtle grey colour will look better for longer...

wonder how much more expensive than this year's one it is?

fret

Gotten?? Clear coated????
Got and Lacquered are the correct English. Come on, Old Boy, this is Britain, not merca

Well my beast has done two cross races now and is creaking like a *****.

Mine started.........AGAIN :evil: on the way home tonight. Crank is tight and on putting pressure on the crank arms or indeed just the bottom of the frame it still creaked. It was the rear wheel moving in the frame.
The CX is very finicky regarding wheel skewer tension it seems.

Jamboness

Hi peeps, this is my first post here and therefore also a lot of reading to be had by me! Anyhow, I just kitted out my CX Team with some nice 700cx25c Gatorskin tyres. I've yet to try them out over distance but a quick zip round the block today convinced me I made a good choice.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has fitted these tyres and how they rate them? One thing that concerns me is their performance in the wet. How do others feel they perform in slippery conditions? Of course, these tyres are purely for road use...

Cheers.

fret

I have used 25mm Gatorskins on previous commuters for the last 6 years. Brilliant tyres which last for ages and suffer very few punctures.
I have used these and the Bontrager race-lite version and there is very little to choose between them apart from the weight of the Bonty's.

Currently I am using 23mm as they were in the shed from the last commuter and I was going to change them to 28's when I get back from holiday. Just as well as I picked up a slow puncture yesterday, so they are not puncture "proof" as many think they are.
I've never had any moments in the wet, other than on metal drains which is to be expected of any tyre. I still reckon they are the best tyre for winter and all year round use, the last thing I want on a wet winter morning is a flat.

robbate

Just got my boardman cx team ( not the new model but new ) I'm used to riding a road bike so tend to rest on the hoods.......the brakes are terrible !!! The levers come right back beyond the bars and yet the wheels still turn very easily ?? The halfrauds mechanic told me that due to the other levers up top you can't get decent braking from the hoods , having done quite a bit of work on bikes over the years I found this to be kind of true as I couldn't get the adjustment . Anyway I've changed the tyres for conti hardshells 28mm , fitted some 45mm sks chromoplastic guards , fitted a specialised evo carbon romin saddle , Scott quick release seat post clamp , 3t 90mm stem . It rides absolutely lovely ( despite the crap brakes !) and I'm very impressed !! I own a £5k road bike so wasn't expecting much tbh BUT I was proved very wrong ! Today I have bought ( off here ) some 2nd hand BB7 SL brakes so I'm hoping they not only go straight on but that they also improve the braking ( I'm taking the top levers off )
Anyway .....great bike , looking forward to my winter work commute now :-)

Mr W

Avanti Roman wrote:

Mine in 'winterbike' mode:

Valvert mudguards & Giant P-SL2 28c folding slicks:

Good to see somebody else with the Vavert mudguards. I think they're superb guards and they look really good on my 28C contis. Bit different to the usual black too.
I've got my guards a bit closer to the tyres than yours and used a heavy duty cutter to snip the excess length of the stays to keep it neat. If only I knew how to put pics up!

Mr W

robbate wrote:

Just got my boardman cx team ( not the new model but new ) I'm used to riding a road bike so tend to rest on the hoods.......the brakes are terrible !!! The levers come right back beyond the bars and yet the wheels still turn very easily ?? The halfrauds mechanic told me that due to the other levers up top you can't get decent braking from the hoods , having done quite a bit of work on bikes over the years I found this to be kind of true as I couldn't get the adjustment . Anyway I've changed the tyres for conti hardshells 28mm , fitted some 45mm sks chromoplastic guards , fitted a specialised evo carbon romin saddle , Scott quick release seat post clamp , 3t 90mm stem . It rides absolutely lovely ( despite the crap brakes !) and I'm very impressed !! I own a £5k road bike so wasn't expecting much tbh BUT I was proved very wrong ! Today I have bought ( off here ) some 2nd hand BB7 SL brakes so I'm hoping they not only go straight on but that they also improve the braking ( I'm taking the top levers off )
Anyway .....great bike , looking forward to my winter work commute now :-)

I've upgraded to BB7 as they are much better but the original BB5 were fine. The mechanic is talking spheres and your brakes are obviously set up very badly and sound dangerous! No way they should have that much travel. Even with early bedding in of pads mine were never that bad and they had no problems stopping my rather hefty weight.

bendertherobot

I have SRAM Apex with BB7's, there is virtually no travel in the lever to get the brakes to be properly on when set up properly.

BB5's are harder to set up but lever travel is just poor setup. Plain as.

Jamboness

Well after using my Gatorskins for a grand total of 3 times and about 12 miles in total I got my first puncture. Not impressed but perhaps I was just unlucky. Will keep my faith with them for now and see how they get on.....

Jamboness

Does anyone know where I can pick up one of those plastic "plugs" for the handlebars (the black bits that pop in at the end)? I've lost one somehow.

fret

Jamboness wrote:

Well after using my Gatorskins for a grand total of 3 times and about 12 miles in total I got my first puncture. Not impressed but perhaps I was just unlucky. Will keep my faith with them for now and see how they get on.....

I should have added you WILL get a puncture if they are new, I've had a couple of new sets do the same and then they are fine for months. Let them settle/cure for a while before fitting them as that seems to do the trick. Also, keep them at the correct pressure, around 100-110psi, very important as it helps prevent pinches and flint cuts for some reason (I thought softer was better for anti puncture).

fret

Jamboness wrote:

Does anyone know where I can pick up one of those plastic "plugs" for the handlebars (the black bits that pop in at the end)? I've lost one somehow.

Ebay or any bike shop.

fret

bendertherobot wrote:

I have SRAM Apex with BB7's, there is virtually no travel in the lever to get the brakes to be properly on when set up properly.

BB5's are harder to set up but lever travel is just poor setup. Plain as.

Spend time on setting them up and there is very little lever travel.
But I will be upgrading to BB7's as and when I can afford it.

samsbike

Does anyone know if the 2014 comp and pro have the same frame as £600 is a lot more affordable than £900.

Thanks

fret

The 2014 Comp and Team are the only ones I can see, which have different BB's, so the frame is "different" in that aspect. Looks like the PRO has a 1-1/8th head tube and not the stiffer one on the Team. Forks are alloy/carbon.
Go for whichever you can afford and then upgrade as required. The Comp makes more sense as it has the traditional British threaded BB making crank selection far easier.

Oh, the puncture on my 23mm Gatorskin wheels was an old patch lifting. No punctures at all in them this year.
Just refitted the 28mm for winter and hope the small 23mm tube is OK until I get a new 28mm one.

samsbike

fret wrote:

The 2014 Comp and Team are the only ones I can see, which have different BB's, so the frame is "different" in that aspect. Looks like the PRO has a 1-1/8th head tube and not the stiffer one on the Team. Forks are alloy/carbon.
Go for whichever you can afford and then upgrade as required. The Comp makes more sense as it has the traditional British threaded BB making crank selection far easier.

Oh, the puncture on my 23mm Gatorskin wheels was an old patch lifting. No punctures at all in them this year.
Just refitted the 28mm for winter and hope the small 23mm tube is OK until I get a new 28mm one.

Thanks it was the comp and team.

fret

Ahhhh. See above. Geometry is the same, but the frames have differences, more like the one on the Hybrid Comp by the look of things. Brakes aren't as good, but £40.00 for bb5's will sort that. Sora is OK for a starter as well.
A bit of a weighty beast at 11.5kg

Jamboness

Cheers Fret, I'll take your advise on board and see how I get on. With regards to the handlebar plugs, are they just standard fit and I can pick up any kind or do I need specific ones? I guess, specific size as per these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-22MM-BIKE ... 245wt_1018

?


As you can tell, I'm only just getting into cycling so I have a lot to learn. Thanks in advance for your help.

fret

They'll do. It's only the centre of the handlebars that are "oversized".
I have some spare in my shed, I think they are even the OEM Boardman ones as well. You're welcome to them if that helps.

Woohoo, new seatpost arrived today. 209 grammes, a saving of 109 over the OEM at 218g. Interestingly the OEM is lighter than the carbon one I just replaced on my road bike at 335g.
The bike now weighs a gnat's cock under 9kg with the 23mm tyres. Sadly negated by fitting the heavier 28mm Gatorskins for winter. Total weight with mudguards, lights, pump, seat bag etc 11.20kg

If anyone is interested, the 23's don't seem to roll any quicker, or accelerate quicker in feel, but the 28's are far more comfortable.