Boardman CX Owners Thread

bigmul

Just wondering if anyone has found some lighter wheels for road use which are disc compatible?

fret

Yes. Just read through the thread, or do a search. The new Mavic wheels look better than the old OEM Ritcheys.
I use Kinesis CX disc, 1818g with 110psi tyres no problem.. Many Stan's notubes are lighter as well.
Plenty more on the market and my new wheels, when made, are 1500g............................at a price of around £400.00

antonyfromoz

If you are happy with tubs then planet x have some carbon disc wheels at £399 at the moment...

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPP ... 0_wheelset

fret

A quick word of advice for those of us who like lighter wheels.
I have some Kinesis Crosslight CX fitted to mine. Bought them late March/Early April and used nearly every day since thenn, covering I guess 3000 miles, maybe 2500 as I used the roadie a lot this summer.
I've just changed some worn sprockets and the freehub is aluminium, or should I say cheese. Really worn in the main ratios I use (4th-7th) and had to use some rather ungainly methods to remove 5th & 6th in particular.
I'm writing to the supplier asking for them to be replaced, we shall see what happens.

I would opt for a wheelset with a steel freehub as it will last far longer, with not a great weight penalty.

Caller

fret wrote:

A quick word of advice for those of us who like lighter wheels.
I have some Kinesis Crosslight CX fitted to mine. Bought them late March/Early April and used nearly every day since thenn, covering I guess 3000 miles, maybe 2500 as I used the roadie a lot this summer.
I've just changed some worn sprockets and the freehub is aluminium, or should I say cheese. Really worn in the main ratios I use (4th-7th) and had to use some rather ungainly methods to remove 5th & 6th in particular.
I'm writing to the supplier asking for them to be replaced, we shall see what happens.

I would opt for a wheelset with a steel freehub as it will last far longer, with not a great weight penalty.

That's part of the reason that I'm leaning towards a wheel build with Hope hubs for mine, I use the Hopes on my single speed MTB with a steel free hub and there's not a mark on it after loads of miles in wet, muddy conditions.

apreading

The American classic hubs on mine are aluminium but with a thin steel spline on the edge of some of the ridges to avoid this - not 100% apparently but a good solution to still keep the weight down. Pure alu seems like maybe a bad idea...

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Anyone had any problems with the fork threaded rivets for the mudguard, one of mine has popped out and the other will not tighten as it starts to turn in the hole. How did you solve it?

fret

That's unfortunate, it sounds as if it has been over tightened.
I had similar on a plastic part on a motorcycle and used a decent epoxy resin. Failing that, use cable ties.

Jamboness

Hey guys,

So I eventually got myself some SKS Chromoplastic P35's for my 700x25 gators. However, I'm a little stuck installing them. The instructions are horrendous to say the least and I have looked up youtube too. Anyhow, one of my major issues is fitting the front guard as I can't seem to work out how you avoid the disk brake (bb5). I've tried numerous ways and after 2 hours I've given up and decided to ask some of the fellow cx team 2011/2012 chaps how they got them on. I just can't work out how you get the metal rods to avoid the brake system so I can get them screwed into the frame. Have most people kept the black clips on too?

Can anyone give me some advise? I looked at some of the photos earlier in the thread and still can't work it out. Frustrating to say the least. I must be doing something wrong... :oops:

Jamboness

fret wrote:

As usual Halfords are talking ****.
SKS Chromoplastic P45 (I use P35's) See photo for bend in the stays

or use the SKS VELO 55 or similar clip on type. These are some £6.00 cheapies but the V55's get good reviews.

Lack of mud clearance is the only issue with guards fitted.

Hey Fret. Just seen your post buddy. So do I need to get different stays in order for it to fit or did you bend them youself? At the moment I just have the standard P35s.

Jamboness

OK...if I actually read the whole thread I'd see you had to bend it yourself. That answers my questions.

However, for the back guard did the screws that came with the Chromos fit onto the frame? I found that the nuts didn't screw in enough.

Finding this a real pain in the back side

fret

Yeah, I had to bend the front to fit, only took about 30-45 minutes to fit them.
I had plenty of different length set screws with mine, so it was easy to fit the rear.

Mudguards often take over an hour to fit to get them true and not rubbing or rattling. Persevere, my friend.

anobium

I recently got a cx team 2014 in medium. The first bike I got when I got it home both wheels were out of true and rubbing really bad on the pads, and there was a cut in the hoods. Took it back they replaced it the brakes have now bed in after 60 miles 'sort of' still rub a little, but have just noticed a hairline crack on the seatpost. Not sure what to do I got mine via the cycle to work scheme so cant ask for refund as that ship has sailed, really like the bike but the build quality is terrible.

newtonuk

I'd speak with the manager of the store, decide how you would like the issue resolved and go from there. Halfords are aware of the issue with the "crack" so I wouldn't imagine you facing much opposition... I'm waiting for mine to be replaced, but a recent replacement bike had the same issue.

mechanism

Back to mudguards for a second, the alternative is to use a longer screw (40mm here) with a spacer:

newtonuk

Brilliant idea!

apreading

Is that right, the new bike with Alloy forks gets a proper mudguard mount but not the Carbon Fibre ones? Even weirder...

fret

anobium wrote:

Not sure what to do I got mine via the cycle to work scheme so cant ask for refund as that ship has sailed, really like the bike but the build quality is terrible.

SALE OF GOODS ACT 1979 (AS AMENDED) Not fit for purpose.
Remember those words as you are entitled to a full refund from the store under UK law and I daresay the CTW scheme can be implemented somehow.

mechanism

apreading wrote:

Is that right, the new bike with Alloy forks gets a proper mudguard mount but not the Carbon Fibre ones? Even weirder...

I was surprised by that but yes.

neznam

Hi there, I'm also one of the people seeking for help when it comes to choosing the size of the bike. According to the provided size guide on the Wiggle website, I'm somewhat in between S and M, but unfortunately, I can't really try the bike and see which one actually fits me better. And I have no experience with cyclocross or road bikes either, I used mostly mountain bikes. I'm 171cm (5 ft 7) with inseam 80 cm (~32"). I would appreciate your opinion on getting a small bike for this height, considering that there are only 2 left on Wiggle. I really want the bike, but I also don't want to spend the money on something that won't actually fit me.

And while already here, how difficult is it to go up the hill with cx pro?

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Why does CB and almost all other bike manufacturers not put mounts on to Carbon frames? I noticed yesterday that every Boardman bike below £899 had eyelets but not one carbon one. It cannot be the material as the old CX Team had carbon forks

apreading

I think they changed to a different supplier for the forks and someone screwed up, forgot to check and it got out to release either without noticing or they noticed too late and/or couldnt afford to get the forks redone. If it was CB's screwup then they would have to stand the cost, so they just send them out like this. I bet there will be a change once they get a new batch of forks in 6 months time - or maybe they will call it a 'mid-life model upgrade'...

tincaman

anobium wrote:

I recently got a cx team 2014 in medium. The first bike I got when I got it home both wheels were out of true and rubbing really bad on the pads, and there was a cut in the hoods. Took it back they replaced it the brakes have now bed in after 60 miles 'sort of' still rub a little, but have just noticed a hairline crack on the seatpost. Not sure what to do I got mine via the cycle to work scheme so cant ask for refund as that ship has sailed, really like the bike but the build quality is terrible.

The discs rubbing does not have to mean that the wheel is out of true, just the disc itself. the disc is easily set back straight using an adjustable spanner, giving it a bend where necessary

fret

Fat-Boy-Roubaix wrote:

Why does CB and almost all other bike manufacturers not put mounts on to Carbon frames? I noticed yesterday that every Boardman bike below £899 had eyelets but not one carbon one. It cannot be the material as the old CX Team had carbon forks

Possibly because people who ride carbon bikes don't want messy details like mudguards or racks. Carbon bikes don't make good commuters because carbon fibre is extremely brittle and is built up to take stresses in certain planes and directions. For example, if you drop a carbon bike on its' side and the top tube hits a large rock or kerb then internally it may have failed. You can often press a top tube in from the side (including steel & alloy) as there are no sideways stresses there in normal use.

The weight advantage once you start adding racks, lights, mudguards, saddle bags, pump etc. is negligible so there is little point really apart from ride quality and you can get most of that with carbon forks, stem and seat post.

There is one company that does make a CF frame with bosses for mudguards that I read about, an English company from memory, but I wouldn't put a rack on it.

fret

Mechanism wrote:

Hi there, I'm also one of the people seeking for help when it comes to choosing the size of the bike. According to the provided size guide on the Wiggle website, I'm somewhat in between S and M, but unfortunately, I can't really try the bike and see which one actually fits me better. And I have no experience with cyclocross or road bikes either, I used mostly mountain bikes. I'm 171cm (5 ft 7) with inseam 80 cm (~32"). I would appreciate your opinion on getting a small bike for this height, considering that there are only 2 left on Wiggle. I really want the bike, but I also don't want to spend the money on something that won't actually fit me.

And while already here, how difficult is it to go up the hill with cx pro?

A smaller size is usually recommended as it's easier to adapt up than down.
Reach is more important than the frame size as you just extend the seat post. At 5'8" (or is it 5'9") I have had a couple of 51cm frames (small) that I found extremely comfortable as I have long legs and a short body. I did 86 miles fully loaded with a tent and camping gear in a day with no aches at all 3 years ago when I was a youthful 46. The CX has a long top tube.


The CX Pro is just as easy to go up hills as the CX Team. It's the same bike but with a different cassette on the bike and a better groupset/brakes.The weight is practically the same according to Boardman Bikes, about 3-400g on the groupset/brakes/saddle/seat pillar.
My modified team is now to the same specification as the Pro with Force and Red components and has an 11-27 cassette that I use on a daily basis, I also have an 11-23 and have enough sprockets to change the 11-27 to a 12-27 with smaller steps.
All are fine for road use and the 12-27 is good for most off-road forays but on steep hills you get off and run anyway.

fret

Just had an email whilst typing the above re the worn free hub. 2-3000 miles is normal expectations for replacement so it seems.

alexul

neznam wrote:

Hi there, I'm also one of the people seeking for help when it comes to choosing the size of the bike. According to the provided size guide on the Wiggle website, I'm somewhat in between S and M, but unfortunately, I can't really try the bike and see which one actually fits me better. And I have no experience with cyclocross or road bikes either, I used mostly mountain bikes. I'm 171cm (5 ft 7) with inseam 80 cm (~32"). I would appreciate your opinion on getting a small bike for this height, considering that there are only 2 left on Wiggle. I really want the bike, but I also don't want to spend the money on something that won't actually fit me.

And while already here, how difficult is it to go up the hill with cx pro?

I have the same height, inseamn around 31" I think, I got a small one. It still has a generous reach. A medium one would definitely be too bigger for me.

fret

Here's a wierd one for the masses.
Slight click on pedal rotation first thing ion the morning that goes after less than a minute.
It can be many things.
Crank
Pedals
Wheels
Forks
Bars
Brakes.

essex-commuter

fret wrote:

Here's a wierd one for the masses.
Slight click on pedal rotation first thing ion the morning that goes after less than a minute.
It can be many things.
Crank
Pedals
Wheels
Forks
Bars
Brakes.

Knees.

fret

They've been shot for years after I got run over by an articulated lorry

I reckon it's just the cold and the bike is complaining about being woken up at 06:30 every day.