Boardman CX Owners Thread

fret

The build is with Ryde Pulse Disc rims, Novatec D711/D712 lightweight disc hubs and silver Sapim Laser spokes with alloy spoke nipples, weight for the bare wheels is 1400g. £425.00
The only downside is that they are with for 23 and 25mm tyres only, so no CX tyres to be had and so will be used with my old 23 Gatorskins (glad I kept them). I may even try the 28's just for curiosity.
The wheelbuilder is 85kg and rides a 16kg Genisis Croix De Fer and has tested them extensively and they seem fine to him. From discussions regarding weight of rider and discs it seems that 32 spoke is what he specs.
As soon as funds allow I am getting hime to build me some wider rimmed ones for CX tyres.

http://www.spokesmanwheels.co.uk/index.html
he lists on fleabay as well http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161053500105? ... 1423.l2649

Relik, I guess you are unlucky as I have been using the Crosslights since last April, both commuting 90 miles per week and the odd weekend off road blast and I've never even touched anything on them, although the alloy freehub is wearing now.

As soon as they are fitted there will be pictures, or even sooner as I should have them Friday and we have a camera at work.

fret

would be interested in learning more about those 1400 gr wheel set as well. not knowing much about wheel building: I'm hoping to leave my OEM wheels as commuting wheels and buy a lighter set of clinchers to run tubeless for CX racing and general off road play...
will I have to choose my hubs carefully to ensure they have virtually the same disk placement as my OEM wheels so that I don't have to fettle with the brakes every time I change wheel sets? or can I use some thin washers to get the same effect?

Also am considering a full cable replacement on my CX. any recommendations for a suitable complete set of brake / shift, inner and outers. (apologies if I've missed earlier ones in the scarcely credible (in a good way!) 83 pages of this thread).

Kimble, a good wheelbuilder will dish (ensure that the distance from lock-nut to be centre axis of the rim is equal on both sides) wheels properly and so the 2 wheelsets would be 100% interchangeable. I have built half a dozen of my own wheelsets and swap them on various bikes and the rear derailleur and brakess (for a non-disk reference) need little or no adjustment meaning that the wheels are correctly dished.

Muzzledoctor, Kimble means that not all hubs are exactly the same width and you have to fettle the disc brakes. For example, I cannot swap the OEM wheels to the Kinesis without adjusting the brakes accordingly. There are spacers you can buy that will help to get the gaps correct.
I'm even doubting that the new Kinesis wheels are the same as the old as I believe they now take 11 speed hubs.

As for cables, go for as good as you can afford. Clarks aren't too bad for budget if you can't afford £50.00 for high end ones, Gore Ride-On (I think) Shimano compressionless etc, or get the components from your LBS. I paid £17.00 just for the rear derailleur cable and it was well worth it.

bikes`n`guns

Well

That's the bottom bracket knackered after 8 weeks on my CX comp.

Halfords are more than happy to replace it gratis, but is there an alternative BB that folk recommend ?

One that I wont destroy in 500 miles would be nice.

fret

It's under warranty so they HAVE to replace it.
Get the best you can afford, or an adaptor to take it back to a threaded external cup type. OEM bikes will always use cheap components wherever possible to save money, especially in the "just below £1000" category. The Boardman specs have come down over the years to keep it around the same price. The first Road Team bike had Ultegra for example.
Keep it packed with grease to keep the water out. I bet there is hardly any grease in the bearings from the factory, the same happens with motorcycles and cars.

I bought these on a recommendation and the sellers' advice seems good so far as I haven't had to touch them since fitting. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BB30-bearings ... 2ece7e96d9

Mine lasted around 6 months before I had to grease it, but then I had never even looked at it and the damage was done.

newtonuk

The CX Comp has a standard 68mm threaded bottom bracket doesn't it? The 2014 one does anyway and I would have guessed that at 500 miles in, it's a 2014 model.

bikes`n`guns

Yup
Standard 68 x 103

They are replacing under warranty, (obviously) but I wondered if now would be a worthwhile time to upgrade, and ask for any recommendations.

fret

My apologies, I'm used to the BB30

Go for outboard bearing types, FSA, SRAM GXP Shimano Tiagra or above. Preferably 105. I've used them for years with no problems

newtonuk

I mentioned earlier in the thread that Halfords have eventually managed to swap my CX Team 2014 out for a replacement without the cracked finish around the seat cluster. Well, I've commuted for two days on it now and I must say that it is like a completely different bike.

The one I had originally didn't impress me very much at all, in fact I would go as far as saying that I was a little disappointed after reading so much good stuff in this thread. I genuinely thought that Boardman had ruined the CX in the 2014 model because this bike was just, well, meh!

The replacement bike is fantastic! The front derailleur works! When I first shifted the front derailleur I thought that the cable hadn't been attached, it shifted that easily. The brakes aren't rubbing and they work fine! I can use the full spread of the cassette on the rear in both large and small rings (well, there is a slight rubbing on the extremities to be fair, but Apex doesn't have a trim shift option). The front disc brake doesn't judder or grumble at low speeds (the first one felt like the bearings in the brake that roll up the ramp had a flat spot). The bar tape is complete and doesn't end short around the suicide levers. The bar end plugs don't (or haven't yet) fall out. When I'm out of the saddle pedaling the front wheel doesn't flex so much as to cause brake rub.

If you'd have asked me previously if the 2014 CX Team was worth getting, I would have suggested that there may be other brands that offered a better bike, but now, I would say hell yeah, it's a cracking bike! Previously, I wouldn't have invested in upgrading the bike, but now.... well, I think I probably will.

I just need to free some handlebar space first and get rid of those suicide levers!

I would also add that the Halfords in Wakefield have been absolutely fantastic in the whole replacement bike thing. There's a couple of lads in the Bike Hut (if it's still called that) who try very hard and whilst they may not get it right every time I cannot knock them for their efforts. The management team there have been very supportive and very helpful. I'd be happy to buy another bike from them.

EKE_38BPM

I very much doubt you have suicide levers.
These are suicide levers:

These are interuppter levers:

newtonuk

In that case, I need to get those interrupter levers removed :-)

fret

I was going to remove mine, but they are so handy for commuting that I have left them on. They feel as strong, if not stronger, than the drop brakes and also handy for steep off-road descents. I still have room for a pair of lights as well.

The Planet-X feels odd without them.

newtonuk

Hi Fret, see that's what I'm struggling with. I use Moon Comet lights and I just cannot get them on the bars pointing forwards without interfering with the levers. I'm sure if I was using something like a Cateye Volt it wouldn't be an issue as they stand away from the bars somewhat.

fret

Ah, they are WIIIIIIIDDDDDEEEEE!!! I see the problem.

The levers on mine are 20mm from the stem 45mm from the centre of the stem. I tilt my levers down anyway to follow the more natural line of my wrists and that cured the problem I had with my old lights that touched them as they went over the lever brackets..
do the lights touch the stem when mounted?

Glad to hear the new bike is a vast improvement. I still think you have to go a long way to beat it as an all rounder, perhaps a little less weight on the frame, but that's it.

EKE_38BPM

newtonuk wrote:

Hi Fret, see that's what I'm struggling with. I use Moon Comet lights and I just cannot get them on the bars pointing forwards without interfering with the levers. I'm sure if I was using something like a Cateye Volt it wouldn't be an issue as they stand away from the bars somewhat.

How about a bar extender?
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/top ... r-ec007790
Or
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/min ... m-ec009105
Not pretty, but it'll do the job of mounting your lights and you can keep your cx levers.

arthur_scrimshaw

newtonuk wrote:

Hi Fret, see that's what I'm struggling with. I use Moon Comet lights and I just cannot get them on the bars pointing forwards without interfering with the levers. I'm sure if I was using something like a Cateye Volt it wouldn't be an issue as they stand away from the bars somewhat.

I'm about to remove my interrupter levers when I fit a 105 groupset to the CX. I agree with Fret that they work, perhaps a bit better than the main levers. I think this is for two reasons, I find the main levers have a certain amount of take up before they bite, and this is caused by the interrupters - there's free play in the system which is hard to eliminate. Secondly the design of the Apex shifters is a bit crap, if you brake hard, way before the brake lever hits the bars the shifter lever jams up against the bar and often has to be manually pushed back into position. I've tried to move the shifter levers out using the adjustment pin but this hasn't worked. I think the only solution is to 'toe in' the shifter assembly.
Or fit a decent groupset like 105 which doesn't have this issue and will work much better to boot.

With reference to bar space, it's a bit cramped but I can fit an exposure strada mk5 on there with a Edge 800 on the stem, it's a bit 'snug' but ok. Still after this weekend I'll have loads of room!

fret

I've never had the problem of the levers coming back to the bars, even when braking hard, but I know what you mean as I have had the same issues when setting the brakes up.
I still find the Sram better to operate with thick gloves on as you can get a "neutral" movement with Shimano if you accidentally hit the smaller lever.
Nowhere near as nice as Shimano to shift though.

The problem here is that Sram offer VERY cheap rates to OEM's to keep the overall price of the bikes down. Have you seen the price of spares or just components compared to Shimano? :x

arthur_scrimshaw

fret wrote:

I've never had the problem of the levers coming back to the bars, even when braking hard, but I know what you mean as I have had the same issues when setting the brakes up.
I still find the Sram better to operate with thick gloves on as you can get a "neutral" movement with Shimano if you accidentally hit the smaller lever.
Nowhere near as nice as Shimano to shift though.

The problem here is that Sram offer VERY cheap rates to OEM's to keep the overall price of the bikes down. Have you seen the price of spares or just components compared to Shimano? :x

I imagine that Red is in a different league to Apex? I've always been shocked at the prices of Apex compared with 105 on Merlin and the like, the prices have dropped recently but Apex shifters are still £160 compared to £110 for 105?

fret

Red and Apex are the same shape from my own experience, they both perform the same in braking

Anyway, here's a poser for you all.

What's the definition of a dickhead?

EKE_38BPM

fret wrote:

Red and Apex are the same shape from my own experience, they both perform the same in braking

Anyway, here's a poser for you all.

What's the definition of a dickhead?

Someone who bought a Boardman CX instead of a Planet X Kaffenback 2?

fret

Not quite................................

Russvphoto

If I fit Shimano 105 shifters ( apparently improved braking & lighter shifting ) do I need to swap the Sram FD & RD too ?

arthur_scrimshaw

you need to change the rd, the front will be ok although I don't think it's a SRAM FD, probably a microshift one, also known as microshit for good reasons. I'd swap it for a 105 FD they are only £16 or so.

Russvphoto

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

you need to change the rd, the front will be ok although I don't think it's a SRAM FD, probably a microshift one, also known as microshit for good reasons. I'd swap it for a 105 FD they are only £16 or so.

Thanks for that info Arthur. What cage length would I need for the RD ?

arthur_scrimshaw

What cassette are you running? The short cage 105 mech is rated to 28 although some people have run a 30 with no problems.

arthur_scrimshaw

I should qualify that, the length of the cage doesn't affect what cassette you can run, generally the short cage is for doubles or compacts, the long cage is for triple chainsets.

fret

It doesn't matter, the Shimano short and long cage are only up to 28 tooth, although 30 tooth can be used. Long cage are generally cheaper though.
Short cage shifts slightly quicker, or at least it does on Ultegra.
Long cage are there for the capacity difference and are designed for triple chainsets. Meaning they can cover a wider ratio of teeth.

Russvphoto

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

What cassette are you running? The short cage 105 mech is rated to 28 although some people have run a 30 with no problems.

I've got the standard cassette that's fitted to a 2013 Team CX model.
I've learnt something tonight thanks.

fret

There's an echo in here

The wifli is excellent as it negates the use for a triple chainset, but in real terms I only use the 32T off-road and very rarely. I also find the jumps in ratio are not ideal as one gear is too low and the next too high. I may swap back to an Ultegra 11-27 cassette that I have.

Russvphoto

fret wrote:

It doesn't matter, the Shimano short and long cage are only up to 28 tooth, although 30 tooth can be used. Long cage are generally cheaper though.
Short cage shifts slightly quicker, or at least it does on Ultegra.
Long cage are there for the capacity difference and are designed for triple chainsets. Meaning they can cover a wider ratio of teeth.

Thanks Fret, I see now.

arthur_scrimshaw

fret wrote:

There's an echo in here

At least it looks like we know what we're talking about!