Boardman Road Pro Carbon vs Road Team Carbon

SonicHedgeHog

Halfords are currently doing great online deals on Boardman bikes. They are offering The Pro Carbon for £1549.99 (£450 off) and the Team Carbon for £1299.99 (£200 off). I can get another £35-50 off by visiting the Halfords site through another site. So the real difference in price is about £235.

The spec difference between the two is quite significant. The main differences are ultegra vs 105, T800 vs T700 carbon frame, different frame design and 53/39 vs 50/34 chainset.

I'm new to racing bikes and need one for an ironman triathlon. I have however done a lot of reading and appreciate that there are higher quality carbon frames on the market, but these are good enough for what I need. I am also attracted by the tremendous value for money offered. I am not interested in upgrading components until they wear out.

I have obviously read reviews of both bikes, but have not been able to find a direct comparison. Could someone please tell me if it is worth spending the extra money? I am especially concerned that the wind tunnel-tested Pro Carbon may be a little aggressive for long climbs on the 180km bike leg of the triathlon.

One final thing. Please keep the discussion to Boardman bikes. Once I have an answer to this question I can start another thread asking for sensible alternatives although the deals expire tomorrow so I am tight for time.

Thankyou.

rollemynot

Try using NUSAPR12 as a code for an extra 10% off

SonicHedgeHog

Thank you very much indeed. I've been searching for hours for one of those. Now, oh wise one, any thoughts on which one to get?

alihisgreat

I'd go for the Pro because it looks like a bit of a steal with £450 off

-better groupset
-better wheelset
-lighter
-more aero frame

i think you will definitly appreciate the extra spec over the ironman distances.


(although i would go for a proper TT bike if I was doing ironman.. )

SonicHedgeHog

Thanks for that. Believe it or not, with all the discounts the final price is £1352 (£648 off) including free delivery which is too good to miss. I have considered a proper TT bike, but I'm not an experienced cyclist and I'm not sure I could sit in the aero position for 6 hours and a TT bike wouldn't be so great on steep hills. The only problem I have with the Pro is that it looks really aggressive, probably due to its wind tunnel design, and I think the next model down might be more comfortable over long distances. Annoying because the Pro is the better deal with double the discount.

alihisgreat

SonicHedgeHog wrote:

Thanks for that. Believe it or not, with all the discounts the final price is £1352 (£648 off) including free delivery which is too good to miss. I have considered a proper TT bike, but I'm not an experienced cyclist and I'm not sure I could sit in the aero position for 6 hours and a TT bike wouldn't be so great on steep hills. The only problem I have with the Pro is that it looks really aggressive, probably due to its wind tunnel design, and I think the next model down might be more comfortable over long distances. Annoying because the Pro is the better deal with double the discount.

yeah the head-tube is slightly shorter on the Pro (1cm) so it is going to be a bit lower.

It depends on your flexibility and body proportions though -> and then of course a bike fit is going to be essential if you want to be comfortable over the longer distances.

but this is the problem with buying online! there is a bit of guesswork involved.

I assume you've had a sit on the Road Team at least? although often that isn't that useful as what i personally found (with hindsight) is that the saddle was too low on all the bikes i sat on in shops, so it wasn't exactly 100% representative of what my fit would be like in reality.

SonicHedgeHog

I've got slightly short legs and a slightly longer body, but I think I'm a pretty standard shape to be honest. I'm embarassed to say I haven't sat on either of them. It's a good idea and I'll do it tomorrow morning. I think I'll be ok with a large frame and a bike fit. Do you think that 1cm short head tube will make much difference? I'm not exactly Mr Flexible, but I haven't completely seized up yet.

I agree that a lot of this is the problem with buying online. However, I went into Evans today and said this is what I can get at Halfords, what have you got that can compete? Frankly they had nothing and the closest they got was their own brand Pinnacle range. Quite quickly the salesman said go for a Boardman.

alihisgreat

SonicHedgeHog wrote:

I've got slightly short legs and a slightly longer body, but I think I'm a pretty standard shape to be honest. I'm embarassed to say I haven't sat on either of them. It's a good idea and I'll do it tomorrow morning. I think I'll be ok with a large frame and a bike fit. Do you think that 1cm short head tube will make much difference? I'm not exactly Mr Flexible, but I haven't completely seized up yet.

I agree that a lot of this is the problem with buying online. However, I went into Evans today and said this is what I can get at Halfords, what have you got that can compete? Frankly they had nothing and the closest they got was their own brand Pinnacle range. Quite quickly the salesman said go for a Boardman.

the 1cm will make a difference... after 5 hours anything that's slightly out will show up.

it will be worth having a look at the team/team carbon though -> but don't expect anyone at halfords to have any idea what they are taking about. (much like Evans!)

option_click

Slightly OT, but when purchasing either bike, go via the Quidco website and you'll get a small percentage of cashback (usually 3-4%), which will bring the price down that little bit further.

SonicHedgeHog

Thanks for the Quidco tip. I have access to a similar website though work and got 3% cashback. In the end I went for the Road Carbon because it was significantly more comfortable than the Pro. It was a tough decision because in the end the discount on the Pro was over £700 while the Road was nearer £450, but to my surprise it was really a no brainer. All the reviews mentioned the very focused riding position of the Pro and they are right - I just couldn't see me doing 180km on it. I pick the bike up tomorrow and will post the price I finally paid.

Slacey

I own both and if you are doing distance work then you made the right decision. The Pro is a lovely bike, but it is aggressive, very stiff and pretty uncompromising. I only use mine for shorter, flatter sportives, TT's and racing later in the year. 90% of my riding (long sportives) is done on the Team, which is far more suited to the task. I only wish the Team had the Ultegra groupset though as the 105 is quite sloppy in comparison but still perfectly usable. Both great bikes!

SonicHedgeHog

Thanks for the vote of confidence - I think I made the right choice too. I picked the bike up this week from a different member of Halfords' staff and he was excellent too. A big thumbs up all round for the Guildford branch. I just need the rain to stop so I can get out and start pedalling.

bobpowar

Just picked up the road pro for £1394 including the boardman computer
its the dogs you know what :roll: it's a very fast bike, ace service from staff in halfords Maidstone.

blablablacksheep

SonicHedgeHog wrote:

Thanks for the vote of confidence - I think I made the right choice too. I picked the bike up this week from a different member of Halfords' staff and he was excellent too. A big thumbs up all round for the Guildford branch. I just need the rain to stop so I can get out and start pedalling.

was going to say you can allways stick some areo bars onto the pro to change the riding position.

richVSrich

i've been gazing longingly at the AiR range...the entry level 9.0 is Ultegra for £2k... looks great...

themsthebrakes

I had the same dilemma but decided to go for the Pro Carbon - hope that's the right decision for me!