Halfords

GeorgesDad

Hello there

I'm quite new to mountain biking and have very limited knowledge, but wanted to know where I could get some advice regarding checking the quality of the build of my new bike. I ordered my new Boardman Comp yesterday from Halfords, and having read comments on these forums, the build quality is often criticised, so I wanted to know exactly what to look for and check to make sure there are no major problems. Like I say my knowledge is extremely limited so any help or links to where I can get an idiots guide or something would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

supersonic

Park Tools website has some good guides.

Halfords, just like any other shop, can be hit and miss, depends on the actual store. Also make sure you have manuals for the bike, forks, and brakes.

GeorgesDad

Thanks i'll check that out. This is a replacement bike for a 2010 comp which was stolen, but again when I bought that one I didn't really know what to look for and six months later it made grinding noises in certain gears, so not sure if that was down to poor maintenance on my part, or the actual build of the bike.

supersonic

Probably the maintence - I service my bike monthly, and check bolts and stuff every week!

MDobs

re the gear noise on old bike; gear cables can stretch on new bikes as they wear in and should be checked/adjusted after 4-6 weeks ish, halfords should offer a 6 week check for free so you can always ask then if there's something you're concerned about. or get a 3rd party LBS to check the bike over for you if you're still concerned.

GeorgesDad

Thanks a lot for your help.

Just a quick question, but does anyone know if the boardman comp 2012 is a big improvement from the 2010 model?

supersonic

There is little in it if I recall correctly - both have good kit and forks for the money.