Boardman Race or Specialized Secteur?

SCB

First post here so hello all.

I have £600 to spend through the Bike2Work scheme and my voucher has just arrived and is already burning a hole in my pocket.

I can't decide between the Specialized Secteur Triple, and the 2011/12 Boardman Road Race. Both are just within budget at my local shop and seem similarly specced, so a question for the experts is, which is the better bike?

I will be commuting a few miles and doing short distances at first but aim to increase this as my fitness level improves.

I have only ever ridden GT mountain bikes and currently have an Avalanche so this is a far cry from my norm..

Many thanks for reading!
Steve

JimboBrennan

I was new to road bikes at the start of the year and got warned off getting a triple - thought I'd need one as I've got one on my MTB etc, but everyone said I'd never need it, and after 4/5 months am yet to find a hill that I would have needed it on!

Is the Boardman available at your LBS or just at Halfords? As many on here will say, service at Halfords can be very variable (though never had any problems with them myself!)

I managed to get the 2012 Spesh Allez for under £600, been fantastic so far... too much choice!!

SCB

Thanks, it's quite hilly where I am so assumed a triple would be better for me. The Boardman is only at Halfords which is putting me off a tad TBH...

I note another decent local shop has the Allez 2013 in red or black in my budget too, although availability is not listed so I don't even know if they'll have it until tomorrow. The spec seems a bit lower than the Secteur. Would this be a better bike if it's available?

JimboBrennan

eek, probably not the person to ask! My brother's the proud owner of a few multi-thousand pound bikes so I took his advice, though as he freely admits he's a sucker for a Specialized!

The shops are great, but might be worth trying a few - quite often they stock a lot of one particular brand, so it's hard to know whether they're trying harder to flog those bikes or not! A lot of people told me that at this sort of price, you tend to get more for your money from the bigger companies... do you know anyone who is really into their bikes who wouldn't mind going with you? Might be able to get some impartial advice that way.

As for the triple, I assumed exactly the same thing as some of the hills near me are a killer on my mountain bike, but I can fly up them on the road bike!

JimboBrennan

Also, might be useful to put a post up on the road buying forum, might get some expert advice there!

bottom_bracket

TBH I wouldn't worry too much about Halfrauds, anyone with a basic bike tool kit should be able to set up their bike properly. It also teaches you your way around your bike and takes away the fear of f*cking things up. I have no knowledge of the Spesh but my work colleague just got the Boardman and it's spot on. Really good value with full Sram Apex (I think) as opposed to the Shimano 2300 (right?) gearing. Also, the cables all route behind the bar tape on the Boardman but the gear cables hang out like washing lines on the Spesh.

You'll hear from people who have both and swear by them, you'll probably also hear from people who recommend an alternative in your budget. If these two are the ones you fancy, try to go and have a detailed look at both and ideally a test ride.

Good luck!

ineedalager

I had a Boardman hybrid for 4 years and 7.000 miles before I sold it and even though I cleaned it after every ride the frame was in poor codition with paint peeling off in many places, I wouldn't buy another CB.

I also Have a Spesh Allez and after 2000 miles in 8 months it's still looks like new the frame has a life time warranty unlike the CB only 2 years!

Unless your fit you may struggle with the CB gears if it's hilly in your area!

alihisgreat

The Boardman has an aggressive racier geometry.

The Secteur has a very upright geometry.

that's the key difference in this case.

Bobbinogs

^^ wot he said. If you want to read about gearing then type "compact triple" into the search tool and read many interesting threads that basically all end up as a personal preference (and in some cases, vitriolic personal insults). However, the important point is that the Secteur is specifically made to give a more upright riding position (very large headtube) and has a long wheel base which suits some folks (offers more stability at the expense of snappy handling). The only problem is that beginners don't often know what really suits them (the only usual point of reference is riding hybrids and the like which mostly give an upright stance so this is what feels right)...and things can change over time anyway as flexibility changes, etc.

Try and get to a shop that does decent test rides and offers good advice and swing your leg over a few bikes. There is no reason why you should limit your choice to 2 bikes particularly when the 2 chosen are quite different (and one you won't even be able to ride before purchasing).

By the way, both Boardman and Specialized hold their value well which is good news when you have one but not so good when trying to buy one s/h.

GRAHAM WINKLE

I have just bought a Specialised Sectuer Elite and am very impressed with its build quality and finish, it is very comfortable and nice to ride, the only thing I dont like much is look of the frame design where they have incorporated the `zertz` inserts, they have deformed the frame tube around the inserts which to be honest look like a bit of a gimmick, the front forks also have these built in but dont look quite so bad !

sebbyp

can you top your budget up with your own cash? Id go above the boardman race and at least stretch to the road comp. im on the road team and its rather good for the price..

secretsam

As said above, we're talking apples and pears here - Secteur less racy, Boardman more so, Boardman spec pound for pound is better but Spesh bikes generally very well regarded for build quality, etc.

As for the triple thing, there are some mahoosively steep hills near where I live so I'm glad I've got a triple but it's down to preference and prejudice, some see triples as 'less racy' in some way, which they think is a bad thing.

Me? I'd probably have the Boardman but I'd try both first and then decide. Bear in mind that with 2013 bikes coming into store soon, there will be sales so you may be able to pick up a different/better bike for the same money in a month or so, especially if you're an odd size (ie massive or tiny)

bottom_bracket

just one more point - if you can bear getting a Boardman from Halfords it's worth going into store and speaking to a helpful member of staff about brand new old models. When my mate was looking a few weeks ago they had all sorts up and down the country, like a 2010 Team Carbon for £600 in an odd size, and other very heavily discounted stuff. It's not on their website but they can search national stock on their computers. Worth a go?