Boardman Hybird Pro advice

king_jeffers
king_jeffers Posts: 694
edited January 2013 in Commuting general
Daft question time...

Currently I have a road bike which is great but I'm after something a bit more practical. Need something that can handle dirt tracks/poorly maintained cycle paths, is fast on the road and has a flat bar. Will mainly be using it for the commute but also on the weekends going out with the Mrs and my little one once she gets a bit bigger so will more than likely have a child seat on it at some point!

Currently looking at picking up the Boardman Hybrid Pro - anyone have one of these, does this fit my requirements? I guess my main concern is taking it on dirt tracks - is the bike suitable for this? Bikeradar suggest it is suitable for various terrain however halfords reckon its more geared towards being on the road. Advice please :)

Comments

  • drays
    drays Posts: 119
    The Boardman hybrid will definitely take excursions off road. I have the comp, and it is a solid bike. The frame is quite chunky, and the wheels are basically 29er mountain bike wheels on account of the disc brakes, so are pretty strong. You'll be fine with a child seat too.

    And yet it isn't a heavy build, and rolls fast on the road (faster than my mountain bikes anyway!). The gearing is more road oriented, but a wider range cassette would give you lower ratios should you need. i have rack and guards on mine for the commute.
    2014 Planet X Pro Carbon
    2012 Boardman Hybrid Comp
    2010 Boardman Pro Hardtail
    c1994 Raleigh Outland MTB
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    Couple of guys at work bought for the commute through C2W and they seem tough as old boots.

    We have a mixture of cycle paths, concrete slabs, laid brick, compacted gravel & canal tow paths & the bike will take them without any issues.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Are great bikes, lighter than most CX bikes at the same price.
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  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    Similar bike to mine. Should be ok, probably have two wheelsets though changing from road to knobblies.

    Depends on how well maintained the dirt paths are. With bumps, ridges, logs, plough tracks? Probably looking at 26" mtb tyres. I've taken my tourer with 700x28 mm tyres on bad dirt paths with ruts and it doesn't cope very well.
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • chris9562
    chris9562 Posts: 10
    I have the Boardman Hybrid Pro that i got on the C2W 2 years ago. I use it to commute and for road/fun. My commute is 15miles and involves some canal and road.

    The tyres that came with it are semi slick road tyres, and were forever getting punctures, so i've swapped them out for the schwalbe marathon plus and its a different bike.

    Its already a very light bike, with short bars so is ok but not great when the going gets really rough. The bike handles the rough just fine, its the vibrations up your arms that causes the discomfort. I have to admit - when riding offroad with it, i miss my mountain bike - but its stil la lot faster.

    If you get one, and are going to use it for long commutes i'd recommend getting better tyres and better handlebar grips. other than that its a really great bike.

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