Voodoo Bizango VS Boardman 650b Comp

PBNinja

Hi chaps,

Just a quick question regarding these two bikes.

First up is the Voodoo bizango

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

Second option is the boardman 650b comp

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

These are the two bikes I've narrowed my choices to. Although work doesn't take part in the cycle to work thing, they have negotiated a company discount with Halfords, I know their reputation precedes them in certain cases but I did buy a Carrera Subway last year and it's been fine.

My question

The Boardman is obviously £50 more expensive but I'm aware of the Voodoo's reputation for being an excellent bike too.

I'm leaning to the Voodoo or is there any blatantly obvious reason I should pick the boardman instead?

New to MTB, accompanying a mate on some local singletrack in Northern Ireland for a bit of fitness and fun.

I'm 5'11 with a 31 inside leg if it makes any difference.

Thanks all in advance!!

supersonic

Very little in them. See what fits best and go for that. Simple as that really!.

PBNinja

supersonic wrote:

Very little in them. See what fits best and go for that. Simple as that really!.

Happy days, thanks for that. I'm just glad one's no better than t'other, means I can be shallow and allow looks to take a part too!!

Kowalski675

supersonic wrote:

Very little in them. See what fits best and go for that. Simple as that really!.

Plus whether you want a 29er or not, surely?

PBNinja

Well, I already have the 26" Carrera, I reckon if I'm going to change it might as well be a proper change. From what I've read the 650b is closer to the 26" than the 29" ride wise.

mallott

don't buy the boardman cos it's got avids and they are pants, the voodoo is a 29er and imo that's pants, 650b is the way to go.

A Scott aspect 730 would be my choice, go and negotiate your own deal with your lbs and rather than the local chav car hifi shop

Cumm1ngs

I just bought the Aizan, the Bizango's poor little sibling.

That said, I love it. It swallows up the miles. And, having been out a few times, I love it.

Small point too, I'm 6' and have so much room on an 18" frame.

PBNinja

mallott wrote:

don't buy the boardman cos it's got avids and they are pants, the voodoo is a 29er and imo that's pants, 650b is the way to go.

A Scott aspect 730 would be my choice, go and negotiate your own deal with your lbs and rather than the local chav car hifi shop

The issue is, the local bike shops aren't so local, the ones we have are only interested in kids bikes and adult bikes are cheap and cheerful, I'm sure they have the facility to order better bikes but not the inclination. Seems to be too much hassle to actually discuss the needs of a customer.

To be fair, the local Halfords seem to be clued up and were happy to take a few minutes to help me out.

PBNinja

Cumm1ngs wrote:

I just bought the Aizan, the Bizango's poor little sibling.

That said, I love it. It swallows up the miles. And, having been out a few times, I love it.

Small point too, I'm 6' and have so much room on an 18" frame.

Glad you like it, I'm 5'11 so hopefully the 18" won't be too big on the 29ers.

chriswim

What did you go for in the end? Making same choice myself now and any feedback would be great to hear...

chrisw333

mallott wrote:

don't buy the boardman cos it's got avids and they are pants, the voodoo is a 29er and imo that's pants, 650b is the way to go.

A Scott aspect 730 would be my choice, go and negotiate your own deal with your lbs and rather than the local chav car hifi shop

Wow this is terrible advice. You bought a worse bike, but at least the shop you bought it from doesn't sell car parts hey?

chriswim

Does anyone have a firm choice between these two in the end rather than just telling us it is pants and pants?

I tend to agree with SS at the start and think both have their own strengths and weaknesses so best try them both and go for what feels good?

Also, at this price range I ended up saying to myself it's more about just getting out and having fun than knowing I was on the latest greatest machine. So long as they are both reasonable value and not well known for cracking to pieces after one ride I think I'll be happy.

buddy_club

I went for the Voodoo having been given the option from Halfords for the replacement to a broken Carrera. Has held up really well considering its been ridden quite hard and even been thrown over some jumps (albeit very poorly) but ive been very happy with it But try both and see which feels better.

chrisw333

chriswim wrote:

Does anyone have a firm choice between these two in the end rather than just telling us it is pants and pants?

Sonic has given you your answer. Both good, much of a muchness. You pays your money....

chriswim

As I say, so long as one is not glaringly better than the other it's down to personal choice. Just reassuring to know whichever one fits it's not a terrible bike :-)

chriswim

buddy_club wrote:

I went for the Voodoo having been given the option from Halfords for the replacement to a broken Carrera. Has held up really well considering its been ridden quite hard and even been thrown over some jumps (albeit very poorly) but ive been very happy with it But try both and see which feels better.

Cheers dude

97th choice

I have the voodoo, for the money it's a great bike. I would say it would be heavier than the boardman though

chriswim

It is indeed. I hope the extra roll factor of 29er will make up for it though

97th choice

Depends, I think the lard is in the wheels.

PBNinja

Just as an update to this, I ended up choosing the Voodoo.

It's been nothing but hassle since I got it, gears were ok but couldn't eliminate chain rub on the front derailleur no matter how it was set up, front brake was crap, mentioned it to Halfords at the 6 week service, their "mechanic" squeezed the lever and said it felt fine to him so off to a proper mechanic who bled the brake, cleaned the pads and reset the caliper. Still crap, all noise and not a whole pile of stopping power.

To top it off, i went out on Saturday and managed to get 30 minutes cycling before the rear cassette stopped turning the wheel (freehub issue?) chain snapped and that was on a very mild cycling track, not an extreme one by any stretch and only on a very gentle incline.

It is 8 or 9 weeks old, Halfords have given me a gift voucher to the tune of £560 which was the price of the bike before 10% British cycling discount.

My only option is to buy a cheaper bike and spend the rest of the money on some kit, or buy the Boardman I was originally thinking of.

Any thoughts folks? Incidentally, if anyone wants a voucher I'll do you a deal!!!

chrisw333

Look, it's a good bike.. The mechanics may not be great but in general terms the bike it good.

Go and get the Boardman. Maybe from a different store.

PBNinja

Yeah, I've another couple to choose from not a million miles away so will give them a ring and see who has it in stock.

KevChallis

No problems with the Bizango here, not yet anyway, I have got issue with halfords mechanics though, they are rubbish on the whole, my front brake was feeling different every time I pulled it, turns out the caliper was almost hanging off, so after that, checked everything!!

It is a good bike, but maybe choose a different bike from a different store!!

buddy_club

Oh dear, what a shame I had a Carrera from them last year were everything was consistently going wrong, it was horrible sounds like you got unlucky to be honest, I would have a go at the Boardman if I were you.

PBNinja

Well the Boardman is ordered, if it's not right it'll be going back to them through their window......

mrooke

Sorry to hear you had grief with the Voodoo. The reviews are great, I've even thought about replacing my old 2010 Boardman hardtail with one.

When it comes to Boardman, I've got nothing but love for my old one. I bought it second hand, and had a solid 12 months thraping it before I had to replace parts. I had a front bottom bracket go, but I got a brand spanker on ebay for £40 and my local mobile mechanic fitted it as part of the service! Apart from that I love the thing. The whole bike is light (aluminum) and responsive, and I've thrown it down (and up) all sorts of trails, The Peaks, Trail Centres, Forests, Afan, and it has stayed (relatively) solid.

The components are a great spec (Rockshox, Avids, SRAM,) , and although I have heard that Avids can be a pain, mine have been sound for nearly four years, and I've never bled them, actually that's nothing to be proud of is it.

So as a Boardman owner, and on the basis of a 2010 HT, I highly recommend them. I'm not sure whether Halfords deliver on the care aspect, but I use a mobile bike service outfit called 'Bike Fixers' and they've been sound.

Hope it helps.

clydefrog

Buying another from a different Halfords store won't make any difference. The bikes aren't assembled at the stores, pretty much all that's done there is putting on the pedals and setting up the handlebars so a cassette failing or a brake not being bled properly is nothing to do with the store you bought the bike from (although in my opinion if a brake isn't bled properly and you can clearly tell from the feel of it, they should realise that themselves and get it replaced before they sell it). You've just had bad luck I think.

As for the boardman, I've got the previous version and one thing I'll say is be prepared for Halfords to have to replace the bottom bracket at least once while it's still under it's 1 year parts warranty, that thing is rubbish and it's the same one in the new bike (FSA Power Drive). I personally had mine replaced 3 times I think before getting rid of it and the FSA Alpha Drive chainset, and replacing it with a Shimano Deore one.

steviecapt

ive had my boardman urban team r, for over two years, its done well over 2000 miles and still on the original bottom bracket and chainset, ive changed a few parts like pedals, seat, brakes, tyres, but the actual bike has been great. the problem with halfords is that they overtighten the preload bolt on the left crank arm, so it quickly destroys the bearings in the bottom bracket, when i got my bike i re-greased the bearings and took out the bottom bracket as well, greased it and put it back in, apart from regular maintenance it hasnt caused me any problems, i find halfords staff are a bit hamfisted when it comes to tightening things up, i have to admit though the avid brakes are a pain in the arse, they need constant fettling to keep them working properly, so i changed them for a set of shimano xt,s

father_jack

mallott wrote:

don't buy the boardman cos it's got avids and they are pants, the voodoo is a 29er and imo that's pants, 650b is the way to go.

A Scott aspect 730 would be my choice, go and negotiate your own deal with your lbs and rather than the local chav car hifi shop

1) The boardman/Voodoo is better specced than that Scott.
2) Is the Boardman Carbon SLR "chavvy" if so then you have very well off chav friends.

cooldad

Excellent thread resurrection, but if he hasn't picked a bike in the last three years, he probably never will.

mark_fogel

PBNinja wrote:

Just as an update to this, I ended up choosing the Voodoo.

It's been nothing but hassle since I got it, gears were ok but couldn't eliminate chain rub on the front derailleur no matter how it was set up, front brake was crap, mentioned it to Halfords at the 6 week service, their "mechanic" squeezed the lever and said it felt fine to him so off to a proper mechanic who bled the brake, cleaned the pads and reset the caliper. Still crap, all noise and not a whole pile of stopping power.

To top it off, i went out on Saturday and managed to get 30 minutes cycling before the rear cassette stopped turning the wheel (freehub issue?) chain snapped and that was on a very mild cycling track, not an extreme one by any stretch and only on a very gentle incline.

It is 8 or 9 weeks old, Halfords have given me a gift voucher to the tune of £560 which was the price of the bike before 10% British cycling discount.

My only option is to buy a cheaper bike and spend the rest of the money on some kit, or buy the Boardman I was originally thinking of.

Any thoughts folks? Incidentally, if anyone wants a voucher I'll do you a deal!!!