Boardman Pro vs Cove Handjob

tomb118

Hi all,

Apologies in advance if this has been discussed before. I currently ride a Boardman Comp hardtail with 100mm Recons, bought off Ebay about 18months ago.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/product/review-boardman-mtb-ht-comp-10-39600/

Before that I'd clattered around on a £250 Trek bought in 2003 - still fairly new to this game. Most of my riding is done either at Cannock or in the Peak District (mainly reds).

I'm now toying with the idea of something with a bit more travel (120-140mm) and and possibly steel framed to see what all the hype is about. Budget of around £600 means I'm searching Ebay for 2nd hand bikes (and no unfortunately I can't stretch to a Cotic Soul).

I've come across Cove Handjob 2009 with RS Revs (140mm with U-turn), SLX mechs, Raceface Evolve Cranks etc. Sounds like it's been looked after but has been well used.
Also come across a few Boardman Pro 2012 with RS Rebas (120mm), Sram X7/X9 mechs, FSA cranks etc.
And finally a Sanderson Blitz with Fox Vanilla 32s.

I realise it's better to try before you buy, but as all are a fair drive away I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've tried to do my research and struggled to find much out about the Sanderson. I'm wondering how different these three are to my current Boardman (can't find the geometry)? Which one would you choose/recommend?

Boardman pro seems well spec'ed and like new, but is the geometry still racy like my current one? Is a 5year old Cove likely to break (has a small dint in the seatstay)?

Sorry for all the questions, any help greatly appreciated!

Arizona

...

paul.skibum

I own a 2003 Cove Hanjob and i love it - great bike for me and I ride it more than I ride my FS bike. I have mine set up with 85-115mm U turn forks but leave them at 100mm most of the time.

The 2009 Handjob was the mildly updated model which was rated for a mite more travel than mine but is still only limited to 130mm which is probably not a problem vs a 140mm fork but worth noting. I have not ridden a boardman in anger but my basic feeling is that the Cove is a decent frame with some reasonable geometry and the one you are looking at has some decent kit if it is all functioning.

You could consider a new frame which could adopt most of the parts of your Boardman with possibly a new fork to allow for more travel and sell on your frame and fork to recoup some of the investment.

coulddobetter

Boardman frames are essentially the same over the range. You could easily upgrade to spec of a boardman pro using existing frame. Change fork for a 120 sid and upgrade shifters and rear mech to sram x9. In my opinion it would be a significant improvement.

Rather than change bike use your budget to upgrade what you have.

Note max travel on a boardman is 120. Any more would wreck geometry and be potentially dangerous.

I ride the pro carbon with x9 spec. Apart from a change of stem , bars and tyres it is stock . My next buy will be better wheels as those acrosss the range are pretty heavy and hubs are formula and difficult to service.

paul.skibum

Frame http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ragley-blue-pig-hardtail-frame-2014/rp-prod90794

Fork http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rockshox-sektor-gold-rl-solo-air-forks-15mm-2014/rp-prod109679

Might need new front wheel depending on your current fork - sell old bike frame and forks for 300 or so and use that to buy a few better bits and bits to make everything else fit - on budget and basically a new bike - sit back smiling and have a cup of tea.

passout

When it comes to hardtail MTBs I've had 3 alu and 3 steel bikes. They feel a bit different but TBH the main difference was between the frame geometry rather than material. They vary. I think it's a secondary consideration really. I've always liked the the Coves though - nicely made/finished frames - a well regarded bike.

Currently riding a 2012 Whyte 905 with 120mm travel which is a great ride - you can pick them up from Winstanleys for a grand at the moment!

mike hunts alpine

Some Nice deals on eBay and pinkbike on orange crushes if you have a good trawl.

tomb118

Thanks for the replies everyone. You've got me thinking about the option of buying a new frame and fork and swapping bits over. Only problem is my limited mechanical skills and lack of bike specific tools - it may turn out more costly than it appears!

coulddobetter - Do you mean that the 2012 black white and green Boardman Pro frame is the same as my 2010 Comp frame underneath the paint? Looks like the 2009 Pro came with 100mm Rebas, so I'm wondering if putting 120mm forks on my Comp will work. I think the 2012 frame looks different, though whether they only changed some of the tube profiling but kept the geometry I don't know.

passout - thanks for the link, unfortunately they only have large frames available, too big for me.

I'm still keen on the cove, but not sure a 5year old well used one will be money well spent, escpecially as a new Ragley frame is £260...

So now I'm thinking possibly getting a second hand 2012 Boardman Pro for ~£500, and selling my Comp. Then get a steel frame once funds allow and move the bits over from the Pro. I know each frame is different but can anyone an obvious problem with this?

I'll have a look at the Orange Crush. I like the idea of a more compliant frame though so i'm not sure the Crush fits the bill in that department. Any more suggestions in my price range?

Can anyone suggest harsh the Boardman is compared to other bikes you've ridden?

Thanks

coulddobetter

If you check halford web the geometry has hardly changed . There are minor changes in tube lengths for different size frames.
Frames have never really differed so yes it is down to components and colour scheme.

Notice there are new 2012 ht pro still in stock in my local store with substantial discounts. ( they obviously want to make way for 2014 stock.http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... &langId=-1
Review and full geometry via this link.
Around £ 800 for a brand new bike with a very good spec. If it was my money I would have one , sell the current bike and go out and ride.
P.s changes to stem and bars has made quite a difference to my bike .

tomb118

Thanks for the advice. Looking at my local halfords they don't have any in my size, otherwise it would've been a good shout.

Anyone know anything about the Sanderson Blitz? Looks to have similar geometry to the boardman but is steel. Very few reviews out there though...

Cqc

5 years old really isn't that much for a frame, especially a hard tail one as there hasn't been that much progression in 5 years. My frame is 7 years old and I prefer it to the 2014 version of it (stumpjumper fsr)

tomb118

Hi all, thanks for the help so far. After a bit more thought and a ride in the Peak this weekend I think the swapping my boardman for a newer one isn't really worthwhile. I've not got time research components and attempt a bike build at the moment, so want to buy something ready to ride.

Still keen on trying a steel hardtail with more travel for the Peak district bumps. I've seen these two on Ebay:

Sanderson Blitz
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SANDERSON-BLITZ-18-GOOD-SPEC-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/360827765397?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item540302c295

Cove Handjob
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cove-Handjob-17-5-Mountain-Bike-/231132139461?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item35d08c8fc5

Cove is a stretch at £100 more, but lots of people rate them. Like the look of the Sanderson but can't find much out about it. I don't know enough about components to know which is better spec/value? Any opinions?

Cheers

Cqc

I'd say the Sanderson is better spec, although you might want to change the crankset and the brakes can be a bit variable. Handjob has good worse forks and the brakes don't look great either, and the frame seems better quality on the Sanderson. Go for the Sanderson IMO

tomb118

Cheers for the reply. Are the rock shox revelations a worse fork then? The revs are an air fork with u-turn up to 130mm and lockout, I think the Fox are coil but with no travel adjustment or lockout.

Not used Shimano brakes before, I guess the Elixers will be v.similar to the juicy 3s on my boardman.