Boarman CX Comp

roubaixtom

Hi,
Over the past couple of weeks i have been getting more and more interesting in cyclocross as even my winter bike isn't holding up to the muddy country roads around Bath. I don't want to spend too much as its a new venture and not sure how much i will get into etc. I have seen a second hand boardman comp from this year online for a decent price. Are these bikes any good just for recreational rides throughout the winter and there odd event? Only thing that puts me off is the weight, almost twice my summer road bike..

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/cx/cx_comp.html

Thanks

Tom

antsmithmk

The weight issue is the nail on the head. I bought a CX Comp in late 2013, and have spent 12 months and prob the same money again trying to get it to a weight fit for racing. I've now given up and ordered a Rose pro DX.....

My mate bought a Dale CAADX off eBay, it's a better bike than my CX and is way lighter. Cost him 500....

The CX will make me a fine winter bike, but if as you alluded to you want to do events, it's just not fit for the job.

Chris James

antsmithmk wrote:

The CX will make me a fine winter bike, but if as you alluded to you want to do events, it's just not fit for the job.

Really? I suppose it depends on how fast he wants to go. He's only talking about doing a few races to dip his toe in the water.

I know people worry about weight when carrying the bike but most races have hardly any carrying sections. When actually riding then personal fitness, skill level, tyre selection and tyre pressure are all more important than weight in my experience.

antsmithmk

The CX Comp would be fine for novice events, CX sportive etc. It will need lighter wheels I would think straight away.

If you want to race in a senior event, you will need a lighter bike. That weight for 60 minutes will slow you down lots.

thegibdog

antsmithmk wrote:

The CX Comp would be fine for novice events, CX sportive etc. It will need lighter wheels I would think straight away.

If you want to race in a senior event, you will need a lighter bike. That weight for 60 minutes will slow you down lots.

It won't NEED lighter wheels and the OP won't NEED a lighter bike, it'd be fine for what he wants it for.

mpatts

antsmithmk wrote:

The weight issue is the nail on the head. I bought a CX Comp in late 2013, and have spent 12 months and prob the same money again trying to get it to a weight fit for racing. I've now given up and ordered a Rose pro DX.....

My mate bought a Dale CAADX off eBay, it's a better bike than my CX and is way lighter. Cost him 500....

The CX will make me a fine winter bike, but if as you alluded to you want to do events, it's just not fit for the job.

I'm racing a CX team this year. Sure it's heavy, but I won my last (novice) outing. I like it, and while I would be a bit faster on something lighter, not so much as to make enough of a difference.

To be honest, CX racing is such bloody good fun, where you finish is almost an irrelevance - you end up having plenty of battles with people around you, and most of the time (unless I'm off the front) I have no idea what position I'm in. I'll be racing it in the seniors too.

mpatts

And how I bought mine:

List price £1000
20% halfrauds flash sale = £800
BC discount = £720
Bought some onine vouchers for 10% less than face value = bike ended up costing £650.

Bargain.

What's great when you buy from halfords MK is that you get to practice your home mechanic skills to make it rideable.

antsmithmk

Their is quite a difference between the CX Comp which the original poster wanted info on and the CX Team which you have based your experiences on.

mpatts

antsmithmk wrote:

Their is quite a difference between the CX Comp which the original poster wanted info on and the CX Team which you have based your experiences on.

This is true....my mistake.

antsmithmk

Quite a few people race the Team, it's a very decent bike.

ravey1981

antsmithmk wrote:

Their is quite a difference between the CX Comp which the original poster wanted info on and the CX Team which you have based your experiences on.

They're not exactly chalk and cheese....

Same frame, same finishing kit (bars, post etc), same wheels. Brakes and groupset are from different manufacturers granted but only a tier or so apart. The biggest difference is the carbon vs alloy fork. If you're not competitive on the cx then 1kg weight penalty isn't going to make a world of difference....

antsmithmk

Fair enough, but I also think it's fair to say the carbon fork and better group set are worth paying the extra for?

ravey1981

It would depend on budget and intended use I suppose, for recreation and the "odd event" then the cx would probably fit the bill.... I don't see why anyone would buy the team (at full price, £899) when you can get a Rose 2000 for £950 delivered.

mangetout_rodney

I bought a Focus Mares Ax 5.0 as a commuter bike and thought I'd do some cyclocross on it and found pretty much the same- heavy and pretty clunky.
It is a good commuter but when I start cyclocross a about a month I'll get a better, lighter bike- probably a CAADX or a higher rated Mares.

I got a deal on the Mares, but in hindsight I probably would have bought something else to commute on, maybe a Whyte flat bar bike.

ravey1981

Thats fair enough, but the Mares ax 5.0 is a £1000 bike isn't it? I'm assuming the OP has a budget or around £600 given that he is looking at the boardman cx in the first place. Not everyone can afford to have a different bike for all purposes so compromises have to be made. Is a cx an ideal (even good) race bike?, no probably not.... but you can go race it if you want to, and commute, or just go for a ride. To the average rider a kilo or so will make very little difference, they would be better off losing a kilo or two from they're body than trying to buy performance...