Boardman Road Bike or Hybrid?
perky416
Posts: 4
Hi Guys,
A few years ago I purchased a Boardman Hybrid Team to ditch the car and cycle the 0.75 miles to work. I ended up selling it 6 months later.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Boardman MX Sport thinking I would only ride it the 0.75 miles to work however I decided to cycle to my girlfriends and back, an 18 mile round trip, and absolutely loved it! However the MX sport is a little heavier and slower than my old hybrid team from what I remember so im thinking about selling it and purchasing another bike...here is where my problem lies.
Im stuck between the Boardman hybrid pro and the Boardman road team carbon. I have never cycled with a road bike before and have always been put off by the slouched over style of them, however when I went to look at the hybrid pro in halfords yesterday I decided to sit on the team carbon, I didnt realise you could have your hands on the hood, I found it really comfortable.
Here is what I envision using my bike for:
Cycling 0.75m to work and back twice a day, pure roads.
Cycling the 9m there and 9m back to my girlfriends house once or twice a week, pure roads.
Cycling with my girlfriend on her mountain bike maybe once a month, anything up to 6 miles on roads, gravel canal paths and dirt tracks.
Cycling with my girlfriend and her friend every couple of months, them both on mountain bikes, across field dirt tacks.
Taking the bike camping once or twice a year, cycling along the sea front, across field dirt tracks, gravel.
I originally wanted the MX sport as it has the suspension and slightly fatter wheels so I could do all of the above, then after not liking the bike my idea changed to getting the hybrid pro as its lighter, faster and has thinner wheels, and I could buy a set of cheap fatter wheels to change over for when I do decide to go across field dirt tracks and camping etc..
With the road bike I have no idea how it will handle on the above or if it will be suited to me. I have also read that a few parts need upgrading on the road team carbon which then made me think if im going to spend an extra £200 on brakes gears and wheels I may as well buy the road pro carbon.
I will be keeping my bike in the garden with a bike parka, locked with an abus granite x plus 540. Do I want to be keeping a £1300 bike in the garden if I go the road pro carbon route?
One other thing, with the road team carbon and my hands resting on the hook I found it difficult to reach the brake levers, im only 5'4 tall and have small hands. Can the levers be adjusted so I can reach them from the hook?
Please could you guys give me advice on whether I should buy a road bike or stick with a hybrid for what I need it for? If a road bike which one out of the 2 should I go for?
Many Thanks
Lee
A few years ago I purchased a Boardman Hybrid Team to ditch the car and cycle the 0.75 miles to work. I ended up selling it 6 months later.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Boardman MX Sport thinking I would only ride it the 0.75 miles to work however I decided to cycle to my girlfriends and back, an 18 mile round trip, and absolutely loved it! However the MX sport is a little heavier and slower than my old hybrid team from what I remember so im thinking about selling it and purchasing another bike...here is where my problem lies.
Im stuck between the Boardman hybrid pro and the Boardman road team carbon. I have never cycled with a road bike before and have always been put off by the slouched over style of them, however when I went to look at the hybrid pro in halfords yesterday I decided to sit on the team carbon, I didnt realise you could have your hands on the hood, I found it really comfortable.
Here is what I envision using my bike for:
Cycling 0.75m to work and back twice a day, pure roads.
Cycling the 9m there and 9m back to my girlfriends house once or twice a week, pure roads.
Cycling with my girlfriend on her mountain bike maybe once a month, anything up to 6 miles on roads, gravel canal paths and dirt tracks.
Cycling with my girlfriend and her friend every couple of months, them both on mountain bikes, across field dirt tacks.
Taking the bike camping once or twice a year, cycling along the sea front, across field dirt tracks, gravel.
I originally wanted the MX sport as it has the suspension and slightly fatter wheels so I could do all of the above, then after not liking the bike my idea changed to getting the hybrid pro as its lighter, faster and has thinner wheels, and I could buy a set of cheap fatter wheels to change over for when I do decide to go across field dirt tracks and camping etc..
With the road bike I have no idea how it will handle on the above or if it will be suited to me. I have also read that a few parts need upgrading on the road team carbon which then made me think if im going to spend an extra £200 on brakes gears and wheels I may as well buy the road pro carbon.
I will be keeping my bike in the garden with a bike parka, locked with an abus granite x plus 540. Do I want to be keeping a £1300 bike in the garden if I go the road pro carbon route?
One other thing, with the road team carbon and my hands resting on the hook I found it difficult to reach the brake levers, im only 5'4 tall and have small hands. Can the levers be adjusted so I can reach them from the hook?
Please could you guys give me advice on whether I should buy a road bike or stick with a hybrid for what I need it for? If a road bike which one out of the 2 should I go for?
Many Thanks
Lee
0
Comments
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£1300 is a lot of bike for the use case you've described. How about getting two bikes?0
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With the off roading that you've mentioned you'd be better on the Boardman CX model, which would be perfect for what you've described:
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... -team-bike
I think it's perhaps also worth commenting that cycling 0.75 miles to work might end up being more trouble than it is worth - it's the sort of distance that you can comfortably enough walk, you don't need to worry about locking up your bike at work, getting a puncture etc, and a .75 mile cycle isn't exactly much time for a workout. A lot easier to use an umbrella if you're walking also.
I can't imagine anyone on the Road buying advice section is going to tell you to buy a hybrid to be quite honest, we all like road bikes too much, hybrids are for people that are needlessly scared of drop handlebars.0 -
You will struggle riding across the field tracks on the Boardman Team cabon road bike with 25c road tyres. As already suggested if it must be a Boardman Bike, then consider the CX bike linked to above.0
