A choice between 2
g10
Posts: 22
Hi Guys,
New to your forum & this is my 1st post.
I own a Boardman MX Comp and find it unsuitable for some of the off road riding I'd like to do... so, I've been looking at a few mountain bikes. Both similarly priced, and as a newby to the sport (at least 20yrs since I rode regularly), I'd appreciate your help/advice and suggestions with my choice.
My riding wont be extreme.. it'll be bridal and costal routes with some forest trails on occasion.
As a Boardman owner I admit to liking the brand.
Ive been looking at the Boardman Team HT 650B 2014 and the new Boardman Comp 2015. Both priced currently around £650.
Which is the better buy, and why? Also, is there anything else youd suggest I look at, and why?
Many thanks!
New to your forum & this is my 1st post.
I own a Boardman MX Comp and find it unsuitable for some of the off road riding I'd like to do... so, I've been looking at a few mountain bikes. Both similarly priced, and as a newby to the sport (at least 20yrs since I rode regularly), I'd appreciate your help/advice and suggestions with my choice.
My riding wont be extreme.. it'll be bridal and costal routes with some forest trails on occasion.
As a Boardman owner I admit to liking the brand.
Ive been looking at the Boardman Team HT 650B 2014 and the new Boardman Comp 2015. Both priced currently around £650.
Which is the better buy, and why? Also, is there anything else youd suggest I look at, and why?
Many thanks!
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Comments
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I'm not an expert on Boardman bikes but both only seem "average" in terms of spec for the money....
Really at this price point direct-mail-order is king and by a fair bit too, if I was shopping within your price bracket I'd head over to Canyon and look at their Grand Canyon range, or Bike Discount and their Radon ZR Team range both come with a Rockshox Recon fork which is where your money is best invested imo.
If you do go with the Boardman you can join British Cycling and get 10% off all orders at Halfords
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29" sounds the better choice (if the other is 29") for the riding you will be doing.0
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Sorry, here is a link to them:
Team HT 650B
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/b ... -650b-2014
New: Comp
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -comp-27-5
I think the new Comp is heavier... but possibly has better shocks?
Other than that, I'm not sure which is better.
Cheers0 -
With OM, I'd be looking at some more off-road suitable tyres and the MX should be fine for your quoted use.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
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I take your point regarding using different tyres with my MX Comp but I'm not really up for swapping tyres over on a regular basis.
I suppose having a 2nd set of wheels could be an option to explore.
Is that feasible without having to reconfigure the gear and brake setup?0 -
Between the two the Team HT is better value. Both 27.5" but it has better everything.g10 wrote:Sorry, here is a link to them:
Team HT 650B
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/b ... -650b-2014
New: Comp
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -comp-27-5
I think the new Comp is heavier... but possibly has better shocks?
Other than that, I'm not sure which is better.
Cheers0 -
g10 wrote:Sorry, here is a link to them:
Team HT 650B
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/b ... -650b-2014
New: Comp
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -comp-27-5
I think the new Comp is heavier... but possibly has better shocks?
Other than that, I'm not sure which is better.
Cheers
The team is better all round, and has a good fork with preload, rebound adjustment and lock out.0 -
Voodoo Bizango? It is something like £530 until Wednesday, a steal for the spec, I was tempted myself when I saw one in the flesh.
See if any of your local stores have the Voodoo Wazoo fat bike, the 20" is reduced to £404 and the 18" (which I have) is reduced to £450, if you fancy something a bit leftfield.
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
g10 wrote:I take your point regarding using different tyres with my MX Comp but I'm not really up for swapping tyres over on a regular basis.
I suppose having a 2nd set of wheels could be an option to explore.
Is that feasible without having to reconfigure the gear and brake setup?
It is feasible - but you might have to shim the rotors on a set up so they lie the same, and the cassette could sit differently too.0 -
A bit of a curveball choice, but a good full susser for £500:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-56 ... nformation
Some nice parts, and barely heavier than the new Boardman.0 -
That Team HT looks really nice and is a really good price. I paid that for the HT Comp about 3 years ago which had a lower spec and it was still one of the best around for the price. Don't like the look of the red and black one much though. Also a Suntour chainset and bottom bracket, are they any good? Surprised they put that on rather than FSA like they use on the others, although saying that the FSA bottom bracket on mine was absolute rubbish and I had it replaced 3 times before getting rid of the chainset and BB and swapping it for Shimano Deore.0
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Thanks guys...
Would it be worth increasing my budget and considering this:
http://www.ascycles.co.uk/index.php/bik ... 2016-Model
List price of this one is a little pricey for me, but the shop is local and has a 15% off offer which brings it into contention.
Thanks!0 -
Hmmm, £85 more for a similar spec. I guess it comes down to which one you like the look of more at that point. The forks are very similar but one thing to note is the Boardman has more travel (120mm vs 100mm). The drivetrain looks of similar quality (any preference for SRAM or Shimano?), the brakes on the Boardman will probably be better on paper (and more expensive) but many people seem to dislike Avid brakes.0
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I'm guessing the lbs will be more willing with possible after sales "service" and they probably need more support aka £ than halfords.
Will the lbs let you try any of their bikes?
Despite all the spec and opinion, I assume feel still plays a big apart (he says from buying online... But I do support my lbs!).0 -
By the way regarding Halfords, you've obviously used them before but generally it's a good idea to keep your bike away from them and either get people who actually have an idea about working on bikes to service it or learn how to do it yourself. I heard the bad stories before getting my bike from them and then experienced it first hand. Yeah there will be a few places where you'll get staff that aren't clueless but they seem to be the minority.0
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The Talon is not worth that cash.
As for stores, I see as many clueless LBS as I do Halfords - depend on the actual store.0 -
Yeah I can believe that. You'd hope that if somebody's put in the effort to set up their own bike business that they and their staff would have a lot of knowledge and experience of working on bikes but unfortunately it's not always like that. The one where I live isn't great. Most things can be serviced without spending hundreds on tools so I think you're best off learning how to maintain it yourself, as it's good to know how to do it anyway plus you'll save money in the long run. Leave it to bike shops (with competent staff) for when more expensive tools need to be used and for more advanced or risky tasks that you don't want to attempt or can't do yourself, imo.
Halfords though... apart from incorrectly installing my replacement chainset and giving me bs reasons about how it was correct (specifically leaving out a spacer and telling me it would have messed with the BCD :shock: ), also somehow managed to partially crossthread part of the BB shell, not on the outside of the thread but further in which I don't understand how they managed to do (thankfully it still screws in well enough), so I have issues with them and am not going to let them touch it ever again, lol.
Anyway back on topic... yeah you are paying nearly a hundred more for the Giant name printed on that frame really (over £200 more without that 15% discount).0 -
g10 wrote:Thanks guys...
Would it be worth increasing my budget and considering this:
http://www.ascycles.co.uk/index.php/bik ... 2016-Model
List price of this one is a little pricey for me, but the shop is local and has a 15% off offer which brings it into contention.
Thanks!
You can get the 2015 model from Paul's cycles for £5990 -
Local Bike Store don't have this model in stock so I can't look at it in the flesh before being somewhat committed to it.
A a general rule, is Shimano better than SRAM?0 -
Shimano what and Sram what?I don't do smileys.
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Parktools0 -
g10 wrote:Local Bike Store don't have this model in stock so I can't look at it in the flesh before being somewhat committed to it.
A a general rule, is Shimano better than SRAM?
You could have the same thing with that Team HT "*LIMITED STOCKS AVAILABLE* Please note that some stores may only have display stock remaining."
Shimano/SRAM is pretty much personal preference and they all come in different levels of quality. SRAM X7 is equivalent to Shimano SLX and since the Giant has Deore and XT (equivalant to X5 and X9 respectively) on it they're roughly equal in that regard. From what I've read people generally prefer Shimano brakes over Avid (SRAM) but the ones on the Talon are pretty low end. The chainset/BB will be decent on both, this website gave a good review to that FSA one on the Team HT anyway - http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... -12-45618/)
And like that guy above mentioned you can get the 2015 one with almost identical spec for 600 - http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b4s182p5 ... 7-5-1-2015 - but again you're not going to be able to see it first.0 -
It's very hard to look past the boardman team at that money. even for the slightly cheaper Giant0
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supersonic wrote:A bit of a curveball choice, but a good full susser for £500:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-56 ... nformation
Some nice parts, and barely heavier than the new Boardman.
Sorry to jump in on this thread but Just spotted this post...I quite like the look of this. I'm thinking about an entry level full suss...is this a good choice? Pro's and cons??0 -
Its far from being a bad bike, its a high single pivot and direct driven shock so will suffer from a fair bit of pedal kickback, also the frame is a little flexy (though not badly so), its well specced for components and is reasonably light (there are hardtails that cost the same and are heavier)Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
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It's a great bike, the frame is quality. OK it might not have the latest internal routing, 142mm rear end and big wheelz, but it rides nicely. Sort of like a smaller wheeled Orange Segment Pro. But lighter (and it is lighter).0
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The more I look the more unsure I get, and that's all down to the equipment spec, and not knowing or, being able to ascertain where components sit in their respective line - up.
Even the manufacturer websites don't do a particularly good job of explaining product hiararcy.
Bike prices don't necessarily seem to be a reflection of 'better'.
It'd be really helpful if there were hiararcicle league tables/lists of the main components from each of the brands. Then I, and other newbies could make an informed decision when buying.
Do such lists exist do you know?0 -
Google is your friend.I don't do smileys.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools0 -
g10 wrote:The more I look the more unsure I get, and that's all down to the equipment spec, and not knowing or, being able to ascertain where components sit in their respective line - up.
Even the manufacturer websites don't do a particularly good job of explaining product hiararcy.
Bike prices don't necessarily seem to be a reflection of 'better'.
It'd be really helpful if there were hiararcicle league tables/lists of the main components from each of the brands. Then I, and other newbies could make an informed decision when buying.
Do such lists exist do you know?
Are you talking about Shimano and SRAM still? If so their MTB ranges go from bottom to top:
Shimano: Acera > Alivio > Deore > SLX > Deore XT > XTR
and the corresponding range for SRAM is: X3 > X4 > X5 > X7 > X9 > X0
Both then also have others mixed in there for specific types of riding like Shimanos Saint and Zee but the above is the general order of maybe the most common/popular ones.
Just because for example (using what's on these bikes) SRAM X7 is higher in SRAMS hierarchy than Deore is in Shimano's though, doesn't necessarily mean you're going to think it's better, as the performance and feel obviously differ between the 2 manufacturers. Some people will prefer the feel of Shimano and others SRAM, such as how they shift. Without being able to try both though you're obviously only going to be able to go by what you like the sound of more from reading comparisons. Just do a lot of googling but you'll encounter a lot of fans of each side.
A couple of generalisations from what I've read that may help you decide, maybe not:
Shimano seem to have a better reputation for brakes than SRAM (Avid) - personally I've had issues with both.
People generally think SRAM shifting has a more positive and mechanical feel than Shimano. Some prefer SRAM because of this.
People generally think Shimano shifting is lighter and smoother than SRAM. Some people prefer Shimano because of this.0 -
clydefrog wrote:
Shimano: Acera > Alivio > Deore > SLX > Deore XT > XTR
and the corresponding range for SRAM is: X3 > X4 > X5 > X7 > X9 > X0
Both then also have others mixed in there for specific types of riding like Shimanos Saint and Zee but the above is the general order of maybe the most common/popular ones.
Brilliant, just what I need.
Rockshox and Suntour next ;-)0
