Orbea or Boardman

sblewer
sblewer Posts: 16
edited February 2019 in Road beginners
Morning all,

Sorry to trouble everyone, but I could really do with some advice if you wouldn’t mind.

I have registered for my employers Halfords Cycle To Work scheme and have decided to have the full £1,000 to get my new bike.
Halfords have now added the option of putting more towards the bike as well now, so if I want, I can afford to up my budget to £1500.

The bike I am looking at is something along the lines of the Boardman ADV 8.9, as I intend to use it for commuting, which entails road and canal towpath riding, but at the weekends I will probably do a combination of going over the park with my kids (loose ish gravel pathways) and hopefully do a couple of sportives this year (first time).
This bike looks to be a good one, and the few user reviews seem positive.

But here is where my dilemna starts. I could spend more if I want to!

I have recently been to a LBS and they had 2 bikes in, that really took my eye, Cannondale CAADX 105 and the Orbea TERRA H30 D19.

Both are £1500, both are seriously nice bikes. I know they have the Shimano 105 gear set, whereas the Boardman has Tiagra, all have Hydraulic brakes, they all look amazing, and they all seem pretty light.

Now I have since discovered that I would need to wait until June to get the Cannondale, as they have basically sold out in this country in my size, so they are clearly popular, so that leaves the Orbea and the Boardman.

I have been speaking to the chaps at Epic Cycles, who although haven’t ridden the H30 (alloy version), have said its an awesome bike and considering 75% of their staff own at least one Orbea, just shows how highly regarded they are.

So, my question is, is the Orbea really worth £300 (after the discount at Epic) more than the Boardman, and would is see the benefit of that difference in the riding I do?

Many thanks for your time and patience.

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    The Boardman bikes always get good reviews. I'd probably go with that and spend the £300 on kit.
  • sblewer
    sblewer Posts: 16
    cougie wrote:
    The Boardman bikes always get good reviews. I'd probably go with that and spend the £300 on kit.

    Thank you for the reply, much appreciated.

    When you say spend the £300 on kit, are you referring to upgrading the bike, or more about things like clothing, lights etc?
    The reason I ask is that I already have clothing etc as I own a hybrid and so Cycle some already?

    Would you recommend doing some upgrades to the Boardman?

    I was wondering why the Orbea is more expensive really, I mean what is the difference?
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    sblewer wrote:
    have said its an awesome bike and considering 75% of their staff own at least one Orbea, just shows how highly regarded they are.
    I wouldn’t put too much store in that claim, it seems to have become the standard claim to encourage a purchase in my experience where just about anything I buy is met at the till with the words “oh I've got one of those. Good choice”, whether it’s wine in Majestic, sports gear, audio equipment or cycling kit. It’s replaced “have a nice day” with something equally positive but meaningless.
  • sblewer
    sblewer Posts: 16
    oxoman wrote:
    Firstly I won't get into an argument over C2W schemes as I don't think they are as good as they used to be. Secondly in an ideal world it's best when asking people to compare bikes to post links to specifications. Personally I like all 3 bikes, I certainly wouldn't be waiting till June for the caadx, so it leaves the orbea and the boardman. I would probably go for the orbea just for the better groupset and it's something different compared against the normal mainstream brands. Finally it's a big budget for a potential first bike, there are other cheaper options available. PS try and post links to help. Good luck choosing.

    Sorry about the links, never thought about that, stupid mistake:

    Orbea
    https://www.orbea.com/gb-en/bicycles/ro ... a-h30-d-19

    Boardman
    https://www.cyclerepublic.com/boardman- ... additional

    Apologies
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Nobody ever has enough kit ! Spend the £300 on sunglasses.
  • OnTheRopes
    OnTheRopes Posts: 460
    If it was me I would go with the Orbea, better equipped and a bit more interesting in my opinion.
  • sblewer
    sblewer Posts: 16
    Thanks guys, I’ve had a think about it, and you know, I think I will go with the Orbea.

    I saw the blue version yesterday, and in the flesh the satin blue and red are much nicer than the pictures.

    I actually quite like the orange of the Boardman, it’s different, but I’m not a fan of the decals, ruins the look in my opinion.

    The Orbea is something different from the mainstream, so why not!

    Thanks once again for your help!
  • akh
    akh Posts: 206
    I'd go for the Orbea. It has through axles, which are now the de facto standard for road disc bikes. 11 speed has a better upgrade potential down the line.
  • sibike
    sibike Posts: 257
    Another thumbs up for the orbea ……….but id buy the black one if I was buying it just cause it looks more finished . Enjoy what ever you go for .
  • Wayne Plunger
    Wayne Plunger Posts: 444
    I ride an Orbea and am really pleased with it. I would go for the green based on Eskadi Murias.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Orbea if the spec is as written. I say that because the picture in your link is not Shimano 105 ST7020 hydraulic shifters. Looks more like the 405s that are fitted to the Boardman.

    Orbea with new 105 would be the better bike in my opinion and it looks good in the black... :wink:

    PP
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    I looked at an orbea bike a while back but was put off because of all the warranty issues (lack of honouring them if I recall correctly).

    Still, nice looking bikes, as are boardmans.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    redvision wrote:
    I looked at an orbea bike a while back but was put off because of all the warranty issues (lack of honouring them if I recall correctly).

    Still, nice looking bikes, as are boardmans.
    I have an Orbea which I like but as you point out they don’t honour their warranty. One of the local bike shops round declined to stock them when offered as the owner had had previous experience of them when working in another shop.
  • sblewer
    sblewer Posts: 16
    Webboo wrote:
    redvision wrote:
    I looked at an orbea bike a while back but was put off because of all the warranty issues (lack of honouring them if I recall correctly).

    Still, nice looking bikes, as are boardmans.
    I have an Orbea which I like but as you point out they don’t honour their warranty. One of the local bike shops round declined to stock them when offered as the owner had had previous experience of them when working in another shop.

    So what you are saying is, that the Lifetime Warranty isn't worth the paper it is written on?

    That's not good!
  • OnTheRopes
    OnTheRopes Posts: 460
    Webboo wrote:
    redvision wrote:
    I looked at an orbea bike a while back but was put off because of all the warranty issues (lack of honouring them if I recall correctly).

    Still, nice looking bikes, as are boardmans.
    I have an Orbea which I like but as you point out they don’t honour their warranty. One of the local bike shops round declined to stock them when offered as the owner had had previous experience of them when working in another shop.
    Facts rather than anecdotes would be useful here
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    A quick google finds:

    https://bikerumor.com/2016/01/14/orbea- ... ne-before/ (read the comments as well as the article - much debate)

    even more debate here: http://forums.transitions.org.au/topic/ ... -ie-orbea/

    I am guessing the warranty improvement in the 2016 article was to address many complaints - dont know if its now better - I didnt find anything more recent in my quick search.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    On my Orbea Orca Silver the gear cable stop on the down tube sheared off. It went back to Orbea who just pop riveted one back on and also riveted the one that hadn’t sheared off. The shop where I bought were very supportive in trying to get a new frame as although it still functioned aestheticly it looked shit and was only worth a fraction of what it was worth prior to the cable stop shearing.
    As life time warranties have no basis in law, my only option was to look at taking the shop to small claims court saying the bike/frame was not fit for purpose. I discussed this with trading standards and they felt I should have a claim. However they pointed out that even if you win you will not get the value of the bike/frame when it was new, you will get the value of a x year old frame.
    So I felt the best option was just mark it down to experience and stick manufacturers who have a better track record with warranties.
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Blimey - I am worried now as my son just dropped £2.5K on an M20 Avant... Due for delivery in a week or two as he had a custom paint job.
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    a friend had a new orca and the seat tube hole was out of round and too big. grim.
  • sblewer
    sblewer Posts: 16
    I’ve just received an email from Epic Cycles, who are the OrBea main dealer, and the reply says:

    ‘We are very well placed to advise on this as we sell more Orbea's than any other independent store in the UK and we find that the support from Orbea excellent, both in terms of Spain and the guys here in the UK. They treat warranty claims in a very equitable way.

    I am aware that there has been an instance of a stockist with unreasonable expectations and this is possibly where this erroneous information has come from and acted as a catalyst from those with similar expectations to jump on the proverbial bandwagon.

    As staff we still need to be confident that bikes we purchase are backed by a good warranty and as I stated earlier 75% of the staff here own at least one Orbea.

    Not sure if this makes any difference to you all!
  • yiannism
    yiannism Posts: 345
    I used to own Orbea Avant M30 2015. Excellent bike for its money, no complains at all. It was doing exactly what suppose to do. Now as far as about warranty, i have a friend hard core MTBer, big dude he was abusing his bike. They changed his frame after 5 years when it develop a crack with no hesitation.
  • davepuma
    davepuma Posts: 5
    I'm in the market for a gravel type bike as I fancy getting back into cycling but my current car cannot accommodate a cycle rack so I'm looking for a bike that I can just wheel out the door and use on the road, gravel paths, forest trails etc. Ironically I was intending to visit shop about 50 miles from me that stocks Merida and Orbea and the Terra was on my audition list but the comments in this thread with regards to the warranty have concerned me. Which brands offer the best warranty and after care? The only bikes I've looked at so far have been the Boardman (LBS didn't have my size), Trek AL3 and ALR4, Cannondale Topstone Sora (LBS didn't have my size) and Specialized Diverge E5 and E5 Comp. The Specialized Diverge was my favourite but I'm not keen on mechanical brakes. My old road bike has BB7's and they are a pain to keep constantly adjusted.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Have you considered asking for a quote from the Specialized dealer to supply the bike with hydraulic disks? Might be not too expensive, especially if they are willing to offer a bit of discount.

    PP
  • davepuma
    davepuma Posts: 5
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    Have you considered asking for a quote from the Specialized dealer to supply the bike with hydraulic disks? Might be not too expensive, especially if they are willing to offer a bit of discount.

    PP

    I mentioned that I was looking for hydraulics and was told that upgrading wouldn't make sense from a financial standpoint. I wasn't keen on the Treks so left to continue my search.
  • bongofish
    bongofish Posts: 123
    I have the Boardman adv 8.8 and although it's disc brakes are mechanicals they work well enough. Very solid bike and I use it for exactly what you are saying. A 10 mile potter around through wood paths and on the roads and then through the parks . I'm very pleased with it. Feels strong enough to handle the off road use aswell. The only thing I wish it was about lighter as my one in size larger weighs about 11kg. If it was closer to the 9kg mark I don't think I would ever be off it. I also got it brand new on boxing Day for £550 as cycle Republic were offering a 15% discount code on top of the already sale price of £625 and Halfords matched it as they are sister company's. So for £550 new I really can't complain. I definitely think if you can get it even for £625 on sale it's a no brainer compared to competition at that price.

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