# Thoughts on Boardman bikes



## kingspirit (14 May 2021)

Hi All, 

I would like to post like 2 treads in one.

The first one is what is your thoughts on Boardman bikes? Especially the adventure series, ADV 8.9. They offer lifetime warranty on their forks and frames, so assume the frame quality suppose to be good? What is the catch as they price quite low ( 1100£)







The second thing I recently noticed quite a lot of bikes has asymmetrical chain stays (one lower then another) which looks really weird and horrible  As an example Fuji Jari 1.1
What is the point of the asymmetrical chainstays ? Any benefits or just marketing trend ?


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## fossyant (14 May 2021)

There is no catch, they buy in bulk.

My 2014 Boardman FS Pro, at RRP was about £1,000 cheaper than a similarly equipped 'name'. It's been a great bike and I've had it 5 years now.

I paid £1k for it, not £1.6k.

Asymmetrical chainstays - it's a gravel bike, so the 'lower' drive side chainstay allows more clearance to stop chain slap.


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## shep (14 May 2021)

Got 2 mates with them, good value for money.


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## cougie uk (14 May 2021)

Always very well reviewed. I'd definitely go for one


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## ianrauk (14 May 2021)

That Boardman is a looker.
Very popular bikes. I see plenty on my SE London daily commute.


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## vickster (14 May 2021)

Everything else being equal, if Boardman still favour press fit bottom brackets, I'd choose something else (my current Boardman creaks, as did the previous)

They are popular (probably as sold through Halfords and cost effective compared to the 'big' brands)


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## mustang1 (14 May 2021)

There are two Boardmans in the camp and both are good for the price and well equipped with good frames. I would buy one for myself.


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## rogerzilla (14 May 2021)

Good bikes, well specified and usually well assembled, cos the Halfords shop mechanics, don't need to do much to them.

The biggest turnoff for most people is the brand. Everyone knows you bought a bike from Halfords.


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## cougie uk (14 May 2021)

The Brownlees didn't mind.


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## gavroche (14 May 2021)

I see, still plenty of snobism in cycling: you have a Boardman from Halfords, I have a branded bike from a branded shop so I must be better than you. Shame.


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## rogerzilla (14 May 2021)

gavroche said:


> I see, still plenty of snobism in cycling: you have a Boardman from Halfords, I have a branded bike from a branded shop so I must be better than you. Shame.


It's true though. You don't see many on club rides. I have a Team Carbon, for what it's worth.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (14 May 2021)

Boardman offer superb VFM


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## Darius_Jedburgh (14 May 2021)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Boardman offer superb VFM


+1
Very well specced and very well built. Just don't use Halfords more than you have to. I nearly bought one albeit for a winter bike. Only thing that stopped me was a good deal on a Kuota who were closing down and shifting remaining stock. Otherwise I'd probably have bought one.


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## Lovacott (14 May 2021)

gavroche said:


> I see, still plenty of snobism in cycling: you have a Boardman from Halfords, I have a branded bike from a branded shop so I must be better than you. Shame.


All that really matters is that it does what it's supposed to do and does it well.

My SLR 8.9 is a work of art as far as I am concerned and it goes like a rocket.

Sod what anybody else thinks.


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## Cycleops (14 May 2021)

It's an own brand of Halfords so offer great VfM. Have a look at Decathlon's bikes as they also fall into the same camp.


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## fossyant (14 May 2021)

Lots of brand snobbery about

There are always compromises in some components on all bikes, so think about these - e.g. fitting 'odd' chainsets.


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## cosmicbike (14 May 2021)

3 in my collection. 2014 CX Team has just passed 18,000 miles in all weathers, I'll admit to new wheels after the first 10k, but otherwise just regular chains/cassettes. 2011 hardtail still going strong, and the recent 2016 FS Team seems to be as well built as always, so no complaints about the brand from me.


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## Scaleyback (14 May 2021)

I owned a Boardman ADV 8.9, a great bike, comfortable and like all Boardman bikes great value for money.


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## Sniper68 (14 May 2021)

Nowt wrong with them.
I had a Boardman CX Comp that I purchased 2nd hand but unridden for £250(RRP £800) back in 2016.I've recently sold it for £325!
I will be replacing it with one of the newer CX/Gravel Boardmans later in the Autumn.


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## Seevio (14 May 2021)

I recently bought an ADV8.9. It's too early to judge the quality of the components but nothing has broken yet and it's proper comfy to ride.

One minor gripe I have is that the front derailleur doesn't appear to have enough clearance to properly fit a full rear mudguard without some hacksaw work. (On the mudguard not the front derailleur).


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## cyberknight (14 May 2021)

got a 2011 road comp still a great bike,got it resprayed as it has seen many thousands of miles and a 2016 team carbon .
Didnt one model just st win a cycling plus award?


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## kingspirit (14 May 2021)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Boardman offer superb VFM


Sorry, could you please clarify what is VFM stands for?


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## kingspirit (14 May 2021)

Seevio said:


> I recently bought an ADV8.9. It's too early to judge the quality of the components but nothing has broken yet and it's proper comfy to ride.
> 
> One minor gripe I have is that the front derailleur doesn't appear to have enough clearance to properly fit a full rear mudguard without some hacksaw work. (On the mudguard not the front derailleur).



How is the frame quality? Stiff frame ? Also what size did u get and what is you height? I'm 176cm (5.9) with inseam 86cm (34), tried to sit on the Medium, felt pretty comfortable even though boardman sizing table for ADV 8.9 says that M size from 177cm


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## vickster (14 May 2021)

kingspirit said:


> Sorry, could you please clarify what is VFM stands for?


Value for money


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## vickster (14 May 2021)

kingspirit said:


> How is the frame quality? Stiff frame ? Also what size did u get and what is you height? I'm 176cm (5.9) with inseam 86cm (34), tried to sit on the Medium, felt pretty comfortable even though boardman sizing table for ADV 8.9 says that M size from 177cm


1cm difference from a sizing guideline (all it is) will make diddly difference. It just makes you borderline  not all 177cm tall people are of the same dimensions!


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## Seevio (14 May 2021)

kingspirit said:


> How is the frame quality? Stiff frame ? Also what size did u get and what is you height? I'm 176cm (5.9) with inseam 86cm (34), tried to sit on the Medium, felt pretty comfortable even though boardman sizing table for ADV 8.9 says that M size from 177cm


I haven't measured my height since my teen years but it was about 5'10''/5'11'' back then. I got a medium and it's fine - it doesn't feel like it's only just big/small enough. Your best bet is to go into a Halfords and try one just to be sure. If the 8.9 isn't available locally, the 8.6, 9.0 and 8.9E all have the same geometry apparently.


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## cyberknight (15 May 2021)

Yup i was right , bike of the year if you have £2700 in loose change  
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-slr-9-4-axs-disc-carbon-review/


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## kingspirit (15 May 2021)

Ok, so most of the opinions is positive, which is great. I'm was looking at the "name" bikes like Cannodale, Fuji etc, but now thinking is it worth overpaying or not. Will definitely consider Boardman
Thanks!


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## DRM (15 May 2021)

I very nearly got the Boardman ADV 8.9, from Cycle Surgery before they closed, it’s just that the Marin Gestalt 2 I saw there was available at a price I couldn’t refuse, the Boardman was a very well specified bike for the money, and still is despite going up £100


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## cyberknight (15 May 2021)

kingspirit said:


> Ok, so most of the opinions is positive, which is great. I'm was looking at the "name" bikes like Cannodale, Fuji etc, but now thinking is it worth overpaying or not. Will definitely consider Boardman
> Thanks!


just replaced the BB on my team carbon after 4 years , shop said it had a little play but wasnt desperate to do , thats pretty good going in my book ,It is PF30 and has never creaked and its been rock solid


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## vickster (15 May 2021)

Join British cycling or cycling U.K. and get 10% off most cycling stuff at Halfords including bikes. Useful to have for the other benefits too. Bike saving will more than cover membership fee (for BC I can give you a referral code to save £10)


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## Chislenko (15 May 2021)

Seevio said:


> I recently bought an ADV8.9. It's too early to judge the quality of the components but nothing has broken yet and it's proper comfy to ride.
> 
> One minor gripe I have is that the front derailleur doesn't appear to have enough clearance to properly fit a full rear mudguard without some hacksaw work. (On the mudguard not the front derailleur).



Had the same problem with a bike I built which had a huge FD. Don't hacksaw the mudguard you will weaken it. Do what the chaps on here suggested which was heat up the offending area of the guard then reshape it with something, I just used a garden dibber but a hammer shaft would work.

Edit. I am assuming they are plastic guards.


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## Lovacott (15 May 2021)

vickster said:


> Value for money


It's a classic example of the economy of scale (the more you make of something, the cheaper it gets to make).

The bikes are well designed, well specced and then mass produced for a large supplier.

If there is a design fault or manufacturing process fault, it will manifest itself in every unit. The price of getting it wrong is potential ruin for the brand, the manufacturer and the supplier.

Not bike related, but I spent time in China as a client quality controller for a mass produced item from prototype through to the end of the first production run.

Every nut, weld, paint job, stitch, torque setting etc. was analysed to the nth degree. Everything was tested well beyond its limits, every process on the line was scrutinised.

The end product was pushed, pulled, dropped from height, thrown around and then torn apart.

Only once we were 100% happy with the prototype and manufacturing process were the factory allowed to enter mass production.

Halfords may not be the trendiest of bike shops, but they can't afford to sell £1000 bikes which fall apart as soon as they hit a pothole.

I did 30 hilly country miles on my SLR 8.9 this morning. Pure heaven.


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## cyberknight (15 May 2021)

member of our club is a buyer for halfords , he rides what he sells and goes over to inspect the product in the factories


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## Lovacott (15 May 2021)

cyberknight said:


> member of our club is a buyer for halfords , he rides what he sells and goes over to inspect the product in the factories


People diss Chinese manufacturing, but that is based on the plastic rubbish you buy in pound shops.

I was involved in the manufacture of accommodation units for the Australian mining sector. They had to be built to Australian standards and fully cyclone proof.

I was stationed on site for seven months from inception to completion of the first batch but during that seven months, around twenty different specialists in their fields came over to sign off their particular part of the build (electrical, hydraulic, air conditioning, acoustic and structural engineers to name but a few). No stone was left unturned.

If one error got through the prototype phase, it would be replicated throughout the whole production (over 8,000 units at $100,000 AUD each).

The site I worked on is run by the worlds largest manufacturer of sea containers who also happen to build all of the modular units for Travelodge, Premier Inn and so on. They even manufacture rolling stock for the US Military (true, I have photos).

Once they've got their manufacturing processes set up, they turn out a consistent quality, unit after unit.

If we (the British, US etc) want to compete again in manufacturing, we've got a hell of a lot of ground to catch up.


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## Rusty Nails (15 May 2021)

vickster said:


> Everything else being equal, if Boardman still favour press fit bottom brackets, I'd choose something else (my current Boardman creaks, as did the previous)
> 
> They are popular (probably as sold through Halfords and cost effective compared to the 'big' brands)



A lot of carbon frames have creaking problems with press-fit BBs, not just Boardman.

I had the same on my Genesis Datum but cured it by fitting a replacement Wheels Manufacturing BB where the two sides screw together. Not cheap, around £70, but then neither is a carbon frame.


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## Gunk (15 May 2021)

They’re good bikes for the money, well designed, well finished and just as good as a “branded” equivalent. I ran a Team Hybrid for a couple of years and loved it.


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## Lovacott (15 May 2021)

Gunk said:


> They’re good bikes for the money, well designed, well finished and just as good as a “branded” equivalent. I ran a Team Hybrid for a couple of years and loved it.


My Boardman roadbike is like a dream come true to ride.

Smooth, precise, responsive, comfortable, fast and light.

Having said that, my recently purchased Voodoo Marassa Hybrid is almost as sweet.

Bikes have come a long way since I was a kid back in the 1970's.


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## rogerzilla (15 May 2021)

I can't fault the quality or reliability 0f the Team Carbon, but the frame feels dead; at no point has it ever felt like it wants to go faster, unlike a couple of my steel bikes Having not ridden other carbon frames, it may just be that I don't like carbon. It certainly amplifies thunks and rattles on bad roads.

AIUI it's the mould used for Nicole Cooke's World Cup-winning frame, but cheaper carbon material.


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## Darius_Jedburgh (15 May 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> A lot of carbon frames have creaking problems with press-fit BBs, not just Boardman.


Not if you fit them properly. I have two bikes with press fit bb. I've replaced bearings on both, and both run silently. Do the job right and you get no creaking.


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## Rusty Nails (15 May 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Not if you fit them properly. I have two bikes with press fit bb. I've replaced bearings on both, and both run silently. Do the job right and you get no creaking.


Yes, it's such a difficult job to fit press-fit BBs properly.


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## Arrowfoot (16 May 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Not if you fit them properly. I have two bikes with press fit bb. I've replaced bearings on both, and both run silently. Do the job right and you get no creaking.


Improper fitting is one issue. Carbon in particular is prone to creaking as the frame is prepared by hand and difficult to get the tolerance right. So it is the luck of draw if you end up with a frame where the housing is not as close to a perfect circle or the tolerance has been breached.


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## SkipdiverJohn (16 May 2021)

The main problem with PF BB's in carbon frames is poor manufacturing tolerances and non-existent QC. There are plenty of bits of industrial equipment around that use bearings press fitted into machined out housings and on to rotating shafts. If the holes and shafts are made to spec, and the bearings are made to spec, they don't make a racket and they dont wear out prematurely.
All the creaking problems with bikes are down to corner-cutting. Either the QC isn't being done, or it is done but out-of-spec frames are being allowed out the door anyway because too high a rejection rate would wipe out the manufacturers profit margin. They work on the assumption that half the customers won't notice any problem, and most of those who do notice will just moan and groan about it but not take the bike back and will keep buying more of the same crap. If the public are willing to put up with crap QC, then the retailers will carry on selling substandard goods.
It's entirely possible to build PF bearings accurately, but it costs money. Theoretically, PF can outperform threaded cup & cone BB's if made to tight tolerances, but in reality an average threaded square taper job is less troublesome than a mediocre PF example because threaded can self-align to a certain extent which means it doesn't creak or have tight spots. Those makers unwilling to swallow the cost of proper QC should have stuck to old-school threaded square taper and avoided PF. Unless a threaded BB runs as rough as a badger's arse, no-one even notices it and it doesn't attract any comment. They just work and are just not on the rider's radar until they need lubrication maintenance or one of the cups has worked loose.


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## Lovacott (16 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> The main problem with PF BB's in carbon frames is poor manufacturing tolerances and non-existent QC. There are plenty of bits of industrial equipment around that use bearings press fitted into machined out housings and on to rotating shafts. If the holes and shafts are made to spec, and the bearings are made to spec, they don't make a racket and they dont wear out prematurely.



I collected my Boardman from Halfords as a built bike. When I got it home, I went over it with a fine tooth comb.

The Halfords build was pretty terrible TBH. The indexing was all over the place and the front mech was misaligned.

The engineering of the bike was excellent though. Everything worked and moving parts were practically silent.

Quality control is a big thing for western based retailers outsourcing their production to China. 

The hotel I lived in was full of QC's from all over the world overseeing one or more aspects of a product build.

Major retailers can't afford to launch a £1000 product only to find early buyers moaning online about the poor quality.

The Boardman is the first "expensive" bike I've ever bought with most of my previous bikes costing me around a hundred quid.

As I said earlier, to me, it's a work of art.


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## SkipdiverJohn (16 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> I collected my Boardman from Halfords as a built bike. When I got it home, I went over it with a fine tooth comb.
> 
> The Halfords build was pretty terrible TBH. The indexing was all over the place and the front mech was misaligned.



You expected it to be poor and therefore sorted out the things Halfords should have done. For you it was the path of least resistance, less hassle than taking it back and arguing the toss with the shop manager. I would have done the same, because I trust my own work more than a min wage spanner monkey in retail. Halfords got away with selling a substandard product because to you the value was good enough to swallow some DIY fettling time. A mechanical numpty buyer would have just tried to ride it straight away then started moaning loudly about the build quality.
Halfords get away with it because they are a national chain and they sell a lot of bikes through C2W. The convenience outweighs the mediocrity for enough buyers.


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## vickster (16 May 2021)

Rusty Nails said:


> A lot of carbon frames have creaking problems with press-fit BBs, not just Boardman.
> 
> I had the same on my Genesis Datum but cured it by fitting a replacement Wheels Manufacturing BB where the two sides screw together. Not cheap, around £70, but then neither is a carbon frame.


These are aluminium frames with creaks ...


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## Lovacott (16 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You expected it to be poor and therefore sorted out the things Halfords should have done. For you it was the path of least resistance, less hassle than taking it back and arguing the toss with the shop manager.


I actually did take it back the next day (I started a thread about it on here).

The handlebars were loose which made me question the shop assembly torque settings. Also, the drivetrain seemed very stiff.

The guy at the bike counter went over all of the settings and while he was doing that, I played with the display model nearby (for comparison).

Bottom line is that the bike is excellent and the quality of components is faultless (in my eyes).

Poor set up by 17 year old kids in Halfords is not a manufacturing fault born in China.


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## cyberknight (16 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You expected it to be poor and therefore sorted out the things Halfords should have done. For you it was the path of least resistance, less hassle than taking it back and arguing the toss with the shop manager. I would have done the same, because I trust my own work more than a min wage spanner monkey in retail. Halfords got away with selling a substandard product because to you the value was good enough to swallow some DIY fettling time. A mechanical numpty buyer would have just tried to ride it straight away then started moaning loudly about the build quality.
> Halfords get away with it because they are a national chain and they sell a lot of bikes through C2W. The convenience outweighs the mediocrity for enough buyers.


Maybe an analogy regards the general public's level of interest in bike related stuff ? compared to a a kiddie clunker the bike probably felt great and you see plenty of bikes that are misused and mistreated yet are happily ridden by people whos only care is to get somewhere .Is it a bit like petrol heads who more and likely wince when i pull up in my dacia and they have spent all weekend buffing and tuning whatever it is that makes them tingle ?


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## SkipdiverJohn (16 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> Bottom line is that the bike is excellent and the quality of components is faultless (in my eyes).
> 
> Poor set up by 17 year old kids in Halfords is not a manufacturing fault born in China.



A QC fail is a QC fail, whether it happens in the factory or the shop. You can fix a badly adjusted bike, you can't fix an out of spec size BB that creaks. You got basically a good bike that was poorly prepared. You could have just as easily got a badly manufactured bike that was set up OK, but had faults beyond the control of the shop staff.
Because the price is right and the VFM is there, you expect and tolerate a certain amount of shortcomings. If you had paid three or four times the price for a premium bike brand I doubt you would be so relaxed about it though, knowing how much profit was being made and still couldn't get the product right.


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## Lovacott (16 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> A QC fail is a QC fail, whether it happens in the factory or the shop. You can fix a badly adjusted bike, you can't fix an out of spec size BB that creaks.


And I would argue that Halfords can't afford to have 5% of people complaining about creaky bikes.

Nobody buys anything much over £100 these days without first reading online reviews.

If the first two reviews say "creaky", they'll spend their money on something else.

You can bet your arse that if my SLR 8.9 had a creaky frame, I'd be warning off others from buying the same bike.

Halfords knows this, the Boardman brand knows this and the Chinese manufacturer knows this.

Quality control is the only thing standing between millions in revenue or potential bankruptcy.


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## SkipdiverJohn (16 May 2021)

How much are reviews tempered by the VFM factor though? If I buy something expensive and pay full retail for it, I am going to complain very loudly about any shortcomings whatsoever. However if I buy something where I feel I'm getting a lot of bang for my buck, my tolerance level is going to be that bit higher on the basis that even with some problem that needed sorting, the VFM was still good.


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## Lovacott (16 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> How much are reviews tempered by the VFM factor though? If I buy something expensive and pay full retail for it, I am going to complain very loudly about any shortcomings whatsoever.


That depends on the buying power of the buyer.

Someone who spends a months wages on a bike is probably going to be a bit more analytic than the billionaire who used pocket change to buy a bike in order to kill a bit of time while his missus was browsing in Tiffanies.

If I bought an Argos Challenge mountain bike for £99.99, I wouldn't moan if the BB cup and cones failed two years and fifty miles later. It's only cost me a night in the pub with a kebab on the way home,

If I buy a £450 Voodoo from a so called cycling specialist shop though, I want bloody perfection and if anything very minor goes wrong in the first two years, I'll be all over the web trashing it.

I suspect that most UK average earners like myself, feel exactly the same way.


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## Sniper68 (16 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> If I buy a £450 Voodoo from a so called cycling specialist shop though, I want bloody perfection and if anything very minor goes wrong in the first two years, I'll be all over the web trashing it.
> I suspect that most UK average earners like myself, feel exactly the same way.


£450/2 years?Come on you have to be joking?
You couldn't expect _nothing _to go wrong on a £5k bike in 2 years let alone a £450!!
No one but the owner can be blamed if something minor goes wrong after two years.What do you really expect for £450!!??

I would hazard a guess that most 'average earner' riders would just suck it up and sort the 'very minor' issue out themselves.


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## Rusty Nails (16 May 2021)

vickster said:


> These are aluminium frames with creaks ...


From what I have read the creaks on press-fit BBs can affect alloy as well as carbon frames. The design on these BBs relies on a very snug fit and accurate machining of the housing for the BB, and even a minor error can result in creaks. This is not really an issue with external bearings, or the old square taper BBs.


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## vickster (16 May 2021)

It’s academic as I think the bike in the OP has a threaded BB (some FSA job I’d)


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## the_mikey (16 May 2021)

vickster said:


> Everything else being equal, if Boardman still favour press fit bottom brackets, I'd choose something else (my current Boardman creaks, as did the previous)
> 
> They are popular (probably as sold through Halfords and cost effective compared to the 'big' brands)




In general what they offer *looks* good, but I don't like their choice of bottom brackets, it seems a future maintenance nightmare that they're happy to pass onto their customers in return for slightly lower prices.


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## Lovacott (16 May 2021)

Sniper68 said:


> £450/2 years?Come on you have to be joking?
> You couldn't expect _nothing _to go wrong on a £5k bike in 2 years let alone a £450!!


Why not? 

For clarification, I don't mean normal wear and tear stuff like chains, cassettes and chain rings. They are supposed to wear out over time.


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## DRM (16 May 2021)

the_mikey said:


> In general what they offer *looks* good, but I don't like their choice of bottom brackets, it seems a future maintenance nightmare that they're happy to pass onto their customers in return for slightly lower prices.


The ADV 8.6 has a square taper BB, the ADV 8.9 has an FSA Mega Exo 4000BB , non have a press fit BB


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## Chislenko (16 May 2021)

DRM said:


> The ADV 8.6 has a square taper BB, the ADV 8.9 has an FSA Mega Exo 4000BB , non have a press fit BB



It's filled up four pages though 😀


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## DRM (16 May 2021)

Chislenko said:


> It's filled up four pages though 😀


Yes, it’s time to put it out of it’s misery


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## Sniper68 (17 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> Why not?
> For clarification, I don't mean normal wear and tear stuff like chains, cassettes and chain rings. They are supposed to wear out over time.


OK so what 'very minor' issue would have you slagging them off online? Everything wears over time!
Anything other than frame failure in two years would fall under wear and tear!


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## fair weather cyclist (17 May 2021)

I think Boardman are cracking bikes. As many already said, their main issue is their partnership with Halfords.

Doesn't bother me personally but the majority of cyclists out there are a bunch of wee snobs. That's how you can tell: if they're wearing rapha and/or white overshoes...BINGO!


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## Lovacott (17 May 2021)

Sniper68 said:


> OK so what 'very minor' issue would have you slagging them off online? Everything wears over time!
> Anything other than frame failure in two years would fall under wear and tear!


I wouldn't expect a wheel to go out of true, I wouldn't expect paint to blister or crack. I'd expect all of the moving parts to work correctly when first purchased. I wouldn't expect a bearing to seize up or become loose.


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## Sniper68 (17 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> I wouldn't expect a wheel to go out of true, I wouldn't expect paint to blister or crack. I'd expect all of the moving parts to work correctly when first purchased. I wouldn't expect a bearing to seize up or become loose.


On a £450 bike!!!?After 2 years!!!???
You don’t expect much 
I’ve had £600 wheels run out of true after 500 or so miles. Everything there,apart from paint blistering,is plain old wear and tear/poor maintenance.


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## SkipdiverJohn (18 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> I wouldn't expect a bearing to seize up or become loose.



Most wheel and BB bearing issues even on the very cheapest bikes, are down to poor assembly involving insufficient lubrication and/or maladjustment. If I was to purchase one of Argos's finest £100 Challenge machines, the first thing I would do on getting it home would be to take it apart, apply generous amounts of grease & oil to the moving parts then carefully put it back together again. I wouldn't expect to get any more trouble with one than a more expensive bike, with the possible exception of a twist grip gear shifter.
My 30 year old Raleigh Highlander MTB, is running a BB assembly harvested out of a really horrible Dunlop full sus BSO I found dumped at work. The parts they fit on Dunlop bikes are even cheaper than the no-name base level Shimano stuff, yet that BB has now done over a thousand miles with me, plus what ever it did in the BSO. Judging by the worn out tyres on the BSO, I'd say another 1,000-1,500 miles, so it's probably got well over 2k miles on it even though it came from a real cheap and nasty bike.


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## viniga (18 May 2021)

After I got addicted to TTs - that I had being doing on my PlanetX with clip-ons I bought an entry level aluminium Boardman TT bike from Halfords £800. You can see I'm no brand snob. In open CTT events I beat a lot of people on it who have much, much more expensive bikes... (not everyone of course!) 

So I reckon their bikes are good value. It helps that I could easily deal with the little mistakes the Halfords mechanic made when building it for the first time.


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## fair weather cyclist (18 May 2021)

viniga said:


> After I got addicted to TTs - that I had being doing on my PlanetX with clip-ons I bought an entry level aluminium Boardman TT bike from Halfords £800. You can see I'm no brand snob. In open CTT events I beat a lot of people on it who have much, much more expensive bikes... (not everyone of course!)
> 
> So I reckon their bikes are good value. It helps that I could easily deal with the little mistakes the Halfords mechanic made when building it for the first time.



Oh yeah, I know the feeling.

It feels so good when I'm on my 11.50kg aluminium gravel bike that costed me £600 and I overtake those in their bianchis and specialized with deep carbon wheels.


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## Lovacott (18 May 2021)

Sniper68 said:


> I’ve had £600 wheels run out of true after 500 or so miles. Everything there,apart from paint blistering,is plain old wear and tear/poor maintenance.


Blimey. That's not very good!!

My Apollo MTB is 7 years old with thousands of bumpy miles behind it and the wheels run true and straight.

The whole bike only cost me £140.


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## Sniper68 (18 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> Blimey. That's not very good!!
> 
> My Apollo MTB is 7 years old with thousands of bumpy miles behind it and the wheels run true and straight.
> 
> The whole bike only cost me £140.


Carbon Mavic Cosmics.
Had to retrued regularly.They obviously didn’t like British conditions.Mine were only 50mm deep the 60 and 80s are a real nightmare apparently.
Current wheels are Hope and they’ve been faultless.


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## Lovacott (19 May 2021)

viniga said:


> After I got addicted to TTs - that I had being doing on my PlanetX with clip-ons I bought an entry level aluminium Boardman TT bike from Halfords £800. You can see I'm no brand snob. In open CTT events I beat a lot of people on it who have much, much more expensive bikes... (not everyone of course!)


I've seen a few younger riders out on £4k plus bikes recently now the evenings are light. The big long hill near me is a favourite for local groups to train on.

Some of them really struggle with the hill. I saw a couple last week walking their his and hers specialized road bikes up the last bit.

Some of the best riders who I see more regularly (not just when the weather is decent) ride bikes with no branding on them at all. Maybe they've had a re-spray, maybe they've built them themselves?

Then there is this lady in her 60's who I often see riding her old Raleigh shopper complete with basket on the front and a back pack. She lives in the village at the top of the hill and rides the three miles into town a few times per week. She does the hill no trouble which is pretty impressive.

It seems that there is no correlation between bike brand and ability.


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## Chislenko (19 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> I've seen a few younger riders out on £4k plus bikes recently now the evenings are light. The big long hill near me is a favourite for local groups to train on.
> 
> Some of them really struggle with the hill. I've saw a couple last week walking their his and hers specialized road bikes up the last bit.
> 
> ...



I have an expensive "branded" bike and a cobbled together knockabout and I'm rubbish on both of them 😀


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## Juan Kog (19 May 2021)

Chislenko said:


> I'm rubbish on both of them 😀


sounds like me . But “ I’ve none of the gear and no idea “ 😥


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## Venod (19 May 2021)

Email from Bike Radar announcing Road Bike of the year.

"it’s time to announce our Road Bike of the Year… the Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS:


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## vickster (19 May 2021)

Venod said:


> Email from Bike Radar announcing Road Bike of the year.
> 
> "it’s time to announce our Road Bike of the Year… the Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS:


Chosen based on which criteria...given most cyclists don't race


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## Venod (19 May 2021)

I don't know I have not read the review, but it's here if you want a look

http://email.bikeradar.com/q/12EpsqW26niZIxXrAGMH7yT6/wv


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## Chap sur le velo (19 May 2021)

It's a bit more complicated than just the economic benefits that come with scale of production that keeps the price keen. I believe Giant are the largest volume shifter in the industry and they are not so competitive on price. 
Boardman bikes have to be keenly priced and they will be looking for savings in (possibly) R&D, Marketing, materials etc etc
The bike reviewed above does seem excellent and great VFM. Well done Boardman and anyone lucky enough to own one. But I also believe sometimes a well spec'd bike developed to be class leading at a price point, might not ALWAYS deliver on those aims. So do your research and buy the bike that ticks the most boxes for you.


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## Arrowfoot (19 May 2021)

Looks I got the bike scene wrong. I had the impression that you buy the bike that you can afford and enjoy riding it. 

I had no idea that you are supposed to win races on the cheapest bike. Wasted all these years working hard and squirrelling away money to buy something I like. 

What about cars?


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## Lovacott (19 May 2021)

Chap sur le velo said:


> Boardman bikes have to be keenly priced and they will be looking for savings in (possibly) R&D, Marketing, materials etc etc


R&D costs are spread amongst the production. Spend a million on R&D and sell a million bikes, you have an R&D cost of £1 per unit. 

Mass production is the biggest cost saving of them all. If you can consistently turn out the same thing, to the same standard using modern production techniques and low cost labour, you can bring unit costs right down.

As far as marketing goes, the name "Boardman" carries some kudos amongst the casual cyclist popping in to Halfords to choose a bike. 

I've never seen a bike advert on the telly let alone an ad for a Boardman bike. They kind of sell themselves.

I have to admit, that when looking for a road bike for myself, I was swayed by the Boardman name. It sounded better than Apollo or Carrera.


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## Maherees (20 May 2021)

Venod said:


> Email from Bike Radar announcing Road Bike of the year.
> 
> "it’s time to announce our Road Bike of the Year… the Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS:


Well there’s none left for sale until February.
.


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## Lovacott (20 May 2021)

fair weather cyclist said:


> Not everyone, just the middle aged guys that I overtake on my cheap heavy bike.


A hell of a lot of people cycle around my way, but I've yet to spot anybody else on a Boardman. 

The locals Halfords sells loads of them, but it seems that I am the only one who actually rides one?

When (if) the decent weather starts up again and people start going out in big groups, maybe I might have a bit more luck and see a few others riding the same bike as me?


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## cougie uk (20 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> A hell of a lot of people cycle around my way, but I've yet to spot anybody else on a Boardman.
> 
> The locals Halfords sells loads of them, but it seems that I am the only one who actually rides one?
> 
> When (if) the decent weather starts up again and people start going out in big groups, maybe I might have a bit more luck and see a few others riding the same bike as me?



Seriously ? Maybe you need new glasses. Very popular round here. Often see Mr B himself on his.


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## rogerzilla (20 May 2021)

The Team Carbon was a popular commuting option as it was just under £1000. There were three in the bike shed at work.


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## battered (20 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> A hell of a lot of people cycle around my way, but I've yet to spot anybody else on a Boardman.
> 
> The locals Halfords sells loads of them, but it seems that I am the only one who actually rides one?


My pal has one, and I see plenty out and about here in Leeds. I'd have one, my current roady is a Decathlon with Planet X carbon forks, which has my friends laughing. Not sure why.


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## battered (20 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> As far as marketing goes, the name "Boardman" carries some kudos amongst the casual cyclist popping in to Halfords to choose a bike.
> 
> I've never seen a bike advert on the telly let alone an ad for a Boardman bike. They kind of sell themselves.


Watch ITV4 when they have TdF, Giro, Vuelta coverage. EVERY ad break is Boardman bikes, every 5 minutes, at both ends of the ad sequence. The start and finish of the programme have "ring in to win this superb Boardman bike worth £X and £X for accessories. Calls cost..."



> I have to admit, that when looking for a road bike for myself, I was swayed by the Boardman name.


I think they have done really well with Voodoo. It's a great sounding brand name, helped by the fact that IIRC back in the 90s Voodoo bikes were a superpremium boutique brand along the lines of Rock Lobster, Klein and Santa Cruz. I'd have one like a shot.


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## Lovacott (21 May 2021)

cougie uk said:


> Seriously ? Maybe you need new glasses. Very popular round here. Often see Mr B himself on his.


Because the weather has been crap, most of the road cyclists I've seen out and about this year, have been club cyclists out training. 

Most of the serious cyclists around here use the local bike shop which has affiliations with some of the local cycling clubs. Sadly, they had nothing in my price range which tickled my fancy.

The Halfords buyers will be the family cyclists (mum, dad and 2.4 kids) and people like me using the bike more for utility than sport and looking for value for money..

Once the weather gets better, I'd expect to see the Halfords bikes out in force as the seasonal cyclists come back out again.

I have to say that I do love my Boardman. It's the best bike I've ever owned but having said that, I've never ridden anything which cost anything near a grand before so I'm comparing it to a stable of cheap bikes I've owned over the years.

For the average wage earner, £5,000 is too much to spend on a bike but £1,000 isn't out of the way (about the cost of a week in a caravan in Devon).

What Boardman/Halfords seem to have done, is hit a sweet spot where performance and quality meet at an affordable price point.

Bike of the year doesn't mean that it's the best bike you can buy. But it probably is the best bike you can buy for that amount of money.


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## cyberknight (21 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> Because the weather has been crap, most of the road cyclists I've seen out and about this year, have been club cyclists out training.
> 
> Most of the serious cyclists around here use the local bike shop which has affiliations with some of the local cycling clubs. Sadly, they had nothing in my price range which tickled my fancy.
> 
> ...


C2W through halfords has done a lot too aid their cause too


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## Lovacott (22 May 2021)

cyberknight said:


> C2W through halfords has done a lot too aid their cause too


That's what swung it for me. My £1000 SLR 8.9 will cost me £328 less thanks to the tax break.


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## cyberknight (22 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> That's what swung it for me. My £1000 SLR 8.9 will cost me £328 less thanks to the tax break.


me too , our company classes the final payment as a benefit in kind so we pay them £30 at the end and the rest of the final valuation fee we pay only tax on over a year so erm 20 % of the fee over a year ?


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## Lovacott (22 May 2021)

cyberknight said:


> me too , our company classes the final payment as a benefit in kind so we pay them £30 at the end and the rest of the final valuation fee we pay only tax on over a year so erm 20 % of the fee over a year ?


I'm getting a bit of stick at work from some of the very unfit blokes because I don't actually commute on the Boardman.

However, because I cycle commute, I am allowed to spend £1000 on spare parts so I bought a whole bunch of spare parts conveniently supplied as a fully assembled CF road bike.

The boss has no problem with what I have done and actually encouraged me to do it and I have not broken any of the scheme rules.

So the moaners can go eat another pie and sod off as far as I am concerned.


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## DRM (22 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> I'm getting a bit of stick at work from some of the very unfit blokes because I don't actually commute on the Boardman.
> 
> However, because I cycle commute, I am allowed to spend £1000 on spare parts so I bought a whole bunch of spare parts conveniently supplied as a fully assembled CF road bike.
> 
> ...


Well there's no reason you can't use it in summer, and if you get up one morning to find, for example a flat tyre you can jump on the Boardman and be sure you're not late for work, stuff the moaners, they are the ones that'll be costing the taxpayer more, a lot more when they're laid up in hospital.


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## cyberknight (22 May 2021)

DRM said:


> Well there's no reason you can't use it in summer, and if you get up one morning to find, for example a flat tyre you can jump on the Boardman and be sure you're not late for work, stuff the moaners, they are the ones that'll be costing the taxpayer more, a lot more when they're laid up in hospital.


indeed my team carbon will never be used for work, i have other bikes for that but +1 for having a backup bike .


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## Kingfisher101 (22 May 2021)

The Brownlees were riding expensive custom Boardman bikes not the ones sold from Halfords.
Boardman used to sell an elite range from better cycling shops, I'm not sure what they are doing at the moment.
They seem to sell a lot but I've not had one myself. Seems like they are a step up from the Carrera bikes but look suspiciously similar with some frames.


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## Kingfisher101 (22 May 2021)

Lovacott said:


> That depends on the buying power of the buyer.
> 
> Someone who spends a months wages on a bike is probably going to be a bit more analytic than the billionaire who used pocket change to buy a bike in order to kill a bit of time while his missus was browsing in Tiffanies.
> 
> ...


No, there's a lot of people who will not bat an eyelid and spend 3-6K on just a run-around for Sundays with their friends. That's just you and your opinion. For £450 I would just expect a basic bike that didn't fall to bits, that I'd just use for a small while then sell on when I was fed up. Also reviews can be a swizz they often do them themselves with different accounts etc or pay professional reviewers who they know will give good reviews. I've had bikes that I thought were poor that have had excellent reviews.


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## cyberknight (22 May 2021)

Kingfisher101 said:


> The Brownlees were riding expensive custom Boardman bikes not the ones sold from Halfords.
> Boardman used to sell an elite range from better cycling shops, I'm not sure what they are doing at the moment.
> They seem to sell a lot but I've not had one myself. Seems like they are a step up from the Carrera bikes but look suspiciously similar with some frames.


now halfords own the lower spec boardman branch i think the same, the new carrera carbon bike looks to me like the last generation 8.9 carbon with lower spec parts apart from where the cables enter the frames they are very similar


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## Lovacott (22 May 2021)

DRM said:


> Well there's no reason you can't use it in summer, and if you get up one morning to find, for example a flat tyre you can jump on the Boardman and be sure you're not late for work, stuff the moaners, they are the ones that'll be costing the taxpayer more, a lot more when they're laid up in hospital.


I need to take a more main road route to work for the road bike so I am going out early at weekends trying out segments when there is little traffic.

I intend to do the commute a few times on the road bike in the summer but I much prefer the cross country route I take now.

Whatever, the purpose of the CTW scheme is to give incentive to people to cycle commute and remove cars from the road during peak periods.

The fact that I do the commute on a bike I purchased myself and use the CTW purchased bike for pleasure, makes no difference.


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## Pat "5mph" (22 May 2021)

Mod Note:
20 posts of OT argument deleted.
Please refrain, cheers.


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## Person (6 Jun 2021)

I bought my Boardman team carbon 5 years ago a week before the logo changed to the one now. It was a £1000 bike but was on sale for £750 for the reasons of the logo change.

The frame is amazing for the price I paid. The problem for myself being a full-time cyclist who doesn't drive a car is the group set and components which were rubbish for my needs.

Over the past 5 years I've upgraded the bikes components to make a bike that I feel confident with and won't let me down on my in the middle of nowhere many miles from home rides.

The bike is far better than a commute bike, its a sporty, out all day leisure bike.


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## Maherees (6 Jun 2021)

I agree, like you I bought a Planet X Tempest and simply upgraded the 'weaker' parts, such as carbon seat post, saddle and soon the wheels.
Part of the fun of cycling.


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## vickster (6 Jun 2021)

A Ti bike should have a Ti post..
not carbon 
<<<


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## Maherees (6 Jun 2021)

vickster said:


> A Ti bike should have a Ti post..
> not carbon
> <<<


Huh! Really? Never heard that before but makes sense. (Sorry OP for thread hijack).


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## Sniper68 (6 Jun 2021)

vickster said:


> A Ti bike should have a Ti post..
> not carbon
> <<<


Why?
I have a Carbon seat post and Carbon integrated stem/bars on my Lynskey


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## vickster (6 Jun 2021)

But it must be black  not pretty shiny silver


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## Person (6 Jun 2021)

A boardman bike is something that you would upgrade to shimano 105.


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## Person (6 Jun 2021)

That should say 501


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## rogerzilla (7 Jun 2021)

"Boardman Bikes: racing is in our jeans"?


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## Alex321 (15 Oct 2021)

gavroche said:


> I see, still plenty of snobism in cycling: you have a Boardman from Halfords, I have a branded bike from a branded shop so I must be better than you. Shame.


Although Boardman are sold mainly by Halfords (Tredz also sell them), they aren't Halfords "quality". The Apollo & Carrera brands are their true own-brand models, and I would be very reluctant to buy either of those. But Boardman are decent. I don't think he would put hius name to anything that wasn't.

I had a Boardman hybrid as my main bike until I bought a road bike recently. I would certainly have considered one of their road bikes too, if any had been available, but there were none in stock for the foreseeable future when I was buying in August.


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## mustang1 (15 Oct 2021)

There are two Boardmans in the Mustang household but neither are used much and one is a gravel bike like what you posted.. I've been impressed by them to the point that I keep fantasising about getting one for myself but I cannot find enough of an excuse.

I was originally going to say the assymetric chainstays are marketing hype but @fossyant brought up a good point. My road bike has assymetric chainstays and I never understood their purpose but do not think abotu them much either. It's also got "thinline technology" which is something else i don't care about either. But anyway, those Boardmans are good bikes but if they increased the price then I would probably look elsewhere.

Ps: I think none in stock atm except the electric version.


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## alex_cycles (30 Oct 2021)

Alex321 said:


> Although Boardman are sold mainly by Halfords (Tredz also sell them), they aren't Halfords "quality".



Tredz is owned by Halfords - they bought it in 2016 https://www.bikebiz.com/tredz-and-wheelies-sold-to-halfords/ 



> "The joint business of Tredz and Wheelies of Wales has been acquired by Halfords. Founded and owned by brothers Keith and Michael Jones the bike shop and insurance replacement business employs 250 people. The businesses – which had a turnover of £32m in 2016 – will continue to trade with their existing names, and will be led by Keith Jones as group managing director."


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## wafter (27 Nov 2021)

FWIW as the owner of a 2017 Boardman Team Carbon..

On the up-side the brand seems to have a lot of onboard expertise, so their bikes are usually very capable / competent and great in terms of ergonomics / functionality / following contempory trends (whether this is a good or bad thing depends on the trend in question and your perspective). 

They seem to be good at offering excellent value, although sometimes it's pretty obvious where corners have been cut (for example the Tiagra groupset on my bike was diluted by crappy, cheapo Tektro brakes - criminally so IMO) and a budget FSA crankset. 

On the down-side they're now (IIRC) fully-owned by Halfords (so beholdent to those who prioritise profit over the love the cycling) and also assembled mostly, if not exclusively by 13-yr old chimps (especially bad when you're talking carbon-fibre bikes that need some respect during assembly to avoid wrecking the frame). 

They're good if you're on a budget and don't care about big-brand kudos. Other than the component niggles above I can't fault my Team Carbon from a rider's perspective.. however I've hardly used it recently due to composite-failure-paranoia (legit but amplified by my brain's addiction to mainlining anxiety) and the fact that my (steel) gravel bike is both more versatile and relaxed.

I think were I in the OP's position I'd be looking at used steel (namely a Croix de Fer), however if you must go new (as I appreciate can make noobs more comfortable) the Boardmans are hard to beat for value and competence tbh


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