Boardman Brand Review – for all those C2W & I need a new bike folk.
Over the year’s I’ve read 100’s of questions, comments and why people love or hate them, so I thought having owned a few of them id share my thoughts and hopefully add a reference for people to read when they want to know more.
Boardman we can only buy in Halfords, this isn’t the same for the rest of the world so in the UK the brand gets Auto-Flamed by people that have never ridden them. They are also referred to as a sub-par brand, below Specialized, Scott, Giant and the likes, This I think is a little unfair, do a bit of googling and look up who works/ has worked for Boardman and where else they have worked before/after.
Please note, I’ve rated these bikes based on their value vs other bikes in that bracket, not compared to each other.
Boardman Comp (Road Bike)
My 1st Boardman, cost about £600, Alu frame, was impressive spec for the money are road nice, everything about the bike was smooth and made me want to ride it, in terms of build quality, this bike was hit by a car at 60mph and it survived with just a buckled wheel.
Comfort:7.5/10 (its Alu, I can’t rate it higher just because I’ve ridden carbon and Titanium)
Value:10/10 (cost about £600)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 9/10
Build quality:9/10
Boardman Team (Hybrid)
Now about 3 years old it’s just a good as the the day it was born, the bike feels responsive when sat on the saddle but get your arse off the seat and this bike wants to go, it makes you never want to sit down, just ride it hard and grin while you do.
Comfort:8/10
Value:9/10 (cost about £750)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 9/10
Build quality:9/10
Boardman Pro Carbon (Road Bike)
Oh, it’s like Westwood just went all “pimp my ride” over my old Alu road bike, its smooth & fun, granted at £1300 - £1500 you need some confidence in the brand but the carbon frame, fizik seat, full 105 and mavic wheels for that price is hard to complain about, although the 1st thing I did was upgrade the wheelset.
Comfort:9/10
Value:9/10 (£1000-1500 dependant on spec/year)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 10/10
Build quality:9/10
There are 2 factors I feel are the main issues with Boardman’s, Halfords staff know nothing about bikes for the most part, you might get lucky in your local but id seriously consider taking your shiny new bike to a LBS for a once over if you know little about bikes.
The second factor is wheels, I don’t think any of these bikes come with amazing wheel sets, but it’s nice to have a decent group set and just have 1 thing to upgrade.
I have owned and / or ridden most of the road bikes available in the average bike shop from specialized to treks to the more obscure Ti brands, I know haven’t ridden a touch on all the bikes available to buy but I think I can safely comment having covered some miles.
In Summery
Yes I hate Halfords too, yes sometimes I wish they weren’t sold there so my bike doesn’t get looked down on but, having ridden all this year’s bikes I chose to buy another Boardman, not because it was better value for money but because it’s a great bike, although I will always wonder why a specialized Roubaix comes with a spec id expect to see on a bike half its value.
On a side note my current bikes are a Van Nicholas Yukon, Boardman Carbon Road Bike, Boardman Team Hybrid and a HT Kona, so im not just a Boardman fanboy.
Please feel free to message me or reply to this thread but also please keep it constructive, if you had a good or bad experience with them then please say why.I havn't ridden there suspension MTB range so i havn't talked about those, I may come back and update the individual reviews with more info if there is a demand.
Over the year’s I’ve read 100’s of questions, comments and why people love or hate them, so I thought having owned a few of them id share my thoughts and hopefully add a reference for people to read when they want to know more.
Boardman we can only buy in Halfords, this isn’t the same for the rest of the world so in the UK the brand gets Auto-Flamed by people that have never ridden them. They are also referred to as a sub-par brand, below Specialized, Scott, Giant and the likes, This I think is a little unfair, do a bit of googling and look up who works/ has worked for Boardman and where else they have worked before/after.
Please note, I’ve rated these bikes based on their value vs other bikes in that bracket, not compared to each other.
Boardman Comp (Road Bike)
My 1st Boardman, cost about £600, Alu frame, was impressive spec for the money are road nice, everything about the bike was smooth and made me want to ride it, in terms of build quality, this bike was hit by a car at 60mph and it survived with just a buckled wheel.
Comfort:7.5/10 (its Alu, I can’t rate it higher just because I’ve ridden carbon and Titanium)
Value:10/10 (cost about £600)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 9/10
Build quality:9/10
Boardman Team (Hybrid)
Now about 3 years old it’s just a good as the the day it was born, the bike feels responsive when sat on the saddle but get your arse off the seat and this bike wants to go, it makes you never want to sit down, just ride it hard and grin while you do.
Comfort:8/10
Value:9/10 (cost about £750)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 9/10
Build quality:9/10
Boardman Pro Carbon (Road Bike)
Oh, it’s like Westwood just went all “pimp my ride” over my old Alu road bike, its smooth & fun, granted at £1300 - £1500 you need some confidence in the brand but the carbon frame, fizik seat, full 105 and mavic wheels for that price is hard to complain about, although the 1st thing I did was upgrade the wheelset.
Comfort:9/10
Value:9/10 (£1000-1500 dependant on spec/year)
Handling:8/10
Looks: 10/10
Build quality:9/10
There are 2 factors I feel are the main issues with Boardman’s, Halfords staff know nothing about bikes for the most part, you might get lucky in your local but id seriously consider taking your shiny new bike to a LBS for a once over if you know little about bikes.
The second factor is wheels, I don’t think any of these bikes come with amazing wheel sets, but it’s nice to have a decent group set and just have 1 thing to upgrade.
I have owned and / or ridden most of the road bikes available in the average bike shop from specialized to treks to the more obscure Ti brands, I know haven’t ridden a touch on all the bikes available to buy but I think I can safely comment having covered some miles.
In Summery
Yes I hate Halfords too, yes sometimes I wish they weren’t sold there so my bike doesn’t get looked down on but, having ridden all this year’s bikes I chose to buy another Boardman, not because it was better value for money but because it’s a great bike, although I will always wonder why a specialized Roubaix comes with a spec id expect to see on a bike half its value.
On a side note my current bikes are a Van Nicholas Yukon, Boardman Carbon Road Bike, Boardman Team Hybrid and a HT Kona, so im not just a Boardman fanboy.
Please feel free to message me or reply to this thread but also please keep it constructive, if you had a good or bad experience with them then please say why.I havn't ridden there suspension MTB range so i havn't talked about those, I may come back and update the individual reviews with more info if there is a demand.
