HJ, you have misread or misinterpreted my post. My advice is to get the bike and have it checked. I heartily recomend Boardman bikes. I have one, it's 'kin awesome.
What I also said was watch and see how many people now jump onto the thread and berate
Halfords for being crap. I personally find this tedious, as I feel that not all Halfords deserve the reputation. It also clouds people's judgement about the quality of the bikes they sell.