First road bike - shortlist gets shorter...

[amnesia]

Right... I have checked with Halfords C2W scheme and they can't order the Bianchi Nirone 7 as they don't have a UK supplier for it Damn - it is one sexy looking bike

So, my shortlist is now :

Specialized Allez Sport '09 (£735)
CBoardman Road Comp '09 (£649)

Both have alloy frames and carbon forks.

The Spesh is practically all Tiagra (front & rear mechs, shifters, brakes, chainset) with Specialized hubs and Mavic CXP22 rims.

The Boardman has 105 rear mech, Tiagra front mech & shifters with Truvativ Elita 50/36 chainset and Ritchey Pro rims with anonymous hubs.

Ignoring the snobbery of the brand name... is the Specialized really worth the £85 that I could spend on bits over the Boardman ?

Have I missed an obvious choice ?

Cheers,
Daniel.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

As a previous Spesh Owner, I have to say I like the brand, however, I recently saw the Boardman in the flesh, and was failry impressed, the 105 RD is better than the tiagra, with an extra £85 you could even change the hubs if you wanted to.

Just don't expect the bike to be set up properly, unless your local Hellfrauds has a decent mechanic.

On balance I'd go for the Boardman. I'm not a mixed component fan, prefering a full groupset, but the truvativ chainset is good VFM.

 

[slow down]

Of the two, I'd go for the Boardman - may be worth checking with another branch re the Bianchi first though, as I know others have got Bianchi's through Halfords. It may just be your branch can't be bothered to source it. I could be wrong though.

Also, if you get Halfords vouchers as part of your scheme, there are other places you can use them - sorry if you already know this, but thought I'd flag it up just in case.

 

[amnesia]

I emailed the Halfords Cycle2Work customer services (cycle2.work@halfords.co.uk) and got a reply in under 10 minutes. For a change, they actually seemed to know what they were talking about, unlike the 'helper' in the local branch on Saturday.

I think I have settled for the Boardman... just need to wait for my vouchers now so that I can go in and haggle for discount, and more goodies

 

[HeartAttack]

Having owned the spesh and ridden the Boardman, I'd have to say form and function over name, Boardman all the way.

In fact I would say that the Boardman bikes have the same name and general thought as Skoda used to have even after VW took them over. Ride one thats not badged and you really would think it was way more expensive. If/when I sell my Scott my next bike will be a Boardman.

 

[Marin Maniac]

I can vouch for the Boardman. I've got the Comp 08 model. I purchased it second hand and after a few teething problems which were realy down to getting the gears set up properly, all I can say is it will be worth every penny.

Mind you, I've never ridden any other road bike so I've got no bench mark to compare it to, only a Marin hybrid and MTB.

 

[Downward]

Don't know anything about specs etc but came across this
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/16796/Bianchi_Via_Nirone_7_Alu_Mirage_Bike_2008

Now bear in mind it's not through your CTW scheme but it is £175 cheaper than the Allez which is your CTW saving (Factor in the price to buy at the end of the lease)

Whether this Bianchi compares well with the Allez is something I don't know.

 

[amnesia]

Thanks Downward... that's the one I can't get through the scheme (see first post)... plus it's out of stock on your link
Shame, because I love the styling and at that price I could afford to upgrade a load of bits.

Oh well, looks like I'll be visiting Halfords (again) this week to decide on the frame size.

I might have a go at blagging the Team model for £750 too... depends how much they want to sell me a bike

Cheers guys !

Daniel.

 

[Wigsie]

may be worth checking with another branch re the Bianchi first though, as I know others have got Bianchi's through Halfords. It may just be your branch can't be bothered to source it. I could be wrong though.

This is VERY true! I went into my local Halfords to look at them and they had never heard of Boardman Bikes and wouldnt know where to get them for me! Genius!

I may have mentioned I have an Allez and I love it, but its all about you really, as you can see plenty of people recommending the Boardman... they are both cracking bikes for the cash andyou will love either I have no doubt, but which do you prefer? have you ridden both? which feels nicer for you? with me the Allez was head and shoulders above the Trek's, Scott and Cannondale's I tried.

 

[The Jogger]

last year I got a sirrus c2w through halfords, this year it'll be a boardman road bike. can I barter even though i'm using the vouchers.

 

[amnesia]

Can I barter even though i'm using the vouchers.

I am going to try... there are 4 Halfords within 10 miles of my house so I am going to go to each one and see if they will do the Road TEAM for less than £750 (as that's all I signed up for). If they will then HELLOooo SRAM RIVAL groupset

I am not going to tell them that I'm getting it on the C2W scheme until we have agreed a price. The info from my company says that I can take advantage of the current prices and sales in store... so I will

I expect there is a massive mark up on the 2009 bikes, which are £50 more than last year's bikes RRPs anyway !

 

[stevevw]

I will be surprised if you get any discount on a 2009 model. I was told last year that Boardman's would not be discounted at all until the next year’s model came in to stock. I have seen some good deals on 08 models in our local shop like £499 off of the Pro. Good luck and a good choice.

 

[The Jogger]

I am going to try... there are 4 Halfords within 10 miles of my house so I am going to go to each one and see if they will do the Road TEAM for less than £750 (as that's all I signed up for). If they will then HELLOooo SRAM RIVAL groupset

I am not going to tell them that I'm getting it on the C2W scheme until we have agreed a price. The info from my company says that I can take advantage of the current prices and sales in store... so I will

I expect there is a massive mark up on the 2009 bikes, which are £50 more than last year's bikes RRPs anyway !

Amnesia, will you let me know how you get on, pm me and don't forget
Cheers
Roy

 

[amnesia]

Will do Roy (I promise).

Not sure when I will get my Letter of Collection though - my flex year doesn't start until April 1st. Hopefully they will send it out as soon as they've processed it, so maybe next week

Anyone know why the COMP price has gone up £50 this year when the spec is the same ?

I guess how much discount I can blag depends on how much they want the sale.

£750 bike + 10% in accessories = a big profit !!

Credit crunch in full effect