My Boardman adv 8.8

[fraz101]

I bought my boardman in September last year, as my first venture into road cycling.

I have really enjoyed using it so far, it rolls really smoothly compared to anything I’ve ridden in the past,it feels light and stiff,the front end feels quite light and twitchy, not sure if that’s just me not used to this sort of bike? i still don’t feel confident trying a little no hands pedalling! Whereas I could do it for miles of my MTB.

The only thing I’ve noticed to be a little annoying is the shifter for the front mech, it’s quite awkward and stiff shifting up to the top ring? No problems at all shifting back down or with the rear mech shifter up and down. It has Sora groupset.

I do plan on treating myself to a Giant TCR advanced as a summer only bike,but not quite yet, as I want to use my Boardman for a bit longer to really clock up some miles.

Just wanted to post my initial thoughts on it.


Feel free to input!

 

[All uphill]

Please don't try riding handsfree on a road bike!

They are built to be responsive not steady.

I'm glad you are enjoying your bike.

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

Shifting up to the top ring usually takes more effort than downshifting anyway especially with a Sora lever (my favourite bike runs Claris so dont think I'm being snobby) but, may warrant some front derailleur adjustment. Im sure someone who can explain the mechanics better will advise or there is a wealth of YouTube videos on the subject.

The front end will be a lot lighter than an mtb with generally narrower bars and road bikes are set up for that responsive riding so will feel twitchy. I always notice the difference when I've been riding different bikes.

The TCR will be a lovely bike to ride as an upgrade, the mechanics will feel alot smoother more than anything.
Non handed riding is a skill I have yet to master and would only recommend it when more confidence is built on the smoothest of smooth, non traffic, people, dogged roads

 

[Cycleops]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Boardman. I’m sure the TCR is a great bike but it’s a bit sharper than your adv so expect rather more twitchy steering and a bit less comfort. If you don’t want to be put off the TCR don’t watch Hambini’s video on a frame . Otherwise I’m sure you’ll be set.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sora can be tricky. I have a friend with very small hands, who suffers from arthritis in them. She bought a 2nd hand bike with Sora and I did some work on it. When I'd finished I'd set the tension too high and she just couldn't operate it at all. With a bit of tweaking and twiddling we managed to get it so she could operate it OK, but it was still a bit awkward. As a result I have a bit of a grudge against Sora shifters.

 

[kingrollo]

Consider the defy / defy advanced / defy advanced pro - the TCR is an aggressive race bike geometry - nowt wrong with that. but be sure thats what you want.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You could consider a longer stem to reduce twitchy feeling though some call that agile. Don’t do that at expense of fit though. As above not really designed for no handed riding.

 

[si_c]

The front shifter is always a bit stiffer than the rear, it requires a fair bit more effort to shift the chain from the small ring to the large. This can be exascerbated by friction however, keeping your front derailleur lubricated and the shifter cable lubricated can help.

As for riding no-hands, perfectly doable on a road bike, but it is a bit harder than on an MTB due to the geometry, it's far more important to ensure you're sitting upright and not reaching for the bars too much, but also it helps to be pedalling a bit faster than you would on different type of bike as that reduces the amount of, for want of better words, wiggle that you get when pedalling.

 

[Cycleops]

Yes it’s true, hauling the chain up that large gap to the big ring on the FD always takes more effort. Might even be worth just changing the cable (you might not be able to re thread the existing) and put some grease on it which I’m sure was never put on in the first place.

 

[boydj]

Please don't try riding handsfree on a road bike!

They are built to be responsive not steady.

I'm glad you are enjoying your bike.

My good bike has a professional level frame (Focus Cayo) and I can ride it hands-free - and I'm no professional. If you watch the Tour you'll see pros taking jackets off and putting jackets on, so it is a matter of confidence and expertise and, as indicated above, maintaining a reasonable speed while doing it.

 

[Twilkes]

Sora can be tricky. I have a friend with very small hands, who suffers from arthritis in them. She bought a 2nd hand bike with Sora and I did some work on it. When I'd finished I'd set the tension too high and she just couldn't operate it at all. With a bit of tweaking and twiddling we managed to get it so she could operate it OK, but it was still a bit awkward. As a result I have a bit of a grudge against Sora shifters.

What tension were you adjusting, is that the spring in the front derailleur? I didn't realise that was adjustable.

 

[Dogtrousers]

What tension were you adjusting, is that the spring in the front derailleur? I didn't realise that was adjustable.

How tight the cable was. (Not the spring).

I'm pretty unscientific with these things, I tend to just fiddle and tweak at random until things work by magic.

 

[Twilkes]

How tight the cable was. (Not the spring).

I'm pretty unscientific with these things, I tend to just fiddle and tweak at random until things work by magic.

Ah okay - as far as I know that only adjusts how far across the derailleur is, not how hard it is to move, which is more to do with spring tension and cable friction.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Ah okay - as far as I know that only adjusts how far across the derailleur is, not how hard it is to move, which is more to do with spring tension and cable friction.

I tried to respond with a sensible description of what I did. But it was ages ago, and I did it all by feel so what I typed was utter rubbish!

As I recall one of the problems was changing down (big ring to little), she didn't have strength in her thumb to operate the little sticky-out lever. Just introducing a bit of slack into the cable sorted it. ... I think, Something like that anyway. We got it working somehow. But no fiddling with the limit screws was needed. (Or maybe it was. Who knows)

 

[fraz101]

Consider the defy / defy advanced / defy advanced pro - the TCR is an aggressive race bike geometry - nowt wrong with that. but be sure thats what you want.

Yes interested in peoples opinions, also how do I go about trying both first….