Which Hybird - Boardman?

[Cubist]

I have the Pro. Great. Comp has mechanical Avid bb5s, meant to be good brakes. Rest of the bike is good kit. Treat yourself. Learn to set it up yourself and you won't be subject to the lottery of a decent builder at Halfords.

 

[max1234]

How is it on hills? I would hope to do some pretty tough lake district hills on it at some stage. Probably C2C route from Whitehaven to Sunderland. I did it a few years a go on an old mountain bike and it was absolutely killer. I did a lot of walking!

 

[HJ]

Ah now there is the weakness of the Boardman Comp. to my mind, it is a (i.e. it has two chain rings at the front) which is not ideally suited to beginners, you would be better off with a triple (i.e. it has three chain rings at the front). Triples are generally lower geared, which makes things easer when you are starting out, but if you are reasonably fit you will soon be able to climb those hills, even on the compact double, just ask TechMech , he has a Boardman Comp. and has been on that journey...

Hope that makes sense...

 

[Cubist]

Ah now there is the weakness of the Boardman Comp. to my mind, it is a (i.e. it has two chain rings at the front) which is not ideally suited to beginners, you would be better off with a triple (i.e. it has three chain rings at the front). Triples are generally lower geared, which makes things easer when you are starting out, but if you are reasonably fit you will soon be able to climb those hills, even on the compact double, just ask TechMech , he has a Boardman Comp. and has been on that journey...

Hope that makes sense...

The chainsets are compact 36-50 on a 11-32 cassette. I live in a very hilly area, and haven't run out of gears yet (climbing that is, descending is a different matter!!!!) Not the fittest bloke around, but my MTB triple only gets to play on the granny ring when I'm off-road, so no doubt the OP will cope in time. The Boardmans are stiff and reasonably light, so climbing a compact with a MTB cassette shouldn't pose too many problems.

First upgrade should be some decent pedals. Clipless will increase your climbing abilities no end.

 

[Banjo]

Hi,

I am about to buy my first bike for about 10 years and have a rough budget of £500. I have agonised long and hard over whether to get a Hybrid or a MTB and have decided upon a Hybrid. I curse whoever invented the Hybrid! When I last brought a bike all I needed to worry about was whether to get 18 or 21 gears!

Anyway, I have given these forums a good read and need a bit more help.

So now I need to decide upon which Hybrid to buy. My friend has suggested that I get a Boadman from Halfords. I went and had a look at one the other day http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_502557_langId_-1_categoryId_165534.

It was light, looked OK, had disk brakes although they weren't hydrolic. It struck me that the tyres looked very thin and I'm not sure it would give me much grip if I decided to take it on a rare dirt path. But perhaps I am being too picky.

What are peoples comments on this bike. Should I be looking at a different bike for this price range? What would people recommend?

Has anybody got a boardman hybrid themself and how do they find it? Are they able to take it on dirt tracks?

Any help would really be appreciated.

You could consider a Trek Valencia as an alternative.

It is about the same weight as the boardman ,has triple chain rings ,700x32 Bontrager race light tyres,,I bought one last week and love riding it.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products...+hybrid+bike&gclid=CLatmPic4ZsCFZ4A4wodDTsOAA

The only thing I may change at some time is the pedals.They are plastic with alloy end pieces ,seem to grip your shoes well,better than the plain plastic type but I think I will want clipless SPD ones eventually

 

[Billloudon]

Along similar lines.... I have written off my Giant and am awaiting the Insurance decision on payout.
I will have about £500 also but don't know what bike.
A Claude Butler Commuter is currently being put my way.
Is there a site where I can put in my desired spec and the bikes that meet that will be highlighted?
I seem to get different suggestions at every shop I visit.