Boardman Bikes - any good?

run_Forrest_run

Hi All,
Given the nice weather lately I am thinking of investing in a new bike.

Main purpose: To get/stay fit while working out the legs (I used to do a fair bit of long distance running).

Budget: €400-€700

Might decide to cycle to work sometimes (from suburbs thru city and out towards the other side of the city!).

I have an old Trek Mountain bike I bought while living in Dublin (8 years ago!). The thing is heavy and the tires are fairly thick as can be expected from a mountain bike! It was a wrong choice of bike...I realise that now

Anyway, I would like something fairly lightweight and with nice thin wheels so I was thinking a hybrid would do the trick until I saw a Boardman bike that had the frame of a mountain bike but the real thin wheels of a racer...nice! A 'Performance Hybrid' is what it was called (Comp 7005).

OK, I was in Halfords (I understand people here don't rate that shop, fair enough I can see why...another large chain like PC World...not good customer service of overall knowledge!).

So anyway, what do people think of Boardman bikes? Are they decent or are there better brands out there for the same money?

Thanks.

kenmc

for that money you'd get a Giant FCR2.5 or maybe stretch to an FCR2, which would mean you don't have to give Halfords any money.... The FCR is the same style of bike you just described, a flat bar'd racer.
Dunno really too much about the Boardmans, but Giant are one of the biggest bike companies in the world, so you can't really go wrong.

run_Forrest_run

kenmc wrote: »

for that money you'd get a Giant FCR2.5 or maybe stretch to an FCR2, which would mean you don't have to give Halfords any money.... The FCR is the same style of bike you just described, a flat bar'd racer.
Dunno really too much about the Boardmans, but Giant are one of the biggest bike companies in the world, so you can't really go wrong.

excellent, thanks for that info kenc. I'm new to all this and it's good to get some names and models. Would a decent bike shop stock the FCR or would I need to request it?

Sorry if this is a dump question but I remember when I was a kid anyone who had a racer with mad thin wheels ended up with severely buckled wheels in no time! (even with decent tyre pressure). Would the wheels on the FCR be strong enough to handle dodgy roads in Ireland's towns and cities? I suppose the materials are stronger these days but I thought I'd ask anyway!

kenmc

should be a stock item in many shops, eg cycle superstore in dublin, maybe need to order in the specific size, depends.
with regards to the tyres, depends on what care you take of them. As a kid, ye were probably doing wheelies, kerbies and all sorts of other stunts, which I presume you won't be doing now! I've not had any wheel problems in over a year of my FCR2, but I don't go up or down kerbs, and I try to avoid any big potholes. you'll be fine.

blorg

From what I can gather they have a reputation for being decent bikes and good value for money. The Comp performance hybrid would be a light fast bike. Disc brakes would provide very good stopping power.

The compact double is an interesting choice for a hybrid but you are not really losing anything due to the very wide range cassette on the back- your lowest climbing gear (36-32) is equivalent to a 30-26 on a triple. On the other end 50-11 is quite a fast high gear for a hybrid (indeed higher than my road bike!) All in all seems like a good buy at the price.

Alternatives in this category would be the Specialized Sirrus, Giant FCR or Lapierre FCR although I don't think you would be getting as much for your money.

I think this bike would be a very good match for what you are looking to do with it. The only potential downside is buying from Halfords (of which you read mixed reports.) Consider also the internet as Halfords may provide only marginally more support.

TinyExplosions

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

excellent, thanks for that info kenc. I'm new to all this and it's good to get some names and models. Would a decent bike shop stock the FCR or would I need to request it?

Sorry if this is a dump question but I remember when I was a kid anyone who had a racer with mad thin wheels ended up with severely buckled wheels in no time! (even with decent tyre pressure). Would the wheels on the FCR be strong enough to handle dodgy roads in Ireland's towns and cities? I suppose the materials are stronger these days but I thought I'd ask anyway!

The Boardmans tend to get decent reviews in the magazines -though there have been some questions raised about the finish on some of their bikes -there was something about brajes resonating and being annoying on some models, but it looks great value for money.

As Ken said, for your budget, you could get a really nice bike -try popping into Cycle Superstore in Tallaght to see what they have (will probably reccommend a LaPierre, it's what they mostly carry, and they're good bikes -some of the Pro Tour teams ride LaPierre, so don't be put off!), or head into Cycleways or any LBS (Local Bike Shop), and see what they've got.

Another option, is to go into the shops mentioned above, and try out a model above your budget -so if you want to spend 700, look at what they have in the 900 euro range, and then shop online for it to get it within your budget, as there are often bargin to be had buying from places like Evans Cycles, Wiggle, Chain Reaction etc.

run_Forrest_run

true kenmc, my kerbie days are well gone!

Thanks blorg, i'll look up those models.

I presume FCR is a generic terms for this type of bike is it? What does it stand for?

run_Forrest_run

thanks tinyexplosions, I'm in Cork and chances of making it up to da big smoke to make a purchase are fairly slim.

blorg

No, FCR is just Giant's name for their "performance hybrid"/"flat bar racer" line- they do TCR (total hardcore road racer), SCR (slightly more comfortable road bike), FCR (flat bar road bike/performance hybrid.) Don't think it stands for anything in particular although F probably stands for "flat" and R for "road" ;-)

TinyExplosions

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

true kenmc, my kerbie days are well gone!

Thanks blorg, i'll look up those models.

I presume FCR is a generic terms for this type of bike is it? What does it stand for?

As far as I know it's not actually a LaPierre FCR, it's only Giant, and it's just the name of their range, there's an FCR and an SCR

TinyExplosions

blorg wrote: »

No, FCR is just Giant's name for their "performance hybrid"/"flat bar racer" line- they do TCR (total hardcore road racer), SCR (slightly more comfortable road bike), FCR (flat bar road bike/performance hybrid.) Don't think it stands for anything in particular although F probably stands for "flat" and R for "road" ;-)

I love the idea of SCR standing for "Slightly Comfortable Road"
Maybe with the more relaxed geometry of the flat bar, FCR is "Fecking Comfortable Road", and as the TCR is top of the line, it's "Tendinitis Causing Road"

TinyExplosions

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

thanks tinyexplosions, I'm in Cork and chances of making it up to da big smoke to make a purchase are fairly slim.

In that case I'd suggest shopping online, or the Boardman, or once the trains are working again, take a day trip up to the capital

kenmc

yeah it's a lapierre RCR

run_Forrest_run

great, I'm in the know now...must pop into a shop here in Cork and see what they have in stock.

Beached

As you say your in the suburbs in cork, try Douglas cycles or West end cycles in Ballincollig. Depending on which side your on. West end cycles always has a few Giants on display and it will only take a day or two to order one. Good after sale service which can be handy for a newbie.

I know that people who are new to cycling dont like going into the small shops and talking about a subject your not familiar with. (i was anyway), this explains the appeal of Halfords, but in the long run your better off just diving right in and explain exactly what your looking for to the shop owner.

I bought my first bike in 4 years ago. Shop owner sold me the cheapest racer they had for 250 euro, and told me to come back if i got really interested. One year later I get a trade in for 180 euro for the same bike.
I really appreciated that type of honesty .

run_Forrest_run

Beached wrote: »

I bought my first bike in 4 years ago. Shop owner sold me the cheapest racer they had for 250 euro, and told me to come back if i got really interested. One year later I get a trade in for 180 euro for the same bike.
I really appreciated that type of honesty .

ah yeah, that's exactly why I would like to buy from a local independent retailer. They remember you and there is some extra care given etc.
Cool, I work about 5 mins (in Car) from Ballincollig so i might pop over and check them out.

paddyb

the boardman comp got a great review in cycling plus

run_Forrest_run

paddyb wrote: »

the boardman comp got a great review in cycling plus

any link? would any bike shop repair the boardman or would I have to take it back to Halfords?

paddyb

any bike shop will be able to repair it

Review Here

TinyExplosions

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

any link? would any bike shop repair the boardman or would I have to take it back to Halfords?

The first link in my initial reply was a link to the review!

blorg

TinyExplosions wrote:

As far as I know it's not actually a LaPierre FCR, it's only Giant, and it's just the name of their range, there's an FCR and an SCR

Yes, typo, as ken says meant Lapierre RCR- unlikely to be relevant if you are not going to Cyclesuperstore here in Dublin anyway.

I love the idea of SCR standing for "Slightly Comfortable Road"
Maybe with the more relaxed geometry of the flat bar, FCR is "Fecking Comfortable Road", and as the TCR is top of the line, it's "Tendinitis Causing Road"

That is probably not too far from the truth!

paddyb wrote: »

Review Here

Note that review is for the road bike, not the hybrid.

run_Forrest_run

TinyExplosions wrote: »

The first link in my initial reply was a link to the review!

oops, so it was!

run_Forrest_run

blorg wrote: »

Note that review is for the road bike, not the hybrid.

yeah, i noticed that. Is it safe to assume maybe the hybrid is decent also??

blorg

I would imagine so, yes. The only risk you run is that Halfords don't set it up properly.

run_Forrest_run

blorg wrote: »

I would imagine so, yes. The only risk you run is that Halfords don't set it up properly.

and that's a big risk! when i went in I was taking bikes off their stands and lifting them to get an idea for weight and a lot of them had loose handlebars and brakes etc.

blorg

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

and that's a big risk! when i went in I was taking bikes off their stands and lifting them to get an idea for weight and a lot of them had loose handlebars and brakes etc.

Yes, have a look at this epic thread over at BikeRadar. Bottom line is that they are good bikes but the setup from Halfords can be dodgy. Can be good too, some people suggested that the more "professional" mechanics work there Mon-Fri so you are better off not buying at the weekends.

kona

blorg wrote: »

Yes, have a look at this epic thread over at BikeRadar. Bottom line is that they are good bikes but the setup from Halfords can be dodgy. Can be good too, some people suggested that the more "professional" mechanics work there Mon-Fri so you are better off not buying at the weekends.

im not defending halfords here because ive seen some of the **** work they have carried out, but if you work in a bike shop, you can appreciate the issues a large store like halfords have.
all bikes should be pdi'd on the stand.

somtimes its better to keep customers happy by pdi the bikes purchases as opposed to the display ones. this way you reduce the complaints.

also

- people, especially the customers that would go to halfords, dont have a clue and consistantley click gears, probe and kick the bikes. when you have possibly 50 bikes on display , you would get nothing done consistantley pdi the displays.(have you ever seen the state of halfords on a busy weekend??full of mammys and kids wrecking the place)

-its extremley difficult to get staff especially bike mechanics as the pay is ****, so its mainly students and foreigners who do the work.

but back on to the topic in hand , the boardman bikes are great value, but im not to sure about the frames, they are well specced for the money , id even go as far as to say over specced for the price range.

also, halfords are supplying some members of the british olympic team with their bikes, they will stock these bikes so, you can walk into the shop and buy a olympic standard bike.

BostonB

What did you buy in the end?

run_Forrest_run

BostonB wrote: »

What did you buy in the end?

I didn't! Well not yet anyway! I think I've gone off the idea of the Boaradman, well not just the Boardman but all bikes with such a thin wheel. I will just be using it for commuting and yes, I still want something light. I was talking to a colleague in work and he has a bike similar to the boardman and he said he is forever repairing punctures etc due to the bad quality of the roads here in Cork!

He also has a Trek FX which he bought locally so I might pop in to the shop he mentioned and have a look.

Lilphich

I have a boardman (Team road bike) and I am very impressed with it. For the spec in the bikes for the road, you'd be hard pressed to beat it terms of value for money. I'd say the same goes for the touring bikes that they have. They seem to be a lot lighter than the giants as well.

Take it to your local bike shop afterwards and get a tune up (10-15 euro) just to make sure that everything is done properly.

blorg

Thin tyres are no more likely to puncture, so I wouldn't make the decision on that basis. They will be less comfortable (but faster) than thicker tyres- that is what you should be making your decision on.

Your friend probably just has bad tyres or bad luck.

The Trek FX series are good bikes (although very attractive to bike thieves.) They are more MTB-leaning at the bottom of the range and would have thicker tyres all right.