Boardman Bikes/Frames - Any Good?

[BeirutTaxi]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of either buying a new bike or buying a frame and having the fun of building it up from scratch.

Boardman frames have caught my eye - are they any good? (in particular the SLR)

More specifically, I'm looking for a bike or frame with a more race orientated geometry.

The Boardman frames look well priced.

Best regards,

Matt

Edited by BeirutTaxi on Monday 7th November 09:24

[TwistingMyMelon]

Yes they are , great rep on here, especially the higher end models that sell more online than Halfords, a few owners on here.

How flexible are you? Better to buy a frame that fits you rather than any label such as race or sportive geometry

[BeirutTaxi]

It's a good point about the flexibility - Before I buy anything I will sit down with my bike fitter (Garth @ Vankru Cycling) to look through frame sizing and geometry. For not much money comparatively he can tell me whether he thinks a frame is suitable for me.

I was looking at aero frames however knowing my own bio mechanics and weaknesses I'm not sure if I will be best suited - I appreciate that not sitting on a bike properly could cause quite a big loss in power!

Will seriously look at the Boardman frames

Edited by BeirutTaxi on Monday 7th November 13:17

[Agent XXX]

Boardman Elite - Good.

Boardman Halfords - Crap.

[boyse7en]

Agent XXX said:

Boardman Elite - Good.

Boardman Halfords - Crap.

That's a bit of a sweeping statement. Boardman's Halfords range gets consistently good reviews against comparable products.

[Matt_N]

If you're thinking of going for a frameset and building up why not go made to measure or something a bit more exotic?

Depends on the budget I guess.

[Agent XXX]

boyse7en said:

That's a bit of a sweeping statement. Boardman's Halfords range gets consistently good reviews against comparable products.

Until it falls apart after 6 months

[Trabi601]

Agent XXX said:

boyse7en said:

That's a bit of a sweeping statement. Boardman's Halfords range gets consistently good reviews against comparable products.

Until it falls apart after 6 months

I got a Boardman hybrid from Halfords on Cycle to Work. It was a very good price - end of range, plus I got 10% (I recall) of the value of the bike to spend on accessories, too.

Can't fault it, especially against other sub £500 hybrids. I may have preferred disc brakes given a choice, but that's just being fussy.

Surely 'falling apart' is to do with the assembly, not the bike itself? - mine was assembled in store, but I've been through it myself and all appears to be fine.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Boardman bikes under £1500 that halfords bikes are perfectly fine and good bikes

Most bikes @ that price point are tbh and all have similar branded parts that are much for muchness

Some of the shops aren't the best at putting them together, where as other branches are

[anonymous-user]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Boardman bikes under £1500 that halfords bikes are perfectly fine and good bikes

Most bikes @ that price point are tbh and all have similar branded parts that are much for muchness

Some of the shops aren't the best at putting them together, where as other branches are

But they don't put them together. Open box, straighten bars etc. Gears indexed st factory. Most Halfords knockers are sheep..

[Pot Odds]

In a good position to comment here having 3 Boardman bikes. I have:

Mk1 Boardman comp MTB - still going strong just cassette and chain changed over the years

2012/13 Boardman road comp (the white one) - entry level road bike purchased via halfords and has been a solid steed for 3 years covering several thousand miles - only upgrade was a new set of wheels after a couple of years to improve the stock wheels. Have hung onto it to use as my winter bike following recent purchase of......

2014/15 Boardman SLS 9.2 with full Ultegra direct from the Boardman outlet for £1360. Being rather shameless I chanced my arm and gave them a call and managed to work a good deal - really helpful sales team. Its meant to be a little more relaxed than the SLR but IMO is still quite a racey feeling setup. I'm very happy with it so far (couple of months) and have completed a few decent rides of 70+ miles on it as well as several shorter rides. Only thing i've changed is to pop a shorter stem on it and replace the tyres with GP 4 seasons as I swear by them (there is definitely a knack to getting tyres on and off the Ultegra wheels but once you've worked it out its pretty straight forward). I would have gone for the SLS 9.4 with Di2 but sadly my size was the only size no longer available. The silver and yellow colour scheme on the 9.2 is ok (9.4 white or 9.8 black - both with yellow highlights are best imo) but I find them all preferable to the colour schemes on the current Boardman elite range.

Almost forgot........I swapped the cassette and derailleur for an 11/32 and long cage as i like my 32 gear for the likes of whitedown lane or similar. The Ultegra gs derailleur, 11/28 cassette and chain didn't turn a wheel and are about to go on eBay.

Happy Boardman customer here - let me know if you have any questions

Edited by Pot Odds on Tuesday 8th November 01:18

[Devil2575]

Jimboka said:

Most Halfords knockers are sheep..

Yes but at least they're always friendly, helpful and polite.

[yellowjack]

Devil2575 said:

Jimboka said:

Most Halfords knockers are sheep..

Yes but at least they're always friendly, helpful and polite.

At least two of the staff at my local Halfords Bike Hut were previously working at a local shop. That shop closed because they were priced out of the street they were in by the arrival of big fashion chains and coffee shops which, it seems, put the lease renewal cost out of reach for a bike shop.

So if either of those guys are in, at the the very least I know that I'll get a straight answer to a question. I was a regular at the shop that closed, I bought half a dozen (family) bikes from them, so they still recognise me when I go in.

I can't comment on Boardman bikes (never owned one) and I don't really like the way Halfords stores are set up for component sales (it's all behind the service desk so you have to wait for staff who might be busy selling kiddies bikes on the shop floor). But as far as I can tell, the bikes themselves are pretty good. Most of their stock seems to be OK these days. They seem to have ditched a lot of the 'exclusive to Halfords' (aka: built to very low price limits) crap that they used to sell. I've not actually bought a bike from them, but wouldn't dismiss doing so out of hand.

[m444ttb]

I have two Boardmans and just ordered a third. My SLR 9.4 I've been using since the summer and really love it already. The other two are part of the 'Performance' range rather than the 'Elite'. The Team TT I've not had long and haven't used in anger yet. It seems decent enough as an intro to a TT bike (for duathlon / triathlon use). I bought it direct from Boardman and it simply arrived with bars turned down and to the side. I believe that's how they arrive at Halfords too. I'm in the process of buying a CX Team via the C2W scheme to do some commuting on and maybe try some proper cyclocross.

[Devil2575]

yellowjack said:

I can't comment on Boardman bikes (never owned one) and I don't really like the way Halfords stores are set up for component sales (it's all behind the service desk so you have to wait for staff who might be busy selling kiddies bikes on the shop floor). But as far as I can tell, the bikes themselves are pretty good. Most of their stock seems to be OK these days. They seem to have ditched a lot of the 'exclusive to Halfords' (aka: built to very low price limits) crap that they used to sell. I've not actually bought a bike from them, but wouldn't dismiss doing so out of hand.

At my local Halfords all the bits are out for you to browse.

I own an entry level Boardman. In 2.5 years and 6000 miles I had to replace a few bits but I think this is mostly down to it being ridden all year round and in all weathers and my ignorance over some general maintenance.

[daddy cool]

I think they are pretty good...

What you have there is:
2014 ProCarbon SLR - full ultegra, right down to the brakes and wheels, and 7.5kg total weight
2014 ProCarbon hardtail - my XC race bike - heavily modified now
2016 Full Sus Pro - SRAM 1x11, Pike fork, and I paid £950 for it brand new.

[BeirutTaxi]

Thank you to all for taking the time to reply

I possibly might get myself a race licence next year and have a go at some 4th Cat events.. Does the frame need to be UCI approved for doing so?

[anonymous-user]

BeirutTaxi said:

Thank you to all for taking the time to reply

I possibly might get myself a race licence next year and have a go at some 4th Cat events.. Does the frame need to be UCI approved for doing so?

Yes, you will absolutely need a Specialised Venge or a Cervelo S5. not really, almost any road bike is acceptable...

[Barchettaman]

Richard Bussman likes his:

“I have performed well in road races using a second hand Boardman Team Alu frame that I found on eBay for £50.”

He's an ex-UK 10 mile TT champion and a very strong rider.

I would avoid any frame with a BB30 bottom bracket. Normal BSA is the way to go.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Indeed I was at my fastest on a £300 s/h alu bike, stuck some £200 wheels on and I was quicker than I am now.... this was a few years back

My nice carbon bike feels nice, looks better , feels like i'm riding faster, alas Im not quite as fit as kids have got a bit in way (no excuse as I prefer spending time with them) and the stats prove im slower

As long as a bike fits you, decent enough position and isn't too heavy you can win anything!