LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

Boardman team carbon

Have seen these picking up some very good reviews.

The comments on cyclechat and elsewhere tend to be of the opinion that once you've set it up properly it's a flyer.

Would I be completely mad to buy such a bike from Halfords?

Anyone have any experience with these?

Sparky · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 403

I am quite tempted by these too, Boardman is a self confessed bike tech geek so I really can't imagine him putting his name to something that is not a good product.

dan_b · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 2417

I guess if you have the tech ability to check it over after the halfords spanner monkey has assembled it back to front ...

Sparky · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 403

ed! · Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:00 pm Subject:

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 78

From what I've seen of them, I don't think there's anything on the market at the 1k price point that is as well spec'd. If your company does a cycle to work scheme, it's easily the best road bike to go for. I rode SRAM in my final year racing, takes a little time to get used to but once you've got the knack, it functions just as well as shim or campag. The frame is just a generic glue together Taiwanese jobby but that's not a bad thing (for a grand, and with that spec, you can't expect a world class frame).

As said though, just make sure it's been bolted together well. In the 6 months I was at cycle surgery, I saw two halfords mountain bikes with the forks installed the wrong way round.

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

Mikey-two-Names · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 4070

I think he means it's not hand made and Italian? Wink

TheGinger1 · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 78

Was going to chat to you at the end of the session today but the French one was freezing and wanted to leg it. The way that the cycling industry has evolved (like most industries now) is that pretty much everything is manufactured in Tiwan (or China for the cheaper bikes... though I think they're fast catching up as far as technology). Now the big companies like Specialized have their own factories there now (or have been working very closely with a factory for a long time and design and produce their own frames). Smaller companies have to approach a factory that's already producing different shaped tubes and go "we'll have that top tube, that seat tube and that down tube" and then they just glue them together. It's a cheaper way for companies like Planet X, Dolan and the team that I'll be riding for this year (wyndymilla.com) to get a reasonably priced, unique carbon frame to the market without having to invest in their own factories and R&D departments, especially with the price of carbon being quite high as more industries use it.

None of these frames are bad........... I'm just a spoiled bike snob Wink

(which sucks seeing as I'm also a p!ss poor student bum and can't afford a bike at all!!!)

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

Cheers - useful stuff. Will take a look at the Boardman this week and post my thoughts / impressions here.

sol · Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:35 am Subject:

Tom · Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 482 Location: Holland Park

+1 for planet-x
+1 for don't trust halford techs.

Howard · Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Posts: 277 Location: W2 now init.

ed! · Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:49 am Subject: