Halfords takeover Boardman bikes

[Boyfrom64]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27705600

Regardless of what people think of Halfords as a bike retailers, do you think this is a good move or not?

 

[Cycleops]

Good move for Halfords for sure. It will give them more control over their supply chain. The Brand is well thought of and they should be able to put more money into developing new products.

 

[glenn forger]

Plus £15m for Chris, deserves it, great ambassador.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

It is a sensible decision. The market for the sale of quality bikes is expanding and Halfords are riding that wave. They had faith in Boardman when the rest of the UK cycle trade didn't want to know and both parties are reaping profits from the relationship.

 

[TissoT]

I think Chris has took his bike company has far as it can go , IMO... £15m was a good deal for the both party
He does spend a lot of his time working on the GB squad ..

 

[fossyant]

So long as I can take one away in a box they are fine by me.

 

[ShipHill]

As an owner of a Boardman Hybrid Comp and lucky enough to live near a Halfords with good staff who actually know one end of a bike from the other... I'm pleased to hear this.

 

[redcard]

Never been a fan of Boardmans. Overpriced, heavy and you usually get a mish-mish of branded and unbranded components. The Performance range is decent but still overpriced.

 

[fossyant]

Dunno about overpriced. The frame finish is top notch. No nasty welds is a big plus for me.

I want an older HT Pro MTB.

 

[Kevoffthetee]

Good for both parties but I think you have to live near a halfords with knowledgeable staff or these decent bikes are wasted.

I hope this doesn't mean savings vs quality such as mike Ashley has done with sports direct and the brands they have bought. Karrimor have never been the same

 

[Cycling Dan]

I would have thought them worth more than £15m but I guess they are not as popular as I thought.

 

[.stu]

Never been a fan of Boardmans. Overpriced, heavy and you usually get a mish-mish of branded and unbranded components. The Performance range is decent but still overpriced.

I got a 2012 CX Team for just over £600. Can't find anything that comes near it for the spec. Ok there are better bikes available, but I can't (or won't) afford them.

 

[hopless500]

@Mattonsea & @Hill Wimp - wasn't it a Boardman that poor woman was on on the NF audax? With the fairly important bits that had dropped off??

 

[nickyboy]

Hmmm.....I hope Chris Boardman has thought this through carefully. Now that Halfords have control over the brand, product design and development they can put into the market whatever they want as a "Boardman".

I suspect in the longer term that Halfords will be tempted to rebrand some of their lower spec products as "Boardman" and that's going to devalue the brand for the higher spec stuff. All good business sense for Halfords of course but if you've got a fancy Boardman you might not be too happy to see a £200 entry level product with the same branding.

Having said that, trousering (allegedly) £15m will soften the blow for Chris Boardman if he sees the brand he built being dissipated

 

[Mattonsea]

@Mattonsea & @Hill Wimp - wasn't it a Boardman that poor woman was on on the NF audax? With the fairly important bits that had dropped off??

Why would anyone buy a bike from Halfrauds. A brand new road bike and the crank had fallen to bits