Halfords to drop Boardman bikes?

[Drago]

Some of you Boardman fanboys do make me laugh automatically assuming that Boardman are dropping Halfords....nothing against Boardman bikes but let's just say they have a lot of catching up to do

I gotta agree. They're ok, and the spec for the money is terrific, but chrome don't get you home. Some models, especially MTB's, have been criticised quite heavily over the years for some quite fundamental geometry issues. The new Comp 29'er has had a hammering in the mags, including MBR who are usually pretty empirical with their model testing by fitting the same bars, stems and tyres to all test bikes.

I've got nothing against Boardman bikes per se, and they undoubtebly make some good machines too. Nevertheless, taking the range as a whole they need to up their game, especially if they do go to another retailer who can't "stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap" like Hellfrauds do and the prices rise.

As an aside I'd have no qualms buying any bike from Halfords, but I'd take it home in the box and assemble it myself as I would given the choice by any retailer, except the most brilliant Roy Pink Cycles in Newport Pagnell.

 

[subaqua]

My LBS (the bike factory Chester) already stocks Boardman bikes albeit top end models £2-£3-£4k+ which are not stocked in Halfords

and they have a specialized specialist shop next door too.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I gotta agree. They're ok, and the spec for the money is terrific, but chrome don't get you home. Some models, especially MTB's, have been criticised quite heavily over the years for some quite fundamental geometry issues. The new Comp 29'er has had a hammering in the mags, including MBR who are usually pretty empirical with their model testing by fitting the same bars, stems and tyres to all test bikes.

I've got nothing against Boardman bikes per se, and they undoubtebly make some good machines too. Nevertheless, taking the range as a whole they need to up their game, especially if they do go to another retailer who can't "stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap" like Hellfrauds do and the prices rise.

As an aside I'd have no qualms buying any bike from Halfords, but I'd take it home in the box and assemble it myself as I would given the choice by any retailer, except the most brilliant Roy Pink Cycles in Newport Pagnell.

Really? Show me the links. I rather think you'll find their MTB's have won best in class and acolades from almost every comic on UK newstands over and over and over so often it is boring. Read Singletracks review of the Team FS for instance.....

 

[Drago]

I did say "some models", and also "undoubtedly they make some very good machines too" so don't get too sweaty!

Team FS is a bike I like myself and have had one on trial for a spell and the steep front end worked very nicely with my dicky neck and abnormally long legs - an unfortunate combination. It brings some terrific bling for the money, although the Canyon and Giant still ride better for the same money. It's up there in good company, but not top of the class.

Try reading this current edition of MBR for the latest slating of the comp 29'er, last in the group test.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I did say "some models", and also "undoubtedly they make some very good machines too" so don't get too sweaty!

Team FS is a bike I like myself and have had one on trial for a spell and the steep front end worked very nicely with my dicky neck and abnormally long legs - an unfortunate combination. It brings some terrific bling for the money, although the Canyon and Giant still ride better for the same money. It's up there in good company, but not top of the class.

Try reading this current edition of MBR for the latest slating of the comp 29'er, last in the group test.

Some models = one model then and that a 29-er.

The 26-er HT's have been praised since day one, old frame as well as new, as have the FS bikes. In fact you struggle to find -ve press reviews one those bikes, or most of the road bikes either.

Giants better value? Only in the sales.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I've got a very long term goal to get a better MTB so I shall watch this development with great interest.

 

[Drago]

Some models = one model then and that a 29-er. Giants better value? Only in the sales.

I actually said the Giant was better performing - in this case the Trance X4 against the Team FS. Not as bling, but simply a better ride, and as most people buy them to ride and not as ornaments that is a very important consideration.

A lot of the Boardman HT's were and are criticised very their racy geometry. Not a bad thing per se, but why saddle bikes with geometry closer to an XC bike, but then market them as Trail bikes? And of course, they weren't quite steep enough to make them top class XC bikes either, so the affected models fell into a nether world in between the 2 disciplines.

Please do not get me wrong - I quite like the Boardies. However, because my job (which I'll be back to in 20 mins when my class return from lunch) is to teach EMS personnel about riding bikes I get to trial 5 or 6 different bikes a year, quite often Carreras or Boardmans because Hellfrauds are a huge retailer and chuck their bikes at us (currently on a liveried and kitted 2012 Carrera Kraken, which is odd for me as I commute on a Kraken!). I'm also fortunately enough to get 1 x MTB mag free from the publisher because of work, and subscribe to MBR myself, and get to hob nob with trainers for other Forces and training bodies. To be blunt, if you think that over the last 2 or 3 years that Boardman have not suffered some quite widespread criticism of the geometry on their HT MTB's you've been living in another country. It's not a huge issue, but enough to keep some of the HT models from being top dog. Boardman promised to sort it for the 2012 range (there was an interview in MBR about a year ago with one of their designers and he himself conceded that this been noted and would be remedied), but despite being a fairly fresh line up with some new frames for 2012 they're still saddling trail HT's with geometry closer to that found on an XC bike - again, not a problem as such but it's makes the bikes feel and performance halfway into a dfferent market to the one it's intended for.

The new 29's are starting to attract criticsm for being too short and high, losing some of the natural stability that is suppsoed to be one of the benefits of a 29'er.

Boardmans are generally well priced, well finished, very well equipped, and many mdoels are very good indeed, but there are issues that are and have been picked up and despite acknowledgement from Baordie themselves they still have not resolved them.

AFAIK, and my knowledge of road bikes is lacking in comparison, the road bikes are much more consistently closer to the mark.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I actually said the Giant was better performing - in this case the Trance X4 against the Team FS. Not as bling, but simply a better ride, and as most people buy them to ride and not as ornaments that is a very important consideration.
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Boardmans are generally well priced, well finished, very well equipped, and many mdoels are very good indeed, but there are issues that are and have been picked up and despite acknowledgement from Baordie themselves they still have not resolved them.

AFAIK, and my knowledge of road bikes is lacking in comparison, the road bikes are much more consistently closer to the mark.

A thoughful and thought provoking response. Wrong nonetheless I'll fess up now to being a Boardman (HT Pro) and, very recently a Canyon (Nerve XC 7.0) FS MTB owner on my planet, Earth.

In the words of Mr Thomas Cruise "Show me the money" Where is the widespread criticism of which you speak and why has it not impacted on Boardman's hot-cake like sales? Sales that have the trade ruing the day they said "Chris you're a nice bloke and you've won the odd race but prove they can sell first and then we will stock them ok?"?

I've probably read every single review of Boardman MTB's published since they were introduced, and from well before I got mine. That's how sad I am. I've also read most of the road bike reviews too but that's another story, I've come back form the dark side after all. Where is the "this is a trail bike?" marketing? Who are the numpties who can't read a geometry chart and tell the difference between a so-called racy XC bike and a so-called trail bike? Please tell me it ain't spotty kids and wannabes on internet forums who stand around at trail centres fiddling with their dropper posts, or the middle managers who rock up in their Audi A5's in the Surrey Hill of a Sunday to pose on their Elsworths and Santa Cruz's rather than actually getting down and dirty? (Besides that, where are the tablets of stone on which the differences are even set down?)

Last time I looked the HT Pro I have (the previous model to current) had won the crown in ?2010? as best HT mtb for under £1000 in MBR! The same mag/rag, iirc, awarded the previous model Team FS the crown as best FS in that price bracket.

"You won’t find a better full-sus bike under a grand. It’s hard to think how we’d improve it" said MB UK of the current model. Singletrack asked the question "why would you want to pay more?" of that bike....

Show me the money!

 

[Drago]

Forgive me, but I wouldn't scratch my piles with MBUK, much less consider buying a bike on the strength of one of their reviews. Next you'll be telling me you think BokeRadar (sic) is an authoritative source of test data.

I've owned a Boardnan (yes, on Planet Earth too), but that's neither here nor there. I had the Team FS in trial fit nigh on 4 months last year. I did like it, though it's inappropriate as a fleet machine -didn't stop mevkarrioing it seriously.

However, when MBR the pronounced the Giant Trance X4 full susser on of the best bikes at any price, never mind £1000 I was intrigued, so when we were due to trial the Talon I blogged one for ago. Its not as high spec, Deore to the FS's SRAM X7, WTB rims to the Boardies Mavics, unbrabded shock to The FS's Rock Shock. First impressions weren't good, but you know what? It didn't matter. The Giants frame was better, noticeably stiffer. The cheap shock and Tora firms were Valved better and despite the lack of adjustability we're both much more progressive, the forks tracking especially well. The geometry was comfy and stable, yet stil flight and quick to change direction, compared to the Boardies slightly nervous front end.

Up until then the FS had felt great, and still did, but despite the lack of Gucci I had to agree with MBR that the Trance was a better ride after a week of back to back riding, in road and off road, even demonstrating unarmed defensive tactics to students. So, I showed Giant the money and bought ove myself, although I was able to blah the higher spec special edition X model at the same price.

"Show me the money" intoned the Giant, so I did.

You need to read some alternative literature old son, cos there are plenty out there (and I say it yet, yet and yet again - MBR) who sometimes rave about Boardies and give them top honours, yet who aren't blinded by bling and aren't afraid to say close-but-no-banana to other models.

I keep my old MBRs because I'm planning on retiring as a hoarder and annoying environmental health. On my days off I'll have a quick leaf though the last few years and would be happy to scan and email you some reviews. My own experience, where I'm fortunate to sample some of these rides myself, is that MBR are more often than not spot on. What other tome fits identical control bars, stems and tyres to all test machines to eliminate differences caused by the first bits most of us throw away?

I got the Kraken for rest of this year, and as Halfords are letting us keep it one of my opposite numbers is taking it on to replace the Specialized he is running. I've not had word from our principal instructor if any firms are actively circulating any test bikes, so if not I'll see if Halfords will part with the Comp 29'er, try it for myself.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

That post was awesome if read narrated with a Glasgee accent. And awesome anyways of course.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Forgive me, but I wouldn't scratch my piles with MBUK, much less consider buying a bike on the strength of one of their reviews. Next you'll be telling me you think BokeRadar (sic) is an authoritative source of test data.

I've owned a Boardnan (yes, on Planet Earth too), but that's neither here nor there. I had the Team FS in trial fit nigh on 4 months last year. I did like it, though it's inappropriate as a fleet machine -didn't stop mevkarrioing it seriously.

However, when MBR the pronounced the Giant Trance X4 full susser on of the best bikes at any price, never mind £1000 I was intrigued, so when we were due to trial the Talon I blogged one for ago. Its not as high spec, Deore to the FS's SRAM X7, WTB rims to the Boardies Mavics, unbrabded shock to The FS's Rock Shock. First impressions weren't good, but you know what? It didn't matter. The Giants frame was better, noticeably stiffer. The cheap shock and Tora firms were Valved better and despite the lack of adjustability we're both much more progressive, the forks tracking especially well. The geometry was comfy and stable, yet stil flight and quick to change direction, compared to the Boardies slightly nervous front end.

Up until then the FS had felt great, and still did, but despite the lack of Gucci I had to agree with MBR that the Trance was a better ride after a week of back to back riding, in road and off road, even demonstrating unarmed defensive tactics to students. So, I showed Giant the money and bought ove myself, although I was able to blah the higher spec special edition X model at the same price.

"Show me the money" intoned the Giant, so I did.

You need to read some alternative literature old son, cos there are plenty out there (and I say it yet, yet and yet again - MBR) who sometimes rave about Boardies and give them top honours, yet who aren't blinded by bling and aren't afraid to say close-but-no-banana to other models.

I keep my old MBRs because I'm planning on retiring as a hoarder and annoying environmental health. On my days off I'll have a quick leaf though the last few years and would be happy to scan and email you some reviews. My own experience, where I'm fortunate to sample some of these rides myself, is that MBR are more often than not spot on. What other tome fits identical control bars, stems and tyres to all test machines to eliminate differences caused by the first bits most of us throw away?

I got the Kraken for rest of this year, and as Halfords are letting us keep it one of my opposite numbers is taking it on to replace the Specialized he is running. I've not had word from our principal instructor if any firms are actively circulating any test bikes, so if not I'll see if Halfords will part with the Comp 29'er, try it for myself.

You're a man of strong opinions on the matter, drago, I'll give you that. Strong highly subjective opinions with cock all evidence produced, other than anecdata from your own experience, to back up 'em up but do keep spouting 'em cos it's highly entertaining.

PS don't bother with the scanning. I've had a subscription for years. Besides wasn't it your beloved mbr that gave the previous model HT Pro a perfect 10?

VERDICT
There really was very little not to like about the Boardman. From the excellent spec to the purposeful riding position, everyone who threw a leg over it instantly took a liking to it. The low weight made climbing a joy when combined with the racy position, and while technical riding was a bit more challenging than on a more relaxed frame, it was more than manageable. The best compliment it got was from a few riders who commented how pleased they would be if they had spent their £1,000 on this bike. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
MBR RATING: 10/10