Looking for a compromise between a £1000 Boardman SLR 8.9 road bike and a £125 Halfords Apollo MTB.

[Lovacott]

Having done quite a few very blissful miles on the Boardman but reluctant to do the daily commute on the same bike, I'm looking to upgrade my seven year old Halfords Apollo commuting bike to a better spec.

I'm happy with the geometry of the Apollo but the drive train and build quality isn't exactly the best and the thing weighs a bloody tonne.

I've been looking at the Carrera Crossfire (amongst others) and I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion one way or another?

My budget is around £800.

Any suggestions?

 

[vickster]

Why can’t you do the commute on the Boardman? How is an £800 bike a compromise between the two?

Carrera Crossfire weighs a ton too. Do you need suspension?
if not get something like a Trek fx or Whyte R7 (assuming you don’t want drops, if you do a CX or gravel bike of some flavour, you’ll get better value and choice second hand probably?)
eg https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes...esis-cda-10-gravel-bike-2021-in-orange__19096

 

[Lovacott]

Why can’t you do the commute on the Boardman?

Carrera Crossfire weighs a ton too. Do you need suspension?
if not get something like a Trek fx or Whyte R7 (assuming you don’t want drops, if you do a CX or gravel bike of some flavour, you’ll get better value and choice second hand probably?)
eg https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes...esis-cda-10-gravel-bike-2021-in-orange__19096

I could do about two thirds of the ride on the Boardman but I'd have to carry the bike for around a mile over a farm track which is basically a cut through for tractors and not a proper road.

I probably don't need suspension because I've become pretty adept at spotting things like potholes and divots.

I'm looking for something with the build quality of the Boardman which can also handle the daily slog of the bumpy and muddy daily commute.

 

[Cycleops]

I'd look for an old or not so old MTB. Put some slicks on it and guards and you'll be good to go.
There's a nice Gary Fisher in the For Sale section here which would do well for you and save you a heap of money.

 

[HMS_Dave]

There doesn't appear to be much difference in weight of the Apollos over the Carrera Crossfire. I could be missing something. So really is the upgrade in components on the new bike worth it for a commuting hack? Your call.

 

[Lovacott]

How is an £800 bike a compromise between the two?

Anything under £350 is nothing but an ornament to stick in the shed. But, looking at bikes around the £800 mark, you seem to be getting what you pay for. Light frames, half decent groupsets, nice looking bikes.

I've upgraded the Apollo at great expense over the last year, but you can't do anything about the 15kg frame which all the bits are attached to.

 

[Lovacott]

There doesn't appear to be much difference in weight of the Apollos over the Carrera Crossfire.

My Apollo weighs 22kg before I strap on my commuting stuff. The Boardman weighs 9kg.

The Carreras seem to average around 13kg.

 

[sleuthey]

Get some semi slicks, Coolstop pads and a Deore Mech and shifter onto your trusted Apollo and enjoy the Geometry.

 

[cyberknight]

For the money im happy with my carrera vanquish disc
same brakes as the boardman 8.6
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/road...ad-bike-2020---red---s-m-l-frames-348526.html
i added a seatpost clamp adaptor so i could mount a rack and crud mk 3 gaurds, recently changed the tyres to wigggle lifeline commuter 28s

 

[vickster]

My Apollo weighs 22kg before I strap on my commuting stuff. The Boardman weighs 9kg.

The Carreras seem to average around 13kg.

The most expensive Crossfire currently on the Halfords site, the £430 3, has a claimed weight of 14.5kg on the spec, then 15.4kg for the 2

 

[vickster]

Anything under £350 is nothing but an ornament to stick in the shed. But, looking at bikes around the £800 mark, you seem to be getting what you pay for. Light frames, half decent groupsets, nice looking bikes.

I've upgraded the Apollo at great expense over the last year, but you can't do anything about the 15kg frame which all the bits are attached to.

What £800 bikes are you looking at as the Crossfire is half that?

 

[HMS_Dave]

My Apollo weighs 22kg before I strap on my commuting stuff. The Boardman weighs 9kg.

The Carreras seem to average around 13kg.

Jeez. The new apollo hybrids unless I'm mistaken are averaging around 14.5 to 15 kgs and their MTBs about 17.6kgs. They've shaved a bit of weight off them it seems.

 

[vickster]

Jeez. The new apollo hybrids unless I'm mistaken are averaging around 14.5 to 15 kgs and their MTBs about 17.6kgs. They've shaved a bit of weight off them it seems.

I think someone has filled his frameset with concrete as a joke

 

[Specialeyes]

I'd scan eBay and the small ads for a 2nd-hand ali-framed cyclocross bike - heaps more fun than a heavy Apollo.

 

[Lovacott]

Jeez. The new apollo hybrids unless I'm mistaken are averaging around 14.5 to 15 kgs and their MTBs about 17.6kgs. They've shaved a bit of weight off them it seems.

Yep. That's what I'm seeing as well.

My Apollo was bought six years ago and has a steel frame and a very heavy front suspension unit.