New bike for a beginner.

[Ace Rimmer]

Hi folks.

I am tired of sitting in traffic every morning and I have decided to take advantage of the Cycle2work scheme. I figured it would be a good way to save money and get a bit fitter which is something I am working on anyway. As I work for Royal mail I am limited to £500 which can be all for the bike as I will buy the accessories separately. It is a Halfords scheme of course which has me a little worried after reading a few horror stories but I will probably sign up for service etc at a local cycle shop to try and avoid any problems.

Anyway, I will obviously use the bike for commuting but I will also take it out for extra exercise in the evenings. The roads in our area are pretty horrific, pot holes everywhere. And while I will mostly be tarmac riding and I wont be riding down any mountains on it, I may wish to take the long way home through gravel tracks along the river etc. I presume then that I would need a hybrid of some sorts? On that basis, and with my complete lack of knowledge I have narrowed it down to the Boardman MX race, and the Boardman Hybrid comp. Both of these are currently at £499.99 in my local Halfords store, the mx race being £100 off.

Out of the two, which one is the better bike? The comp seems to have thin road type tyres, the MX race has something in between these and mountain bike tyres and a lockable suspension. Both bikes looked pretty nice in the store but I am of course open to other options also.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[michaelcycle]

It is a Halfords scheme of course which has me a little worried after reading a few horror stories but I will probably sign up for service etc at a local cycle shop to try and avoid any problems.

It may be worth checking your LBS or some decent independent retailers as some of them accept Halfords C2W scheme vouchers so you can buy from them directly. That will save you money on having it checked over and they should re check it again after a few weeks rather than you having to rely on on Halfords again.

Re: the Boardmans I would plump for the hybrid comp given the type of riding you want to do but really the one you like the feel of most will do you right. The sad thing about Halfords is they don't allow test rides which makes it a bit of punt. Both are reasonable bikes though.

 

[Pale Rider]

Seems to me you won't go far wrong with a Boardman, whichever one you choose.

Taking it to the local bike shop for a check over is also a good idea.

My local bike shop is well-used to this and has a fixed price for Halfords/internet purchase tune-ups.

If you buy a few accessories from the local bike shop as well, you will be well on the way to establishing a good relationship.

 

[Born2die]

I have the race it's a great bike and my local halfords are great they assembled it fine and even retightened a loose spoke for me yesterday. It's a big improvement on my last bike.

If your worried about them assembling your bike you can get it boxed and pay a lbs to assemble for you.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Thank you for the quick replies. Michael, I did think of that, the only shop that accepts this exact scheme is a racing bike shop however so they don't cater to my needs unfortunately. Do Halfords really not allow test rides? Some people pay less for a car than these bikes so that is rather surprising, it also ruins my plan to go and try them both later would the comp be okay getting slightly dirty off road then? its tyres looked very fine to me.

Thanks pale rider, thank you, I will give them all a call and find out the servicing costs. I hadn't considered buying my other bits from a local, I suppose it makes sense. B2D, that isn't a bad idea actually, do halfords offer a discount for assembled bikes? I did like the look of the race with its matte black finish but both are nice.

 

[michaelcycle]

Well, unless things have changed, the best test ride you will get from Halfords is riding it round their car park...

The hybrid comp is more road orientated but should be able to handle the other terrain you wish to ride on (although you may feel the bumps along the way.) You could always swap the tyres for something a bit bigger / knobbly in the future if you want if that proves to be an issue. On the other hand, if you purchased the Race you could do the opposite to get more on road speed! However, it is more off road orientated and you don't really need a suspension fork (lock out or not) and that will slow you down.

A little less comfort or a little less speed - that is the question

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Yeah, thank you again. I think I need to try them really. I just paid the local a visit, they won't accept this scheme which is unfortunate as they had a pretty good sale on including Trek bikes which look really nice! I think I will apply for the full £500 now and then go and test a few when I am ready to buy. In the mean time I am still very much open to more options and opinions of the two bikes mentioned of course.

Many thanks.