Planet X or Boardman

[Spud]

I have a budget of sub £1000 and have narrowed the field down to a Planet X that is roughly a grand or the Boardman that is also just under a grand. The rewiews on both have been very good . You probably all know that the specs on both bikes are great value but I was hoping a few people might give some opinions.
I know all the stories about Halfords setting up etc but if we could leave that to one side and just get some details on the bikes I would be grateful

 

[accountantpete]

I'm like you and have only read the reviews but would guess that they are very similar from a performance perspective. The Planet X gives more scope for upgrading parts of the spec so that you don't have to splash out on an upgrade shortly after purchase - but if that's not an issue I'd go for the Boardman.

 

[Spud]

I've spent hours and hours going through various bikes and comparing specs and to be honest I had completely confused myself so I stopped looking for a couple of weeks and these two bikes came straight to me.
And as it happens they probably give the best value for any bike.
I've got a LBS that deals with Planet X but I noticed on the Planet X website they have a special offer on the £900 bike where they put the bike together for free. My LBS didn't tell me this so if I had ordered it throught the LBS it would have cost me an extra £200. People moan about the big bike chains but I think the LBS's are not shy to sqeeze a few extra quid out of you.
Going back to the original point, I am leaning towards the Boradman as well.

 

[davidg]

i have the planet X pro carbon ultegra and love it....

having never been near a boardman, I can offer no comparison!

 

[accountantpete]

I don't know if it will apply (Halfords or Planet X may bear the increase) but the VAT rate goes up to 17.5% on 1st Jan so if you are buying I'd get in before then.

 

[Spud]

I don't know if it will apply (Halfords or Planet X may bear the increase) but the VAT rate goes up to 17.5% on 1st Jan so if you are buying I'd get in before then.

Because I have been faffing about so much over which bike to get the vat has become fairly irrelevant. When your spending nearly a grand 20 odd quid isn't going to make much difference. There you go, I've proved that the vat decrease hasn't worked.
This hasn't helped much because I have a vote for the Boardman and a vote for the Planet X.
The only conclusion I have is that it doesn't matter which one I buy they are both very good bikes.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Oh goody, a Planet X vs. Boardman thread!

Only problem is you've already got the answer.

The only conclusion I have is that it doesn't matter which one I buy they are both very good bikes.

 

[amnesia]

I have the Boardman Comp 09 and I am just about to get the Team Carbon Ltd in January to upgrade to a full carbon bike.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Comp (except the pedals which should be binned as soon as you get home). Excellent build, good mix of components (105 / tiagra), light and quick.

Only getting the Team Ltd because it would be silly not to with the Cycle2Work scheme... oh, and it looks fappin' awesome.

 

[Spud]

Oh goody, a Planet X vs. Boardman thread!

Only problem is you've already got the answer.

Is that sarcasm .

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Is that sarcasm .

err no...

You've got the answer because you know they're both great bikes, I should know because I've got one of them.

 

[Duder]

Go for a test ride, maybe that will help you make up your mind.

 

[Spud]

Go for a test ride, maybe that will help you make up your mind.

I would be quite happy with either bike but sometimes you need a nudge in one direction or another by a majority opinion. As far as test rides go I haven't come across a LBS that will order in and assemble a bike on the off chance it may be bought.

 

[Spud]

err no...

You've got the answer because you know they're both great bikes, I should know because I've got one of them.

Which one ? Any chance of a quick review?
There's probably going to be lots of people who may be deciding on which one of these two bikes to buy.

 

[Duder]

Your obviously right about a LBS not ordering you a bike just so you can test ride it. I myself have a Boardman Pro Ltd hybrid and thus far am very impressed with its performance, execellent value for money too when bought second hand (or even new so the reviews say). Use mine for a 22 mile round trip commute 3 days a week and have no regrets about my choice at all.

 

[accountantpete]

Which one ? Any chance of a quick review?
There's probably going to be lots of people who may be deciding on which one of these two bikes to buy.

The problem is that if you take tyres for instance ,ask 10 people for their favourites and you will get 10 different answers. Nothing is ever clear cut in cycling and cycling equipment.

As I see it both bikes offer an equal quality introduction to road bikes and both would support upgrades if you became so inclined - so toss a coin (heads the Boardman).