I have the 2015 Boardman CX Team. Got it for under £600 in a sale -
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/boardman-end-of-season/boardman-cx-team-bike-2014.
Their new range is out now; so the new CX Team is significantly dearer but comes with full hydraulic brakes and the new x1 SRAM chainset. I assume it's the same frame; the new paint jobs are rather dull in comparison -
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-cx-team-bike
I'm with
@outlash - I wouldn't recommend mine for racing, due to the weight and the compact gearing. My bottom bracket went after 200 miles too. Seems ridiculous that this problem persists after years of
Halfords and Boardman being aware of it, but it was quick and free to get sorted.
I use mine for commuting and so that I can do some light off-roading that would be too much for the road bike. This pretty much sums up the abilities of the bike IMO -
This is what Boardman says about his CX bikes.....
“I think ‘cross bikes are the next big trend,” said Boardman. “I think cyclo-cross bike can almost replace the mountain bike for a lot of people. who aren’t riding technical trails, but who want a bike for road riding, light off-road riding and the towpath.
Not sure he meant it for competition?
Cables across the top tube would be fine
I wouldn't want cables on the top tube if racing/off-road sportives are a possibility in the future, as you'll likely be wanting to shoulder the bike at some point. I have not had any probs with cables on the downtube - it looks neater and allows the bike to be carried more easily, but I guess means the cables need more maintenance from being exposed to crud.
Also, if looking at disc brakes I'd suggest avoiding Promax and anything that starts with 'BB' and try to get something Shimano or TRP based instead.
If going fast is important, or you think you might want to enter some events in the future, I'd suggest saving up for a longer period of time and buying something lightweight with hydro brakes. If you're basically after a replacement for your roadie that can go off-road a bit then something like a second-hand Cube Cross Race or a CAADX (budgeting for new brake calipers), or one of the older Boardmans (again, with new calipers) when they come back on sale, would likely do you just fine.
. Its not light by any stretch but its not heavy neither, only upgrade I think for it at the moment would be some lighter wheels for cross use. Keep the existing wheel for commutes on slicks. However if the rider can shift 10 kgs, he would probably finish a bit further up the field 
. My choices were Merida CX500, CAADX 105 and Giant TCX . Cube kind of came left field and seemed the best value out of all of those. Got all the bosses for guards which is what it will spend most of its time during the winter months. ( lightweight under 8kg road bike comes out from mid March onwards! )
