Which bike from halfords?

[MisterStan]

Depends on employer, my employer started charging the HMRC guideline of 25% final payment. (Please note I am not saying all do, many get around this by extending the rental for a nominal fee)

Therefore, the bike would cost me £544.08 (net) plus £200 final payment = £744.08, a saving of £55.92. Bear in mind that a local bike shop who will work with Halfords give you 10% off for cash, you'd only pay £720 for the same bike, they won't give you a penny if you use C2W.

Worth it if you want/need the free 12 month credit, but if you have to deal with Halfords or a slow admin department, could be a long time before you see the bike.

My colleagues' experience with Halfords is they get everything sorted, get their voucher, turn up at Halfords, who then claim the non-Halfords bike is "out of stock", "come and have a look at our Boardmans".

You haven't factored in not paying tax and NI on the value of your voucher.

 

[BrynCP]

You haven't factored in not paying tax and NI on the value of your voucher.

I have, the voucher would cost £800 gross, and it would cost me the equivalent of £544.08?

 

[Cubist]

I got mine from Halfords on the first cycle scheme from work, I researched and chose my bike online and then went to Halfords and asked if they could get it (Dawes Vantage tourer) They have a book they can order bikes from (or did when I got mine) so you're not limited to only the bikes they sell themselves.

Ring the helpline and tell them what bike you want. They will tell you which shop stocks them from their approved list. You order the bike from the shop and order you letter of collection. Stops all this guessing......

 

[RAYMOND]

I have 2 boardman bikes..you won't regret buying one..they have good specs for the price, more often better than other bikes in the same price bracket

 

[tudor_77]

Boardman are fantastic bikes. My previous Road bike was a Boardman Road Race which only cost me £650 and it was a sheer joy to ride and never had a single problem. I currently ride a Giant Defy Comp which cost twice as much and to be honest is nowhere near as good as the Boardman was on any level. Would defo recommend the Boardman bikes.

 

[Drago]

That's a bit of a sweeping statement about Boardman products. A full suss mtb frame so flexy that powerful riders can get the rear wheel to rub the swing arm under power is hardly a fantastic attribute. And then there's the questionable geometry of the entire mtb range.

If you'd said 'Boardman road bikes are decent enough, but shop around hard and you can find better spec'd, better riding big name alternatives' you'd be nearer the mark.

 

[tudor_77]

Hmmm don't know anything about mtbs from Boardman, my experience of the road bikes was that they are fantastic bikes. Especially for the money. The cycling media seem to rate them very highly compared to other rival brands too.

 

[Drago]

Decent, perhaps very good, yes. Fantastic, no, Unless you mean "fantastic" in this sense to mean something other than "up there with the very best in the same price range."

You mus read different cycling media to me (MBR and Cycling Weekly) as the reviews I've read lately range from decent enough for the road bikes through to.scornful disdain for this year mtb range. "Fantastic" is a word that doesn't feature.

The value road bike market has leapt ahead sinceBoardman came on the scene, especially the last 3 years, and their once almost unquestionable lead in the sector long since been eroded on both price and performance.

 

[nick.b]

i have a few bikes and to be honest the boardmans are well up there, yes halfords are almost useless but the hybrid team and pro carbon road bike are great bikes that are fun to ride.

 

[tudor_77]

Don't know anything about Boardman's MTB range, I am talking specifically about Road bikes which always get rave reviews by Cycling Plus and Cycling Active. "fantastic" is an accurate description for Boardman bikes and one which actually features quite frequently, an opinion which is obviously shared by the vast majority. I'll be honest, I have not heard many negative appraisals about Boardman bikes before. Halfords staff, most certainly but Boardman bikes? I'm afraid not.

The excellent components and brilliant frame quality aside, there is no denying the fantastic ride quality compared to its competitors. How a bike actually rides is pretty much the most important thing in my mind... Not sure about anyone else but for me how fun and exhilerating a bike is to ride is a priority over any kind of silly brand snobbery. I guess I'm just weird like that