I posted on this thread on Pistonheads (car forum with a bike section) where someone is after a good deal on a full suspension bike and it seeems that much to my surprise the Boardman FS Pro is actually the best bike in the world and the owners of said bike, know everything:
Bike Forum
Deluded Boardman owners on Pistonheads.com
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Posted 1 year ago #
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They're very good VFM
what's your point?
Posted 1 year ago # -
They look like excellent VFM & well put together.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Why are they deluded? am I missing something?
Boardman FS Pro is actually the best bike in the world
Show me a bike for £1100 that's better?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Does it threaten you that Halfords sell bikes that are ok?
Posted 1 year ago # -
missfire.
Posted 1 year ago # -
You can buy a santa cruz superlight frame also made in taiwan for £100 less than the whole boardman fs bike. And that's only if you get the less good shock on the sc, its £130 more for the rp23.
You can see where the corners are cut on boardmans (hubs, cockpit, that well-naff saddle, tyres, headset) but the welding/frame finish is as good as i have seen on specialized/giants for similar or 50% more money, and hey, they are almost good enough value to buy for the (rest of the) parts and ebay the frame. Ditto the new halfords voodoo range, the parts on them for the money is astonishing.
And i don't even like halfords.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Met a bloke with one while out riding with Binners last weekend, I thought it looked like a really nice bike and he seemed very happy with it.
The only way that I'd say he was deluded was that he seemed to think my Zesty was a better bike just because it cost more.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yep, I'd go with the Boardman owners on that thread too...
Nowt wrong with the 2010 range, and the 2011 range looks rather good too, although prices have gone up a little..
Posted 1 year ago # -
HAHA. You look silly now
Posted 1 year ago # -
Was in Halfords today picking up my new (Boardman) road bike.
The £1k FS was reduced to £800 - ridiculous VFM.
Almost as good as my £900 Team Carbon.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The big difference is that Boardman were working on very small margins to get the brand established. Because most LBS add 50% to what a bike costs them and the UK importer/distributor has a 30% add on, a bike costing £800 doubles to £1600 by the time it gets to a shop. By using Halfords distribution and by keeping sales high and margins low, a Boardman that cost £800 to make sells for £1200.
Do you honestly think this is true then?
I bet every bike shop in the country would love to find a brand that has a 50% margin.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Boardmans are pretty nice, certainly better value than almost any other full suss, at the price point the FS Pro is pretty damn good.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Err, yeah you put your money where your mouth is and buy a Boardman then. No ta.
Its not a badge-thing. There are many Giant and spesh full bikes out there that'll out-perform any niche bike. The Boardman 'wins' on value and bang for your buck.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I almost bought one...but then I ended up buying something else.
Note sure what my point is but I think you'll all agree, I'm right.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Err, yeah you put your money where your mouth is and buy a Boardman then. No ta.
I wouldn't buy one as I am a badge snob, I'm more infulenced about what other people about me think more the most appropriate bike.
I would also never buy a Skoda as they make me look a bit pikey
It's a well known fact if you ride a Boardman bike and drive a Skoda you will never ever ever get laid..
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'd buy one if I wasn't such a snob.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Seems to me that the Boardman critics tried to trot out the same tired nonsense and got their heads handed to them. The geometry on the Boardman bikes is fine, 69/72 suits a 120mm bike perfectly, the criticism of the shock is frankly insane... The question was "Best value bike" and it's superb value at RRP never mind £800.
Still I salute your attempt to run away from one shoeing straight into another
Posted 1 year ago # -
It's not what you ride, it's how much you enjoy the ride.
IWGMC
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have a Boardman Performance Hybrid (the flat barred road bike) and the welds are as good as any i've seen on bikes costing far in excess of the price of the Boardman.
Fantastic value for money, i've seen both the HT and the FS bikes out and about and they all look fine and more importantly their owners are very happy with them.Brand snobs, doncha just laugh....
Posted 1 year ago # -
LBS will think your a cock.
Posted 1 year ago # -
LBS will think your a cock.
Glad to see irony isn't dead on STW!
Posted 1 year ago # -
What if Halfords is your LBS ?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Next you'll all think a Toyota Corolla T sport is a sportscar
Posted 1 year ago # -
LBS will think your a cock.
My LBS haven't sold any actual mountain bikes for a year or so now - its all fixiecore niche junk and shopper bikes, tragically Halfords is pretty much my LBS if I want anything for an offroader
Posted 1 year ago # -
At the end of the day a bike is just a collection of tubes and components. There's only a few different computations of acceptable geometry so they're bound to be ok?
Posted 1 year ago # -
We get quite a few Boardmans in for servicing. They all look pretty good, although I'm not convinced the 2011 models are as good value as previously. They don't seem to have any issues over and above the other brands either. We do, however, see problems with the way they've been built/PDI'd, although that seems to depend on which Halfords branch they've been supplied through.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I liked mine:
Cheap pedals and bearings and no seat QR. Tyres good for going fast in straight lines in all weathers, bad for cornering and puncture resistance. Otherwise it rocked!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cheap pedals and bearings and no seat QR
I spent £1100 on a Lynskey frame and didn't get a seat QR.Posted 1 year ago # -
Bought my HT Pro second hand for £450 from a CTWorker who didnt know what he had. Changed the saddle and tyres and have loved riding it for the last year. I now fancy trying something slightly different so will change Reba Race to 120mm and transfer 90% of components over to make a reasonably high spec piglet for a grand total around £750 - whats not to like?
Posted 1 year ago # -
here are many Giant and spesh full bikes out there that'll out-perform any niche bike
no there aren't: ellsworth, nicoli, sinister, maverick etc.. widdle all over them
Posted 1 year ago # -
I recently got a Boardman FS through C2W, it is the best bike in the world as far as I'm concerned. I've transferred the bits that I particularly liked from previous bikes and stuck a couple of new bits on to get the build just right for me.
Why is it the best bike in the world? Because it's in my garage and I can get out and ride it whenever I like and it makes me ride like the wind. At least that's how it feels to me, therefore it's the best.
Here it is, on one of our few recent sunny days
Posted 1 year ago # -
tbf i'd buy one. but i dont do xc. its a race bike....but i need more grip and more strength. wouldn't trust myself on something lightweight!
Posted 1 year ago # -
They look pretty damned good vfm to me.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ditto BigG. Also just got one and love it.
I've put on tubeless tyres, lock-on grips, real pedals and swapped the sadddle (all bits from STW).
It is now my best bike in the World.Posted 1 year ago #
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