[Closed] Boardman F/S team 2011 model

Nowt wrong with them great value & decent kit, just be aware theyre usually a bit more XC angle wise. Might be a bit of a shock after the more relaxed 456. VFM wise also take a look at Canyon bikes & KHS, both sold direct from the manufacturer, so again great value for money. The Canyon Nerve (£2k bike to be fair) got a great review in last month WhatMTB, with the added bonus that the kit loaded onto the bike was worth £2k in itself. Some decent bargain around, though with the draw back of not being able to test ride them first (canyon IIRC will let you return the bike if you hate it within a limited time window, as per Wiggle?). Also worth a quick scan of Wiggle Kona bargains, if there any left.

Lots of bargains about, if your not a brand whore, have a look round first before jumping in too quickly

The head angle on the 2011 FS is about the same as a 456 with 120mm fork - not super slack but not steep. 68.5 degrees.

I moved from 456 to Boardman HT last summer. Brilliant move for me. Not too aggressive either, in fact more fun than the 456 IMHO.

the new boardmans look way more expensive than they are (£999):
[img] [/img]

Thats the one Buzz , I suppose they save some money with own stems , seatposts and no pedals . The canyon bikes look nice but I cant see anyhting close to £999 for a full suss bike. As someone said KHS also have a good rep so theres a lot to look at.

The KHS bikes didn't get a good write up in this month's mbr, though MBUK/WMB rave about them. I don't like mbr's reviewing style particularly but they said the pivots were stiff from new.

I don't think anything compares to the Boardman at that price - discounted Kona's etc aren't horst link for starters and will probably still have spec compromises. The Boardman doesn't look like it has any.

I quite like the looks of the new voodoo bikes also from halfords

Voodoo Canzo £999
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786815_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

Voodoo Zobop £1499
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786853_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

i thought about geting the boardman but decided on a kona tanuki thought the spec seemed fairly good for the price (£849.99) geting it deliverd next week so wont know until then if ive made a terible mistake? any body got one or tried one?

have to admit the new boardman fs bike has me considering a return to bounce but I'll probably hang on for another year or so, 2012 model will no doubt be very similar and good VFM.

but I'll probably hang on for another year or so, 2012 model will no doubt be very similar and good VFM.

Pretty sure Boardman only update their bikes every two years.

That Kona Tanuki looks fairly good for the price, Kona's are usually lower specced than the competition but that doesn't look too bad!

Kona looks a good deal though Im not sure how good a Tora is ?. Ive always been told that there heavy but reliable. Shimano BB and basic Juicys which I have so seems a reasonable spec. Any Idea what the weight Is as the Boardman is just over 30lbs.

The fork on that Kona is pretty basic, I used to have a Tora 302... Heavy, though pretty tough just due to the amount of metal, but the damping wasn't very controlled. Good enough, but not great.

Not ridden the latest of the Boardmans but the old FS was brilliant... People spend a lot more for less.

The Boardman is stupidly good VFM, isn't it ? They've sold a lot of bikes over the last few years on the back of the cycle to work scheme, now that is drying us I'd expect Halfords to offer some killer finance deals so they can keep up their sales.

Even the bike snob in me is very tempted by that Boardman, it looks sorted.

Is it a faff to set up a small scale C2W scheme with Halfords?

Is it a faff to set up a small scale C2W scheme with Halfords?

I'm rather tempted to do this myself at the moment - for what will probably be only one bike this year.

really small scheme (i.e. only one or two employees a year)

Sounds about right. I've done a C2W with Merlin before, but they don't have a FS for this price range. Are Boardman exclusive to Halfords? In any case I think your plan of set up and just buy with a company card is the best bet.

I quite like the look of the new Boardman and the performance it offers for the limited £££. Other than the fact that my workplace uses a different cycle to work scheme to the Halfrauds one I'd get it come July when my current scheme ends.

However, I've not ridden one and would really like to try it out before buying just to see how it handles proper mountains.

Please don't write "Halfrauds". Because it is so tedious - and it makes you look a little, errr.

I was in enquiring today about the Boardman FS team , they have been held back until the end of May to get all old stock Boardman Full Suss bikes sold off. I found this strange as try reserving a old model and see how far you get.
For me Its either this or a Zesty 214 with a big deposit and 3 years finance.

Does anyone know the seatpost dia on these? I know KSi do one for 27.2 but I'm a little concerned about just how skinny the inner 'slidey' post is with my fat arse on it. The spec page on the website doesn't show this info and I can't see an email address to contact them on.

For my penny's worth if I had the cash I'd be on one of the 2011 models as soon as they were in the shop.

Tora fork question earlier - if you read the review of all 3 bikes I the mag you will see what ST thought of the Tora on the Diamondback. Not good in the company of the Sektor on the CB.

Are Boardman exclusive to Halfords?

They've been on sale in the Halfords shops around Dublin for the last 3 weeks or so.
I even bought one 🙂

The seat post is 31.6

Had a look at the new Boardmans the other day. Astonishing value.

[quote=anlegov]Please don't write "Halfrauds". Because it is so tedious - and it makes you look a little, errr.
I used to work there when I was 15 and it was so tedious. Much of what they sell is hideously overpriced - it was then and it is now. The term is fitting.

davegreene - I'm not surprised. I bet that it was simply the shop that the guy above went in that still had old models to move and were trying it on in the hope that they could shift an old one instead of ordering in a 2011 model leaving old stock on their hands.

The 2011 FS team looks great and the review is extremely positive but it runs 2x10
Stupid questions:
- Why have they ditched 3x9 in favour of this?
- What are the benefits of this?

Over the last 20 years I've had 3x7, 3x8, 3x9 (all Shimano). Why would you want to lose the 3rd chainring?
I don't get it at all... go easy on me

2x10 spread more or less covers 3x9 spread

They're heavier (but with more travel) this year.

I'm keeping an eye out for a nice secondhand top of the range 2010 model, lightly used, in small.

Should be a great bike at a very reasonable price.

Does anyone know what date the boardman comes out in may??

2x10 spread more or less covers 3x9 spread

Not with a 27t at the front! You'd need a 41t rear cog to match 22t granny and a standard 34t cassette.

Thankfully Boardman haven't popped in a BB30 chainset by the looks of it so should be able to find a more appropriate chainset fairly easily if required.

I bought one of the last of last years hardtail pros recently when they were reduced to clear. Apart from the killer saddle it's great. Great value for money and I can ride a really good bike without having everyone thinking what is such a crap rider doing on such a good bike. I can just pass for some middle aged bloke whose walked into Halfords and bought whatever they told him to.

I had thought about waiting for this years model but figured that it would either go up in price or the spec would drop to keep it within the cycle to work scheme.

In the wild
[img] [/img]

nice, where is that?

Sky Road near Clifden, Co. Galway.

First time exploring the area with a bike and didn't find much of tracks or trails TBH. Great views from the quarry though.

Hi All, my first post. Decided to join after searching ofr reviews on the Boardman FS Team and findin this thread
Heres mine with Acid Green DMR V8's. Had it a couple of weeks. Really nice bike, but having issues with Halfords regarding poor set-up of brakes.
[img] [/img]

They look like Avid Elixirs?
Renowned for sometimes having a poor factory bleed, leading to them feeling spongy or having loads of lever travel & no power.

Might be worth getting yourself a bleed kit & having a go yourself if you know what you are doing? Bit pricey though. Videos on YouTube are pretty helpful.
Not sure whether Halfords would get involved in bleeding brakes.

yes they are Elixir 3's. Back isnt bad but front level travel is stupendous. Nearly touches the bars. Not sure about doing it myself. Do you reckon I'd be better taking it to my LBS rather than Halfords?

I would have a crack at doing it yourself. I bought a set of Avid Elixir R's about 12 months ago. The bleed from the factory was terrible so I got hold of a bleed kit and followed the instructions on the Avid video on YouTube. It really isn't that complicated - I found that by watching the video and writing down step by step instructions I created a pretty useful crib sheet. You can get hold of an unofficial bleed kit on ebay for about £10-£15 and then all you need is Dot 5.1 fluid.

How do the bikes ride, comparable to anything else out there?
Any idea of the 'real' weight?

weighs around 30lb (medium) with pedal. Feels lighter and much more agile than my previosu Cube hardtail. I've only done about 20 miles so far on well known trails that I've ridden many times on the HT. I was taking a rougher line than usual and it felt very slick. Its my first experience of an FS, so Ive nothing to compare it with, but for my needs it pretty damn fine!

Looks good stan. Not sure you will get much better value than that. If I were you I'd run the front hydro line inside the leg rather than out - less likely to get snagged.

Still torn between this and a canyon nerve xc 6 for £1350. Decisions decisions.

Well spotted Chunky, thanks. Hadn't noticed that. I'll change it before my next ride.

Test ride must surely be the best way to split them.

June's What Mountain Bike has a review of both the Boardman and the Nerve XC and they give 1st to the Nerve and second the Boardman. But MBR the month before tested the Nerve and it lost out to the Giant Trance....

More seriously which one is the nicest colour?

Gold nerve looks better IMO but does the spec warrant the xtra £350. ?