been toying with a CX bike as n+1 for a while and had the CX Team on my radar along with some Pinnacle Arkoses and the Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 (£1079 @ freeborn). Thanks to Halfords current 20% off the CX Team is now £720 rather than £900, which tilts the VFM stakes drastically.

Got one reserved with the reduced price “banked”, but before I actually commit is there a contender I’ve missed? Main requirement is disc brakes which eliminates some of the reduced/old-stock Cannondales etc at the likes of Pauls.

Looks like a bargain, I’m Seriously considering this:

http://www.sprocketscycles.com/saracen-hack-2-2013#.U9agktm9LCT

But interested to see what else is about too

If you know someone with British cycling membership, that’ll get you an extra 10% off.
If you’re nt a member, try telling them that you are and you’ve forgotten your card, it may well work! They’ve never checked my card when I’ve bought bits there and told them I was a member 😀

15 quid bc membership gets you an extra 10% off when you go in store to pay, ven stacked on top of other vouchers. I’ve been asked for membership card and discount barode (dl from bc website) every time.

where’s the 20% off? is it an in-store deal?

still at £899 on the www

What code gives 20% off? I’ve just checked and showing £840 for me (£60 off)

It’s a proper bargain….at sub 700

I think the deal has finished. I got the email on Sunday a.m and it was a tdf thing limited to 48 hrs. I’m glad I’ve only just opened it to be honest 🙂

I got the CX comp last week with 10% off and it is a great bike.

Surprisingly heavy and tbh the brakes are rubbish but for the money it is a good ride and well suited to a road / bridleway mix of commute.

The team has better brakes and is about 1.5Kg lighter iirc so still a good buy.

Only other thing I considered was discounted models in Merlin but they had a strange choice of sizes left.

I’m concerned it says NO next to all components 😉

The Saracen Hack looks good. Bit different from all the Boardman’s everywhere (still nice bikes though)

Very nice looking bike. 🙂

Check the frame carfully when you pick it up. They’ve been known to have peeling paint out of the crate.

Also, first job is to take the cranks out and grease the BB. The BBs where installed almost dry in the factory and wear out super quick if not greased.

These are all historic issues with the CX to be honest, so may have been sorted on the later models, but I’d still check.

^ that was for the Boardman by the way.

I had one for a decent while this year.

It was alright but I never really clicked with it: bit heavy, geometry quite road-biased, brakes seemed inconsistent, didn’t have a front mudguard eyelet.

In the end I changed my HT for a 29er I’m finding that way more versatile for mile munching off-road rides, and have got a winter roadie with full guards to cover the other half of the CX’s job.

I’m getting dangerously close to “no more bikes required” status now tbh.

that hack 2 looks bloody good VFM. Anyone got one? does it take full muguards? Can you get full guards for 38C tyres?

I’ve had one for two years. great frame. the wheels were ritchey, but they’ve sorted that out now.

sram apex front derailleur is **** shit. running it 1×10 now.

50% singletrack hilly commute.

A Boardman CX or a Saracen Hack? What about mudguards? My commute’s along the canal towpath and it’s pretty shitty at times so mudguards are a must

That “Hack” looks like good VFM, though it seems like more of a Disc braked drop bar commuter than a proper CX bike; 50/34 Chainset and a 12-27 Cassette seems like road bike gearing, along with 38mm Schwalbe marthons for riding loaded up along glass strewn streets…

A Change of tyres, maybe fit a 44T chainring and it could make a good winter CX bike perhaps?

boardman.

running crud catcher set on it.

also happily tows my bob.

chakaping – Member
I had one for a decent while this year.

It was alright but I never really clicked with it: bit heavy, geometry quite road-biased, brakes seemed inconsistent, didn’t have a front mudguard eyelet.

^^ this.
I bought one for MrsBouy last year and it felt dead and heavy. Kept it for 4mths then sold it on. I’d read about cracked paint around the seatstay and refunds/fixes etc. and all that but still bought one. Our intention was to use it for some long distance travel stuff but turns out Fargo’s and the like are way better. Looked nice though.

Well aware of paint filler cracks on 2013 models. Boardman also has 34/50 front but 11/32 rear. No longer flimsy Sram front mech, now even cheaper Microshift…

Not seen the Hack, looks even better VFM so thanks for heads up, will have to google reviews. Surprised at Luke warm feelings for the Boardman, but good to hear.

now even cheaper Microshift…

but it’s very very solid and is one of the best front mechs I’ve used.

cool, thanks, oh and Boardman Team has BB5s which is the same as the cheaper Comp, not BB7s (maybe had BB7s in 2013).

Saracen looks sweet, has promax calipers but then if theyre rubbish youve saved 70 quid towards some better ones.

it’s never had BB7’s , it’s only the top spec, not-available-in-the-UK models that have had them.

I have a Hack 1 and its great. Not ridden any CX on it but its a great commute bike and i did the Etap yr Eryi mawr on it recently without too much fuss. I reckon if oyu put some knobbly tires on it it would make a great effort at CX or gravel bike or whatever you want to call it!

I got it to make my commute a bit easier and it definately worked. i did put a 11-30 cassette on the back as have a few killer hill to negotiate! I also changed the original brakes to BB7s and it made a good difference.

I cannot recommend them enough.

I just looked at the Hack 2 link and that is a brillinat deal. I only paid a bit less than that for mine and the spec is not near as good!

Definitely liking look of the Saracen (something few people think theyll ever say 😉 ). Geo might suit me a bit more as it’ll have a slightly shorter TT than my summer road bike (54cm vs my 55), the boardman seems quite stretched out (55.5cm TT on a 53cm frame).

The 70 quid saved would buy a pair of BB7s to replace the Promax (assuming they arent much cop). Looking for it more as a winter road bike with off-road capability on bridleways, lanes etc, thinking of doing the Flanders Sportif next year, that sort of thing rather than CX racing (may give it a go but purely for sh– and giggles).

This might be a (slightly less) expensive afternoon, cheers endurogangster!

No problem, I better act quick and get myself one before they sell out!

I assume you just bought the only 54cm they had then 🙄 🙂 🙄 🙂

I can’t work out if crashtestmonkey is pissed off or not.

Given enduro posted the link fair play only right if he bagged it and happy for him, but annoyed I missed out on it. If a lurker bagged it then may a thousand thorns litter your trails.

You might want to give these guys a ring:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SARACEN-HACK-2-CYCLO-CROSS-BIKE-SHIMANO-TIAGRA-CARBON-FORKS-FREE-DELIVERY-/111421984144?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item19f1448d90

Don’t specify sizes available, but give them a ring, and they might be able to price match?

It looks like jamie’s linked to the 2014 model there, so they probably won’t be keen to price match, but it has the advantage over the 2013 model of having mudguard eyelets on the fork, so may be a better bet anyway, if you want to run guards.

(2013 hack 1 owner here – very happy with it, done London-Paris and Coast to Coast on it, now doing the odd mixed surface commute – it’s been great)

Yep I got it, free bar tape too as it was the display model and the original looked grubby apparently.

well thanks to endurogangster and Sprocket Cycles (who got the tape measure out on the remaining “56”)…

My bike iz sarcin

Lovely looking bike, that one. Bar tape’s a bit loud, but I could live wtih it.

Thank god for that my finger was itching to click buy

😉 I know that feeling, but this time I cracked. The 56 measures more like a 54, and its saved me 70 quid over the Boardman (which will no doubt get spent on upgrades…).

Yeah I checked sizing and was needing a 56 too lol