Team Carbon (10) - BikeRadar

Yet another good review for a Boardman. Whether mountain or road the comments are generally very positive with an overwhelming consensus that Boardman make bloody good bikes, not just for the money, but actually rather good. When will the brand whores finally acknowledge the quality of these bikes.

Yes, of course we could all moan about the ability (or lack of it) of Halfords staff but really, is it that important when most of us maintain our own bikes anyway and make sure that they are roadworthy without the support of the LBS.

I ride a hybrid pro which is just excellent. Top spec at a great price. I even found that my local Halfords in Newbury have a couple of good guys putting the bikes together. What more can you ask for?

Just brought this bike, No problems with Halfords, put together well.

Agree with comments about seat, but waiting to see in backside moulds to seat, before spending on another.

Can you trim the front mech now on SRAM Rival?

Last year I was looking buying the 09 version, which looks to be almost identical however went for one of the Focus Cayo bikes from Wiggle for the same price.

A friend of mine purchased one of the team Boardman bikes about a month ago and said it needed some TLC as the set up out of the door from Halfords with was nothing short of appalling. I could list the faults but I feel this would take up too much room.

Last weekend he loaned me the Boardman as I offered to take a look at it. After making the necessary adjustments and checks I took it out for a 25 mile spin.

While I believe the bike has some excellent features like the SRAM groupset and quality fame / fork finish it's sadly let down by things like the cheap brakes and crap saddle. If you get past this and perhaps look to make a few minor upgrades then you would certainly have a real contender in the £1000 bracket.

Nice bike but I prefer my Focus... cheers Wiggle

Thinking of getting a Team carbon for training/clubruns.I realise it may be hard to say but did you find it any more responsive than the Focus? Am told the Focus is on the heavy side for a carbon frame.

As a brand whore its not the quality of finish that bug's me but the vulture design ethos Boardman seems to have. Any good idea from others is merely ripped off and then blended together. cables through headtube, box section stays, teardrop tubing,tapered headtube - The long term problem of brands like Boardman is they de-value the engineering that pioneers in the industry invest heavily in. - I realise a lot of the top brands share ideas but they also contribute this is something Boardman needs to address if to be taken seriously rather than a Halfords stooge brand

As for T700 carbon why do manufacturers even bother ( because they dont really know/understand ) no bike is/should be made from one type of fibre - thats the whole point of carbon fibre you use the relevant fibre in the relevant place in the relevant orientation. Thats why all carbon is not even!!! T700 will relate to a modulus not strength, again the orientation and number of sheets used and type of resin will affect the specific figure of strength ( even this term needs to be defined further as strength can be termed to many things). need I repeat myself about weight?

spin to win, you sound like you know what you are talking about, though I'm not sure I understand all of what you are saying. Are you saying the T700 carbon this frame is made of is a load of carp? Would be interested to know .Which grade of carbon would you recommend we aspire to? Genuine questions.

STW - you are spouting a load of rubbish.

Firstly feel free to spend £5k on 'cutting edge' tech; most of us will be happy that Boardman have passed on some cost savings to us..

Secondly what is important is how the frame rides and responds, and not specifically the number of strands of carbon per inch.

Thirdly, if you 'brand whores ignore the labels, you will realise to your dismay that cheaper frames from the likes of boardman and planetx can perform as well as your blingtastic cervelos/pinarellos etc -

This package has its faults but even the brand whores must admit it represents great value for money.

When did £1000 pounds for a push bike become good value? I'm getting a little tired of hearing the word value being placed on products that are massively overpriced.

If the minimum wage is around £6 pounds then your working man on the street will have to work for more than a month to buy a mid-spec bicycle.

As for Halfords; I bought a GT mountain bike form them about 6 or 7 years ago and they had failed to tighten the cranks properly. This resulted in a partial dislocation to my knee- an injury that I am still living with,

Good luck, but I would sooner purchase my bike from real cycle enthusiast not unit shifters.

in 1957 my dad bought his first bike for £25 pounds it was a 5 speed raleigh drops with campag gears . he took home £1 3s a week (if he was lucky) . so into days money he'd have £260 ish a week . So how much would 25 weeks money be ? £6200. So if he bought the equivalent in ratio now £1000 is great value. Elgordo think before you type .

Where do you work so I can slag your company off. How do you think cyclist that work for halfords feel when you spout tripe ?

I have a Boardman Team (the alloy frame version) purchased through the C2W scheme to use primarily as my winter trainer and commuter. I wanted something that was cheap but reasonably specced and this fitted the bill. I am greatly impressed with it. The only thing I intend to change is the bar tape as the bars feel a bit thin in comparison to the carbon bars and plush tape on my best bike. Maybe I have been lucky but I have had no problems with the saddle even after five hour rides.

Now the carbon team is available Boardman should tweak the alloy team slightly to give it eyelets and mudguard clearance as would make a great sporty winter trainer.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that after reading some of the stories about Halfords, I checked the bike over very carefully when I got it home and the only thing I could find wrong with the setup was the front brake was slightly off centre. I have not had to touch it since apart from usual cleaning and lubing. The setup was just as good if not better than that on my wifes £3k bike recently purchased from a well respected shop.

Great value yes, but when all the companys stop investing because vulture brands rip off the designs then we all lose out. As I say I would like to see Boardman create their own little niche tweeks. I dont put down Halford as service can be great or poor anywhere

As for the fibre yes its how it responds! thats why you use different fibres! thats why engineers use powerfull computing tools to look at stress loads etc to best place and orientate the relevant modulus fibre. thats why cheaper carbon bikes have a firm ride yet not always stiff - Yet high end carbon can be compliant verticaly yet laterally stiff.

Sturmey - the big question is what you want out of the ride - therefore the frames carbon layup will be optimized to that charactristic. A good frame will have many types of fibre to deal with the many types of load. Do not be fooled by names and types of carbon as this mostly marketing. Manufacturers are trying to make bikes for types of use these days - sportiff ( comfort/distance ) Race etc try what you can and get a feel for the bike - some good shops even have a demo that you can borrow for a weekend to get a true feel on your usual ride.

"Thirdly, if you 'brand whores ignore the labels, you will realise to your dismay that cheaper frames from the likes of boardman and planetx can perform as well as your blingtastic cervelos/pinarellos etc - "

Planet X frames are good value for money ( I have 3), but they are not the same as a Cervelo etc. You get what you pay for, well almost you pay alot more for your Cervelo but they are better FULLSTOP.

nato ed I think you are a little confused. £1 3s is the equivalent of £21.15 in todays money. So the real value of your dads bike in is £462.5. So in comparison your little boardman is around £540 overpriced and also has sh1tty sram to boot.

He Is another price comparison. 44 years ago my dad bought me my 1st adult basic racer for £30. he earned £10 a week . that's 3 weeks money for a entry level racer. whatever you think the average wage is today (say £400 per week ) and multiply by 3 and see what u get . Still think its poor value? . As for ripping off R&D. Get real , this is not industrial espionage its just product development using whatever resources are out there and helping bring better stuff to the masses weather its bikes, phones,or just about anything. Its a bloody good bike for a grand full stop. Boardmans contract with Halfords is up soon and rumour is he is expanding into the independents but will probably continue with them supplying exclusive models. Halfords service is very patchy I am afraid & i should know I am one of the few GENUINE specialists but we have all just been made redundant . Wonder what Boardman makes of that.

I'm now on my second replacement frame having had quality issues with the first two:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48309532@N04/4424348063/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48309532@N04/4425114364/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48309532@N04/4424986203/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48309532@N04/4425768318/

So far, so good with the third frame. Seems like a very nice bike. Well designed frame and good choice of components. Just wish they would get a handle on the quality control.

Regarding the pic of the headtube shown in the review above- WTF has happened to it?

It looks like another hole has been drilled/punched through below the one the cable passes through. Looks like it's taken half the headtube with it.

I was comparing what his wage was (which was an average wage for the time) to the average wage now . I was not converting his wage into today's money . Just comparing how LONG it would take him to save up to buy his first bike . I do believe you completely missed the point I was making .

sbuk909 - Those pictures are terrifying....where do they make these frames. I haven't seen such poor quality come out of Asia for a long time.

You'd be taking you life in your hands descending a decent mountain pass on such poor quality carbon frames.

No, your point was that you valued your dads bike at the equivalent of £6000! I was just correcting your mistake. I'm done now. Goodbye

I am considering a Boardman bike as based in the reviews they appear good value for money and I fancy a Carbon framed bike (I have a carbon fetish)

I can put aside the whole Halfords deal, my local seems okay and they have trued the rear wheel on my well used Marin Mill Valley a couple of time free of charge! (Wisbech branch by the way)

However, I have a question regarding Carbon frames full stop - I'm a motorcycle racing fan and whenever there is a crash Carbon seems to shatter worryingly easily, I also note with interest that an owner of a CB Carbon bike had a small crash on his but avoided any actual impact - yet his frame snapped clean in two! Has anyone had any experience crashing carbon framed bikes, do they 'crash well' ? I'm also considering a Van Nicholas Ti framed bike too!

sbuk it's not just boardmans cannondale are having BIG problems with quality . I've taken three in my shop all with identical cracks on the head tube /down tube junction lose BB inserts and shock eyelets cracked. One also had "soft spots" in the carbon.

I would really like some input (HELP) from a club cyclist. I used to be one and after too many years off the bike have recently got back into it. The bike I have is too small for me (6'1") so I was thinking of a Boradman (XL) or a Focus Cayo.

The only down side I can find is the service aspect from Halfords, which although is a problem its still service I would not get from an online retailer.

WHAT DO CLUB RIDERS THINK OF THIS BIKE does it pass mustard among the wannabe pro's keeping in mind that it is still only £1k. or does it get laughed at on the weekend runs among a sea of Italian branded bikes?

paulnewbe:

My Team Carbon came in a box built by Boardman's team not Halfords. I had to turn the handlebars and I was away and the setup was perfect. I have since taken it back to Halford for its free first service and they were also veru good - you need a large store with a bikehut I think (New Malden). General feedback from riders is the bike gets good revews and isgreat value for money. The Focus Cayo is now £200 more, than the Team Carbon.

You should consider the PlanetX Pro-Carbon bike - they are Britsh made like Boardman - and have the advantage that you can customise your bike to fit - which may be useful is you are XL.

I thought about the Focus Cayo - but opted for the lighter boardman bike as the small size frame geometry is slighty smaller - also I have a shop to take it back to if there is a problem.

General review of the Bike (after 500 miles)

SRAM double tap gear chaining is very cool.

I dont go over 35mph very often but agree with the review that the SRAM 350 chainset as the review says means you have to wait before you can pedal coming off a steep hill.

I have had no issue with the brakes of wheels as per some reviews

The bike is very fast off the mark - and very stiff - which is what I wanted. I was looked for a fast 40-60KM time trial bike that could also use for road riding.

I think for the price it is good entry to a carbon bike. (I managed to get it for £850 from a family member working in Halfords, with £50 accessories)..

Halfords let me set the bike up myself and have been very good by exchanging my frame twice due to cracks but the boxes did look bashed! 3rd box was mark free and behold frame was loverly. You need to speak to the right staff as some are very rude and some are fantastic.

After a few rides I definately noticed the lack road buzz has been reduced from my previous Aluminum road bike (I get tired but not fatigued after good ride).

It's a good bike for little upgrades but the rest of the kit is fine otherwise just buy the Pro.

I've upgraded the brakes for £59 to Rival and used the orignal Tektro 580 on a winter bike.

It can lose more weight -maybe the cranks/cassette/stem could be replaced if you are weight weenie and also be shimano free! (I have some old race lite x wheels to put on).

If I was on a tight budget I wouldn't upgrade anything. Its a good package and I have had some compliments from riders on nicer bikes in my club. Don't forget you will still be beat by fitter riders on a 60's steel frame unless you put in the training!

Rival double tap is great but I find changing to the largest cassette cog vague at first and sorted this out by changing the cheapy gear cables (and brake cables) to get rid of this.

Standard it rides great, upgrades and it flies but you have paid for it...

If you are going to pay more like £1500+ then do it as you will lifetime warranty like Trek.

£999 or less then 2yrs warranty and Rival setup is a bargain.

I've been waiting for my work to introduce the bike scheme for ages, and it has just started - great!

BUT - I went to Halfords today to find that they've put the price up by £200!! I can't believe it!! I've been waiting to get my hands on a Team Carbon for well over a year and now it's been snatched away by profit grabbing Halfords!!

What can I say, I'm very dissapointed! Poor show Halfrauds!

We had the halford rep in at work an he has stated that they will honour the £1000 price for the bike so that it can be purchased under the cycle2work scheme. A number of my work collegues have now bought bikes on this basis. If you get problems at a shop get an email from the admin team at halfords head office.

I spend most of my time on a Boardman mountain bike, which I bought through the C2W scheme. A friend generously lent me his Team Carbon for a couple of weeks do do the 50 mile Stoke Tour of Britain Challenge ride.

1stly, I'm not remotely brand-snobbish. In fact I'm hugely anti overpriced branded names. Bikes seem to be selling for stupid money nowadays.

Boardman make good bikes, and are excellent value for money. Try to find something else with this level of equipment for the price. The whole range achieves consistently high marks in reviews.

Halfrauds may be a problem - I've spent hours fiddling with my bike getting it set up like I want it after being unhappy with H setup, and ALSO after taking it to a local bike shop whcih was supposed to have a good reputation. I won't be taking my bikes to anyone else in the future. I'm glad I learned to do it myself - there's plenty of info on the internet, and all it will take is a couple of hours research and virtually anyone can do it.

I've had a few issues with some of the kit I bought from H as well. And all it took was a trip to my local store, and I walked out with a brand new replacement. That's pretty hard to beat.

As for the Team Carbon itself - fantastic. Coming from a MTB, it was hard as nails, and my bum was crying after the first 30minutes the first time I rode it. I swapped the saddle and never looked back. Brakes are poo (as noted in the review). I'd probably upgrade these as a priority if the bike was mine.

I found it quick and stable, and certainly a lot more capable than I was. Once I'd set the gears up properly and spent a few hours on the bike, the double-tap system was second nature. So intuitive and quick.

I finished the 50 miles in a shade over 3 hours which I was pleased with as a complete newbie to this road-riding lark, and am now thinking of getting my own road bike. My one issue with the Team Carbon is the hardness of the ride and the lack of mounting points for winter gear (I can't afford a bike for all seasons). But no matter how hard and long I look, I seem to come back to this darn bike because of the value for money...!

I have had my team carbon 2 months now and the only thing I can fault are the brake pads, changed these to Koolstops now the brakes are fantastic as good as my friends Ultegra. With regards to the T700 carbon what a load if crap, Its a excellent value bike for the money and If you get it for £1000 there's nowt better in that price range, Quite a few experienced cyclist have tried mine and all comment on how nicely it rides and looks. My build from Halfords has been faultless and the staff very enthusiastic in my local store. Rember plenty of spotty twats work in Evans too.

Anyone know about Boardman Team Carbon bike sizes ?. XL shown as 57.5cm frame ?????? This is normally 61cm to 63cm.

Halford staff had insufficient knowledge, certainly would not order on basis on their advice.

No bike sizing comparison in literature.

Anyone had any experience of XL sizing.

Like the bike, some quality issues with carbon frame but can you complain for the money !