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In my quest to find a semi aero, disc road bike and having decided £5000 is too much, I came across this:
Now at first glance, thats quite a good looking bike. Then you're hit with headlines such as "Carbon" "Di2", "7.6kg" "Aero" and £3,300 which feels like terribly good value.
Yet get into the detail, thats stock "Boardman" Alu cockpit with no integration and Alex Rims wheels, hmmm although with a glass half full that says "upgrade potential".
It gets good reviews, wheels and cockpit could be upgraded but not cheaply really, do we care that is says Boardman on the down tube? Is Boardman good value, or not?
If you’re going to change the cockpit and wheels straight away then no, not good value.
If you’re snobby about Alex carbon wheels, then I think you should be snobby about it saying Boardman on the side. 😉
The wheels must be a competitive weight if that 7.6kg overall figure is accurate (it says 8kg on the website). So how important is cockpit cable integration to you?
I would buy it, but I actually have a previous version, the Endurance SLR - and have been very impressed with it.
If it helps, I've been very impressed with it: good, light high-mod frame, great geometry, goes fast, reviews said it was a bit harsh but it's just right for me with 28c tyres at suitable pressure (and wheels upgraded to Prime carbon).
Handlebar is a nice shape but oddly thin. I'm gonna double-wrap it though, as I prefer a bit more girth.
Would you be able to find a similar bike with integrated cables and fancier wheels at the same price?
I had a bit of a discussion on a similar subject yesterday with Mrs W.
I’m booked in to look at the Spec Tarmac SL7 Pro next week, £6500.
I also like the look of the Scott Addict, the Ultegra RC 30 is available in my size and £3300. But I’d want to upgrade the bars, wheels and move to Di2 (I can’t find a Di2 version in my size). Mrs W just said I’m going to spend a year moaning about it not being the spec I wanted, there’s no value in buying the bike spec you don’t really want, unless budget dictates, buy lower and upgrade over time. During the time while waiting for upgrades I’d never be really happy. But I reckon those wheels would be fine for now, cockpit upgrade would be interesting to see if you can put integrated bars on it, presume you can but might need to check.
But would you be happy with Boardman on the side? Wouldn’t bother me, but it’s really only you who can answer that.
Kryton, also worth thinking about whether future resale is going to be an issue for you? Boardman likely more difficult to still get top dollar for.
the Scott Addict, the Ultegra RC 30
I'm also looking at that bike, and a Canyon Ultimate Ultegra Di2. The cockpit integration is not really a thing TBH, I won't be doing anything that requires such marginal gains.
But would you be happy with Boardman on the side
Don't know, what started as a significant Birthday present has morphed into a "I'd like a nice bike with discs but what's the point of shelling out a boat load of Money for a club run just because I'm a little older"
At the rate I'm going I'll be keeping the one I have and using the money I've saved for an armchair to see my days out in.
I think that Boardman looks good value for money. I think once you get beyond £3k it’s very much a case of diminishing returns and that bike ticks all of the boxes in terms of weight and spec.
The resale wouldn’t worry me simply as you have saved so much up front.
Looks like the kind of bike you could easily keep for more than five years and not worry about it getting outdated.
By which point you might be selling it on to a newer or less fussy buyer, and Boardmans (Boardmen?) seem to hold their value well at lower prices... probably as they have a good rep as value bikes.
I’ve had a Boardman roadie for 3 years - it’s black and silver and has Dura Ace di2 , Carbon wheels etc. Bits are a bit cheap but it was 3250! And fits perfectly . All I get is Jibes about my Halfords bike 😂
If you’re not too worried about marginal gains then you may find the wheels absolutely fine. Are they the deep carbon wheels in the picture or is that a Wilier trick, picture of the bike looks great and small print says it’s only an example and spec is different?
I had an Aeroad, sold it very recently, had it 2 years. Being honest I was never really settled on it. Little niggles that took time to sort out. Personally wouldn’t go Canyon again, I didn’t have a bad experience as such, but would now rather buy from a lbs.
It's a nice bike but for 100 quid more i bought a tcr advnced pro 0 disk, which came with di2, slr carbon wheels, and a dual sided stages powermeter.
Sure it was on sale, but you have an awful lot of options for £3500 quid if you look around.
Basically the boardman is nice, but I wouldn't pay 3.3k for it.
stages powermeter
Is the Giant branded PM actually stages then?
If its any help I bought a baordman team pro carbon 10 years ago, through bike to work and for about 800 quid when all said and done.
It was as light as 2k bikes, looked as good and with the addition of some cosmic carbone wheels goes like stink.
10 years later it still looks good against even new bikes
Just to go off tangent, I have a Scott Addict non Di2 version and I couldn't find an equivalent Spesh/Trek etc offering anything like value for money. Lovely bike to ride.
Is the Giant branded PM actually stages then?
Good point! No it's not. Now I think about it, it came with a giant power meter originally which didn't work. Giant knew they had an issue with the 1st version so swapped it out for a stages dual sided at no extra cost.
I believe the 2nd version up of the giant power meter is much improved.
but what’s the point of shelling out a boat load of Money for a club run just because I’m a little older
Because riding a really nice bike is just really nice, even if its only a club run!
I'm loving my Orbea Orca, I thought my Scott CR1 wasn't that dated, but the Orca makes the CR1 feel like riding a blancmange. Gobsmacked by how much carbon frames have come on and what a really modern race frame rides like (very fast). Even if I only win sprints for the village signs, its worth it 😉
How about one of these? Anyone got one?
https://www.orrobikes.com/shop/2021-venturi-ultegra-di2
I’d get that Boardman for the money if there’s nothing else with similar kit for the money. I’ve had a boardman carbon road bike a few years back (Team Carbon with 10 speed rival and rim brakes) and it was great. Got it for £1k in a sale and after 7 years good use I sold it for £350. Sold really quick. All I did in that time was out better brakes on and replaced the Ritchey wheels with Aksiums as the freehub gave up and the rims were concave.
7.6kg for a bike with discs and semi aero features and fairly deep dish carbon wheels is good anyway - regardless of the price. Boardman not a drama for me - I’d swap my Cannondale Caad12 disc with Di2 and hunt wheels in a flash for that Boardman.
Regarding the branding: I ride a Boardman FS Pro and am always amazed at how much faff riders undergo with their boutique £3k+ bikes at trail centres (on the occasions I go), whereas I just get on my bike and go. I'm pretty sure, whilst being no riding god, I'm enjoying my day as much as the rest and if Strava is anything to go by, they're behind me for the most part anyhow. Perhaps the boutique brands need more care on the trails?!
I therefore wouldn't think twice about spending more money on a Boardman; they're really good bikes. There's a certain pleasure in seeing the disbelief when brand snobs see what you're riding!
How about one of these? Anyone got one?
Thats amazing value and gets good review. Ultegra 8000 comes in at £2700, who needs l'ectric gears anyway...
I would be looking at the new giant tcr pro 1 disk, not much more comes with power metre, proved and tested frame and better wheels but alas not di2.
Perhaps the boutique brands need more care on the trails?!
Having owned a few expensive bikes (although not traditional boutique brands) this is not the case. The reason people faff and preen with them is that they are obsessed with kit, which is why they've spent so much money on them.
I’m looking at upgrading my Boardman team carbon (2011, I think), mainly because I want discs, I quite fancy di2, especially if the new bike has got internal cables (and they all do these days), and it only takes 25mm tyres. It’s been great and I find it pretty comfy and fast. I’ve done many thousands of miles on it. To be honest the only original bits are the frame, fork, stem and seatpost, but that’s due to wearing out almost everything else rather then there being anything wrong with anything on it.
I quite enjoy the snobbery, and find pleasure when overtaking those same snobby folk on their 5x more expensive superbikes in events (sad, I know, but I can’t help it).
Not sure whether to get something more “endurance” and comfort focussed, or embrace this aero stuff.
Having owned a few expensive bikes (although not traditional boutique brands) this is not the case. The reason people faff and preen with them is that they are obsessed with kit, which is why they’ve spent so much money on them.
I guess they ride slowly to preserve their investment. Sounds boring to me! 🤣
Not sure whether to get something more “endurance” and comfort focussed, or embrace this aero stuff.
With wider tyres and frame design features like dropped seat stays and aero tube profiles, comfort and aero/race bikes seem to have converged a bit now.
Have a look at reviews of bikes like the supersix.
I went out with some people I haven’t been out with before in the weekend and faffage was at the Max. Digital tyre pressure gauges, shock pumps, playing with brakes and even changing a fork.
I thought I faffed but that’s mostly just getting knee pads / shoes on / bag packed more than anything.
More expensive bikes don’t generally need more love - just a lot of people who buy them like everything to be exactly right I guess.
I had a Boardman Pro Fs and I’d say it needed more love of the pivots to stop it creaking all the time. It worked great but the bearings were fairly small and the main pivot could have been better designed. Swapped to a Bird Aeris which isn’t boutique or particularly fancy, but it was just decently designed, had bigger bearings and locking collets on the main pivots. No creaking.
They've made great bikes for a long time (my boardman fast hybrid is an absolute weapon) and let's be honest, road bikes aren't that complicated so it's not like it needs cutting edge R&D or a genius designer.
The thing with controls/bars is, you could get one that's got top end, expensive, ideal looking stuff on it but that doesn't mean it'll fit you right. So the cockpit's one of the best places to save money on a complete bike, and means you can fit exactly what you want. Better to have cheaper alu parts that fit than expensive carbon parts that don't, and definitely better if you end up flinging them on ebay to have less invested in them
Wheels are not so simple though.
People say "would you be happy on a boardman", and tbh snobs might look down on you, and who cares, they're dicks. Most people will double take it and realise what it really is. And some people will go "urgh, halfords bike" then feel double pain when you drop them. It's nice not to have a brand to live up to, sometimes.
All depends how much you want di2 I guess. If you drop di2 from the requirements you get a much bigger choice of bikes in that price range.
For what it's worth di2 is great, but it would come right at the bottom of my priority list when it comes to a road bike. Mechanical gears are so good the difference is absolutely minimal.
Whilst in Halfords picking up the bike grab a rattle can and give it a respray when you get home.
All depends how much you want di2 I guess. If you drop di2 from the requirements you get a much bigger choice of bikes in that price range.
For what it’s worth di2 is great, but it would come right at the bottom of my priority list when it comes to a road bike. Mechanical gears are so good the difference is absolutely minimal.
This is definitely in mind. I’ve essentially been looking at mechanical Ultegra. The bikes essentially fall into 3 camps, £2k, £3k and £4k depending on the material and what’s in the down tube. But then you get oddity’s like a £4K Cervelo Caledonia 5 with DT Swiss P1800 - liveable but £4000 - with what is essentially some lower grade wheels. For £3k I can get a Giant TCR with a PM and own brand SlR1’s, good carbon rims, and in between a Tarmac or Cannondale.
Ive only found two bikes that’s heart felt currently and that and Otlre XR3 or Infinito CV, the former being cheaper but both are £4.5k. I did find a Colnago V3 for £3.5k but that feels a bit like a budget version of the real thing (VRS3).
it’s a minefield.
Mechanical gears are so good the difference is absolutely minimal.
Yep, I've got SRAM Force eTap and Shimano 105 on summer / winter bikes and they both shift as good as each other. Althought the eTap buttons work way better with gloves than Di2 as there's only one button on each shifter for up/down, so you can't hit the wrong one.
Don't forget that Halfords bought the Boardman brand back in 2014 - Chris has no involvement with it any more.
Have a look at reviews of bikes like the supersix.
How did Cannondale make a bike with such stunning reviews yet the dullest paintjob?
Not sure about owning one tbh, I'm old enough to remember the MTB crack 'n fail jokes.
How did Cannondale make a bike with such stunning reviews yet the dullest paintjob?
yep, a friend has one and they could have done so much better eg bright blue like a Canyon would look amazing. It has to be the dullest looking bike out there.
I'll go against the grain here and say that, good as mechanical gears are now, Di2 is a class above. I won't buy a best road bike without it, I love it.
I would however agree that I would prefer not to have an integrated bar and stem, I'd want to get the shape and length right without it being a pain in the backside.
Wheels? Well, every road bike I've bought I'd ended up changing the wheels, so I'd budget for that personally.
I’m old enough to remember the MTB crack ‘n fail jokes.
You're saying that a major manufacturer has not modified their designs to address an issue in 25 years?
Well, every road bike I’ve bought I’d ended up changing the wheels, so I’d budget for that personally.
You wouldn't need to change the wheels of the tcr he referenced. I have them on my bike, light, stiff, tubeless. Got great reviews as well.
For 3k I think the tcr is a no brainer, even if not di2. Note though, it is a bit if a head down racer. I also have a defy and it's a bit more civilized for most applications
I don’t know much about the Alex rims on the Boardman but they can’t be wildly heavy if the whole bike comes in at 7.6kg surely?
My Caad12 disc is about 8.5kgs I think (analogue luggage scales) - that’s a frame of about 1100g I believe, 1550g hunt wheels, Conti gp4000’s in 25c size, si cranks with Spiderings and Ultegra Di2. The rest of the build kit is standard Cannondale the at came on a 105 discs build so won’t be especially light, but even still - it’s nearly 1kg heavier than the Boardman.
The Boardman is 8kbtw, the 7.6kg came from a review of the rim brake version I read.
I know of two TCR's - an Advanced Pro 2 disc Ultegra for £3k and an Advanced Pro 0 Di2 Disc for £3800. I also know where there's an Oltre XR3 CV Disc for £3300...
The more I think about this the more I think about my current Rim brake, 50mms shod 105 bike which is 7.2kg and rides so well, so I really need a new one? Not really...
The annoying thing about this search is that there's always a compromise. Well maybe except for the TCR but then its "just" a Giant....
The more I think about this the more I think about my current Rim brake, 50mms shod 105 bike which is 7.2kg and rides so well, so I really need a new one? Not really…
I felt the same about my CR1 with 404s on it. Until, that is, I rode a new carbon aero frame and realised just how much things have come on in frame stiffness / efficiency.
Despite the OP I do think riding around Herts & Essex on a club run with an aero bike looks a bit odd...
I rode a new carbon aero frame and realised just how much things have come on in frame stiffness / efficiency.
Maybe, from an old scott. But you certainly don't need to spend 3k to get a very stiff well sorted frame nowadays. My tcr is no stiffer than the canyon ultimate it replaced from 2015. Road bikes haven't come on that much.
Unless you are racing and you need every last drop of extra speed a modern bike may give you, then buying a new 4k bike is pointless from a 'performance perspective'. It isn't pointless from a 'having a nice shiney new bike that puts a smile on your face' perspective however, which I reckon is far more important to most of us, and the reason I bought mine.
Despite the OP I do think riding around Herts & Essex on a club run with an aero bike looks a bit odd…
I'm amazed at how many top end bikes I see out and about now, deep section carbon rims used to be really rare, they're pretty ubiquitous now....
If you’re snobby about Alex carbon wheels, then I think you should be snobby about it saying Boardman on the side. 😉
I thought Alex rims made more rims than anyone else and make a lot of rims for other brands.
If you have a problem with an Alex rim carbon wheel then you've answered your own question, you will never be happy with a special bike that says boardman on it because boardmans are in reach of most people, especially those thar aren't "proper cyclists"
Some "proper" cyclists don't know anything about the different versions of boardman bikes, they have already snubbed them and don't get past the boardman sticker.
But when you say I have a cannondale, giant or canyon to pick a few mentioned in this thread, you follow that up with a supersix, synapse, tcr, aeroroad etc to determine how good it is but never really ask the year as they have pedigree and a good bike is a good bike.
If your planning on keeping it for a while then I think the boardman will get old quickly in yours and other people's minds rather than in reality.
I'd have one BTW, I don't care about brands, just how they ride, how they wear and how much they cost. Major factor for me buying new is warranty cover. I don't even touch brands than have 2 years unless it's cheap (e.g px scandal)
Personally I wouldn't even think about buying a bike now until the market has matched supply with demand and prices come back down a bit. May take a while though so if you can't wait be prepared to pay a premium aka rrp 😉
Personally I wouldn’t even think about buying a bike now until the market has matched supply with demand and prices come back down a bit.
Swings and roundabouts, prices are high bit with lockdowns coming and going, road riding has been very good this year (unless you live in Wales).
Dammnnnnnn, road bikes a crazy money for a rigid frame.
Now I get why a Evil / Santa Cruz costs that money but don’t get it here.
They laughing to the bank for adding disk brakes after all the years saying they were unnecessary on a road bike. Don’t get how breaking 7kg for such a skinny bike is even that hard. You don’t even get a dropper post 😂
I have several Boardman bikes, CX alu, CX carbon, HT * 2, Road Carbon, 2 Hybrid Pros and two Road others owned by my sons. A few broken spokes aside, they have never let me down.
There is only one problem with them, and that is mostly the Road bikes. The problem is seeing some bikes up the road and thinking 'I have to catch and pass', because you know it's going to annoy some snobs.
To be fair, I've never really seen any of this snobbery on any of my bikes, but I understand it exists in some circles, so its quite motivating
Maybe it's just me, but I have never noticed any of this brand snobbishness that folks speak of. If someone turned up on that boardman to a club ride I'd certainty show some interest in it. Infact i almost bought the 9.2 version of that to use as my winter bike but ended up going with the defy as it was same price after a reduction.
Tbh I've seen all kinds of bikes rock up to a number of different clubs I've been to, from 10k sworks to bottom of the range boardmans. And no-one has once given any of then much of a second glance regardless of how expensive, or otherwise. The only person whom will care what you are riding is you.
Maybe it’s just me, but I have never noticed any of this brand snobbishness that folks speak of.
We make them ride at the back with the ones without mudguards 😉
The Defy 2021 looks like what I want:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/defy-advanced-pro-2-2021
Better spec than a Caledonia
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Cervelo/Caledonia-Ultegra-Disc-Road-Bike-2021/RD7G
And cheaper than the better specced Caledonia-5
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Cervelo/Caledonia-5-Ultegra-Disc-Road-Bike-2021/RDEN
But not as sexy as:
What makes a road bike look sexy? It's mainly down to the paint job.
Paint them all black and there's not much in it to the eye. It's not like mtbs with different suspension etc.
How much is a fancy paint job? Buy the boardman and spend a couple of hundred painting it bianci colours and put a bianci badge on it and @footflaps will let you ride at the front 😂
Sure it was on sale, but you have an awful lot of options for £3500 quid if you look around.
(23 hours later) I'll stop you right there, as your hopes of getting a decent saving on a bike in the sales this year are slim and bob, and bob hope's dead...
The Boardman looks pretty good value tbh, as they often do. Can you at least take it for a test ride?
Boardman bikes are good value, but their QC is poor and your more likely to have a problem with a creaking BB. Cannondale and Cervelo are also poor in this respect despite the extra price tag. Giant make great frames and good value bikes even though they are slightly conservative in style.
That bianci is terrible value for 4500. No di2, alloy wheels, and as far as I'm aware the frames weigh quite a bit as well. You are payimg massively over the odds purely to get a celest green paint job, which imo doesn't even look that good.
damascus
Free MemberI thought Alex rims made more rims than anyone else and make a lot of rims for other brands.
Exactly! That's why you should be snobbish about them! They weren't hand rolled on thighs of a dusky cuban maiden then assembled by some bloke with a beard who hates everyone, like a proper high end wheel.
In my experience road riding is far less snobbish than mtb. In the fast group at our club there is everything from Btwin bikes to Cervelo. Someone fast will be fast on anything.
Having said that, there are lots of folks on aero bikes with di2, all the way through winter. And we live somewhere hilly.
Despite all this, I probably would spend that kind of cash on a Boardman. For 3.5K I would be buying a new Supersix.
That bianci is terrible value for 4500. No di2, alloy wheels, and as far as I’m aware the frames weigh quite a bit as well. You are payimg massively over the odds purely to get a celest green paint job, which imo doesn’t even look that good.
Anything Italian is terrible value for money! Even pseudo-Italian like a Bianchi. Pinarello are the same. Spec is dreadful compared to even Trek / Specialized at the same price, never mind something like Boardman or Canyon.
I could add this to the non bling name but cracking spec bike to the mix with Di2 and mavic carbon wheels....only currenty available in a few sizes though
...and only with rim brakes.
I’ll stop you right there, as your hopes of getting a decent saving on a bike in the sales this year are slim and bob, and bob hope’s dead…
Im going to have to disagree. I've only looked in one place and so far found a tcr with di2, powermeter etc for 700 quid off in all sizes (still 3.9k!) Or the model down from that with 500 quid off.
I'm not convinced the mad scramble for bikes over lockdown has really affected the high end road bike market has it?
I’m not convinced the mad scramble for bikes over lockdown has really affected the high end road bike market has it?
Yep, all the London commuters who have saved £5k on their season ticket have blown it on carbon road bikes......
If we are worried about brands, this looks good for the money....
The version is £3500, pretty good.
Im going to have to disagree. I’ve only looked in one place and so far found a tcr with di2, powermeter etc for 700 quid off in all sizes (still 3.9k!) Or the model down from that with 500 quid off.
I’m not convinced the mad scramble for bikes over lockdown has really affected the high end road bike market has it?
Nice - I've seen nothing like that kind of saving! Everything's sold out round here, so even RRP isn't feasible sadly! 🙁
I bought a used boardman SLS disk a few years ago for practically nothing and it was an amazing bike - fast, stiff (a bit harsh in fact!), and I also sold it for nothing a few years later.
Moral of the story - great bike, great price (not as cheap as they used to be), probably won't hold its value, eBay them and check out sale prices so you don't lose a massive lump just in case you don't like it or fancy something else sooner rather than later.
There's nothing wrong with Boardmans, and as far as I know Chris is still involved in their development isn't he?
It used to be that they sold the lower end models through Halfords but sold the higher models through LBS, I remember when York Cycleworks used to sell them.
I have a 2016 Road Pro Carbon SLR with some nice 50mm hand built wheels. Plenty fast enough and when I did a few crits on it the bike certainly wasn't the limiting factor.
In the UK peoples attitute towards it were kind of that it was a 'Halfords bike'. Interestingly, since moving to Melbourne on a few occasions I've been stopped at traffic lights and people have come over to talk about the bike asking about it saying what a nice bike it looks like! Goes to show that if you take away pre-conceptions one persons 'Halfords bike' can be another's boutique brand!
It's a real tricky one isn't it. I think if I rode with a club I'd definitely feel the pressure to have something more boutique but seeing as I ride mostly alone or with my fella then its not a big deal. In fact I mock people (in my head) adorned in rapha as I whizz past them, clearly justifying the fortune they spent on their clothing. Maybe you can join me in the enjoyment of overtaking people on bikes who spent a LOT more than you.
SOME people (not many admittedly) who ride 7k MTB's faff at the start of a ride because they actually can tell the difference 3 psi makes in their tyres and they *shock horror* adjust their fork pressures according to where they're riding that day.... strange I know.
For me Di2 is a must on a new nice road bike because I really think it's that nice and worth it. Discs, well if I wanted to ride the bike all year round then I understand the discs but in reality if I'm only ever going to ride it in the summer months I wouldn't bother with it. Hence why I have rim brakes on my summer bike and cheap discs on my very heavy winter bike.
. Discs, well if I wanted to ride the bike all year round then I understand the discs but in reality if I’m only ever going to ride it in the summer months I wouldn’t bother with it. Hence why I have rim brakes on my summer bike and cheap discs on my very heavy winter bike.
Dics make the bike look cleaner IMO, I also prefer not having my deep section carbon rims slowly erroded by the brake pads - discs make much more sense if you're going to invest in some nice carbon wheels.
Personally, for the money it will be fine. But I’d be looking for a pro level frame and cheaper bits. My Defy Anvanced SL was that price when I bought it. Now It has a full Dura Ace groupset and carbon wheels. But those came later. I don’t really care for fully hidden cables. What stem lengths are available? It’s an affectation.
I’d be looking for a pro level frame and cheaper bits.
Point of order: Can a lightweight high-mod carbon frame be pro-level even if a pro team isn't paid to ride it?
And might Boardman bikes be better value because they don't sponsor a pro team?
It’s a real tricky one isn’t it. I think if I rode with a club I’d definitely feel the pressure to have something more boutique....
Whereas I do ride with a club (one of the biggest in London) and usually ride a cheapish ribble cf road bike (about £1k when new), a cheap Norco with cable discs or my px xlsfor off road club runs and have even on occasion ridden my £300 decathlon road bike on club runs and no one gives a toss (the custom Roberts road bike only comes out on sunny days!).
Whereas I do ride with a club (one of the biggest in London) and usually ride a cheapish ribble cf road bike (about £1k when new), a cheap Norco with cable discs or my px xlsfor off road club runs and have even on occasion ridden my £300 decathlon road bike on club runs
I hope you're dressed top to toe in Rapha to make up for such a shoddy steed....
Whereas I do ride with a club (one of the biggest in London)
I'd be interest to know which one Kilo?
FWIW - and please keep this thread going for other people - I kind of got bored of the search as it was just too "difficult"or expensive. I'm not buying until 2021 so basically decided I liked the Defy/Tarmac Advanced SL Pro's in the darker colours enough to go for one of those.
If my job (Sales) is kind to me and Mrs K has found a job by then I may stretch to a Cervelo Caledonia-5 or R3 or go for a Di2 Giant, time will tell.
As an aside, one of our club members just bought an AXS Tarmac SL6. He's posted some pictures, what an amazing looking bike.
Obviously Boardman bikes are fine, but for a "significant birthday"? No, of course not. You'd be wanting something else in a year's time anyway, which would lead to arguments 😃
I’d be interest to know which one Kilo?
Kingston Wheelers CC, used to be about 600 members, I think we’re back to 400ish now.
I don’t think rapha will help my shoddy mannerisms!!!! 🙂
Mrs kilo has a boardman bike, started off as her cx bike and when replaced became her commuter, been fairly bullet proof. I wouldn’t discount one and looked at them before getting my canyon hardtail recently.
Obviously Boardman bikes are fine, but for a “significant birthday”? No, of course not
For a significant birthday I'd be thinking something interesting like Colnago C64, friend just built one up, looks absolutely stunning....
That’s in club colours too, albeit about £9k upward...
Point of order: Can a lightweight high-mod carbon frame be pro-level even if a pro team isn’t paid to ride it?
It's a fair point actually. And yes that may be the saving. It'll be a fine frame, I am sure.
After much googling and reading of detail, it looks like @tpbiker is on the money - nothing is as complete or as least compromised as a Giant TCR, even the 2021 Defy's seem to be lower specced now.
I have one question; I can't stretch to the 2021 electric groupset so will have to go with R8000 - not a bad thing - but can anyone comment if there are any issues upgrading to Di2 later, other than costs and time spent?
I'm pretty sure the frame is the same for both. Mine is di2, but last years model otherwise I'd check for you.