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Hi,
Looking for a bit of help here I am getting a replacement for my 2004 Giant OCR, loved that bike but i fear I have pushed it too far and too much money would be needed to get her singing again.
I'm try to decide between these two bikes:
the [b]2014 Boardman team Carbon[/b] ( http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/boardman-end-of-season/boardman-road-team-carbon-limited-edition-2014)
and
the [b]2015 13 Intuition Alpha[/b] ( http://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/13-intuition-alpha-road-bike-2015). They are both on sale for €899.
Im not a serious cyclist and will mostly be using it for commuting around 16k each way daily. I am looking for a bit of insight to either or hopefully both of these bikes if anyone has any!
I really appreciate any advice anyone can send my way
Cheers!
Also is SRAM harder/more expensive to service/get parts for than SHIMANO?
Cheers again lads and ladies!
I assume the double tap of the SRAM becomes second nature but does anyone find it annoying and that it might take away from their enjoyment of their bike?
Boardmans always get good reviews, despite them being 'boardmans'. SRAM isn't any more difficult to service or get parts for its just slightly different. Pulls at different ratios to shimano and you may find it is more 'mechanical' sounding than shimano.
The thing with 13's is they never really happened if that makes sense. They were brought into stores as the next big thing designed in house but they never really flew out. Plus they have aero brakes which in my experience on these bikes can be a pita!
Boardman no question. The brakes on the 13 are a nightmare - the easiest way to adjust them involves removing the cranks...
Boardman every time out of the 2 brands. As above '13' seems a bit of a half arsed half idea. Given Halfords have completely bought the Halfords brand I wouldn't be surprised if 13 quietly disappears.
Double tap is different enough that it's worth trying. My CX race bike has it (bought untested as an end of season bargain), and it'll be the only bike I ever own that does. Some people love it.
Joining British Cycling will get you an extra 10% off at Halfords (Fan membership is only ~20 quid and appears to include it so you'd still save 70, unless you've used the Euro sign deliberately?).
Thanks for all the advice guys, Im gonna go for the boardman, not just as pretty but its a great machine!