Boardman Vs Forme / Halfords Vs local shop

JimFin

Another newbie looking for a bit of advice. Getting a road bike on BTW scheme. Was looking at Boardman Road Comp in Halfords. Its currently reduced by 20% http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_777713_langId_-1_categoryId_212536#tab3 and also looking at a Forme "Longcliffe 4.0" Road Bike in a local store: http://www.fitzcycles.ie/products.php?product=2012-Forme-%22Longcliffe-4.0%22-Road-Bike for €650.

So questions is two fold:
The Forme Longcliffe 4.0 Vs Boardman road Comp, which is best spec?
And
Halfords Vs Local shop (not Fitz Cycles as linked to).

studiorat

I have to say I prefer the look of the Boardman, I suspect the gears may be a little better, I'm also a sucker for Mavic.

I see from the Halfords site that Carrera have a carbon bike out now, which is interesting.

OEMBS

Boardman Comp is better spec'd and nicer, imo.
As for halfords alot of brand whores are likely to jump on the halfrauds band wagon my advise get chatting to the main guys in store and see if they know there stuff. In my experience alot of Local shop are small for a reason..;) and the open 7days a week is handy if stuck for something. My local halfords bike guys are top notch and are bikers too!

studiorat wrote: »

I have to say I prefer the look of the Boardman, I suspect the gears may be a little better, I'm also a sucker for Mavic.

I see from the Halfords site that Carrera have a carbon bike out now, which is interesting.

I have to agree, its the nicest bike at that money and spec'd as good as the Boardman, Carrera for me.

JimFin

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm tempted by the Boardman. The guy in Halfords couldn't be more helpful. I went in at 5 to 6 and even though they closed at 6 he stayed chatting with me and gave me good advice and explained the different aspects of what to look out for. He was very knowledgeable and was into biking himself. When I asked to take it for a test ride he said he didn't have one ready but if I came back 2mor he would have his own simiar but slightly higher spec'd bike in and would give me a test on it - very sound I thought.

I'm 6' and 32/33 inside leg but he is suggesting a 53CM frame, some websites are suggesting a 58cm frame for my height. Feedback on Halford site suggests that 53CM is fine foe someone 5'11/6'. Bike felt ok, but how do you judge whats ok?

OEMBS

JimFin wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm tempted by the Boardman. The guy in Halfords couldn't be more helpful. I went in at 5 to 6 and even though they closed at 6 he stayed chatting with me and gave me good advice and explained the different aspects of what to look out for. He was very knowledgeable and was into biking himself. When I asked to take it for a test ride he said he didn't have one ready but if I came back 2mor he would have his own simiar but slightly higher spec'd bike in and would give me a test on it - very sound I thought.

I'm 6' and 32/33 inside leg but he is suggesting a 53CM frame, some websites are suggesting a 58cm frame for my height. Feedback on Halford site suggests that 53CM is fine foe someone 5'11/6'. Bike felt ok, but how do you judge whats ok?

As it a first get setup because its all about comfort, Im 6' and a med frame feels better untill I drop my hands, so I have a large with a -20mm shorter stem to suit my back and arms. As a rough guide have at least an inch of space between your dangley bits the top tube.

studiorat

JimFin wrote: »

I'm 6' and 32/33 inside leg but he is suggesting a 53CM frame, some websites are suggesting a 58cm frame for my height. Feedback on Halford site suggests that 53CM is fine foe someone 5'11/6'. Bike felt ok, but how do you judge whats ok?

Yikes!
I would have said 58cm too. Unless the bike has a sloping top tube or something it should be 58cm IMO. I would also try and stay away from having the handlebar stem packed with spacers under it.

Cyclesuperstore have a machine that measures you up for a bike fitting I believe.

furiousox

53 seems small for someone of your height.
I fit a 53/54 and I'm five eight and a half (174cm)
You can check the measurements of Boardman bikes here.

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/index.html

desertcircus

I'm five feet ten with a 32' inside leg and my road bike's a 54cm.

JimFin

Thanks for that but I'm still unclear what I should be looking for. For a novice its hard to figure out what to look for, i.e. if I raise the saddle on a 53cm by 2cm does that not convert it to a 55cm??

Is there any guide as to what makes a bike right for you? I'm used to a mountain bike so saying what feels right is difficult as I would not be used to being so close to the handlebars.

Hmmzis

What I've seen being used as a rough guide is if you can see the front hub when your hands are on the hoods and you're padalling around at a relaxed pace. That is, the hub should be obstructed by the handlebars.

I'm not sure how acurate that indicator is but it felt right when I was trying out some bikes.

OEMBS

Hmmzis wrote: »

What I've seen being used as a rough guide is if you can see the front hub when your hands are on the hoods and you're padalling around at a relaxed pace. That is, the hub should be obstructed by the handlebars.

I'm not sure how acurate that indicator is but it felt right when I was trying out some bikes.

Thats actually a myth.. As your eye don't touch the bike you cant consider it a part of the sizing. Feet, ass and hands is all that matters.

A quick rule of thumb for frame size, stand over the frame and you should have around and inch of space underneath your crotch.
Measure your inside leg x .83 for height, for length you should have a slight bend in elbows and bar with the same as your shoulder.

But.. I have a pro fitting done on a bike before and this determined the 'perfect' sizing and setup for me. I did not find this comfortable as it does not take into consideration flexibility etc. So I slightly changed to suit me comfort and now its spot on as Im not a pro Im not worried about the 'perfect setup' to squeeze every ounce of power per stroke. But thats me. trail and error with a bit of guidance for me.