Boardman Hybrid Team or Trek 7.3 FX?

josip

I need to get a commuter bike that I'll also occasionally use with the family on smooth forest paths.
I'll need to get it by early next week and the decision is looking like either a Boardman Hybrid Team for €740 or a Trek 7.3 FX for €635, both of which are in stock locally.
Reviews for both bikes seem positive in general.
Is the extra €100 for the Boardman worth it?
Is there something else I should be considering?
Any advice welcome thanks.

route66

josip wrote: »

I need to get a commuter bike that I'll also occasionally use with the family on smooth forest paths.
I'll need to get it by early next week and the decision is looking like either a Boardman Hybrid Team for €740 or a Trek 7.3 FX for €635, both of which are in stock locally.
Reviews for both bikes seem positive in general.
Is the extra €100 for the Boardman worth it?
Is there something else I should be considering?
Any advice welcome thanks.

I bought a Trek 7.3 FX in 2009 and it's got lots of use since. It's a great bike and I'd strongly recommend it.

Having said that, I'd guess the Boardman is a better bike. It looks to be more of a "flat bar road bike" rather than the Hybrid that the Trek is. This means it's got road bike gearing and is lighter. It also has hydraulic disk brakes which will give better stopping in the wet along with a more progressive braking action. The carbon fork may also take some buzz out of cycling on rough roads.

But really the main consideration is how long it will be before you realise you got the wrong type of bike and how you will trade one of the above for a road bike! As bikes suffer from massive depreciation in their first year, maybe the best bike to get is neither - go directly for the road bike equivalant!

Or do what I did, get one of the above and keep it when you upgrade.;)

R1_Pete

Reserve the boardman on line or buy on line and you will get another 50€ off that before Monday..Halfords deal online.

I looked at both myself. I really liked the look of the boardman

josip

I reserved the Boardman online last night, at €799 and a €60 discount on 600+ spend, which is where I was getting the €740 net from. I can't see how I can get another €50 reduction; am I missing something?
The brakes swung it for me in the end; I'll have a small passenger sometimes on steep hills and would prefer the extra stopping power.
Much as I'd like to get back on a road bike I don't have the time anymore, so it's only the daily commute I can manage. I have my old racing frame from years ago mothballed in the attic just in case that ever changes

not yet

As said above the Boardman seems to be a road bike with flat bars ala: A giant rapid etc, whereas the trek is more suited to the rough tracks etc.

I have a trek 7.2 and they are a solid bike, but the Boardman does look sexier.

R1_Pete

josip wrote: »

I reserved the Boardman online last night, at €799 and a €60 discount on 600+ spend, which is where I was getting the €740 net from. I can't see how I can get another €50 reduction; am I missing something?
The brakes swung it for me in the end; I'll have a small passenger sometimes on steep hills and would prefer the extra stopping power.
Much as I'd like to get back on a road bike I don't have the time anymore, so it's only the daily commute I can manage. I have my old racing frame from years ago mothballed in the attic just in case that ever changes

Sorry Josip, I didnt realise you had already factored the on line discount into the price, Good call on the boardman i reckon

Mike1961

Same dilemma for me ... Trek 7.3 (€749) OR Boardman Hybrid Team (€700) OR Giant Escape 1 (€599) .. just for the 6 mile commute (12 mile round trip) to city center 5 days a week. At my age (54 ) I just want something light but reliable.

The disc brakes on the Boardman appeal to me .. but the lad in the shop reckoned I wouldn't get much benefit from them .. and mentioned that the bike would weigh a bit more.

Any advice/recommendations?

aFlabbyPanda

I just ordered a Boardman since it beat everything price wise, (if you have access to anyone with an AXA policy you get another 15% for September).

This is my second Boardman and can't fault them really. I can't see the Boardman being heavier than the Trek.

aFlabbyPanda

Actually Evans list the Trek as 11.7Kg for 17", and the boardman is around 10.4Kg

josip

Mike1961 wrote: »

Same dilemma for me ... Trek 7.3 (€749) OR Boardman Hybrid Team (€700) OR Giant Escape 1 (€599) .. just for the 6 mile commute (12 mile round trip) to city center 5 days a week. At my age (54 ) I just want something light but reliable.

The disc brakes on the Boardman appeal to me .. but the lad in the shop reckoned I wouldn't get much benefit from them .. and mentioned that the bike would weigh a bit more.

Any advice/recommendations?

I've had the Boardman a few weeks and am happy with it. In my case i got it for the disc brakes more than the weight. I carry our daughter in a bike seat behind me and I really like the extra stopping power, especially if it's wet or on hills. The extra weight of the disc brakes is negligible compared to the weight of a 4 year old and seat