Cube Cross Race or Boardman CX Team?
cloggsy71
Posts: 2,208 Member
I'm looking for a new winter trainer/commuter as I'm fed up of riding my old commuter because to's just too damn heavy... I think I've narrowed it down to one of the following, but I'm open to other suggestions...
Do I go for the Cube Cross Race at £999: http://www.cube.eu/en/road/off-road/cross-race/
or
the Boardman CX Team at £899: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/cx/cx_team.html
The Cube has a far more prestigious name than the Boardman, yet the Boardman looks a better package (IMHO) than the Cube, plus it has disc brakes instrad of rim brakes. I also think the frame of the Boardman looks far better than that of the Cube's; I'm not mega keen of the visible welds on the Cube's frame :noway:
I will be fitting 'guards (fenders I believe you Americans call them?) I will also be fitting road rubber; 25's rather than the stock 'knobblies!'
Discuss!
Do I go for the Cube Cross Race at £999: http://www.cube.eu/en/road/off-road/cross-race/
or
the Boardman CX Team at £899: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/cx/cx_team.html
The Cube has a far more prestigious name than the Boardman, yet the Boardman looks a better package (IMHO) than the Cube, plus it has disc brakes instrad of rim brakes. I also think the frame of the Boardman looks far better than that of the Cube's; I'm not mega keen of the visible welds on the Cube's frame :noway:
I will be fitting 'guards (fenders I believe you Americans call them?) I will also be fitting road rubber; 25's rather than the stock 'knobblies!'
Discuss!
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Replies
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The bike radar reviews (for what they're worth) are as follows:
Cube: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/cyclo-cross/product/review-cube-bikes-x-race-comp-10-35466
Boardman: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/cyclo-cross/product/review-boardman-cx-team-11-454030 -
For me it'd come down to where I was sourcing it from - frankly, and I know I'm being a snob here - but if I had to get the Boardman from Halfrauds then the cost of taking it to a proper bike shop for a complete tear apart and proper rebuild could be a deal-breaker.
(well - okay - I'd do it myself, but seeing as you took your wheel into the shop for a spoke replacing and re-truing, I'm guessing that a ground-up rebuild might not be on the cards - no offence intended
)
Also - I know disk wheels are a nice idea for a all-round 'crosser, but - if they're built on 135mm spacing a-la-MTB hubs, you lose the "interchangability" between the roadbike and the other... always handy in case one has trainer tyre on, and other has a road tyre... (much the same thoughts I'm having when pondering if I should get campag gearing on the next bike - but with freehub compatibility rather than spacing. My problem's easily solved though - buy campag spec. fulcrum wheels, and a shimano freehub service pack (exchange freehub body))0 -
I bought a Cube Full Suspension MTB @ 2008 ....frame is well built and it was well specced for the price - though the prices have gone up relative to other bikes since then. I would buy another Cube if my lbs stocked them but they don't anymore. On the other hand, Boardmans are well known as being VFM and I've known people who own them rate them highly. Guess that doesn't help much !!!!0
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No offence taken TBY!
In fairness, our Halfords has been OK; My 'Team Carbon' hasn't had any issues (other than the spokes snapping in the last couple of weeks). I heard all the horror stories about Halfords & I went over my bike with a fine tooth comb when it arrived - so, speak as you find & so far, all has been fine!
There are more than a few reports about the bottom brackets on the CX being shipped ungreased & then disintergrating after a few miles :noway:0 -
my post was pretty much just my personal take (read prejudice!) on buying a bike - i've only ever bought 2 bikes fully assembled - both because they were "insurance replacements", and both of them from my (at the time) tame LBS. Every other (as in at least 14 other framesets off the top of my head) bike has been bought component-by-component (with the occasional big "groupset box" thrown in) and bolted together by me, rather than anyone else... it's probably a paranoia thing :laugh:0
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my post was pretty much just my personal take (read prejudice!) on buying a bike - i've only ever bought 2 bikes fully assembled - both because they were "insurance replacements", and both of them from my (at the time) tame LBS. Every other (as in at least 14 other framesets off the top of my head) bike has been bought component-by-component (with the occasional big "groupset box" thrown in) and bolted together by me, rather than anyone else... it's probably a paranoia thing :laugh:
I wish I had the knowledge to build from scratch mate; it would save me a lot of money!0 -
saves money in servicing, but it's always more expensive to buy the parts than a full bike... much the same that you could buy all the parts to build a ford mondeo, but it'd cost more than an aston martin :laugh:0
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I wish I had the knowledge to build from scratch mate; it would save me a lot of money!
Some bike shops / colleges have courses. To do the basics is actually quite easy so long as you follow the instructions, take it slowly and use the right tools. I used to bleed my own disc brakes but one time I had pressurised the brake and could not work out why it wasn't bleeding when I opened the bleed valve. After much head scratching I realised I'd pressurised the BACK brake but was working on the FRONT. :laugh: Now I send them back to Hope as it's cheaper and easier than me doing it.0 -
i H A T E disc brakes0
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i H A T E disc brakes
Disc brakes are fine, as long as they're set up and adjusted properly!
Rim brakes can be just as much of a nightmare if they aren't set up properly!
Does it come down to a bad workman blaming his tools :laugh: :grumble:0 -
they're more of a nuisance in races though, if you're not rich enough to have exchange bikes, and instead have to pit and swap wheels for muddier courses - the tolerance of slotting a disk between the pads at race-pace is an awful lot more faffy than dropping a wheel between a pair of frog-leg canti's.
Of course, you may have less need to actually swap wheels with the disks, but it's a swings and roundabouts thing. I reckon if I was on a pro-team and had 2 bikes to swap between, and the mechanics took care of washing the bike between swaps, i'd go disk...0
