Can The Boardman CX Comp Road Bike Really Handle Every Terrain With Ease?
The Boardman CX Comp Bike is an interesting prospect for riders that do not like to limit themselves to one terrain because it has a great specification and the designers claim it is incredibly versatile.
Among the numerous components that highlight its potential for mountain biking and road cycling are the STI Gear Shifters, FSA Velo Compact 50/34t Chainset and Boardman’s signature E4P finishing kit Shimano Sora.
Boardman tease prospective buyers with this statement: “On-road, Off-road, Touring, Road Riding… it’s your choice”. This is an attractive idea but have buyers found it to be true?
What advantages have buyers experienced when testing out this Boardman CX Comp Bike and it is as versatile as expected?
As the product description suggests, this road bike is a bit of hybrid that can handle a few different situations instead of having one specialisation and buyers are quick to mention the way that it adapts to different terrains.
Some say that its components and performance give it a slight edge as an off-road bike rather than a road bike because of its handling; however, there are plenty of desirable elements of a road bike in the mix too.
The frame is light at approximately 11.5kg, buyers are happy with the inclusion of the 18 Speed Shimano Sora gearing because of the versatility it brings and even though it is not quite as fast as a full-blooded road bike, it is close enough.
In addition to these great hybrid features, there are positive comments about more basic elements to the bike such as the handling, the toughness.
Which is essential when sending this frame speeding over bumps and holes – and the comfort, although there is one feature that goes against this idea.
What disadvantages have riders reported in their reviews of this Boardman CX Road Bike and why is the comfort one of them?
The bike may be comfortable in terms of suspension and the ease of riding but the saddle could do with an upgrade, as could the Schwalbe Tyrago Kevlar Guard 700c Tyres and Tektro Lyra Mechanical Disc Brakes according to some buyers.
Neither of these two features are particularly bad in their performance, it is just case of personal preferences and wanting to make the bike the best it can be.
These seem to be the general vibe of the negative reviews for this Chris Boardman bike, there are a lot of suggestions for minor changes and improvements but nothing that damages the performance of the bike too much.
Additional examples are the way that the rear mech hangs very low, meaning it catches on grass and vegetation a bit, and the fact that the frame scratches a bit too easily, which is a shame when the paint job has been given such high praise.
Summary: is this Boardman CX Comp Hybrid Bike easily recommended?
There are some parts that buyers are upgrading, notably the tyres and saddles, and there are some areas where it does not quite compare to a high-end mountain bike or road bike but it generally seems to its job very well and can be easily recommended to buyers that want a nice mix of features.
Essentially, this Boardman road bike manages to combine the speed of a road bike and ruggedness of a mountain bike to form a hybrid model that can handle all the terrains promised in the sales pitches and do so with comfort, style and a great performance.
You can check out more customer reviews about the Boardman CX Comp Bike at Halfords here.
Leave a Reply