CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Boardman CX Comp

(16 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by custard
  • Latest reply from toomanybikes

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  1. custard
    Member

    So the new bike is a Boardman CX comp
    http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_992074_langId_-1_categoryId_165710
    I like it
    Did 3 days commute on it (18-20 miles a day)
    Noticed the headset was sounding a bit gritty
    So gave it a good wash and stripped down the headset
    this is what I found

    not a lick of grease

    So after addressing that,I removed(with great difficulty!) the BB

    Whilst it had some grease,its nowhere near as much as I would put on a BB
    Also the BB doesnt feel particularly smooth for a new unit.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. wingpig
    Member

    "Also the BB doesnt feel particularly smooth for a new unit."

    I replaced a BB a year or so ago when mine started exhibiting play, handily during an EBC discount period. When the unit I reserved and collected felt a bit glaggy I tried every other equivalent they had in stock but none could spin as freely as the knackered one on the bike, so I assume all equiv-tech cheapish BBs are like that, until the resistance is ridden out of them.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. custard
    Member

    Yeah I suppose. One upside of the basic taper BB is its cheap and easy to replace
    The headset with no grease is another matter.
    Thinks its worth tweeting the pic to Boardman/Halfords?
    I have rectified it myself so its not like Im looking for them to fix it

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. allebong
    Member

    On a new bike, I'm often worried about bearings spinning too easily, as that's usually a sign there's either poor sealing, no grease, loose preload or if you're very lucky all 3 at once. Bearings with rubber contact seals and packed with grease should be somewhat stiff to turn by hand even with the right preload. Roughness, binding or grinding is a completely different matter. As long as it's smooth it's fine, even if it doesn't seem to spin 'freely', as feeling the raw spindle isn't all that helpful for determining what it'll be like under load while pedalling. Seriously damaged BBs should let you know they're suffering by emitting all manner of creaks and groans anyway so I wouldn't worry about it.

    That headset on the other hand is totally unacceptable. From my experiences with Decathlon I think most bikes from shops like Halfords will come with some vestigal amount of grease that will prevent absolutely immediate destruction of the bearings but no more. Having literally none at all is a new low, in fact it's most likely a complete oversight, rather than any sort of penny-pinching.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. HankChief
    Member

    My Boardman CX Comp's BB lasted about 1,000 miles.

    Pretty poor really given the price of the bike...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. Snowy
    Member

    I think it's worth tweeting the pic to Boardman.

    Halfords won't be bothered either way.

    Earlier this year, the BB30 on my Boardman MTB lasted 3 months from new before disintegrating. After the BB30 replacement, the bike came back with two cracked chainring bolts. Work that one out.

    I got the impression the guys in the store did their 'best'.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. zesty
    Member

    That's what happens if you get Halfrauds to build the bike for you. They are notorious for things like this.

    Never buy anything bike related from them!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'd drop Halfords a quick email or letter to complain. There might be some vouchers in it for you to buy your facour. At least to cover the cost of a tube of grease!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. custard
    Member

    Yup,You're right kaputnik
    Had no response on Twitter,So i fired an email in

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. custard
    Member

    disappointing,no reply from Halfords yet

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. skotl
    Member

    As with any topic, there are always people who understand what they're doing and care about their work and those who don't (of course, there are also people who know what they're doing, but don't care!).

    I'm active on a totally unrelated forum and there's a young chap on there who is a bit of a mechanical genius. He's a physics teacher in his day job, works on the the things that we cover in the other forum and, during the school holidays, he works part time at Halfords Hermiston Gait, in the bike dept.

    The guy is completely passionate about what he does and we always throw bike related queries his way on the other forum.

    So, I'm not disagreeing with some of the points made above but I'd suggest that the issue with places like Halfords (and Decathlon? but I have no first hand experience) is a lack of consistency and quality control. You might get get a great guy but, on balance, you're more likely not to.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. custard
    Member

    I wonder if your Hermiston Gait guy is the guy who built a replacement wheel for the Boardman Hybrid
    still going strong!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. skotl
    Member

    Here's hoping :D

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. custard
    Member

    got a survey email from Halfords over the weekend
    So i filled that in indicating I had no response from Halfords CS
    Got an email today with regards to my complaint
    simply that it was passed to the store/sector manager with regards to the PDI (no response to the individual points)
    except to dispute my opinion(which i put as my opinion) that the BB was lacking in grease

    No mention of recompense

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. toomanybikes
    Member


    https://imgur.com/a/TzUpcvj

    Slightly more worn set of ball bearings from the bottom of an older CX comp.

    Good to see the top photo and be re-assured they should look the same...

    Cleaned the worn one up but lost ball bearings in the process. Think it definitely needed replacing anyway..

    Posted 4 years ago #

  16. toomanybikes
    Member

    based pretty much entirely on counting ball bearings, I've ordered this as a replacement, hoping that's correct...

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293578502459

    Posted 4 years ago #

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