UKC

Hadn't seen this mentioned on here previously: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/04/boardman-bikes-halford-acqu...

I understand that Boardman bikes are (or have been in the past) generally well regarded, while Halfords is...well, not. Which was a bit of a problem for folk in the UK wanting a Boardman bike since you could only buy them from Halfords. ISTR at least one poster on here who refused to let Halfords build up the Boardman bike they had bought from them, preferring to do it themselves.

Anyone got any thoughts about the acquisition?

In reply to Martin W:

Once Halford's accountants get in there it will downhill all the way

In reply to Martin W: There was comment from Boardman himself a few weeks ago on it.

It's not really much of a change - the performance range is available through Halfords and the elite range is available through independent bike shops as it has been for the last few years.

The main thing seems to be Boardman trying to make some money of the brand and get himself out of a lot of the administrative faff. He's still acting in a technical role so I doubt huge changes to the nature of the bikes will become evident, at least in the short term.

In reply to woolsack:

"Once Halford's accountants get in there it will downhill all the way"

I doubt it, Halfords don't sell a Downhill bike worthy of the name; their bounciest bike only has about 5" of travel!

In reply to woolsack:

Downhill on a bike is good right?

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

No where near as good as uphill!

In reply to Martin W:

doesnt bother me at all, Id never buy a proper bike from halfords anyway, ok for kids but thats about it. Id rather buy a second hand one if I was on a tight budget.

In reply to Martin W:


I'd have no problem buying from halfords. The Carrera range are usually good for the money, and the guys at the branch near where I work are knowledgeable. I suspect you can get poor service at some branches but as long as you know enough to check the set-up you should be ok.

In reply to Martin W:


I dont see it making much difference. They have been closely linked since Boardmans launch.
Its a useful brand for Halfords so cant see them screwing it up although I guess incompetence could let it happen.

In reply to Martin W:

I guess it's just like the other big bike shops have their house brands - Evans, Pinnacle; Wiggle - whatdayacallit?; Chain Reaction - Vitus, Decathlon - B'Twin and so on. It seems they are often the best value for money because of bulk buying and some cutting out the middle-man.

In reply to Martin W:

I have noticed Halfords going more and more for specialising their bike offer rather than other stuff, and that can't be a bad thing. Let's face it, we do spend a hell of a lot over the odds for a lot of our kit.

And another word of praise, I did the Deloittes Ride Across Britain last year, and their support team were absolutely excellent. OK, they were probably hand-picked, but they did the firm no harm at all. If that is an example of what they CAN provide, then some of the self-righteous know-it-all that I have come across in my LBS need to take heed.

Just my tuppence worth..

In reply to ow arm:


hmm, not really. I grant you that their bottom-range stuff is only a step above what you might buy in Tesco, but the Boardman range are very well respected. Press reviews consistently recognise them as amongst the best in class - a view further endorsed by users (myself included). As others have said, the Carrera range also represent very good value - they're currently selling a basic Carrera road bike for £240. It's a heavy old beast with old tech, but for a lot of people it could make the difference between getting into cycling or not.

In reply to FrankBooth: They also do the Voodoo mountain bikes which I believe have been fairly well reviewed.

In reply to Martin W:

Some Voodoo bikes are excellent.

In reply to FrankBooth:

Love the new SLS. I quite like the idea of racing a Boardman bike over here.

E