[JLammy]

I’m currently looking to purchase a £1000 bike on Cycle2Work, and have filtered the list down to these two.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Cannondale/Synapse-Carbon-Tiagra-Road-Bike-2017/9G7A

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-slr-8-9c-road-bike-grey

The benefits of going with the Boardman at Halfords is that I’ll get £75 of free accessories (offer on their website), plus another £75 of free accessories form the Cycle2Work voucher.

Topic

[bendertherobot]

As a long time Supersix owner

As a long time Supersix owner, I got the Boardman.

Frame is lovely and arguably slightly more comfortable than my 2015 Cannondale. Appears as stiff. Very nice paintwork etc. 

Spec wise, I’d take a Tiagra chainset over an FSA one any day of the week. Brakes? The Boardman ones are not great, but with change of blocks much better. They will get changed in due course.

Stock wheels, ok actually, about Fulcrum 7 level and better than the Dale stock ones.

Seat post, mine sticks well. It’s also a fabulous looking thing, mine is the red one.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FhuJDrBdnL8oEjzb9

Swapped out the tyres for Conti GP4000’s now also.

Drawbacks? Wheels one of the harder ones to get tyres on. Advertised as taking 28c, that’s very very tight. If you develop a buckle mid ride or have really large fitting 28’s forget it. Mudguards a definite no go with 28 and hard to get on with 25’s too. Not that I plan on fitting them.

At a stock level it is, IMO, a very very good bike indeed.

[JLammy]

Thanks both. The Synapse is

Thanks both. The Synapse is now on order! 

My biggest problem with both of these is that I’m really used to disc brakes, and haven’t used rim brakes since I was a little kid on a bike! Not sure how I’ll like it… 

[Chris Hayes]

Synapse.  It doesn’t have

Synapse.  It doesn’t have Halfords plastered across it.   You could always upgrade the  components as they wear.  Love Chris Boardman, by the way, just don’t like the low-end. / high-end bike strategy it devalues the brand to the point that all resales values are very low.  Cannondale, on the other hand,  is a solid brand IMO….and the Synapse has a great rep.

[FlyingPenguin]

I can’t speak for the

I can’t speak for the Cannondale, but I have the Boardman SLR 8.9c.

In short, it’s a very nice bike, responsive, stable and pretty comfortable.  Just, for the love of all that is good, order it from Cycle Republic (Halford’s bike shops) rather than from an actual Halfords.

I did replace the brakes with Shimano BR-451s and SwissStop pads in the first week which gave a noticeable improvement in stopping power, but other than that I see no reason to complain.

[Author]

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