2014 Boardman CX Team… Does it do what it says on the tin?

Hi there, I’ve been riding
Hi there, I’ve been riding the 2014 CX Team since it came out.

I’ve put 28mm Gatorskin Hardshells on mine and got around the front mudguard issue by using Elite Bottle Cage mounts on the forks, just above the front brake mount, to provide a mounting point for the mudguard stays. I also wrapped a zip tie around it to make it doubly secure. No issues so far.

(http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_163286_langId_-1_categoryId_273925)

I’ve had two of these bikes now, the first one had the cracked seatpost cluster and to be honest, the front mech action was incredibly stiff, changing back down gear was horrible due to the tension that seemed to be in the cable/mech.

In complete contrast, the first time I changed gear on the second bike I thought Halfords hadn’t fastened the cable. The front mech was completely different and had no weight behind the shift at all.

My front brake, BB5-R, has a strange thing going on, in that it grumbles/gurgles or possibly rumbles when braking and almost coming to a stand still. Halfords have had it in but can’t identify what the noise is. It doesn’t detract from braking, but it’s not confidence inspiring.

I find the frame sizing to be not right for me, Medium was too small, but Large feels too large, even though I have the bike set up as close as I can to my road bike, there’s something just not right, but I can’t put my finger on it.

The bottom bracket is now clicking, but this seems to be inherent with the BB30/PF30 bottom bracket. Again Halfords have had the bike in and replaced a “faulty” bearing, but the clicking is still there. I need to take a look at this myself as the bearing that they replaced feels fine to me.

I’m not sure what would make the wheels “truly crap”, they’re definitely not light, but they’re solid.

Planned upgrades… Possibly get rid of the BB5 brakes, maybe a carbon seatpost as I find the ride very harsh and my saddle is as far forward as it will go with the massive amount of set back, probably will upgrade the FD to a SRAM one to make it match, but honestly, so far, nothing is causing me problems…. Except for those bl**dy interrupter brake levers and trying to get my lights mounted… In fact that might be my first change!

I’ve had mine for 18 months,
I’ve had mine for 18 months, and I’ve only just really started tinkering with it. after wearing out the original tyres I’ve put 32mm Gatorskins on it and it’s miles faster. Not as fast as my road bike, but it’s definitely very quick.

I swapped out the Microshift front mech, which wasn’t very good, for a 10 speed Sram Force one. It wasn’t exactly urgent, but I’m glad I did it. I think it was £30 from my LBS. I’ve also changed the brakes to Hayes CX because I found it too hard adjust the BB5s that came on it. Again, that was after well over a year and I wouldn’t rush to do either.

The wheels aren’t great, but they’re very tough, so they do the job for me through the winter in Glasgow. I’m toying with something new for the summer and for CX racing in the autumn though.

I would also suggest you don’t let Halfords within a million miles of building the thing. They did almost everything wrong on mine, and it’s taken a good few trips to the bike shop to unpick all the damage and get it working like it should. Paying someone who knows what they are doing it put it together will save you a lot of hassle down the line.