GT Grade Carbon 105 (heart) VS Boardman CX Team (head)

This was another n+1 and I looked at them in 2015/16 and made the wrong choice going Specializes Diverge Claris.

I was looking at the Cannondale Slate with the lefty fork for a bit of gravelling but sense prevailed. I now have a best bike (Carbon, 105, rim brakes) and will buy nobbly tyres for the Specialized and use as a Gravel/Tourer. Hoping the GT sits nice in the middle so that on that summer day where it's raining (hmmm) I can leave the best bike in the shed and not feel the GT is slowing me down too much

Isn't the 2017 carbon on at 1098

Pressed the button this morning on the GT Grade AL 2017 after sitting on the 2018 at the bike show. My current winter bike will have nobbly tyres and a rack now to get me thru the worst days.

Hydraulic brakes and 105 for £762 at Whinstanley Bikes is just ridiculous value. For me, this was the best way to get close to my summer bike for wet days and then still have a commute / winter bike (my current winter bike). Delivery Thursday, will update Friday. Oh and yep, I've took a gamble on the paintwork but know a guy

Carbon bike might be overkill for commute- will others bash it when adding their bikes to the rack? The gear range of the 1x is identical to the 2x but has bigger jumps between the sprockets. Boardman has full hydraulic brakes vs Hy/Rd for alu GT. Boardman has smaller stack/reach than GT. With slick tyres either should be fine for group road riding. Get test rides- GT should be easy to rest. Halfords are less keen for you to test ride them, but you might get lucky.

Whichever you will want to ride on a rainy January morning - either the boardman because it's less precious or the gt because you love it

There's a massive price difference between the two and mostly down to the carbon frame which you don't need. The Boardman is sensational value and has the advantage of being able to fit wider tyres than the GT. The SRAM Rival 1X is awesome stuff, and with proper hydraulic brakes. 

With the money saved you could buy a decent second set of wheels complete with tyres, discs and cassette - one for the off-road days and one for the days when you want to go faster just on the road.  Boardman is my pick (and I say this being the owner of a 2016 GT Grade alloy X).

I've got a 2015 Grade Ultegra which I'm really very happy with. I've used it a lot and it's an incredibly flexible bike that would certainly tick your boxes quite nicely.

My thoughts would be:

1) In terms of the Grade's comfort, I'd probably not get too hung up on this. Most reviewers are rating it relative to road bikes. Compared to a mountain bike it's going to feel very direct/bumpy. There are things that can help with this, e.g . mine's got a Redshift stem and and Thudbuster LT seat post which make a big difference, but out of the box both are going to be lively rides, particularly off-road  

2) You don't mention, but if where you ride is prone to sticky claggy mud, the Grade is a bit old skool and doesn't have a huge amount of mud clearance. In the winter a 33C is about the limit I can run if I don't want to spend way too much either digging mud out or hike a biking, the Boardman ships with a 35c, so might be better in the respect.

3) The Boardman's not tubeless ready,  that might be a deal breaker depending on the amount of brambles/hawthorns etc where you intend to ride. I think you could fix this fairly easily and still be under the price of the GT, but obviously that'd be more hassle. 

fwiw, I'd go with the Grade

I've got the 105 AL and it's ideal for commuting. I personally wouldn't go for the carbon version if that's going to be its main purpose. For the sake of an extra kilo or so you're going to save £800 and not care so much as your lovely new bike becomes as dirty as hell within a month.

Go rogue

As someone's said, heart wins every time it really matters. If you've got a bike that you still want to ride when it cold, dark and chucking it down, and the Grade is winking at you, you know what to do. 

I had the carbon 105 for a couple of years, only sold it as it was slightly too heavy, a bit high at the front and  and too slow steering for a true road bike on a fast club run (with me riding...) don't take those things as criticism though. I also rarely went off road. Brilliant descender especially in the wet on sketchy roads.  A true gent of a machine with full mudguards, wider tyres and a lovely ride quality - it replaced quite a high end Ti Van Nicholas and I didn't regret it at all. Great bike. Don't know anything about the boardman. 

Interesting one; I have both bikes, and they are both really good for the price. The gt is just that bit more special, but the Boardman is a proper workhorse. The boardman does suffer a bit in terms of heavy wheels and slightly weird gearing given its intended purpose, but oddly enough the gearing makes more sense if you put commuter tires on and use it as a all rounder.

Hi. I bought the Grade 105 carbon and loved it. I then bought the AL claris version for a bargain £300 and loved it more.

I was a little worried about throwing a £1600 carbon frame around the countryside as I couldn't afford to replace it. No such worries with the AL version. I subsequently sold the carbon and still have the AL- I've done 7000 happy miles including daily commuting all year-round, canal pootles with the wife, off-road adventures and straight up road-rides. 

If I was you I'd look at the current AL range- 105 is £862 on Wiggle- within your price range and a cracking bike. If you really want carbon then the Tiagra version is just over a grand, but personally I wouldn't bother for what you want to use it for.

(I do have a carbon framed bike, but it doesn't get taken anywhere near tree roots, mud or puddles- done about 100 miles this year!)

EDIT- spelling.

Heart every time, the decisions i made with the heart always made me happier.

Is it more than you can afford to spend? Or just more than you think you should spend?

I have a carbon grade 105, I use it as a commuter and on club runs and audaxes in the wet weather. Love it would give up my other bikes before i gave thr grade up. They are slightly better in dry weather but the grade is far better in the wet.

I did have ideas of using it for CX too, but I'm just too lazy to keep removing and refitting the mudguards.

I did swap the chainset with my summer bike puuting the 36 on the bike likely to go faster and the 34 on the one used in the wet.

It always costs more in the long run to buy the cheaper bike first the replacing it with something better 18 months down the line.

Heart.

If the GT makes getting out of bed that little bit easier and the commute to work that little bit more exciting, then it's a no-brainer.

The Boardman is fantastic value and it will be familiar territory with the 1x and knobbly tyres - it could do with component upgrades in the future though. The gearing is also most suited to CX.

The GT looks awesome and the 32 tyres can be set up tubeless anyway. Admittedly the 52/36 chainrings are an odd choice for the type of bike. I have 52/36 on my road bike and I've never span out a 52/11 gear. I'd try looking to swap the 52/36 for 50/34 facebook pages are good for this, as is this forum! (That said, you shouldn't have a problem at the low with the 34/32 gear combo).

I wouldn't be too worried about carbon frame for commuting - I've just bought myself a Whyte Wessex. Admittedly it means I need to take more care when locking it up, moving it about etc, but it's a much nicer bike than what I have been on.

Go with your heart and get the bike insured whatever you do!