Boardman ADV 8.8 as a touring/randonneuring/club bike?

[bludger]

After considering my price point and specification I came up with https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/2145-adv-8.8.html, which will set me back £675 after applying my BC discount.



I wanted under a grand (which this is, very nicely), room for wide tyres, mudguards and racks, but with enough sportiness to let me keep up with leisurely club riding without huffing and puffing too much. A bit of off/bad road capability is a nice to have. I also wanted mechanical discs from the ease of maintenance (especially if there's an accident in Tora Bora scenario) and stopping power in the rain standpoints. It's a shame that it's Sora and not tiagra (which I would be happy to spend a few £100 to improve on) but hey how it has to be better than my claris/tektro/fsa mashup.

Unfortunately independent reviews are a bit thin on the ground. I am a little concerned about tyre size (would 38mm be a hindrance on Audax even when fully inflated? I've no idea. Obviously a sizing down to 32/28 is doable). I've read people saying they're 'knackered' after riding these kinds of bikes around for more than a few hours. I've got a 30 minute test ride booked on Friday but insights from anyone whose had a crack with bikes comparable to this one would be greatly appreciated 🙏 🙏

I will be moving from a cheaper claris roadie, which is just eating too many cables and generally letting itself down a lot. The gearing difference is a bit eyebrow raising but I don't think it will make much material odds.

I can see they were weighed up as an option on this board in June but didn't really get discussed much https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=108468.msg2297829#msg2297829

[Torslanda]

As long as it is assembled correctly and well maintained you won't go far wrong.

Specifically the quality of Boardman wheels can be hit and miss. If I was buying that for longevity & all weather use I'd give it a couple of rides and strip the wheel bearings. Where appropriate also remove all the fasteners and refit with anti-sieze. Just the usual stuff.

[bludger]

Yes I found that in my last (far cheaper) Boardman bike which I got from Halfrauds. The rear wheel snapped two spokes and I replaced them with an old 105 hubbed ambrosio wheels from the dad's she'd instead. Thanks for the tips on the wheels re bearings etc. I am also conservatively weighing up doing the full fat festive on it (big wide grippy tyres and discs will help on that front!). I think the quality of the assembly will be pretty good owing to it coming from a central London Cycle Republic but will definitely part-disassemble and inspect the thing if I do go through with the purchase.

[andyoxon]

Interestingly decathlon have a new Triban range  https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes#product_8554421

The RC520 is 105 spec, for £729, & RC500 - Sora R3000 for £529.  Max clearance for 36mm tyres, so poss slightly lower than the Adv8.8

[mzjo]

Interestingly decathlon have a new Triban range  https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes#product_8554421

The RC520 is 105 spec, for £729, & RC500 - Sora R3000 for £529.  Max clearance for 38mm tyres, so poss slightly lower than the Adv8.8

Interesting that these bikes are not marketed in France. Instead we have two disc models starting at 900€ for a Sora equipped model with flatmount Shimano discs and through axles. The frame is the "Ultra" version "for endurance riding" but the bike is UCI approved (unlike the english models) so we can all be real racers! Funnily enough when you find the geometry charts they are all in english! I haven't looked to see if there are rack and guard bosses, I would doubt it! 

[Wobbly John]

Interestingly decathlon have a new Triban range  https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes#product_8554421

The RC520 is 105 spec, for £729, & RC500 - Sora R3000 for £529.  Max clearance for 38mm tyres, so poss slightly lower than the Adv8.8

I had a look at those last week - the 520 has hydraulic disc brakes too. Both have lowrider rack mounts on the carbon forks!

They got the 500 out for me to try. It felt a bit heavier than I expected. 

[Bolt]

As much as I favour wide tyres, I would say that 32mm offer the best compromise between comfort and performance for audax on a nominally compliant frame.

[fuaran]

Interestingly decathlon have a new Triban range  https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes#product_8554421

The RC520 is 105 spec, for £729, & RC500 - Sora R3000 for £529.  Max clearance for 38mm tyres, so poss slightly lower than the Adv8.8

I had a look at those last week - the 520 has hydraulic disc brakes too. Both have lowrider rack mounts on the carbon forks!

They got the 500 out for me to try. It felt a bit heavier than I expected. 

It has TRP HyRd brakes, so only semi-hydraulic. Full hydraulics would be great, but seems full hydraulic brakes/STIs are still quite expensive and rare.
Anyway, looks rather good value for the spec. Should be a decent option for a fastish road/audax/commuter bike. I might buy one.

[Paul H]

I've read people saying they're 'knackered' after riding these kinds of bikes around for more than a few hours.

Made me laugh - most people are knackered after riding any bike around for a few hours.  Do they say what would make this one more so? Weight looks OK, lighter than any of my bikes, components and geometry look pretty standard, so what's left? Tyres maybe? Easily changed if that's all it is.  If I get knackered riding a bike around it's usually because that was the intention.
Enjoy your test ride.

[andyoxon]

More info on the Boardman adv8.8 here... https://road.cc/content/review/243904-boardman-adv-88
Re. the decathlon bikes, I was told the 105 RC520 is 10.2kg, and the Sora RC500 10.4kg (medium frame).  The Adv8.8 similar at 10.6kg.
Actually the RC520 & RC500 seem to have max 36mm tyre clearance - not sure if this is with mudguards.

[grapefruits]

Interestingly decathlon have a new Triban range  https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes#product_8554421

The RC520 is 105 spec, for £729, & RC500 - Sora R3000 for £529.  Max clearance for 36mm tyres, so poss slightly lower than the Adv8.8

I bought an RC520 back in October when they were released. Got lucky and got one of the rare "Adept+" branded ones, which was what they were gonna be called before the RC520. Anyway. Fantastic bike. Done a couple of 200km rides on it already. Comfier than my other bike (also a Decathlon special, a full-105 B'Twin Ultra AF 700). It's heavier but doesn't seem to make me slower? Whacked mudguards on (£17 from Wiggle, need to fashion mudflaps), also added 32mm 4 Seasons to fully winter-ify it. It will now be my winter / audax / touring rig. Really chuffed with it.

[bludger]

I just did a test ride of the Boardman. The ride was very comfortable indeed and there's a lot to like. However I really struggled to reach the brake levers while on the drops owing to the flared handlebars. This doesn't sit well with me at all - on the drops I'm there primarily to get extra oomph on the levers and it just didn't feel comfortable at all, and over 300km these small problems add up. Chatting to the guys this can't be adjusted; the levers are where they are.

Ah well.

[grams]

What? Modern Shimano levers have a little screw under the top of the hood that lets you push the lever inwards to make it easier to reach from the drops.

Also, replacing the bars on a bike you otherwise like is trivial.

Someone didn’t want to make a sale.

[bludger]

The levers were Sora if it makes any odds 

It wasn't just the brake reach if that's what you're alluding to - the actual angle of the lever relative to the handlebar itself is a bit off for me. That's the bit I wasn't happy about.

Bizarre. Otherwise it's a fun bike I'd recommend giving it a look in if you think it might hit your spec. The big wide tyres are seriously magic carpet comfy.

Currently eyeing up https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-725-shimano-tiagra/ as it still hits my sub grand price bracket (I'm going to just pretend I don't know the shipping will cross the line).

[grams]

The levers were Sora if it makes any odds 

The old chunky Soras from a few years back didn't have proper adjustment but the new skinny R3000 ones do (which are what's shown on the Boardman page photos).

[kyuss]

Actually the RC520 & RC500 seem to have max 36mm tyre clearance - not sure if this is with mudguards.

My local Decathlon has one set up with their 38mm semi-knobbly trekking tyres on it. Maybe 3 or 4mm clearance either side at the chainstays but bags of room at the seatstays. Whether you could squeeze 36's and guards in would depend on the tyre and guard I guess.