I would definitely pick a bike with 105 group set ! Bought Scot addict in 2020 with 105 , carbon frame and weighs 8 kg , reduced to £1250 from £1600 , same bike now with disc brakes is £2200 ! Crazy prices for bikes now !
Its just lying to you and you all buy into it and get robbed by the retailer. They've been lying to you for 20 years and now they don't know what to do cause nothing makes any sense now.
A few years ago , £399 bikes had a Claris group set ! Bike manufacturers are milking the Covid situation , limiting supply and upping prices by 30% across the board !
I actually got the Boardman 8.9 for £900 earlier this year as the price hasn't increased yet ( January) and had Halfords student discount. So I guess I got lucky : )
@@Gordon_Chen I appreciate that the price under £1000 for a long time but it is £1100 right now and when the video was taken. Not everyone gets a Student discount either.
Nice to see a review at this price point. Yet unsurprisingly the most expensive won. Whilst I agree with most of what you've said, I have to disagree with the winning choice. In my eyes the Genesis should've won as it's simply the more capable all rounder. Ride it to the mountain, have fun while you're there, then ride home. Although I am biased, yes I'm a Genesis owner 😊. But on the whole a good review 👍.
I'm glad that during my vast life experience in most respects of road bikes that i can appreciate the advance in bike technology especially in what we have today in 2024..,im 57 yrs old & been riding all manner of bikes since i was a little kid, started on a three wheel trike thing which was red and yellow when I was 3 maybe 4 yrs old then went on to a chrome Red Line Inc, layed back seat, blue mag wheels bmx bike that I had from agev7/8 to the grand old age of 13 where i got into road bikes & built my very first 12 speed race bike that I was very proud of.., i lived in Herne Hill at that time so had what was know as Herne Hill Stadium which was our cycling track where i gained my bronze, silver & gold in heated track events & achieved many memories alongside a had full of medals in my youth cycling endeavours..,i can't remember all the spec on my very fist road bike but i know it was 12 speed, Suntour gears, Reynolds 501 cro-mo alloy full frame set & Mavic aluminium 19mm i think rims fitted with tubeless tires that you actually had to stick onto the rim & wait at least half a day for the glue to dry as the tire & tube was a all in one system...,fast forward to the here & now in 2024, I'm in my prime with abit more spare cash to mess about with my hobby & in my vast biking experience & knowledge that i have gained in over 50+ years in riding road bike's i have built my own & in my opinion a top shelve superbike that suits me more than fine..,Merida Reacto 4000 disc 2020 full carbon frameset that i was lucky enough to aquire at the same time a 440mm CW carbon aero handle bar, & a 380mm aero carbon seat post., my groupset of choice is Shimano's Ultegra's 8020 11 speed full hydraulic disc groupset & my rims are by Prime, 50mm carbon rims the Black Edition set with Tpu tubes wrapped up in 28mm Continental Gp5000s black chilli compound race tires., Ultegra clipless peddles & last but not least Specialized S-Works 3D printed carbon Romin ll saddle & two carbon bottle cages which in total brings my bike weight in at 7.365kg..., i did say that im just gone past my mid 50's didn't i.., i love cake & Custard & all things sweet & weigh in at just over 98kg ( 15st 9.1 lbs ) so forgive me my indulgences as like i said I just really & truly so love cake...,ohh yeah I'm 6ft 1 & my bike frame is 56 cm.., 👍🏾
25:34 You’ll notice the factory put the tyres on in the wrong direction, exactly the same as my bike! But I do love it, cannot fault the 105 and who’s going to take any bike out in hours of pouring rain to worry about the efficiency of rim brakes which as you proved were better than mechanical discs.
I got a Giant Propel SLR Advance with Ultegra components for 1000 pounds the other day. It’s just four years old. After another 100 to put some new GP5000s on it, it’s like a new bike
I just got one of these Boardmans, upgraded it with a set of decent 50mm carbon wheels and a stiffer chainring. Amazing bargain for still well under 2k.
I was debating whether to get the giant or boardman last year. So glad I went with the boardman, I love it and glad to see it's your top pick too. Got some Hunt wheels on order as an upgrade too which will make a difference.
@@nborland thanks for reply i was also looking into it i had it for almost a year its been brilliant just the wheels i just need to upgrade! Thank u again
I was wondering what were the speed difference from your average rides and descent before and after the wheel upgrades because I was going to get the vision 35s on my Boardman before I got into a crash a few months ago. So I couldn't test it out myself. Thanks
I feel like you only need disc brakes if you're riding in bad weather. Disc breaks can also heat up if you're riding them a lot on a long downhill road and they can stop working as well until they cool down. Rim breaks though, nope.
@@TheCatnipCinema I disagree with you on disc brakes - I've used them for over 10 years on my mountain bike and they stop on a sixpence. They could make the difference in stopping in traffic with a road bike. Also on club runs on my road bike, with rim brakes, everyone with discs got to the bottom of the hills in the Peak District before me, because I had to start braking long before them. I've also been down long downhill runs with disc brakes and they didn't overheat. Also, as you say, they are better in wet weather.
Only problem with claris is when you do want to upgrade the wheels it's really hard finding a decent pair of 8 speed wheels. Not sure why bike manufacturers are offering disks on bikes which have such poor performance doesn't make sense.
The Giant Contend AR2 is available from some websites for £999. I'm not sure of all the differences to the AR4 but mainly composite seatpost, tubeless tyres and tiagra groupset.
Very good reviews, really appreciate the level of detail you went down to, which most reviews don’t. Just one thing missing, nothing said about the hubs on any of the bikes.
I've got a Scott speedster disc 10 last year and upgraded many parts to my fit and comfort. The boardman would be the type of bike I go with, because a baseline of carbon frame and 105 is an amazing choice for that price and weight
Their TRP Spyre brakes are AWESOME. The dual piston configuration performs almost as well as hydros, and there's no horrendous squealing noise like so many of the single-piston models.
For content, can you do a tool comparison from budget Amazon/eBay style torque wrench vs. the likes of the mid-range vs. Park Tools please? Reason why I ask is because, I recently thought of servicing my bike myself, so the obvious thing was to first buy a torque wrench but there are like too much choices out there. You have the bike specific brands, you have the likeness from the DIY and motor vehicle brands; it just makes choosing the right tool very difficult, especially if I want something VfM, will work, not break and will not break the bank. Granted, Park Tools may be the bees knees but it's not affordable and is designed for the professionals. Any content covering such matter will be useful. Needless to say, it doesn't have to be just torque wrence per se. Thanks.
Giant Contend AR I assume is some sort of line up between the normal road Contend's and their Toughroads so likely a bit stronger and therefore heavier than typical road bikes. As well as Boardman you can get the Carrera range at Halfords and they do a Claris based road bike with mechanical disc brakes for £380 I think, the Carrera Virtuoso. That still seems expensive to me for a Claris road bike as I'm used to such bikes being sub £300 but a sign of the times I suppose. I wouldn't consider paying £1k for a Claris based road bike with mechanical disc brakes. There seems to be a bit of a price jump in the market which my brain wants to resist, It will take me some time to adjust to new pricing.
buy lightly used and get some advice and servicing from someone who knows what their doing, i’ve got a ultegra/dura ace bianchi that cost me well under £1000 all in
I had a boardman hybrid , the chain sheaered off the Teath from the large front cog . I also heard that they had front fork failures also . People riding up hill and having front forked breaking.
What about a top 7 value road bicycle with at least 11-speeds and hydraulic disc brakes. It would have the gear and braking performance of a performance bicycle. The difficulty here is selecting components that would be worth the money. Where is the point of diminishing return? And where would the value tier components be?
Excellent review, thanks. Think I'd rather buy a well looked after low used pre owned mid range carbon version that will have much better groupsets and be significantly lighter with better wheels.
Thank you for this CW team. Please could you tell us which bikes you would also have tested had you been able to get hold of them? (Ie which are the other contenders for this price point, in your valued opinion!)
Hello! There were quite a few - but some of the models we really wanted to test but couldn't were: Specialized Allez Sport (the Allez is the 'first bike' of nearly everyone in the office, and very popular!), Vitus Zenium Tiagra (carbon frame, disc, still cable-actuated but Tektro Spyre which uses dual piston so would have been an interesting comparison), Van Rysel RC520 (£850, Shimano 105 disc!) and the Sonder Colibri Tiagra (we loved the last Sonder we had on test so had high hopes)
@@MichelleArthursBrennan thanks so much for the reply Michelle. I tend to trust Giant, making as they do I think their own frames in their own factory. There’s an idea for a CW article I would love to read - which brands, and manufacturers, make which frames, and where. Invaluable intel. Perhaps some of them would then blacklist you, secret out, don’t know!
Who buys new at this price. a used 2018 model should come in at the same sort of level for many brands and should get you at least 105. Use any change on better pads and tires.
Buying a boardman 8.9 loved this review just made me think I’m making the right decision got a Dolan Alpina preffisio at the moment which I’ve had for a number of years now it’s served me well but time for my first carbon bike
No idea why reviewers insist in including bikes above 1k in these reviews. The reason the £1000 category is so important is because most companies cap cycle to work at that price. “Being worth it” has nothing to do with it.
When I brought my Boardman earlier this year in February. It was retailed for £1000 and I used my student discount so I save a £100. So I got it for £900, it's a really good price for how much it costs me. I did have to make some upgrades to have a better experience like getting a different saddle, brake pads (couldn't stand them so I got a different brand after a few weeks) and stem.
Giant and Merida make most of the bike frames for other bike makes ! They must have put their prices up ! I don’t understand why bike prices have increased so much in the last 18 months .! The manufactures must keep the supply of bikes limited to keep the prices high !
Bikes are getting more expensive every year! I bought a Giant TCR Compact with a 10-speed 105 groupset sans Brakes (Tektro) for CA$1300 back in 2011 and here we are Giant is selling the same material frameset with an 8-speed Claris for around CA$200 more; if you account for inflation. So my 10 year old bike has better groupset, weighs less, and costs less. I wouldn't consider any of these as a 10-year upgrade to my bike. As even the Boardman only adds one extra gear and Carbon frameset to the equation, while it's still wighs more than my 7.8 Kg bike!
Ive got this bike and it does ride reallly well. Would I buy it again? No! Because the bike only accommodates brakes with 57mm drops. Long reach brakes are awful compared to short reach calipers and braking on this bike even with swiss stop pads isn't good at all.
Yeah, but if you hit a pot hole you have to true the rear wheel. Shed loads of potties in my hood, that would get tiring pretty darn quick. All that glitters ain't gold. You kinda need a reliable rear wheel and a crappy front doesn't help either.
@@sandydennylives1392 yeah I have the Boardman and the wheels are total ass I've got a set of DT Swiss wheels waiting to be fitted the rest of the bike is really great for the money.
...I do wonder that myself, even the triban 120Gravel bike which is few hundred less, tyres would need changing though like in most cases ( Decathlon bikes are good. Have a b/twin( old name) . I have given it some stick and its still works fine. A lot of snobbery in this game. I think something like a Triban OR if you want to spend mor something better jump up to around £1,500 + . What did you end up buying?
@@ChristopherClaudioSkierka I ended up getting the RC 500 and it's been a great bike for the price, only issue is the front derailleur either not shifting or then shifting over the cassette going up but that's probably my fault
Mechanical disc brakes are really good - bad braking is mainly down to pads and rotors, once you change that braking power is similar to hydraulic brakes
Guys, for real I got my Btwin Ultra 700 AF full 105 groupset UCI frame, for 1000 eur , just so much better bike than any of those on so many levels, especially weight, just ridiculous and the bike is around 8 years old
Same here. I am super satisfied with my Van Rysel 105 RCR AF from 2019 (believe it's the same as the Btwin 700). Still seems head and shoulders above all the bikes listed here. Wish they'd included the updated Van Rysel EDR 105 AF in the comparison
These bikes demonstrate how far backwards new bikes have gone. Utterly garbage disc brakes and 10.5kg. Crap gears and finish. Try a secondhand Trek 1000 or 1500 or Cannondale CAAD Boardman etc old 105 group: £300 from yesr 05 / 06 add £350 for 1500g Hunt, Scribe or Vincenti wheels and £70 on Conti 5000 tyres will be way under 9kg and so much better . Even if you pay up to £2000 - £3000 the modern disc break bike will be over 8kg. Complicated and costly to maintain- the bike industry has gone bonkers to generate coin !
I thought the same thing, I have been riding over 20 years and I can't believe the price they are charging for this rubbish. You could get better bikes than that for $300 at decathlon back in 2003. (I had one so I know) In 2002 I got myself a custom painted, bespoke aluminium frame with carbon fork and back triangle, with Super light zero aluminium wheels and pazzaz components and Ultegra group set for $1,500. I think it's around or just less than 8kg. The world's gone mad! Oh yeah and my bike was hand made in the U.K. Not China as well.
Same with the mechanics work stand too please. I can't work out which to buy. I'm worried cheap may mean the clamp that holds the bike, over a period of time, might suffer from wear thus, the bike may fall off. Consequently, I am worried about buying something expensive i.e. Park Tools as, would it really be worth for a normal individual like me?
That Boardman only seems like a good deal. By the time you make all the upgrades it needs and deserves, you'll be looking at double to triple that price.
It amazes me that for £1000 you still only get 8-speed! I'd have thought 11sp was probably out of reach but would have expected 10 to be honest. It doesn't make me want to rush out and change my old 9sp steel bike I have to say...
Shame on you CW. CW did no home work for this video. These all look like good bikes but Giant's Contend range consist of all aluminum frames, AR stands for all road, not aluminum, and those models all have disk brakes and better tyre clearance. I normally wouldn't get upset about a simple mistake from a vlogger but Cycling Weekly is a journalism company making money. Even a blogger would preface some of these comments with I "AFAIK" or "ICBR" do better CW people trust you. If you can't be bothered to look up the info about the bikes you are riding then how can you give any one accurate information. For those who have read this far AL frame and carbon fork with a brand model groupset under $1000 is a great value from any reputable brand with a good return policy.
Did she really say she'd never had any issues with creaking bottom brackets? That's what typical bike sales people say before you buy a bike off of them. Then when you come back asking for a fix they say, "this is the first time this has happened, honest guv!".
Surely not if you listen to all this discbrakewashing propaganda... for this price you're far better off buying a 2-3 years old second-hand rim brake bike with Shimano 105 and proper wheels.
What a load of rubbish you all said. You don't even look at the tyre contact patches. You're just lying to us. You've been reported to the authority for trying to mislead us with all these lies.
Cant trust these two clowns. Their job is to promote expensive stuff you dont need. Offcourse cheap bike arnt good, they dont make the manufacturer rich fast enough.
@@MichelleArthursBrennan i have one just under 9kg with full 105 and mavic whells, dont even know how they make profit. i love it; they even have a full dura ace for 3k!!
I would definitely pick a bike with 105 group set ! Bought Scot addict in 2020 with 105 , carbon frame and weighs 8 kg , reduced to £1250 from £1600 , same bike now with disc brakes is £2200 ! Crazy prices for bikes now !
Its just lying to you and you all buy into it and get robbed by the retailer.
They've been lying to you for 20 years and now they don't know what to do cause nothing makes any sense now.
Imagine paying a grand and having a claris groupset
Snob!
I did that with my Red Specialized Diverge E5 gravel bike. It isnt the best but i wanted a red bike so people think its worth four grand
A few years ago , £399 bikes had a Claris group set ! Bike manufacturers are milking the Covid situation , limiting supply and upping prices by 30% across the board !
In 2022, it's pretty standard. Claris is OK; my main issue is the very long shift throws.
@@MaxMax-th7uz i have claris in new bike r2000 £240 :D good old days
This did make me giggle, the best bike under £1000 costs 10% more than £1000.
I actually got the Boardman 8.9 for £900 earlier this year as the price hasn't increased yet ( January) and had Halfords student discount. So I guess I got lucky : )
@@Gordon_Chen I appreciate that the price under £1000 for a long time but it is £1100 right now and when the video was taken. Not everyone gets a Student discount either.
@@Gordon_Chencan be had today for £720!
Nice to see a review at this price point. Yet unsurprisingly the most expensive won. Whilst I agree with most of what you've said, I have to disagree with the winning choice. In my eyes the Genesis should've won as it's simply the more capable all rounder. Ride it to the mountain, have fun while you're there, then ride home. Although I am biased, yes I'm a Genesis owner 😊. But on the whole a good review 👍.
The first 5 minutes of this video is all lies.
None of it is the truth.
A frame made of 2 triangles has no comfort.
I'm glad that during my vast life experience in most respects of road bikes that i can appreciate the advance in bike technology especially in what we have today in 2024..,im 57 yrs old & been riding all manner of bikes since i was a little kid, started on a three wheel trike thing which was red and yellow when I was 3 maybe 4 yrs old then went on to a chrome Red Line Inc, layed back seat, blue mag wheels bmx bike that I had from agev7/8 to the grand old age of 13 where i got into road bikes & built my very first 12 speed race bike that I was very proud of.., i lived in Herne Hill at that time so had what was know as Herne Hill Stadium which was our cycling track where i gained my bronze, silver & gold in heated track events & achieved many memories alongside a had full of medals in my youth cycling endeavours..,i can't remember all the spec on my very fist road bike but i know it was 12 speed, Suntour gears, Reynolds 501 cro-mo alloy full frame set & Mavic aluminium 19mm i think rims fitted with tubeless tires that you actually had to stick onto the rim & wait at least half a day for the glue to dry as the tire & tube was a all in one system...,fast forward to the here & now in 2024, I'm in my prime with abit more spare cash to mess about with my hobby & in my vast biking experience & knowledge that i have gained in over 50+ years in riding road bike's i have built my own & in my opinion a top shelve superbike that suits me more than fine..,Merida Reacto 4000 disc 2020 full carbon frameset that i was lucky enough to aquire at the same time a 440mm CW carbon aero handle bar, & a 380mm aero carbon seat post., my groupset of choice is Shimano's Ultegra's 8020 11 speed full hydraulic disc groupset & my rims are by Prime, 50mm carbon rims the Black Edition set with Tpu tubes wrapped up in 28mm Continental Gp5000s black chilli compound race tires., Ultegra clipless peddles & last but not least Specialized S-Works 3D printed carbon Romin ll saddle & two carbon bottle cages which in total brings my bike weight in at 7.365kg..., i did say that im just gone past my mid 50's didn't i.., i love cake & Custard & all things sweet & weigh in at just over 98kg ( 15st 9.1 lbs ) so forgive me my indulgences as like i said I just really & truly so love cake...,ohh yeah I'm 6ft 1 & my bike frame is 56 cm.., 👍🏾
The Boardman is by far the best of that bunch.
25:34 You’ll notice the factory put the tyres on in the wrong direction, exactly the same as my bike! But I do love it, cannot fault the 105 and who’s going to take any bike out in hours of pouring rain to worry about the efficiency of rim brakes which as you proved were better than mechanical discs.
Perhaps they could start with a quick overview as to what you typically get for the extra cash
I am one of the crazies that go out in the rain... But I'm living in a tropical country so it's not that bad here. Rim brakes seem adequate too.
@@hcw199 You must have far less rain than I do (I also live in the tropics). I'd only go for disc brakes.
@@tonysegadelli9421 No the thunderstorms here can turn the mountain roads into rivers within minutes... Its certainly fun!
I got a Giant Propel SLR Advance with Ultegra components for 1000 pounds the other day. It’s just four years old. After another 100 to put some new GP5000s on it, it’s like a new bike
I just got one of these Boardmans, upgraded it with a set of decent 50mm carbon wheels and a stiffer chainring. Amazing bargain for still well under 2k.
I have the Boardman it's really really good but the wheels are trash forever going out of true will be my next upgrade.
I've got a 2019 boardman Elite Air 9.2 with ultegra and 2013 bourdman road sport claris and love them both.
I would suggest the Boardman is an entry level road bike & the others more suited to winter/commuting bikes. Great for the money.
That uncut carbon steerer is ready to snap off unless it has a extra long steerer plug in it that goes below the lowest part of the stem.
Picked up the boardman earlier this year, amazing bike!
I was debating whether to get the giant or boardman last year. So glad I went with the boardman, I love it and glad to see it's your top pick too. Got some Hunt wheels on order as an upgrade too which will make a difference.
Which hunt wheel u would recommend?
@@aafridi284 I've ordered some HUNT RACE AERO WIDE WHEELSET to put some 28's on it. They came recommended by a friend who uses them
@@nborland thanks for reply i was also looking into it i had it for almost a year its been brilliant just the wheels i just need to upgrade! Thank u again
@@aafridi284 Try Scribe . Better value than Hunt .
I was wondering what were the speed difference from your average rides and descent before and after the wheel upgrades because I was going to get the vision 35s on my Boardman before I got into a crash a few months ago. So I couldn't test it out myself. Thanks
Boardman looks awesome what a great bike for the money.. rim brakes are great 👍👍😀
I feel like you only need disc brakes if you're riding in bad weather. Disc breaks can also heat up if you're riding them a lot on a long downhill road and they can stop working as well until they cool down. Rim breaks though, nope.
@@TheCatnipCinema I disagree with you on disc brakes - I've used them for over 10 years on my mountain bike and they stop on a sixpence. They could make the difference in stopping in traffic with a road bike. Also on club runs on my road bike, with rim brakes, everyone with discs got to the bottom of the hills in the Peak District before me, because I had to start braking long before them. I've also been down long downhill runs with disc brakes and they didn't overheat. Also, as you say, they are better in wet weather.
@@andycotton162 thank you for sharing :)
Only problem with claris is when you do want to upgrade the wheels it's really hard finding a decent pair of 8 speed wheels. Not sure why bike manufacturers are offering disks on bikes which have such poor performance doesn't make sense.
The Giant Contend AR2 is available from some websites for £999. I'm not sure of all the differences to the AR4 but mainly composite seatpost, tubeless tyres and tiagra groupset.
Well done CW. Honestly, enjoyed that. Very informative.
Very good reviews, really appreciate the level of detail you went down to, which most reviews don’t. Just one thing missing, nothing said about the hubs on any of the bikes.
I've got a Scott speedster disc 10 last year and upgraded many parts to my fit and comfort.
The boardman would be the type of bike I go with, because a baseline of carbon frame and 105 is an amazing choice for that price and weight
So when you ordered this comfortable thing you stupidly requested 2 triangles which have NO comfort whatso ever.
I'm getting the Genesis in a couple weeks. Waiting for the store to build it up, then it's all mine :)
Tektro Brakes- imo are great.
Their TRP Spyre brakes are AWESOME. The dual piston configuration performs almost as well as hydros, and there's no horrendous squealing noise like so many of the single-piston models.
For content, can you do a tool comparison from budget Amazon/eBay style torque wrench vs. the likes of the mid-range vs. Park Tools please?
Reason why I ask is because, I recently thought of servicing my bike myself, so the obvious thing was to first buy a torque wrench but there are like too much choices out there. You have the bike specific brands, you have the likeness from the DIY and motor vehicle brands; it just makes choosing the right tool very difficult, especially if I want something VfM, will work, not break and will not break the bank. Granted, Park Tools may be the bees knees but it's not affordable and is designed for the professionals.
Any content covering such matter will be useful. Needless to say, it doesn't have to be just torque wrence per se. Thanks.
I plan on doing a cycle 2 work very soon and the boardman SLR seems to stack up well
Great bike review. Best I have ever seen on YT or read in magazines. Wish I had that 1.1k
Giant Contend AR I assume is some sort of line up between the normal road Contend's and their Toughroads so likely a bit stronger and therefore heavier than typical road bikes. As well as Boardman you can get the Carrera range at Halfords and they do a Claris based road bike with mechanical disc brakes for £380 I think, the Carrera Virtuoso. That still seems expensive to me for a Claris road bike as I'm used to such bikes being sub £300 but a sign of the times I suppose. I wouldn't consider paying £1k for a Claris based road bike with mechanical disc brakes. There seems to be a bit of a price jump in the market which my brain wants to resist, It will take me some time to adjust to new pricing.
buy lightly used and get some advice and servicing from someone who knows what their doing, i’ve got a ultegra/dura ace bianchi that cost me well under £1000 all in
I had a boardman hybrid , the chain sheaered off the Teath from the large front cog
. I also heard that they had front fork failures also . People riding up hill and having front forked breaking.
What about a top 7 value road bicycle with at least 11-speeds and hydraulic disc brakes. It would have the gear and braking performance of a performance bicycle. The difficulty here is selecting components that would be worth the money. Where is the point of diminishing return? And where would the value tier components be?
Excellent review, thanks.
Think I'd rather buy a well looked after low used pre owned mid range carbon version that will have much better groupsets and be significantly lighter with better wheels.
Pre owned carbon lol good luck
Respect to the Columbus T-Shirt.
I'm trying to decide between the boardman and the triban rc520 would it be worth the about £250 more, looking for speed not to fussed about comfort.
Good video.. Can you do a review on the Boardman ADV 8.9 ? Or have you done this already?
Vitus zenium tiagra is my favourite around this price range
That was one of the ones we really wanted to include, alas, no stock. Maybe next year!
Thank you for this CW team. Please could you tell us which bikes you would also have tested had you been able to get hold of them? (Ie which are the other contenders for this price point, in your valued opinion!)
Hello! There were quite a few - but some of the models we really wanted to test but couldn't were: Specialized Allez Sport (the Allez is the 'first bike' of nearly everyone in the office, and very popular!), Vitus Zenium Tiagra (carbon frame, disc, still cable-actuated but Tektro Spyre which uses dual piston so would have been an interesting comparison), Van Rysel RC520 (£850, Shimano 105 disc!) and the Sonder Colibri Tiagra (we loved the last Sonder we had on test so had high hopes)
@@MichelleArthursBrennan thanks so much for the reply Michelle. I tend to trust Giant, making as they do I think their own frames in their own factory.
There’s an idea for a CW article I would love to read - which brands, and manufacturers, make which frames, and where. Invaluable intel. Perhaps some of them would then blacklist you, secret out, don’t know!
Who buys new at this price. a used 2018 model should come in at the same sort of level for many brands and should get you at least 105. Use any change on better pads and tires.
Just picked up the giant in New condition with full gear including helmet for €600 this bike is €1300 in the shop here 😊
Buying a boardman 8.9 loved this review just made me think I’m making the right decision got a Dolan Alpina preffisio at the moment which I’ve had for a number of years now it’s served me well but time for my first carbon bike
Woven carbon fabric bike.
There's NO comfort in that material.
This video is full of lies and wrong information.
No idea why reviewers insist in including bikes above 1k in these reviews. The reason the £1000 category is so important is because most companies cap cycle to work at that price. “Being worth it” has nothing to do with it.
I'd imagine there'd be less likelihood of discounts in the current climate too - it's not like shops are struggling to get rid of them now...
When I brought my Boardman earlier this year in February. It was retailed for £1000 and I used my student discount so I save a £100. So I got it for £900, it's a really good price for how much it costs me. I did have to make some upgrades to have a better experience like getting a different saddle, brake pads (couldn't stand them so I got a different brand after a few weeks) and stem.
Shimano 105 and sub 9kg, aero design features and a British brand, the other bikes on this list don't really compare to the Boardman 8.9.
I am viewing a broadmann carbon team, a giant sl and a giant ax today. Which one should i get ?
Great information! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Surprised that you did not include Triban 520. Great bike under 1000£
Unfortunately we weren't able to get one in to test because of stock issues!
Boardman is great! I loved the facts of the breaking test! What about a video on the lower road bike range including the Boardman SLR 8.6? :)
The first 5 minutes of this video is all lies.
Giant and Merida make most of the bike frames for other bike makes ! They must have put their prices up !
I don’t understand why bike prices have increased so much in the last 18 months .!
The manufactures must keep the supply of bikes limited to keep the prices high !
At that price the rim brakes are better, that’s coming from a big supporter of hydraulic disc brakes
+100
For sure. Rim brakes > Shitty mechanical disc brakes
Bravo to the female reviewer for such poignant and insightful info 👏 showing she fully deserves to be there.
Bikes are getting more expensive every year!
I bought a Giant TCR Compact with a 10-speed 105 groupset sans Brakes (Tektro) for CA$1300 back in 2011 and here we are Giant is selling the same material frameset with an 8-speed Claris for around CA$200 more; if you account for inflation. So my 10 year old bike has better groupset, weighs less, and costs less. I wouldn't consider any of these as a 10-year upgrade to my bike. As even the Boardman only adds one extra gear and Carbon frameset to the equation, while it's still wighs more than my 7.8 Kg bike!
To upgrade your Giant today you need to count about 3000 us $.
@@stanislavkindiakov6334 that's what I mean!
Ive got this bike and it does ride reallly well. Would I buy it again? No! Because the bike only accommodates brakes with 57mm drops. Long reach brakes are awful compared to short reach calipers and braking on this bike even with swiss stop pads isn't good at all.
Looking forward to the same concept but for under USD2k
Don’t hold your breath for anything much better
Boardman is gorgeous!
Yeah, but if you hit a pot hole you have to true the rear wheel. Shed loads of potties in my hood, that would get tiring pretty darn quick. All that glitters ain't gold. You kinda need a reliable rear wheel and a crappy front doesn't help either.
@@sandydennylives1392 yeah I have the Boardman and the wheels are total ass I've got a set of DT Swiss wheels waiting to be fitted the rest of the bike is really great for the money.
Just so you guys know someone copied your review for the Genesis CDA 30 in another RUclips video.
cannondale caad optimo 2?
scott speedster 20?
This isn't really a fair road bike test as 2 of the 4 are road bikes, while the other 2 are gravel bikes.
Alot of these seem equivalent to the triban RC 500 which is £600/£650
...I do wonder that myself, even the triban 120Gravel bike which is few hundred less, tyres would need changing though like in most cases ( Decathlon bikes are good. Have a b/twin( old name) . I have given it some stick and its still works fine. A lot of snobbery in this game. I think something like a Triban OR if you want to spend mor something better jump up to around £1,500 + . What did you end up buying?
@@ChristopherClaudioSkierka I ended up getting the RC 500 and it's been a great bike for the price, only issue is the front derailleur either not shifting or then shifting over the cassette going up but that's probably my fault
What about the tribans
The right choice should have been Triban RC520
Standover height?
Mechanical disc brakes are really good - bad braking is mainly down to pads and rotors, once you change that braking power is similar to hydraulic brakes
Spyres or BB7s are ok. All these bikes have very cheap brakes. Too cheap.
Seriously?!
Guys, for real I got my Btwin Ultra 700 AF full 105 groupset UCI frame, for 1000 eur , just so much better bike than any of those on so many levels, especially weight, just ridiculous and the bike is around 8 years old
Same here. I am super satisfied with my Van Rysel 105 RCR AF from 2019 (believe it's the same as the Btwin 700). Still seems head and shoulders above all the bikes listed here. Wish they'd included the updated Van Rysel EDR 105 AF in the comparison
These bikes demonstrate how far backwards new bikes have gone. Utterly garbage disc brakes and 10.5kg. Crap gears and finish. Try a secondhand Trek 1000 or 1500 or Cannondale CAAD Boardman etc old 105 group: £300 from yesr 05 / 06 add £350 for 1500g Hunt, Scribe or Vincenti wheels and £70 on Conti 5000 tyres will be way under 9kg and so much better . Even if you pay up to £2000 - £3000 the modern disc break bike will be over 8kg. Complicated and costly to maintain- the bike industry has gone bonkers to generate coin !
giant tcr advanced 1 its 7.5kg; my vanrysel 1000eur its just 8,9kg w\ 105
Good shout
Totally agree, today you need to jump closer to 3000 to get some good bike. All today‘s tested bikes except Boardman are total garbage.
@@stanislavkindiakov6334 van rysel for 1k is 100 times better
I thought the same thing, I have been riding over 20 years and I can't believe the price they are charging for this rubbish. You could get better bikes than that for $300 at decathlon back in 2003. (I had one so I know) In 2002 I got myself a custom painted, bespoke aluminium frame with carbon fork and back triangle, with Super light zero aluminium wheels and pazzaz components and Ultegra group set for $1,500. I think it's around or just less than 8kg.
The world's gone mad!
Oh yeah and my bike was hand made in the U.K. Not China as well.
Do not see much in any of these compared to a Triban 120 Gravel bike being honest which is a few hundred less
Is it just me or are the tired fitted the wrong way 🤔 25:30
Same with the mechanics work stand too please. I can't work out which to buy. I'm worried cheap may mean the clamp that holds the bike, over a period of time, might suffer from wear thus, the bike may fall off. Consequently, I am worried about buying something expensive i.e. Park Tools as, would it really be worth for a normal individual like me?
I pity that half of these bikes are not available in Europe
That Boardman only seems like a good deal. By the time you make all the upgrades it needs and deserves, you'll be looking at double to triple that price.
Yeah not like the others..... I mean why would anyone want to upgrade a claris........
She rides mouth closed, no gloves and jersey zipped up all the way. Definitely a fashion rider vs performance hehe.
It amazes me that for £1000 you still only get 8-speed! I'd have thought 11sp was probably out of reach but would have expected 10 to be honest. It doesn't make me want to rush out and change my old 9sp steel bike I have to say...
Check Triban 520 .
It's got 11 sp .
*nice*
Of course rim brakes are the win
Normal rims are way better than crappy discs
👍👍
Save the rim brake
Shame on you CW. CW did no home work for this video. These all look like good bikes but Giant's Contend range consist of all aluminum frames, AR stands for all road, not aluminum, and those models all have disk brakes and better tyre clearance. I normally wouldn't get upset about a simple mistake from a vlogger but Cycling Weekly is a journalism company making money. Even a blogger would preface some of these comments with I "AFAIK" or "ICBR" do better CW people trust you. If you can't be bothered to look up the info about the bikes you are riding then how can you give any one accurate information. For those who have read this far AL frame and carbon fork with a brand model groupset under $1000 is a great value from any reputable brand with a good return policy.
£1000 for cable discs, clarris groupset and square taper? That is horrendous value.
@earthstick That is 2021 reality, unfortunately. Not the best time to be alive when you're out to buy a new bike.
@@erze2367 Not a good time to be alive for anything I think.
👌👍
Boardman is the only road bike here. The rest are gravel bikes.
Really overpriced road bike please come to Malaysia 🇲🇾we have better specs and way cheaper bike
Yea, those Chinarello are all over Malaysia.
Very important to wear your cycling glasses while doing a piece to camera 🙄
Did she really say she'd never had any issues with creaking bottom brackets? That's what typical bike sales people say before you buy a bike off of them. Then when you come back asking for a fix they say, "this is the first time this has happened, honest guv!".
She should come and ride my Cannondale Caad 8 then, or should I say Creakendale!
Bike manufacturers measuring BB tolerances in yards shocking QC recently.
£1000 for Claris and crappy mechanical disc brakes... no thanks!
Disc brakes on sub 1500€ bikes are money thrown out the window.
Hard to believe any bike manufacturer are still fitting square tapered BB’s…. Hence why I won’t be buying a trek 🤷🏻♂️
what is BB?
£1000 doesn't get you much.
Surely not if you listen to all this discbrakewashing propaganda... for this price you're far better off buying a 2-3 years old second-hand rim brake bike with Shimano 105 and proper wheels.
Heard alot of bad reports about Boardman bikes...wouldn't buy one.
What a load of rubbish you all said.
You don't even look at the tyre contact patches.
You're just lying to us.
You've been reported to the authority for trying to mislead us with all these lies.
Cant trust these two clowns. Their job is to promote expensive stuff you dont need. Offcourse cheap bike arnt good, they dont make the manufacturer rich fast enough.
lol 1k decatlon bike its 100x better than this
Van Rysel was on the call in list, sadly no stock availablity. Maybe next year!
@@MichelleArthursBrennan i have one just under 9kg with full 105 and mavic whells, dont even know how they make profit. i love it; they even have a full dura ace for 3k!!
That genesis is rather ugly with them metal studs poppin out from every angle