Functional bikes. Not Porn not Anti

^ I like this idea. The Boardman looks like a great training bike, not a race bike. Build something more suited to cross racing from scratch.

With the penguin colours ;-)

You sure the 3rd option works out more. Certainly not compared to buying Ti components & drive train. Cheap Winter fixed hack bike surely? Build up a really nice one & you'll be back at square one again, with a bike that's too nice for everyday commuting.

Going to try and pick up a mega cheap frame and build up a conversion try and use as many parts from original bike as possible.

I can't imagine you ever wanting to lock the Van Nic anywhere for long either.

Even a fine City like Norwich :-)

It sounds lovely and if you want a custom build and have the means why not. But TBH your boardman sounds like its already set up for your "all year round training bike" (geo aside). So I'd do the opposite and get a proper second hand cx racing bike and wennie is up with cheap parts. 50mm Chinese carbon tubs, apex, etc.

I've been logging rides on Strava since October 2011- around about when I bought the Boardman as it happens.

Since then I've done 5,250 miles, 3,020 of those on the Boardman, and the rest evenly distributed beween the System Six and the Langster.

So the Boardman has almost triple the miles of either of the other bikes.

Of those miles around 50 have been off-road.

Maybe a bit more if you count the Pave as off-road, it's certainly paved but I'd struggle to call it a road!

Anyway, it's a testament to just how flexible the Boardman is that a bike designed for racing round a muddy field getting lapped by AndyP has done so well as my "all-purpose" bicycle.

So looking at the kind of bike that I arguably need, rather than the bike I just want leaves me with the conclusion that a Randonneur type thing rather than a race-standard cross bike wins the prize.

And, to be blunt, I'd rather thrash the Boardman round a field and crash it than an 853, bling bling dream machine.

Just sayin'

I'm frankly not concerned if you build up a weight weenie, folding downhill tricycle Dammit. As long as it has an...

• Orange and white Penguin paint scheme
  
  

Whisky forks are nice. And not Enve.

Penguin #1 now lives in Brighton with a man of excessive height:

Ooh, I've never seen that! If I utfs for "penguin bike" are there more photos kicking about?

a man of excessive height

Is this possible?

I know you'll have a hard time believing this, but I never took many photographs of it.

Here it is at Herne Hill with me on it:

Guess this belongs in here now

^^ All the more reason for a new penguin bike then :-)

^^ That looks great Chris.

^^^^ pose ftw
did you coast the last half lap?

+1

what frame is that?

Signal cycles

crap phone photo sorry, but still

it was a custom Ti Serotta

Dead nice that Spotter.

Anyway, it's a testament to just how flexible the Boardman is that a bike designed for racing round a muddy field getting lapped by AndyP has done so well as my "all-purpose" bicycle.

So looking at the kind of bike that I arguably need, rather than the bike I just want leaves me with the conclusion that a Randonneur type thing rather than a race-standard cross bike wins the prize.

And, to be blunt, I'd rather thrash the Boardman round a field and crash it than an 853, bling bling dream machine.

Can I ask what it is that the boardman is missing/lacking?

It's a good question.

I've got lots of cod-psychology reasons behind this which I'll save for another time, but what it boils down to is that I genuinely look forward to riding the Langster or the System Six, whereas when I go out on the Boardman I am neutral verging on negative about it- certainly negative if something went wrong on the previous ride.

Ok. Cool.

I was just wondering as everything you actually describe makes it sound like the ultimate all-rounder and a very good bike.

But yeh. Sometimes a bike just doesn't have that something.

There is no doubt that it is a very good bike, and I'd hope that I'd start to look forward to riding it again once it's stripped down and focussed on being an XC/CX machine.