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Finding FULL spec of your bike
#1
Morning All,

I currently own the 2009 version of the Boardman Hybrid Pro.
It's running into mild repair issues (new chain, new cassette, bottom bracket is slightly wobbly etc.. etc..)

I've "fixed" enough bikes in the past to know that getting a SLIGHTLY wrong part will really screw you over in the long term and I'd like to know exactly what's on my bike so that I can replace things properly.

Really what I want is a detailed specification list on my bike. A proper one with part numbers on crank lengths and literally everything I could ever want to know about the technical details of my bike.

Does such a thing exist?
If not, WHY NOT!? the specs must exist SOMEWHERE I mean someone has to build the things. Would be a simple job to just put them online as you sell the bike.

I know that I can "just look" put for many parts that involves taking the whole bike to bits which I don't really have the luxury of doing since I need to commute on it. Plus I could definitely get that kind of thing wrong and it seems generally neater to start with an accurate list of parts rather than disassembling my bike to find out.

Many thanks in advance

Dave
  Reply
#2
Dave - "I've "fixed" enough bikes in the past to know that getting a SLIGHTLY wrong part will really screw you over in the long term " Evidently you have not repaired or maintained many bikes. There are wide variations in parts that will work just fine, many better than the original specification.

Detailed parts lists are generally considered proprietary information, and subject to change at anytime; Boardman might share the information with you if you ask - or more than likely will ignore you.

Identifying parts, for the vast majority of items, does not involve taking the bike apart. It may involve a few measurements at most.
Nigel
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#3
First bike I ever repaired I took a bottom bracket with the correct diameter but the wrong threading pitch, ended up screwing it directly into the frame, that's never coming out.

Tried to fix a friends custom german cycle, tried 3 combinations of cassette / freehub before I got to ones that matched the 20 year old campag system.

Have used the wrong length of bottom bracket, wrong indexing on the grip shifters (I was under the impression that SRAM and shimano shared indexing and were therefore compatible, turns out that they weren't.)

For a while I had a derailleur with a range too small for the cassette that I had so I couldn't hit all the gears.

None of this is wildly complicated but for example, I wouldn't know how to "measure" the range of the rear mech. Measuring the bottom bracket is a pain in arse if I'm going to need to ride the bike regularly. I'd kind of like to know exactly what rear cassette I have on the bike at the moment (Tiagra, Ultegra, Deore?) and working that out is going to require taking about the cassette until I find a sprocket with the actual name on it (lock-ring)

All in all I know that I *CAN* just take parts off and look just reading it off a part listing is infinitely easier.
I'm not sure how the listing could possibly be "proprietary information" given that as discussed, you can just look!!
I'm also a bit confused by the suggestion that it's subject to change at any time. These things are mass produced, the parts change every few years as different things become cheaper or stop being produced, but the particular model of my bike must have been made with a standard set of parts and that part list must exist somewhere! (if the answer is that no-one but Boardman bikes have access to it then so be it).
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#4
Your point about having problems if you don't use "compatible" parts is very true. I think nfmisso's point is that "compatible" is not the same as "identical". Unfortunately, it's not always clear what's compatible with what until you have some experience.

Parts lists on bikes are subject to change even during the middle of a production model year. Companies will sometimes switch which parts they use due to cost, availability, supply chain issues, etc. etc. They probably don't like to publish detailed parts lists because anyone who gets a bike with slightly different parts could argue that they didn't get what they paid for, etc. It would also be hard for the company to know which particular version of a bike you have without a lot of research into which production batch went to what retailer. They're not going to spend a couple hours verifying exactly which derailleur you have when you can just look at it. The other issue is that what the bike was built with may no longer be available is the exact same form anyway. So you will still have to work out what is compatible (you can't ask for "a cassette compatible with Tiagra from 2009", that just not how people categorize parts.)

I would try contacting Boardman or the dealer. If you just ask for a comprehensive list of every part, I doubt they'll have that (though you never know). But if you ask some specific questions (bottom bracket dimensions are a useful thing to know) they may give you some details. Seems like the bottom bracket is pretty much the only major part that isn't easily inspected for identification.

Part compatibility on bikes is a big hassle and the manufacturers don't make it as easy as they could to know what goes with what. But a little experience, research online, and time asking questions on forums like this usually steers you right.
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#5
good news! I found it:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/hybrid/product/review-boardman-hybrid-pro-10-37976

small link in the top right of the article has a full spec listing. Doesn't quite do BB Dimensions and other obscure numbers but it's close enough.

Sad to know that there isn't a community maintained data-base of bike specs (seems like the kind of thing that would happen), maybe I'll start one!!
  Reply
#6
Bikepedia is a pretty good place to check for specs. Unfortunately, you model was not on the site.
  Reply


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