Chris Boardman sells to Halfords

[superkartracer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/re...

Nice work

[Hackney]

Glad he's retaining some involvement. I wouldn't be sure of the quality if left entirely to Halfords.
Isn't there a top end range that never got sold in Halfords? What will happen to that?

[daddy cool]

I own two Boardmans - Road & MTB - and thought i would likely buy more Boardmans in the future... but this news is worrying!

[Laurel Green]

It 'could' be a good thing for the brand, though(trying to be positive here)only time will tell.

Article said:

“We look forward to building on the success we have had to date with independent retailers, in international markets and with Halfords,” said Mr Boardman on completion of the deal.

This step will take the brand to the next level and their backing will allow us to further develop our research & development and extend our award-winning cycling ranges.”

[stongle]

Hackney said:

Glad he's retaining some involvement. I wouldn't be sure of the quality if left entirely to Halfords.
Isn't there a top end range that never got sold in Halfords? What will happen to that?

There is an Elite series of bikes, I have a a 9.2 which I use as a wet bike / commuter. I rather like it; but not the over use of logos. Infact I dislike the logos a lot, and my inner Dizzeee dies a little everytime I ride it. Fortunately, my commute is flat = speedy; so I'm not overly worried what anyone else thinks (subconsciously maybe the shame generates 0.3w) ;-). For quality of components though, they are a very good buy - mine was GBP2.3k with Uletgra Di2, although I binned the Mavics for Racing 1s. I've not ridden any of the other internet dealer / high value & spec bikes such as Canyon; but certainly think mine was a great buy.

I wonder if the sale of the brand to Halfords is a good or bad thing. I strongly suspect that the Elite series will be further pitched as a premium product (already sold outside Halfords) and prices may well increase for this range. If this was the case; they might want to ditch the 1990's Versace / Moschino approach to logos and go with something more befitting of a 3k+ bike. With new bike sales falling (although average spend up); this is probably a shrewd move from Boardmann.

And if Halfords floods the market with looky likey bikes branded the same; there is always a can of black paint.

Gratuitous shot:

[thepawbroon]

I don't think this is just a case of "Chris Boardman sells" - as far as I can make out, he was a minoroty shareholder in Boardman Bikes (9%) and Boardman International (15%). Alan Ingarfield (ex-Ironman) and Sally Mooney are/were the majority owners. If anything, they are the big financial winners. Although 15% of £15m is a good reward for CB.

So if CB keeps the Chairman and Design Director role (as per the news), then I imagine the performance and value of the bikes will remain.