At a glance A stunning value, very stylish, fast, women’s fit bike for fit, speedy commuters with disk brakes for sudden stops in all weathers
Tested by
Claire Maxted, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Wow this bike is speedy! It feels like whatever force I push down on the pedal is transmitted directly into propelling the Comp fi forward. In fact, when you swing your leg over the saddle it feels more like a road bike than a commuter hybrid bike. The racy geometry of the aluminium frame, high seat position, skinny Maxxis Detonator tyres and 18 gears allowed me get a shift on when I was late for work, just as I would on my road bike, but the Ritchey Flat handlebars create a slightly more comfy, upright ride, pushing the Comp fi back into the hybrid category.
This straight handlebar set up, complete with bar
ends for a change of position, is great for anyone who isn't
looking for the more mean, racing machine style dropped handle bars
(the ones that curve down). You can still race the cars and get
places in double quick time, but you still have a normal looking
bike with space for mud guards and eyelets for panniers. This is an
all-weather commuting bike for speedier commuters and fitness
enthusiasts.
As you may have noticed by the pearlescent white finish and hot pink flashes, Boardman have designed this bike specifically for ladies, (fi stands for 'female informed') and it does look super cool. The Boardman signature diamond top tube, hourglass shaped head tube and clean finish to the frame (the welding that joins the tubes has been completely smoothed), makes this aluminium bike look at first glance like a super expensive carbon one. On this I have turned heads in the street, and I know for sure that it wasn't me!
Colour is just the start of the differences between this and the
men's version, which is
black with yellow flashes. The frame is designed specifically for
women. There's a shorter top tube in relation to seat tube because
Boardman's research has shown that women typically have longer legs
and a shorter upper body 
in proportion to their overall height. Continuing
with the shorter, smaller theme, the stem is shorter in relation to
frame size as women typically have shorter arms and upper bodies
compared to men. The head tube is slightly longer but has a
shallower angle to allow for extra wheel pedal clearance with the
shorter top tube. Then, due to the generally shorter female femur
in proportion to overall leg length in comparison to men, there is
a steeper seat tube angle and slightly shorter crank length.
A narrower handlebar takes care of women's narrower shoulders and the brake levers have a shorter reach on them for women's smaller hands. To cater for our womanly behinds, the saddle is wider and shorter than the male equivalent to allow for different pelvic bone contact points.
Once you have made all the usual saddle adjustments this bike does work well for a typical woman's frame. I am 5ft 7" and a size 12, with a longer back and arms than the average woman. In my case, a slide of the saddle back on its rails is all that is necessary to take this into consideration. The saddle itself is fine, but although Boardman shout about its women's specificness, it does not seem to me any more or less comfortable to any other women's bike saddle I have tried.
In terms of price, style and use, the Comp fi is
in the same bracket as the Specialized Vita Sport and
Marin Corte Madera, both
£500, but neither of these have disk brakes.
The Avid BB5 cable disk brakes on the Comp fi are a powerful, low maintenance addition and unlike rim brakes will perform just as well in the rain. I found them quick, responsive and easy to operate in all weathers, which is great for safe handling of the speeds you can get up to.
It was easy to reach a high speed on this bike, and although many of the bikes in the hybrid category have 24 gears, the range was plenty good enough for fast-paced commuting on low to moderate hills. And remember you're getting all this for £500 - a great price for such a fast ride, with quality components, well-designed frame and sleek looks. Don't tell anyone about this review, they'll all want one!
Exclusively available from www.halfords.com
