Booda Bike Reviews 

I was looking for a shop that could build Alfine 11 hub on a carbon rim and a carbon QR disc front wheel and came across Booda Bike.

Initially, they were super helpful, responsive and great to communicate with. The front hub would need to be a special order as they didn't stock QR hubs anymore. I chose my hub (a Shimano Deore XT QR Centerlock hub) and they gave me a price of €565 for the rear wheel, €295 for the front wheel (incl. hub) and €48 for shipping.

After some consieration, I accepted the offer and wanted to finalize the purchase. They then tell me they have calculated the price wrong and the price for the rear wheel is instead €665. The reason for the price increase was a miscalculation - the carbon rims need different, stronger spokes.

I adressed this price change to the shop and accepted - after all, it's a custom wheelset, right?

I ask about delivery time, and they tell me they will build the wheels as soon as my front hub arrives - all the other parts (carbon rims, Alfine 11 hub and spokes) are in stock, and I should expect about a 2 week delivery time. I pay with Bank Transfer to save 2% and because the communication has been flawless up until this point.

Roughly one week goes by and I receive an E-mail that says my wheelset has shipped. Unfortunately, it was one of the guys at the shop who had accidentally marked my shipment as "shipped" though they hadn't even built the wheels.

Two weeks pass by. I send an email. No response. I call them on WhatsApp and they tell me they're a small boutique, they have been ill at the shop and were behind on orders and emails. Understandable, no one can be held accountable for illness.

Another 2-3 weeks go by and I enquire about my wheelset several times. Finally, they reply and tell me they are waiting for a shipment of the carbon wheels as immediately after I ordered, somebody placed an order for all the carbon rims they had in stock - would you believe it?

So I agree to wait for the shipment of the carbon rims, so they can build my wheels - even though I'm puzzled as to why they didn't put aside two rims for my wheelset when I ordered first.

I placed my order in March, and in May, the fork of the bike the wheelset was intended for breaks, and I no longer need the wheelset I ordered from Booda. I contact them to cancel my order, tell them I will pay for the hub and they don't have to send it to me (as I have nothing to use it for). Additionally, I agree to pay for the "special" spokes that were to be used for my rear hub as I don't want them to bear an unnecessary financial burden.

They disregard everything and refund me 779 EUR out of the 1028 EUR I paid initially. No proof that they ordered anything especially for me, no nothing.

I lost 250 EUR and I would recommend everyone to stay away and never pay with a bank transfer.

For proof, screenshots of the correspondances between me and Booda Bike, please let me know.

___________________________
Update 14th of July 2026.

Booda Bike reached out to me after this 1-star review and apologized for the course of this transaction. They reimbursed me the difference of €133 which is a full refund sans the cost of the hub they specifically ordered for me and a part of the cost of the custom spokes they seemingly also ordered but couldn't return.

I have upped the review from 1-star to 3 for them reaching out and actually refunding me the difference, but I'm sorry that the entire transaction was so cumbersome, filled with frustrations and only resolved after a trustpilot review.

To the guys at booda bike - I genuinely wish you well.
Best regards from Denmark and good luck.

I ordered a belt and a sprocket from their webshop. Unfortunately, one of the items was on backorder, which I overlooked when placing the order.

After realizing this, I sent multiple emails asking for an estimated delivery time, but I never received a response. I also tried calling several times, but nobody answered the phone.

I placed my order on May 10th, and it is now June 17th. I still have no information about when, or even if, my parts will arrive. The lack of communication and customer support has been very disappointing.

UPDATE:
I was contacted by the company. It turns out they were on holiday last week, and for some reason their call forwarding was not working.

They also provided more information about the delay. Their supplier, Gates, is currently experiencing significant delivery issues, resulting in long lead times for certain parts. As a result, they are having to manage delays that are largely outside of their control.

While I would have appreciated better communication earlier in the process, I now have a better understanding of the situation. This is a small company doing its best to navigate supply chain challenges, and I believe that should be taken into consideration.

Being in the UK, I had to take a step back and sensibly evaluate the risks of ordering a Booda bike, due to the issues and costs I would encounter if I needed to return the bike, as well as the considerably increased costs with VAT, P&P, custom charges and postal fees. I therefore sent an email to Booda Bike to ask for advice about frame sizing, custom charges and clearing issues and other little details. I received comprehensive, friendly response within hours. I ordered and received the bike within 2 months, a few weeks over the claimed time, which is fine as I ordered just before Christmas, and I believe they also had delays in receiving stocks of carbon wheels from China. I am very familiar with Alfine 11 internal gearing hub and belt drives so I won’t dwell too much on it except to say that the drivetrain was tuned to perfection. A few quality assurance issues in the build that can easily be improved and that I have listed below. The only slight disappointment that is worth discussing is the weight. Booda Bikes claimed a weight of 11.5kg. I found it was 12.5kg, or say 12kg without the mudguards. And that was with the carbon wheels at an extra cost of £500. To get it down to the current 11.44kg I had to take off the mudguards, replace the seatpost and handlebars with carbon ones, and make sure I used ultra-light, single-sided SPD pedals. I could have got it down another 250g if I had not replaced the awful stock Tektro brakes with the TRP HY/RD semi-hydraulic ones, which are considerably heavier. Great fun to ride both on tarmac and on gravel. Compared to the Priority Apollo Alfine 11, it takes more power to get to speed due to the steel frame, but once it has got momentum, it feels quite fast. A message to Marcell: modify the frame to allow for 45-47mm tyres and offer the option for Alfine electronic shifting, and I’ll buy one from you! In a nutshell:

Negative points:
Bespoke eccentric bottom bracket (why?)
Insufficient tyre clearance for a gravel bike: 40mm should be an absolute minimum, not a maximum
Fragile paintwork (so watch out for rust)
Flat mounted techtro brakes
No grease on headset bearings
No bolts on bottle cage mounts
Inadequate, too short bolts on mudguard mounts
Finishing on handlebar tape was approximate.

Positive points:
Nimble and compliant
Looks fantastic
Great replacement parts availability
Good pre-sale support
Fast no-fuss shipping and customs admin
Parts swapping allowed

Improvement suggestions:
Electronic shifting w/ Alfine11
Bigger clearance for bigger tyres
Better brakes
Carbon handlebar option
BB tool for free with the bike

Worst customer service experience i ever had. They delivered a faulty unit, told me the replacement unit is on backorder and since then ghosted me for three months straight. This has been going on since January and haven't heard back from them. My advice is to give your money to someone else, if you don't want to get ripped off.

They are busy so expect the delivery to take some time.

Really good quality bikes, and good support.

I ordered my Booda bike with an expected delivery time of around 5 weeks, but the actual delivery took 4 months (ordered in the beginning of September 2025, received on January 2026). Communication was polite, but long periods without updates made the wait frustrating, especially for a first-time order.

When the bike finally arrived, both inner tubes were leaking air. The rear tube had a clear puncture, and the front was losing air slowly. I replaced both tubes immediately, which solved the issue, but this shouldn’t happen on a brand-new bike.

On the positive side, the belt alignment is excellent, and the gear shifting (Alfine 8) is very smooth and quiet. Once set up, the bike rides really nicely and feels well engineered. The overall riding experience is solid and enjoyable.

One small but worth-mentioning detail: the mudguard screws are Torx (star-shaped) rather than standard Allen bolts. This could become inconvenient during roadside adjustments or repairs if you don’t have the correct tool with you. It would be safer and more practical to replace these with standard hex bolts.

Overall, the bike itself is good and well-designed, but the very long delivery time and initial quality control issues significantly impacted the experience. With better logistics and pre-delivery checks, this could easily be a higher-rated product.

Update 6.3.2026 - I love the bike. will keep you posted
Update 30.1.2026 - The bike just arrived. I will keep you posted.
Update: Booda replied. I will keep you posted.

10.10.2025 – Order placed
13.10.2025 – Payment completed

I recently ordered the BANKER. It arrived faster than I expected, was easy to assemble, and ready to ride in no time. A pleasure to look at and excellent to ride — light and sturdy, a combination that seems too good to be true… but somehow is.

Warning: riding this bike is addictive!

If you’re looking for a bike that can do it all, you’ve come to the right place — BoodaBike.

The bike arrived only with a minor two week delay. The package was without any issues nor on the outside nor on the inside. The bike was really well packed compared to my last two purchases of different brands. Assembly was very easy and I found all metal-on-metal connection well greased. Good job!

After a week of intense riding, the crank on the non-drive side got loose. I had to tighten it. That’s no big deal, but obviously they were not tightened properly at the workshop.

The 8-Speed Shimano Alfine transmission needed to be adjusted three or four times. According to on-line forums, this is quite normal, but you need to pay attention for the first few weeks / few hundred kilometers of riding. I have a custom gear ratio provided by Booda bike (46/22) which allows me to climb even steeper hills with the 8-speed option.

I had to adjust the brakes a little as the front brake was loud. This was caused by the brake disc which was slightly bent. I corrected this and I loosened and adjusted the brake caliper, too. No big deal. The breaks are very strong. I’m used to mechanical disc or rim brakes, so I had be to careful as the stopping power is really impressive even when one is a heavy rider.

I also used the supplied lights a number of times. I like the automatic mode on the front light. It works well and ensures that the rider “sees” and is not only “being seen”. The rear light is the weak point on the other hand. It lasts only a few hours in the flashing mode. Despite being optimized to fit the Banker’s design, I quickly replaced it with my Garmin radar flashlight.

The original saddle looks nice, I tried it, but it did’t fit. I quickly installed my Brooks leather saddle which offers me the comfort I’m used to.

I like the Schwalbe G-One tires. They are grippy, lightweight and comfortable. I tried them on both dry and wet roads and did some gravel, too. I had a few bikes, where the stock tires were always the first thing to change, but this is not the case of the Banker. After a month, I added some sealant after I had to inflate them a few times. Again, not a big deal, it’s normal with new tubeless tires. The sealant solved the issue.

The drivetrain is built with Gates components (CDX in my case). It’s perfecly silent, very smooth and reliable. After 500 km ich checked the tension of my belt with the help of the Gates app which measures the belt’s oscillation frequency. The results were perfect which indicates that Booda bike does a good job with the drivetrain, too.

All in all, the Banker is a fantastic steel bike designed for comfortable urban riding with the option to easily divert to gravel paths or hills. It is well made, everything works as expected, I had no real issues after riding it for two months and adding around 800 km to my logs.

Purchased an Alpine earlier the year, and am super happy with it, particularly now the hub is worn in.

I've ordered a slightly modified Banker

Pros:
- easy communication with the friendly and professional staff
- needs assessment and tailored recommendations
- extremely good quality bike
- feels like next dimension biking experience, worth every penny
- relatively quick delivery (only took ~3 weeks, including shipping abroad)

Cons: none after 2 months of usage

BoodaBike Tailor is my first belt driven and gear hub bike, I'm absolutely satisfied with it. The Alfine 11 is enough uphill, the brakes are strong and the design is really awesome.

Let me cut to the important bit first – after just 100 miles of use I confidently predict the Booda Hiker I recently bought is going to be, pound for pound, the best bike I have ever owned.

It looks beautiful ; the materials, components and build quality are fantastic ; it was incredibly good value … and most importantly, it has met and exceeded my expectation of what this bike would be , which is the ultimate all-season, all-weather urban commuter / utility bike.

I had a very specific idea of what the ultimate commuter should have – a steel frame, for comfort, durability and aesthetics ; a hub hear paired with a belt drive for low / zero maintenance during winter (when wet, gritted London roads can eat through a chain / derailleur / cassette set up if not cleaned instantly after the ride) ; disc brakes ; full mudguards ; pannier rack ; puncture-proof (as mush as is possible) tires ; and drop handlebars with integrated shifters for the hub gear…

The Hiker has all of this. In fact, I think it’s the only bike in the world, or Europe at least, that has this feature set. And having put it through its paces during a filthy February , I can confirm, this is indeed the ultimate commuter and has proved to be better than I could have possibly imagined…

The extra things that have surprised me –

The handling is perfect ; The Hiker replaced a hub-geared predecessor that felt heavy in the tail and unresponsive cornering, and I was expecting (and resigned) to a similar ride feel, but no – this this a joy to ride.

The build quality and choice of components is spot on – from pedals to saddle to tires, the right balance of price / performance - there is literally nothing I would change.

Lastly, how good it looks. The frame is beautifully finished.

A word of warning to UK customers – while the bike itself is astonishing, my experience with the courier to get it cleared through customs was a pain. It took three weeks of chasing, asking Booda to re-send documents, arguing about VAT / duty…

Booda were helpful, but a lot of this was beyond their control. I have suggested they make the process for UK customer clearer and more transparent.

In short – an amazing bike, at an amazing price, from a brilliant company… But non-EU customers, brace yourselves.

Wow, what an amazing experience.

I live in the Netherlands and was initially hesitant buying a bike that I'd never seen before online. The passionate people at BoodaBike were able to answer all my questions really fast, and without hesitation were totally fine having a video call with me and showing me their workshop.

Once I'd ordered the bike (I bought the Banker model), they were able to accommodate last minute additions that I came up with, even though these were not totally reasonable to expect. The shipping was super fast, the assembly instructions very clear, and most importantly the riding experience is so amazing. I would 100% recommend going with BoodaBike if you care about quality and a small business run by people really passionate about bikes.

Thank you Marcell and the team for your amazing service! I think my boyfriend may soon buy another bike from you :)

very pleasent contact and advise in configuration of the bike.
The combination with dropbar and gates carbon drive ist very rare but excellent. You have very little maintenance and the bike is versatile - commuting, sports and daily use.
Fast shipping.

I have purchased a frame set in december and the experience is uniquely positive. First I met Marcell in the workshop, he explained all the details of the bike and showed me the parts options. He was open, informative and helpful and as soon as he got aware of the plan, that my son is going to build his own bike using the frame set, he offered his help personal or online if needed. Quality product and high quality customer care. Thank you!

Just wanted to share my experience with boodabike as there were not many reviews online. I was looking for a belt driven bike with drop handle bars and only came across two bikes in my google searches. Immediatly fell in love with how the Boodabike hiker looked. I called Boodabike to discuss which gearset I should get and settled on the alfine 8 for lower maintenance. In order to get the bike faster, boodabike offered to ship the bike with plastic pedals instead of aluminum ones as they were delayed. I didn't get charged extra so this worked out so I could use the bike sooner! Overall the customer service was great and they always responded in a timely manner. I constantly get compliments on the bike and can't wait for it to get warmer to take it on more adventures.

Overall, I am very happy with the Booda Bike Pulse Rohloff. It rides really well, the quality of the individual components is high and it's a really stylish bike.

Unfortunately I was unlucky as the mudguard was damaged during delivery, definitely not a fault of Booda. The communication from Booda was always friendly and a replacement was organized and the assembly by a bike store was paid.
But, the communication was not very professional, as I only received answers when we asked and I was not informed proactively. Unfortunately, this also affected the long waiting time for the bike. In total this were months of communication. In total, emails were written over several months. I hope the Booda team will become even more professional over time.

There is going to be a long list of what I didn't like about the bike, but please keep in mind that in general, I am very happy - this is definitely a positive review.

What I like about the bike:
- It's a Rohloff-based bike with drop bars and shifting on GRX levers via Gebla Rohbox, on top Gates parts as well. Go find some other bike like that anywhere near this price range.
- It includes an integrated lighting system not powered by a dynamo hub, so there's no efficiency loss.
- Except for the bottom bracket, no proprietary parts.
- Everything came well assembled and properly lubricated; full assembly took me maybe half an hour.
- The carbon parts are also reasonably priced - I got a carbon drop bar for 89 euros, and they made the price even lower by subtracting the price of the stock bars, out of their own initiative!
- In general, communication with the guys was good.

What I didn't like:
- I have my concerns about the long-term effects of having a proprietary bottom bracket. There are no other eccentric bottom brackets suitable for internal cable routing, and I would much prefer having external routing instead.
- The guys used the stock Rohloff shifting cables - it's strictly forbidden by the Rohbox creator due to them being spiral-wound and not compressionless. This led to shifting being really heavy, spongy, and unreliable. I had to replace the cables myself as sending the bike back seemed like an overkill. I hope they fix that for future customers.
- The frame isn't really prepared for Rohloff so the shifting cables are zip-tied to the chainstay. Not very tidy but I can live with that.
- I second the other reviewer's opinion about the mudguards - I swapped them out for SKS Bluemels almost immediately due to the rattle.
- The Supernova is a tad disappointing - you are supposed to connect the front light via a cable that just dangles there when the light is not needed. How come they didn't think about integrating it into the mount I don't understand. Still, it's not Booda's fault.
- It took them three months to send the bike over. Reportedly, it was caused by production issues on the Gates side, which I've confirmed with Gates, but communication from Booda could be more proactive - I had to remind about myself quite a few times.
- Size chart on their site is very misleading. Luckily I already had a bike that went through a bike fit, so I knew that with my 178cm and 82 inseam, I would need an S and not an M recommended by the site. Beware!

So yeah, I am two months in, so far so good. Would definitely recommend Booda and Alpine specifically - I don't see any reason to pay twice as much for a Van Nicholas or Avaghon or Idworks.