The quality of Halfords staff varies hugly, personally i think most people who are going to blow £700 upwards on a Boardman, are doing so because they've read many reviews and know about the bike and what it offers, not because they've rocked into the store and have no idea what to buy.
For example, i researched for many weeks before blowing 1.3k on my Boardman, the in store staff didn't play into my decision.
