August 30th 2017 by Stu Kerton, Road.cc
Ride
Last year we chose the Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR as our bike of the year thanks to the way it handled and its all-round ability to get on with the job.
The SLR Endurance shares a lot of that DNA which means it gives you that little grin on your face when you ride it hard or string together a couple of bends on a high-speed technical descent, although because of the slightly higher front end and longer chainstays to accommodate the wider dropout width required for disc brakes (135mm over 130mm), and therefore a longer wheelbase, the Endurance is a little less direct in its handling and the speed with which it changes direction.
The SLR Endurance is also carrying a little bit of extra weight compared with the Pro Carbon SLR, which just blunts the acceleration and climbing a touch but it is so, so close that these things are easily forgiven, especially considering the less aggressive intent of the SLR Endurance.
That said, against its more direct rivals – endurance-style machines such as the Ribble Gran Fondo Disc or the Rose Pro SL Disc 3000 Disc – the Boardman has a much more race-orientated ride.
The head tube on the Endurance Disc is 160mm long on this medium model, which is still quite low so you can get yourself down into a reasonable tuck for tapping out the miles on the flat and tick the miles off at a rapid pace.
Weirdly, the Boardman doesn't always feel that fast; it's not one of those bikes that bombards you with feedback from the road, though neither is it mute. You get the basic information, if you know what I mean.
The numbers on the Garmin tell a different story, though, with the average pace I could knock out right up there with the lighter, much more expensive Simplon Pavo Granfondo Disc.
When it comes to the handling, the SLR Endurance has the same tube angles as the SLR Race, 73.5 degrees at the seat and 73 degrees at the head, so things are pretty tight through the corners. The steering is quick without ever getting anywhere near twitchy, which gives the Boardman a certain level of predictability regardless of the conditions, and gives you, the rider, confidence that you aren't all of sudden going to find yourself out of control.
Frame and fork
Boardman names its frames according to the grades of carbon used. The Pro Carbon SLR was a C8, for instance, the SLR Endurance is C10, its highest grade and a mix of high modulus carbon fibres according to Boardman.
It is a very stiff frame, especially at the bottom bracket area thanks to the oversized down tube and chunky chainstays to resist the pedalling forces. The tapered head tube, 1 1/8 to 1 1/2in diameters, tightens up the front end a little under steering and helps resist heavy braking forces from the discs.
For comfort Boardman has slimmed down the seatstays to promote some give, taking out the worst of the road buzz, and it works to a degree. The SLR Endurance doesn't bang and crash through road imperfections, but if you want a cossetting ride you might find it a little on the harsh side.
With such high levels of stiffness this bike is one of the most firm and unforgiving I have ridden of its style. Endurance bikes are normally aimed at those who want something a little softer and less aggressive than a race bike, and the Boardman really blurs the lines.
Of course you can play about with tyre pressures, bar tape and the like to enhance the comfort should you so wish, and the SLR Endurance certainly has clearance for up to 28mm tyres.
The bike is available in a rim-braked version too, but the Disc has had a few upgrades to deal with the added stresses of slowing down. Boardman took design cues from its mountain bike and cyclo-cross frames and claims that by making small structural changes to where the brake callipers mount and where the tubes join, it could accommodate the added stiffness without a huge increase in weight.
The fork legs, for example, are much beefier on the disc brake version, although it is still much slimmer than that found on its cyclo-cross bikes. Boardman, like many others, has adopted thru-axles for use with the discs although while many are going 12mm front and rear, Boardman has chosen 15mm for the fork and 12mm on the frame at the rear.
As with most carbon frames these days, the SLR Endurance has full internal cabling and hoses for a clean and uncluttered look. Thankfully, the cables seem to have been kept away from the tube walls as you don't get any rattling when riding on rough surfaces.
On the whole the frame looks and feels to be very well built, with a decent finish. If you wanted to build it up yourself, it's also available to buy as a frameset (frame, fork and headset) for £1,149.99.
Finishing kit
The entire Elite SLR Endurance range uses the same frameset with just the number, 9.0 in this case, denoting where it lives in the pecking order. This is actually the entry level option at £1,999.99, specced with a mostly Shimano Ultegra groupset and hydraulic disc brakes – a pretty decent build for the money. The Giant Defy Advance 3, a very similar bike we've recently tested, costs the same for an Ultegra/hydro build, while the earlier mentioned Ribble Gran Fondo Disc would come in at £1,696 plus delivery.
The highlight of the Boardman is the hydraulic disc brakes. I'm a big fan of the Shimano ST-RS685 levers paired with RS785 callipers, and while the overall braking power might not exceed that of Ultegra dual-pivot callipers, the discs offer you so much more reliability in all weather conditions and are beautifully progressive and easy to modulate.
As I mentioned, though, there is an Ultegra rim brake option for £1,699.99 if you aren't a fan of discs.
Gearing-wise, the cassette is 11-speed with an 11-28t range of sprockets, and while it has been 'down-specced' to Shimano 105, there is no effect on shifting performance.
Paired with this is a 50/34t compact chainset, provided by FSA rather than Shimano. We used to see this a lot as a way to cut costs, but the Gossamer does look a very nice chainset indeed, and the shifting, although marginally not quite as crisp as Ultegra, still performs pretty impressively.
The wheels are Boardman's own SLR Elite Fives. These are strong, arrived true and remained so throughout the test period. They have a 28mm-deep disc-specific rim, with 28 spokes front and rear.
They roll pretty well too, but while they aren't as heavy as the Mavic Aksiums we see on a lot of bikes at this price, they still are a little on the weighty side. If you really want the Boardman to fly then a nice lightweight set would really unleash the bike's acceleration and climbing potential.
The tyres, Vittoria Rubino Pros in a 25mm width, are pretty good performers. Rolling resistance is okay as are the grip levels, but I'd definitely change them for something lighter and stickier from the likes of Schwalbe to give a bit more excitement in the bends. I did suffer my first puncture of the year on them too.
Apart from the Prologo Naga saddle, which I liked very much indeed, Boardman provides its own finishing kit: a carbon fibre seatpost that was easy to adjust and didn't slip in the frame, plus the aluminium alloy stem and handlebar. Both function as well as you need, and with subtle Boardman logos they actually look pretty smart too. The compact-style bar gives plenty of opportunities for moving your hands around as well.
Conclusion
On the whole I found the Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 a very nice bike to ride. My initial impressions were that it was too stiff for the endurance moniker, but the more I rode it, the more I 'got' the way it covers that grey area between a race machine and a relaxed sportive style ride.
Verdict
Impressive bike that blurs the lines between endurance and race
Read the review here: http://road.cc/content/review/228447-boardman-slr-...