FOR: Refined ride
AGAINST: A bit portly, bottom bracket system
‘It seemed a good opportunity for the management team to reassess the brand,’ says Peter Hunt, product and project manager for Boardman Bikes. ‘We deconstructed it, and recognised we needed to drive it forward. We started with the logo – the redesign has given it real equity and more versatility, opening up more colourways and bike designs. As always, Chris [Boardman] was hugely involved in the process at every stage.’
The rebrand paved the way for a complete range overhaul, which notably now includes titanium bikes. ‘The entire company is full of cyclists and we love all forms of bikes, but titanium is a particularly popular frame material among the design team, so it seemed natural for us to develop titanium frames,’ says Hunt. ‘As with our carbon offerings, we decided to make the best frame we could and separate the level of bike by the choice of components.’
The SLR 9.2 is the cheaper of the two complete builds, and its £3,499 price tag includes a complete Shimano Ultegra groupset with RS-785 hydraulic disc brakes, alongside Boardman’s own Elite Five wheels and finishing kit.
Signed, sealed, delivered
Boardman’s PR manager Jamie Mitchell dropped the bike into the Cyclistoffice, and he was keen to stress that making sure the frame was stiff enough was a priority for the design team. ‘Titanium bikes can so easily feel like noodles,’ he said. ‘ Our team really wanted the bike to feel efficient under power and handle well.’
The designers have succeeded in this – the SLR 9.2 doesn’t give much away in the form of flex, yet the titanium tubing makes the bike feel markedly different under acceleration than equivalent carbon bikes. Where stiff carbon bikes give intense, immediate feedback and can be skittish under power, the 9.2 surges forward; it gains speed assuredly but feels unhurried as it does so.
This stately ride quality is thanks to the comfort provided by the titanium frame. Boardman has harnessed titanium’s inherent dampening qualities well in the 9.2 – the frame (and well-matched carbon fork) has a particular ability to soak up road chatter without feeling dull. The result is an engaging ride but one that lives up to its ‘endurance’ billing; the longer you are aboard the 9.2 the more pronounced the feeling of comfort becomes. Just like a perfectly fitting pair of bibshorts, on rides of over a few hours you tend to forget the bike is beneath you because there is nothing irritating to demand your attention.
Stiffness and ride quality must come at the expense of something, and in the case of the Boardman 9.2 it is weight. It weighed in at 9.5kg on theCyclist scales and the kilogram or so of extra mass it holds over its titanium competitors at this price is apparent in accelerations or when climbing. The SLR 9.2 seems a bit sluggish when you stamp on the pedals, which takes an edge of excitement off the ride slightly. That being said, once up to speed you get a distinct feeling of momentum and, when this is combined with the 9.2’s smooth ride, it makes you think you could cruise indefinitely on flat or rolling terrain.
Up and downs
Despite being reliable and robust, Boardman’s Elite Five wheels definitely contribute to the chunky overall weight and are an area ripe for an upgrade, which the frame is good enough to warrant. Swapping out for some Zipp 202’s, for example, would shave nearly half a kilogram of rotational mass off the bike. This would have a massive effect on its inertia and definitely give zip to the ride where it is currently lacking.
Aside from the wheelset, you wouldn’t need to consider upgrades for anything else – Shimano’s Ultegra shifting is simply outstanding and the disc brakes are consistently powerful. The own-brand finishing kit and Prologo saddle are great quality too and compliment the accomplished frame well. My only niggle with the componentry was the use of reducing cups and in the pressfit bottom bracket. Although it makes commercial sense to keep the bottom bracket as versatile as possible (pressfit 30 bottom brackets accept all the major cranksets), making the system more convoluted than it needs to be can undermine its performance. The one in the 9.2 became gritty and required a service after just two months of riding. This is by no means a deal-breaker, but it is slightly frustrating that the area needs more maintenance than if a threaded BB was fitted.
Niggles aside, the sophisticated ride of the 9.2 is great to experience. The knowledge that this is Boardman’s first attempt in titanium makes it all the more impressive and future projects from the brand are an exciting prospect. Look out for review updates as we continue to get to know the SLR 9.2.
Review in Cyclist by Sam Challis, 3rd June 2016