Pulling the Boardman out of its box, I couldn’t assist however tap the top tube to test best road bikes the frame wasn’t carbon. Although it’s alloy, the nicely-smoothed street motorbike cycle welds at the top tube, head tube and seatstay junctions have the look of a carbon body.
That’s given the lie through the fishtails round the bottom bracket welds, but it’s still remarkable in a affordable body, wherein large lumps of extra steel are greater the norm where the tubes meet.
It’s a part of a bundle that looks and rides nicely above its access-degree pricetag and consists of a slender all-carbon fork and dropped seatstays for a modern-day searching frameset.
Boardman has redesigned its alloy SLR frameset for 2021, swapping from rim brakes to the disc brakes which can be now unexpectedly turning into the norm for most road motorcycles, from race-confirmed thoroughbreds and an increasing number of right down to low-cost machines.
The change additionally lets it suit wider 28mm tyres for a more comfy, extra grippy trip.
The SLR eight.Eight is Boardman’s top spec alloy street motorbike and product of triple-butted alloy. Above this model, Boardman actions to carbon frames; there’s a parallel line of gravel motorcycles with bigger tyres, inclusive of multiple alloy framed options in case you’re greater into blended floor action.
Buy the Boardman SLR 8.Eight. Road motorbike now from Halfords
The outside cabling at the SLR eight.8 isn’t as flashy as the internal routing that’s greater not unusual on higher priced bikes, but it ends in less complicated maintenance and adjustment. Even on grotty winter roads and liberally covered with dust and grit, the entirety endured to work efficaciously.
For all-climate use, there’s lots of tyre clearance to the frameset and the mounting points to match complete mudguards, even as you furthermore mght get rack-mounting points at the rear triangle, permitting you to installation the SLR eight.Eight as a winter bike or commuter.
Thoughtful spec selections
Boardman has specced the SLR eight.Eight cleverly too. Although disc brakes are trickling right down to affordable road motorcycles, many bikes costing across the Boardman’s £750 charge nevertheless rely upon rim brakes.
Despite the SLR eight.Eight’s mechanical, rather than hydraulic, disc brakes they’re nearly as effective. That’s now not proper of all mechanical setups, but the Tektro MD-C511 callipers and 160mm rotors paintings nicely.
Once bedded in, stopping changed into powerful, with lots of chunk and a progressive movement. The all-climate reliability of discs was a boon while driving wet iciness roads.
A delicate experience
Despite the wet and bloodless December weather I determined myself out at the Boardman more than I’d expected. It’s a motorcycle that punches above its £750 price tag in performance, with a relaxed, reassuring experience quality.
The seating role is pretty neutral: neither too upright, nor too stretched out, so it doesn’t problem your decrease returned or shoulders however also method which you don’t catch an excessive amount of of any headwind and the the front cease is well weighted. That results in predictable coping with and I changed into never stuck off shield with the aid of the inevitable avenue imperfections.
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