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Boardman SLR Endurance Disc 9.0

8
£1,999.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Impressive bike that blurs the lines between endurance and race
Weight: 
8,200g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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You'll need to take the Boardman SLR Endurance Disc 9.0's name with a pinch of salt as this is no slackened off race bike for those who want a comfortable and relaxed ride. Sharing virtually the same geometry as the SLR Race models, the Endurance Disc absolutely flies – although if going long is your thing you might find the frame a little punishing.

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.

> Find your nearest dealer here

 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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - rear.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - riding 2.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - head tube badge.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - riding 3.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - bottom bracket.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - seat tube.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - tyre 2.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - fork.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - head tube.jpg

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 Advanced 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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - front disc brake.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - rear mech.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - front mech.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - rim.jpg

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.

> Buyer's Guide: 23 of the hottest disc-brake road bikes

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - tyre.jpg

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.

Boardman Elite SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 - bar and shifter.jpg

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

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Boardman SLR Endurance Disc 9.0

Size tested: Medium

About the bike

State the frame and fork material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.

Boardman lists these details:

Boardman SLR Endurance Disc, C10 Carbon, 12mm Thru-Axle

Boardman SLR Endurance Disc, Carbon, Carbon Tapered Steerer, 15mm Thru-Axle

FSA, No.42

FSA BB-PF30

GROUPSET

FSA Gossamer Pro

50-34

Shimano Ultegra

Shimano Ultegra

Shimano RS-685

Shimano Hydraulic (BR-RS785)

Shimano Hydraulic (BR-RS785)

Shimano 105, 11-28

FSA Team Issue

COMPONENTS

Prologo Nago Evo 141

Boardman Elite SLR Carbon Twenty

Boardman Elite Alloy - 6° rise

Boardman Elite Alloy

Boardman Soft-grip

Pedals not included

WHEELSET

Boardman SLR Elite Five Disc

Boardman Straight-pull, 28H, 15mm front /12mm rear thru-axles

Stainless Steel, Butted

28mm deep disc-specific profile, Clincher

Vittoria Rubino Pro (25C)

Tell us what the bike is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Boardman says: "With the same high modulus frame found throughout the range, the 9.0 offers exceptional value with its Ultegra groupset, hydraulic disc brakes and lightweight SLR Elite Five wheelset. Low maintenance for winter riding, Endurance geometry for long summer days and great braking all year through, the SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 will support you on every ride."

The geometry and handling of the Boardman certainly inspires you to go for a long ride, as long as you can cope with the frame stiffness.

Frame and fork

Overall rating for frame and fork
 
8/10

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

The overall quality and paint job looks pretty good indeed.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

Boardman's C10 Carbon uses ultra high modulus fibres in key areas of the frame and fork, boosting stiffness while reducing overall frame weight. A tapered, full carbon fork with a 1 1/2 inch lower headset bearing increases stiffness and steering precision.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

Compared with its SLR Race models the Endurance is slightly taller at the front and has a longer wheelbase, but it is surprisingly close to most bikes of this style.

Details here: https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/400-slr-disc-9.0.html

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

The stack is 560mm and reach 389mm on this medium sized model, which is a longer and lower position than both the Ribble Gran Fondo Disc and Canyon's Endurace.

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

For a bike of this style the Boardman is right on the stiffness borderline for a comfortable ride.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

Stiffness is impressive, especially at the front end.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Power transfer and delivery is very much like a full-on race bike.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?

No.

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive? Responsive without being overly twitchy.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

The SLR Endurance uses the same head and seat angles as the SLR Race and pretty similar geometry throughout, which means that this one handles with the same poise and precision as many race bikes.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?

I really liked the shape and padding of the Prologo saddle.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?

The wheels felt stiff under hard acceleration...

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?

...but those wheels are quite heavy, which just took the zing off hard efforts.

Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for high speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for low speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for flat cornering:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for cornering on descents:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
 
8/10

The drivetrain

Rate the drivetrain for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the drivetrain for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn't like? Any components which didn't work well together?

With the competitive pricing of the major brands, it's getting rarer to see chainsets from other manufacturers such as FSA; saying that, though, the Gossamer used here looks cool and offers impressive shifting.

Wheels and tyres

Rate the wheels for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the wheels for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for comfort:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the wheels.Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so, what for?

Solid and stiff performers, but for a boost to the bike's overall responsiveness I'd switch them for something lighter.

Rate the tyres for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the tyres for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the tyres for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the tyres for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the tyres for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so, what for?

The Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres are decent enough performers. They roll okay and seem pretty grippy, though I did pick up a couple of punctures over the test period.

Controls

Rate the controls for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the controls for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the controls for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the controls for comfort:
 
7/10
Rate the controls for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?

As we see on most bikes of this price, the components like the handlebar and stem are basic aluminium alloy options which do the job without being flash.

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

Rate the bike overall for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the bike overall for value:
 
7/10

Use this box to explain your score

The SLR Endurance is the ideal bike if you want a slightly taller head tube over a race bike while retaining all of the other geometry for a quick and slightly aggressive ride. It compares well on price too against the competition.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
rejourda | 6 years ago
0 likes

Use this bike on a 35 mile round trip commute and love it. It is light and responsive and I fined the ride really comfy, personally the only thing I would change is the bars. Bought mine for £1500 and could not find anything in that price range to compete (tested a few). I use SkS raceblade pro during the winter and they keep most of the muck off. 

Avatar
zedthegreat | 6 years ago
0 likes

Would I be correct in assuming no mudguard mounts on this bike?

Avatar
paulrattew replied to zedthegreat | 6 years ago
0 likes
zedthegreat wrote:

Would I be correct in assuming no mudguard mounts on this bike?

 

Correct, sadly no mudguard mounts

Avatar
paulrattew | 6 years ago
2 likes

I have a Boardman SLS Disc 9.8 frameset that I built up - officially the previous model but Boardman confirmed when I bought it that it's actually the exact same frame and fork. This does mean that if you want to build up a bike with this frame, you can get it much cheaper than the £1,149.99 listed in the article above (the boardman online outlet shop is currently selling the SLS 9.8 Disc frameset for £899.99 https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/products/491-y1415-sls-9.8-disc-frameset.html).

It's certainly no race bike, but for an 'endurance' bike it has a relatively agressive position. For me it's not really the sort of endurance bike that promotes going out for a gentle pootle (not that it's at all bad for that) - it feels much more rewarding when you push it a bit. It's rock solid when climbing and sprinting, at least at the power levels I can kick out. In terms of a full bike it's very good value given the kit, although from test rides I found the stock wheels a bit pants to be honest. Design wise it would be nice to have 12mm a thru-axle at the front instead of the 15mm, but this is a hangober from the fact that they haven't changed the frameset from the 2014/15 model. I'm guessing the next version will adopt 12mm, and will have flat mount discs rather than post mount. No performance difference, but they look nicer.

One thing that really doesn't help the comfort is the seat post diameter. 27.2mm seems to be the standard on most endurance bikes these days and this post being so much bigger really doesn't help comfort. I've shimmed mine so that I can run a 27.2mm post (currently an Ergon CF3 - same as thecanyon VCLS) which really helps inprove comfort.

The tyre clearance is really good, which means that you can just run sizeable rubber to aid comfort. I'm running 28mm schwalbe one pro tyres, on super widew Stan's Avions rims, so they actually come up around 30mm or so, and there is still spare room. Not quite sure why they state a 28mm tyre size limit.

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