Boardman has expanded its gravel range with the TRVL, with this 8.9 DB showcasing a balance of value and performance, while also being one of the very few bikes at this price point to include a suspension fork. The geometry is spot on, the ride quality is great, as is the spec list, all backed up by an impressive warranty that makes it worthy of a spot amongst the best gravel bikes.
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Boardman TRVL 8.9 DB – Technical Details
I know what you are thinking, “It’s just a ’90s mtb with drop handlebars.” Not my words, though, but Boardman’s. Although the brand also goes on to say, “But it’s much more than that if you take a closer look.”
Boardman has had a range of gravel bikes called ADV for many years now, and they are very good, too. In fact, I recently reviewed one of the latest models for our sister site, road.cc.
The reason it is on road.cc is that the ADV range is quite ‘roadie’ based. Geometry that isn’t too far off of what you would expect from an endurance road bike with tyre clearances that are generous, but not massive. If your gravel riding tends to be on fast tracks and trails, or you want a gravel bike that you can press into winter road or commuting duties (it accepts full mudguards), then the ADV will give you a full house on your bingo card.
If you want something a bit more rugged and adventurous, though, this new TVRL line-up steps up to the plate. There are three models in the range, two with drop bars and one with a flat option, and they all come with a suspension fork.
The frame is created from 6061 aluminium alloy butted tubing which has been created with swoopy shapes and design tweaks to give plenty of clearance and rider comfort. It’s a good-looking frame in my opinion, and at first glance it can easily be thought of as being carbon fibre. Boardman backs up its frames with a lifetime warranty for the original owner, too, which is reassuring.
You get some internal cable and hose routing through the down tube for clean lines and to keep them out of the way of trail spray, plus there are plenty of mounting points included for full adventure mode.
You get three sets of bottle cage mounts with the additional pair sitting under the down tube, which is ideal for carrying a tool caddy, while the two others sitting inside the main triangle have three bolt options to give some adjustment to where you position your cages, should you be running a frame bag.
On the top tube, you’ll find a position for a bento bag, and the steeply sloped nature of the tube means plenty of exposed seatpost, allowing loads of room for a saddle pack. While not supplied with a dropper post, the TRVL has the routing to accept one and tyre clearance is very generous at 50mm overall.
The TVRL is available in three sizes, covering recommended rider heights of 170cm to 192cm.
I’ve been riding the medium, which has a stack height of 590mm and a reach figure 395mm. The effective top tube length is 565mm, and the two smallest frames come with an 80mm stem while the large goes up to a 90mm option.
The head angle sits at 70.5°and is 135mm in length, mated to a fork offset of 51mm. The seat angle is a fair bit steeper at 74°, while the drop to the T47 bottom bracket is 75mm. Boardman has a comprehensive list of measurements for all three sizes on their website if you want more details.
Boardman TRVL 8.2 DB – Componentry
This 8.9 DB is well specced for the money, coming with a SRAM Apex mechanical 1x groupset and RockShox Rudy fork.
Running a 40T chainring and an 11-44T 12-speed cassette, the TRVL has a decent spread of gears for all kinds of terrain, whether the bike is loaded or unloaded. I’m a fan of the way SRAM’s DoubleTap shifters work, and while the gear changes can be a little clunky at the rear mech, the paddle shifts on the lever are smooth and don’t require a huge amount of pressure.
A few years back, the hardcore used on the military byway that makes up the majority of my test routes was overlaid with some really large aggregate, which turned the once smooth-ish but potholed tracks into absolute boneshakers. The clutch mechanism in the rear mech kept the chain taut and relatively quiet, plus the fear of unshipping it from the chainring was soon quashed.
The suspension fork also came into play on these sections. As part of SRAM’s XPLR (explore) range, the Rudy is a gravel-specific fork which offers 40mm of travel.
I’ve used this model on a few bikes now, and while I’m kind of on the fence about suspension on gravel bikes, I must admit the subtlety of the Rudy means that it is barely noticeable as it absorbs the bumps and gives a natural feel to the front end. The only slight downside to it is that it has no lockout, which means the front end can be a little bouncy when on those road sections between the gravel.
Rotors of 160mm are pretty much standard on gravel bikes these days, so it’s no surprise to see them here on the Boardman. SRAM’s hydraulic brakes are always powerful, and the modulation has got better over the years. The Apex ones here worked faultlessly and gave loads of control on technical sections.
The majority of the finishing kit is all Boardman branded, and while not flash, it’s reliable and does the job.
The stem is a basic alloy job, as is the handlebar. The bar width is 42cm on each bike size and has 70mm of reach and a drop of 120mm. Six degrees of flare give you that slightly wider stance in the drops, which keeps the handling under control on fast, technical sections.
Sitting above the alloy seatpost is a Fizik saddle, their Terra Argo. I get on well with the design and shape of Fizik’s saddles, so I liked this one a lot. It’s slender enough in its shape and padding that it feels racy, but still plush enough to cope with the vibrations and impacts of gravel riding.
The wheelset uses Boardman alloy rims named Asymmetric Adventure, paired with Formula’s RX-512 and RX-142 hubs. With 32 spokes front and rear, they are built to take some abuse, and over the course of the review period, they definitely proved themselves to be reliable. They come fitted with innertubes as standard, but are tubeless-ready, so all you would need to add are some tubeless valves and sealant to complete the setup.
Boardman has gone for Goodyear’s Connector tyre, which is a decent all-rounder, especially for the drier months. With minimal tread in the central section, they roll well on hardpack surfaces and even on the looser stuff, their 45mm width stops them from sinking.
The shoulders have more pronounced tread sections, which give some bite when cornering and I found that the tyres worked fine on grass, chalk, gravel and mud as things have firmed up in the spring months although if you are going to be using the TRVL in wet conditions you’ll need something with deeper tread.
Reliability seemed good, though, and they zip along pretty well on the road for a gravel tyre.
Boardman TRVL 8.9 DB – Performance
In comparison to the sort of prices we are seeing in the cycling market at sub two-grand, the 8.9 DB could be considered an entry-level bike, but in true Boardman fashion, you are getting so much bang for your buck. Not just in terms of kit, but performance and rideability.
The only thing that I could possibly say that goes against it is the weight. Once you start adding things like a suspension fork, you are going to add a fair chunk of weight, more than double that of a rigid carbon fork.
This means that the TRVL 8.9 DB weighs around 11.3kg, which is noticeable on the climbs and when accelerating. The smoothness of the fork is worth the offset, though, especially for the kind of riding the Boardman is designed for.
On fast sections of rough gravel, I could just let the bike go. That 40mm of travel isn’t going to take out the large hits, but it took care of the vibrations that would normally see my hands being bounced off the hoods and levers. Venturing into the woods, it helped on my favourite little piece of singletrack, taking the sting out of the tree roots and keeping the pace up.
It’s a comfortable bike to ride, too. Pumping the tyres up hard for a test of frame quality shows that the tubing and profiles do a great job of reducing high-frequency buzz, and further cements the myth-busting that aluminium frames are in some way harsh – this ain’t the 90s!
The highlight for me, though, is the geometry. It just works really well.
Overall, things feel very stable. The slightly stretched out position allowed me to tweak my centre of gravity to reflect how and where I was riding, while the front end has a lot of neutrality to it, which makes it easy to ride even with a heavy bar bag fitted.
The TRVL has been designed to just hang on to a bit of speed in the steering to make things fun when you are riding the bike ‘bare’. The front-end tracks brilliantly and gives a lot of confidence. As an experienced gravel rider, I found it capable enough for me to be able to push the bike to my limits, while it’s also forgiving enough for the novice rider to feel totally in control.
The fork adds much more weight to the front end of the bike than I’m normally used to, but it doesn’t bring any negative side effects – it’s a clever balance.
Boardman TRVL 8.9 – Verdict
Priced at just £1,800 for this 8.9 DB model, there isn’t a huge amount on the market to compete with the TRVL, if you want a suspension fork included in the price, as the few bikes that use them tend to be higher up the price range.
Take the GT Grade Carbon X that I reviewed a few months back. It’s the only bike in the line-up to receive suspension (the same Rudy fork as used here) and costs £3,000. The closest comparison is the aluminium-framed Grade Comp with a carbon rigid fork for £1,450. It uses Shimano’s GRX400 2×10 drivetrain and has 32-spoke alloy wheels like the Boardman.
Giant were offering the latest Revolt with the option of a suspension fork, but looking at their websites, it has been dropped from the newest models. A Revolt 0 is available for practically the same money as the 8.9 DB (£1,799) and is based on an alloy frame and carbon rigid fork with a GRX 600/800 mix of components.
If you wanted an aluminium gravel bike with SRAM Apex mechanical and 20mm of travel at the front, you could opt for the Specialized Diverge Comp E5 with its Future Shock 1.5. That’s going to set you back £2,500, though.
The Future Shock works well (the 2.0 version was the last one I used when reviewing the Diverge STR a while back), but doesn’t have the capabilities of the fork used on the Boardman.
Overall, this is a lot of bike for the money and fills a gap in the marketplace. I love the fact that it behaves brilliantly when loaded up as an adventure bike, but can easily transform into something much more fun and nimble when the need arises.
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About the bike
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 :
This is a very capable gravel bike and a lot of fun to ride.
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- Frame: Boardman TRVL – 6061 Alloy
- Fork: RockShox Rudy 40mm Travel
- Headset: FSA No.42, 1 1/8” – 1.5” Tapered, Integrated.
- Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB T47
- Cranks: SRAM FC-Apex-D1, 40T
- Rear Derailleur: SRAM RD-Apex-D1, 12 Speed
- Shifter: SRAM Apex-D1, 1×12 Speed
- Brakes: SRAM Apex-D1, 160mm Disc Rotor
- Cassette: SRAM PG1231-D1, 11-44T
- Chain: SRAM CN-Apex-D1, 12 Speed
- Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo
- Seat Post: Boardman Alloy, 31.6mm
- Stem: Boardman Alloy, 31.8mm clamp
- Handlebar: Boardman Alloy, 31.8mm clamp, 70mm reach, 120mm drop, 6 degree flare
- Handlebar Tape: Boardman 3.5mm Tape
- Pedals: Alloy, Flat
- Wheelset: Boardman ADV Tubeless Ready
- Hubs: Formula RX-512 front, RX-142 rear
- Rims: Boardman Asymmetric Adventure Tubeless Ready Rims
- Tyre: Goodyear Connector, Tubeless Ready, 700x45mm
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