Bombtrack Audax

Bombtrack's Audax is exactly what its name suggests: it's a mile-muncher that whisks you along in cosseting comfort; even when fatigue kicks in the last thing you need to worry about is the bike. If you want a ride that excites then this probably isn't the bike for you, but if you want to get to the end of your journey without fuss or drama, all you need to do on the Bombtrack is keep spinning the pedals.

• Pros: Supple ride from the tubing, wide 650b tyres allow for excursions off the beaten track
• Cons: A bit weighty, no 'get up and go' if that's what you're after

The ride

The best way I can think to sum up the Audax is that it should never be rushed – and I mean that in a good way. Just like a ride of the same name, it really hits a sweetspot between not-too-fast and not-too-slow average speeds.

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If you've never ridden an audax then you may not know how they operate. Briefly, you are given the distance and two speeds, a minimum average and a maximum, between which you should complete the ride.

I found that the Bombtrack just cruised beautifully at the effort required to cover 15-18mph on the flat; go slower and it felt laboured because of its weight, go faster and... well, don't bother as this is no race bike, so you'll get very little back for your effort.

In this business we ride a lot of bikes, obviously, in my case usually three new ones every month and most follow a common theme. You get on it, smash the pedals around and make your mind up. There is the odd bike, though, where you have to take a step back and realise things aren't working out and it's probably you not the bike.

Most bikes, no matter how pigeon-holed the marketing, are very good at a range of things, but the Bombtrack is a very specific machine.

The Audax taught me to take things easy, and while the first few rides may have felt underwhelming in terms of excitement, I soon settled into a groove and realised I could cover impressive distances at a decent speed without much in the way of energy output.

Comfort is impressive, both from the double butted Columbus Cromor tubing and the high-volume 650b x 47mm tyres. No matter what condition the road surface is in, you cruise along in relative bliss.

I'm not usually overly worried about comfort on the bike; I don't want to be battered, obviously, but I'm happy to take a little punishment in the conquest for speed. Riding the Audax, though, was like being wafted along in your favourite slippers.

Rather than watching out for potholes or drains, I was admiring the scenery and just tapping out miles at an easy cadence, enjoying being out in the countryside and spinning along.

The mileage started to increase, and while I wasn't taking on the epic distances of our Dave and his 600km hidings, I quickly grew to enjoy the character of the Bombtrack.

Geometry

When you look at the numbers, the Audax is actually quite a racy machine. This medium model with its effective top tube length of 551mm and relatively short head tube of just 130mm is actually quite aggressive.

The stack figure of 563mm and reach of 390 gives you a ratio of 1.44 which sits in between the norm for a race and an endurance machine.

This shows up in the handling. Find yourself on a fast flowing descent and the Audax continues that theme of unflustered behaviour. What do I mean by that? Well, it has that balance of quickness in the steering to give confidence in choosing a line, without the twitchiness of something racier.

With those large volume tyres and the balanced geometry, you don't need to worry if you hit some gravel or can't avoid a pothole as the bike will just absorb it and get on with the job.

The whole bike weighs 10.73kg, so let's be honest it isn't exactly light and you'll notice this when it comes to climbing or acceleration. The usual rules apply, though: stay in the saddle, tap it out and you'll get the best out of the bike.

Sometimes, though, you do have to get out of the saddle thanks to the weight (and that's unloaded, remember – if you are out for a trek you're going to be carrying luggage), so the pretty standard gearing of 50/34 up front and an 11-28t cassette at the rear can become a bit of a grind.

Frame and fork

Columbus's Cromor is part of its 'all-purpose, hi-resistance tubes family'. Columbus also says that it has 'top reliability even in the most demanding and stressing conditions with long-lasting properties and performance even after heavy duty use'.

The Audax certainly feels tough and you don't need to treat it with kid gloves.

I love the look of a steel frame, with skinnier tubing than you see with most other materials, but the Audax isn't a retro machine. Up front you get a 1 1/8 to 1 1/2in head tube for increased stiffness under braking and steering loads.

The bottom bracket has also gone down the press-fit route rather than the traditional screw-in method.

This Audax edition has been made more sports orientated than previous models, with shortened chainstays. To provide room for the tyre width and pedal arm, Bombtrack has come up with a rather neat, formed drive side chainstay.

Both chainstays are heavily scalloped to offer extra tyre clearance too.

For a bike of this style, attachment points are key, and with the Audax you won't be disappointed. The frame will take full mudguards at the rear plus a pannier rack, and you have plenty of mounting points on the fork for various racks and guards.

You also get three sets of bottle cage mounting points, the third being under the down tube. Not ideal for keeping a drink out of road spray, but a good position for a tool carrier.

Most of the cabling runs externally, which to be honest isn't a major worry. If you were to use this bike for far-flung adventures it's much easier to replace a snapped wire on the outside rather than having to thread it through the frame.

That said, the rear brake cable does run internally, but Bombtrack provides a fully enclosed outer which should make replacement simple enough.

Wheel retention is starting to settle down, and the Audax follows the theme of 12mm thru-axles front and rear, a real benefit when using disc brakes, with the larger diameter of the thru-axle and the fact that they screw directly into the fork and frame meaning they are better at resisting the braking forces caused by having a rotor on just one side.

Finishing kit

For a £2,100 bike, the spec sheet seems a little low, but money has been spent in the right places. Well, almost.

The Bombtrack gets a Shimano 105 groupset, as in shifters, front and rear mech, chainset and cassette. There is a KMC chain, but a lot of brands tend to go down that route.

As I mentioned earlier, you get a 50/34-tooth compact chainset and an 11-28t, 11-speed cassette, quite a race-orientated set of ratios.

The shifting from the 5800 setup is absolutely great and you really can't knock it for the money. The hoods are comfortable to ride on for miles and the gear changing is light and precise.

Unfortunately, the 105 speccing doesn't extend to the braking, which is a shame. Don't get me wrong – I'm not a huge fan of the 105 hydraulic levers, I find them a strange shape and nowhere near as comfortable as the mechanical version – but the braking offered by the TRP Spyre-Cs is seriously lacking, as I mentioned in my review of the Kona Rove DL compared to that of an oil-based system. The Spyre-Cs don't offer a lot of power or modulation, and I'd really expect more for the budget.

The handlebar, stem and seatpost are all Bombtrack branded and it's decent enough stuff. I certainly wouldn't be in a huge hurry to go out and upgrade anything. It's all painted in a gloss black finish which matches the rest of the bike too.

The handlebar has a 10-degree flare each side from the tops to the drops, which is great should you take to the gravel tracks and byways as it offers a little bit of extra stability when the going is fast.

The Bombtrack saddle is made by Velo and I found it quite comfortable; the padding is quite firm but it does absorb road buzz and I got on fine with the shape.

Wheels and tyres

After the frame and fork, the wheels and tyres bring the most to the ride and it's great to see that Bombtrack has skimped on neither.

Hunt has built up a strong reputation for its wheels, and rightly so. I've owned and tested many pairs and they are solid, performance-orientated wheels so it's no surprise that many brands are speccing them as standard.

The Adventure Sport 650b Disc wheelset comes in at a claimed 1,579g which is impressive for the £319 price tag, especially when you consider how tough the wheels are.

I took the Audax off-road a fair few times and the Hunts can't be faulted for the abuse they took. I don't go out to purposely wreck test wheels but I certainly treat them way worse than I would any set I've splashed my own cash on!

Tyre-wise, the WTB Horizon TCSs are well respected and offer great rolling resistance. Grip is good and because of their width they can happily swap from tarmac to hardpack trails. Even on loose, small gravel they handle well as they float across rather than sinking like narrower 700C tyres.

Value

As I said earlier, when you look at the spec levels the Bombtrack doesn't really excite when it comes to bang for buck category.

Let's take the Fairlight Strael 2.0, for instance, one of only two bikes I've ever given 10/10 to. Okay, it's not a true audax bike, but it uses Reynold's steel to create what can only be described as a beautiful, fast and comfortable ride.

A Shimano 105-equipped Strael 2.0 will set you back £1,999, a smidge cheaper than the Bombtrack, but that is a hydraulic disc brake-equipped model which makes a big difference in terms of ride quality. You do only get Fulcrum 7DB wheels rather than the more expensive Hunts, though, so it's not completely clear cut which is best.

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Another option is the Genesis Fugio (full review to come), which is a similar sort of bike. It also costs £1,999 and comes with a steel frame and Shimano 105 groupset, but again hydraulic brakes are the name of the game here.

The Bombtrack isn't over the top in terms of price, but it is up against some tough competition, and it's not like the two I've mentioned are massive brands exploiting their size for massive bargains.

Conclusion

If you want to cover big miles in total comfort and serenity then the Audax will probably suit you down to the ground. It offers a lovely ride and offers a decent package – braking aside.

Verdict

A great bike for racking up the miles and enjoying the countryside but it could do with better brakes