If you have £1,000 to £1,500 to spend on a road bike, you really do get a lot for you money. A benefit of spending this sort of money is that the bikes start to get much lighter than those costing half as much, which will have a significant impact on the ride quality and performance, and your times up your local hills.

Shimano 105 and Tiagra are the dominant groupsets in this price range. While there is a lot of own-brand kit for parts like wheels, handlebars and saddles, which is no bad thing (manufacturers have really raised their game with own label components), there is a lot more branded kit from the likes of Mavic and Fizik.

At the time of writing (October 2016) we're in the transition between 2016 and 2017 models, so our selection reflects that. There are some 2016 bargains here, as well as some of the best 2017 bikes in the category.​

Fuji Roubaix 1.3 — £1,149

fuji-roubaix-13-2017-road-bike-blue-EV280185-5000-2.jpg

Fuji characterises its Roubaix as a race bike and has completely reworked the frame for 2017, putting it firmly in the category of Very Light Aluminium at a claimed weight of 1,100g.

The fork is all-carbon, as befits a lightweight bike, and there are Shiano 105 gears and brakes to make it stop and go. The Oval Concepts finishing kit includes a chainset with Praxis rings. It looks like an excellent package for the money if you're in the marker for a fast, light traditional road race bike.

Boardman Road Pro Carbon — £1,199.20

Boardman Road Pro Carbon.jpg

Boardman is making some great bikes this year – both in terms of performance and value – and the Road Pro Carbon is no exception. If you're after a disc brake road bike that's engaging to ride, you should certainly take a look at this. If you're looking for a more versatile all-rounder, it's not such a good fit.

Given that this bike comes from an endurance mould you might expect the ride to be more forgiving than it actually is. The Boardman doesn't have the surface-taming characteristics of something like a Cannondale Synapse or a Trek Domane, it's much more of a road bike feel. It's not uncomfortable, but it is firm. It's well balanced in that the front and the back give about the same level of feedback from the road.

Certainly the frame and fork are a package that's worthy of some upgrades here: it's a very well-balanced bike that responds well to pretty much every kind of road riding. The steering is very predictable and never nervous, and I had no issues with any wobbles, vagueness or lift-off descending at speed.

Find a Boardman dealer

Read our review of the Boardman Road Pro Carbon

Cannondale CAAD12 105 — £1,299

cannondale-caad12-105-2017.jpg

Last year, the CAAD12 set a new benchmark for all-aluminium frames; it still puts a lot of carbon bikes to shame. With a frame weight under 1,100g for the disc brake and regular versions, it's not much heavier than carbon either. Cannondale package the frame with a full Shimano 105 groupset, carbon fibre fork with tapered steerer tube, 52/36 crank. Mavic Aksium wheels and a Selle Royal Seta S1 saddle. You can also have it with disc brakes for an extra £300.

Read our report from the CAAD12 launch
Find a Cannondale dealer

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0 — £1,349

Canyon ultimate-cf-sl-7.png

German company Canyon has made quite an impression in the UK with its direct-to-consumer business model meaning big savings for those prepared to bypass the bike shop for their next bike purchase. The Ultimate CF SL is produced using the same mould as that the Ultimate CF SLX we tested a while ago, it's just using a cheaper carbon fibre. That keeps the price lower. Although the weight does go up a bit, it's still light at a claimed 940g. This is the entry-level model built with a full Shimano 105 groupset, Mavic Aksium wheels, Continental GP 4000 25mm tyres, Canyon's own bars and stem and a Fizik Antares saddle. It's nominally a 2016 bike, but Canyon is still listing it at this price.

Focus Cayo Tiagra — £1,399

Focus Cayo Tiagra.jpg

The Focus Cayo Tiagra uses a race-proven carbon fibre frame and fork with a more relaxed fit and geometry than the German company's racier offerings. The frame is fitted with Shimano Tiagra brakes, gears and semi-compact crankset, along Continental Grand Sport tyres. Focus uses its own-brand Concept components for the wheels, handlebars, stem, and saddle.

Find a Focus dealer

Trek Émonda S 5 — £1,400

trek-emonda-s-5-2017-road-bike-black-red-EV286581-8530-1.jpg

With a lightweight carbon fibre frame and Shimano 105 group, this speedster from Trek's racing range is a good deal.

The Emonda line is Trek's take on making the lightest road bikes it can produce for a given price, which means the frame here is worth upgrading as the parts wear out; it wouldn't be shamed by a Shimano Ultegra group.

Find a Trek dealer

Bianchi Intrepida — £1,400

Bianchi Intrepida Veloce 2017.jpg

We bet most people will want a Bianchi on any new bike shortlist. Bianchi classifies the Intrepida as part of its endurance racing line-up which places an emphasis on comfort over long distances. That means a slightly more relaxed geometry and more upright position than a traditional race bike. Bolted to the frame is Campagnolo's Veloce groupset with an FSA Omega chainset and Bianchi's own label Reparto Corse for the wheels and all finishing kit.

Find a Bianchi dealer

Vitus Bikes Zenium SL Pro Disc - Superlight Ultegra — £1,449

Vitus Bikes Zenium SL Pro Disc - Superlight Ultegra.jpeg

Recent price increases mean getting a full Shimano Ultegra group with disc brakes on any bike under £1,500 is unusual, making the offering from Chain Reaction's house brad excellent value with it spec on an aluminium frame. It comes with Michelin's fast Pro 4 tyres in 25mm width and there's room in the frame to go up to 28mm for versatility.

The frame is the same as the 2016 Zenium SL Disc, which our Stu Kerton really liked when he reviewed it. The SL tames the previous Zenium's harshness a bit, but this is still a fast bike. "I like it,"Stu wrote. "It feels purposeful, a kind of 'this is what I am, deal with it' type of thing. With a lot of bikes these days trying to be a bit of an 'everything' option, it's good to get on board something that can just be smashed about a bit and ridden hard."

Read our review of the Vitus Zenium SL

Giant Defy Advanced 3 — £1,499

2017_GIANT_DEFY_ADVANCED_3.jpg

Giant’s Defy has long been a benchmark for bikes that combine comfort, endurance and value. Over the years the model range has developed from being purely a mid-price aluminium bike to where we are now with a range of carbon fibre-framed Defy Advanced bikes from £1,500 to £6,000; the previous aluminium Defy range is now badged Contend.

The range starts with three Defy Advanced models, of which the Defy Advanced 3 is the cheapest. It has Shimano's excellent-value Shimano Tiagra 10-speed transmission, including hydraulic brakes.

If the carbon fibre frame pushes the Defy Advanced 3 out of your price range, the Contend SL 1 has an aluminium frame, Shimano 105 components and hydraulic disc brakes for £1,149.

Find a Giant dealer

Specialized Tarmac Sport — £1,500

specialized-tarmac-sl4-sport-2017-road-bike-orange-EV279870-2000-1 (1).png

If your tastes run to fast and sharp-handing road bikes, but your budget won't stretch to the astounding Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc, this everyman race bike will provide a big chunk of the thrills without holing your bank account below the waterline. It has Specialized's light, nimble FACT 9r carbon frame with a Shimano 105 groupset providing the stop and go bits.

Find a Specialized dealer

The most popular bike style in the UK, hybrids are practical and comfortable, and their upright riding position makes them ideal for the office run or leisurely cruising the lanes.

As the name suggests, hybrids have aspects of road bikes and mountain bikes. From the road comes a lightweight frame and fast-rolling 700C wheels, while mountain bikes contribute flat bars, disc or V-brakes and wide-range gears. The tyres are usually an intermediate width and tread to provide enough cushioning and grip that rough surfaces like forest roads and tow paths are no obstacle,

There are many variations under the hybrid umbrella. At one end, flat-bar road bikes are great for zipping around the lanes and even some light touring, but with skinny tyres might not be as much fun on potholed city streets. At the other end of the range are fully-equipped European-style city bikes, with mudguards, rack and even built-in dynamo lights or a rear-wheel lock.

Hybrids make great urban transport for potholed streets or towpaths (CC BY-NC 2.0 Tom Blackwell:Flickr)

Hybrids are great transport. You can pick one up for less than a hundred quid, and by the time you get up the price range to £300-600 there are some really very nice bikes. That's where we've started with this selection. If that blows your budget take a look at our guide to the best cheap hybrid bikes.

Oddly, fully-equipped bikes are less common at higher prices. Manufacturers perhaps think buyers with more money to spend will want to choose their own mudguards, rack and so on, but we see lots of people riding nice quality hybrids without mudguards and just getting wet bums. Seems a bit daft.

It's not unusual for designers of hybrid bikes to specify alternatives to the ubiquitous rear derailleur and you'll find a couple of examples in our recommendations below. Hub gears are less unusual that on sportier bikes, and can pick up flat-bar singlespeeders very inexpensively because they's so simple.

Hybrids are great cheap transport. Bung even a £500 bike on Cycle To Work Scheme and you'll barely notice the payments disappearing from your pay packet. In fact, in many cities, you'll be better off. Compared to a London Zone 1-3 Travelcard at £144.80 per month, a £154.00 Bristol City peak travelcard or a Cambridge Megarider Plus bus ticket for £92, the repayments for a hybrid are trivial.

Let's take a look at some of your best choices in flat-bar bikes.

B'Twin Hoprider 520 — £320

B'TWIN HOPRIDER 520

First impressions of the review bike our teenage tester is riding to school daily are good. The model up from the £230 Hoprider 300, it has a suspension fork and seatpost to improve comfort over rough ground, and the transmission is decent quality, for the money eight-speed Shimano Acera.

Less obvious, but very welcome, it also comes with built-in dynamo lighting, Continental Touring Plus puncture-resistant tyres and trigger shifters rather than the twist-grips you often find on cheaper models. You even get a fairly decent set of metal-bodied pedals, a significant step up from the resin-bodied jobs found on most budget bikes.

Find a Decathlon store

Trek 7.1 FX — £375

trek-fx-1-2017-hybrid-bike-black-EV286593-8500-1.jpg

Trek's best-selling city bike has a light aluminium frame, very wide-range 21-speed gears that'll get you up any hills you're likely to find in the UK, and convenient Shimano trigger shifters.

You don't get extras like a rack or mudguards, but the frame has all the necessary fittings for them, and will even take a Dutch-style frame/wheel lock like the AXA Defender so you can't forget your lock.

Find a Trek dealer

Foffa Urban 7 Speed Nexus — £499.99

Foffa Urban 2016.jpg

With an aluminium steel frame and mudguards, the Foffa Urban is  cheerful, nippy round-town transport. The key feature is the seven-speed Shimano Nexus internal hub gear, which gives a good range for urban riding without the fuss of a derailleur to get damaged or clag up with road grime.

Read our review of the Foffa Urban 7 Speed Nexus

Find a Foffa dealer

B'Twin Triban 540 — £500

BTwin Triban 540

B'Twin's Triban 540 promises road bike zip with the more upright position of a flat bar so you can sit up and admire the view or keep an eye out for random taxis.

The Triban 540 strikes a balance between speed and practicality. On the speed side, well, at heart it's a road bike. Skinny tyres, narrow saddle, seat a bit higher than the bars. On the other hand, it's got a flat bar, with gears controlled by mountain bike-style triggers so you never need move your hands away from the brakes.

The frame has fittings for rack and guards so it can be practical too and the Shimano Tiagra components make it a bargain for this price.

Read our first look

Raleigh Strada 4 — £523

Raleigh Strada 4.jpg

At first glance the Raleigh Strada 4 appears to be a singlespeed. Look a bit closer and you find a clever SRAM Automatix two-speed hub gear that automatically changes to a higher gear at about 15kph; this gives you a low gear to get away from the lights and then switches up to allow you to accelerate through traffic.

The hub nestles in Raleigh's lightweight 6061 aluminium frame, and Strada mechanical disc brakes bring the whole thing firmly to a halt.

We used an earlier, belt-drive version as the basis for John's Project Practical.

Find a Raleigh dealer

Charge Grater 2 — £419.99

Charge-Grater-2-2016-Hybrid-City-Bikes-Blue-BYCHM6GRAT2SMBLU.jpg

Charge has always excelled at urban bikes. Watch London rush-hour bike traffic and you'll see a heck of a lot of them. We like the Grater's lightweight aluminium frame, and the fact that it comes with mudguards already fitted so you can't fail to get around to adding them and end up with a wet bum when it rains.

Wide-range Shimano gears, puncture resistant tyres and disc brakes are all nice, practical touches for a round-town ride, and at the current price it's a major bargain.

Find a Charge dealer

Whyte Victoria women's urban bike — £559.00

Whyte Victoria 2016

Hybrids intended for women tend to have a shorter top tube than their male equivalents, and have female friendly components like a woman's saddle, as here. With hydraulic disc brakes and nippy 28mm tyres, the Victoria is at the sportier end of hybrids; when you need to get a move on it's noticeably quick.

Read our review of the Whyte Victoria

Find a Whyte dealer

Boardman Hybrid Team — £629.10

Boardan Hybrid Team 2016.jpeg

Boardman is another brand that's ubiquitous on the city streets and just lately main man Chris Boardman has been all over the media advocating for cycling rights and plugging his book on bike design, The Biography of the Modern Bike.

Boardman somehow finds time to design nice hybrids too, like this aluminium-framed, round-tow speedster. At this level you start finding hydraulic disc brakes, usually a bit more reliable and less fiddly than cable brakes. The Hybrid Team also has a carbon fibre forks, which helps take teh sting out of potholes, and wide-range SRAM gearing.

Find a Halfords branch

Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 — £1499.99

cannondale-quick-carbon-1-2016-hybrid-bike-black-EV239431-8500-1.jpg

The late, sadly missed bike reviewer Steve Worland described this luxury hybrid as: "Quick like a road bike, comfy like a mountain bike, with disc brake confidence; a thoroughbred mongrel of an all-rounder". A hybrid with a carbon fibre frame will seem over the top until the first time you have to carry it up several flights of stairs, at which point it suddenly makes perfect, shoulder-friendly sense.

It makes sense on the road too. Its instantly most obvious and endearing characteristic is its casual speed, while the handling far more sprightly than most hybrid type bikes.

The latest version of the Quick 1 has wide--range Shimano Tiagra gears, fast-rolling 25mm Schwalbe tyres and Magura hydraulic disc brakes. There are fittings for racks and mudguards too, it can be practical as well as quick.

Find a Cannondale dealer

Read our review of the very similar 2014 Cannondale Quick Carbon 2

If you have £1,000 to £1,500 to spend on a road bike, you really do get a lot for you money. A benefit of spending this sort of money is that the bikes start to get much lighter than those costing half as much, which will have a significant impact on the ride quality and performance, and your times up your local hills.

Shimano 105 and Tiagra are the dominant groupsets in this price range. While there is a lot of own-brand kit for parts like wheels, handlebars and saddles, which is no bad thing (manufacturers have really raised their game with own label components), there is a lot more branded kit from the likes of Mavic and Fizik.

At the time of writing (October 2016) we're in the transition between 2016 and 2017 models, so our selection reflects that. There are some 2016 bargains here, as well as some of the best 2017 bikes in the category.​

Fuji Roubaix 1.3 — £1,149

fuji-roubaix-13-2017-road-bike-blue-EV280185-5000-2.jpg

Fuji characterises its Roubaix as a race bike and has completely reworked the frame for 2017, putting it firmly in the category of Very Light Aluminium at a claimed weight of 1,100g.

The fork is all-carbon, as befits a lightweight bike, and there are Shiano 105 gears and brakes to make it stop and go. The Oval Concepts finishing kit includes a chainset with Praxis rings. It looks like an excellent package for the money if you're in the marker for a fast, light traditional road race bike.

Boardman Road Pro Carbon — £1,199.20

Boardman Road Pro Carbon.jpg

Boardman is making some great bikes this year – both in terms of performance and value – and the Road Pro Carbon is no exception. If you're after a disc brake road bike that's engaging to ride, you should certainly take a look at this. If you're looking for a more versatile all-rounder, it's not such a good fit.

Given that this bike comes from an endurance mould you might expect the ride to be more forgiving than it actually is. The Boardman doesn't have the surface-taming characteristics of something like a Cannondale Synapse or a Trek Domane, it's much more of a road bike feel. It's not uncomfortable, but it is firm. It's well balanced in that the front and the back give about the same level of feedback from the road.

Certainly the frame and fork are a package that's worthy of some upgrades here: it's a very well-balanced bike that responds well to pretty much every kind of road riding. The steering is very predictable and never nervous, and I had no issues with any wobbles, vagueness or lift-off descending at speed.

Find a Boardman dealer

Read our review of the Boardman Road Pro Carbon

Cannondale CAAD12 105 — £1,299

cannondale-caad12-105-2017.jpg

Last year, the CAAD12 set a new benchmark for all-aluminium frames; it still puts a lot of carbon bikes to shame. With a frame weight under 1,100g for the disc brake and regular versions, it's not much heavier than carbon either. Cannondale package the frame with a full Shimano 105 groupset, carbon fibre fork with tapered steerer tube, 52/36 crank. Mavic Aksium wheels and a Selle Royal Seta S1 saddle. You can also have it with disc brakes for an extra £300.

Read our report from the CAAD12 launch
Find a Cannondale dealer

Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0 — £1,349

Canyon ultimate-cf-sl-7.png

German company Canyon has made quite an impression in the UK with its direct-to-consumer business model meaning big savings for those prepared to bypass the bike shop for their next bike purchase. The Ultimate CF SL is produced using the same mould as that the Ultimate CF SLX we tested a while ago, it's just using a cheaper carbon fibre. That keeps the price lower. Although the weight does go up a bit, it's still light at a claimed 940g. This is the entry-level model built with a full Shimano 105 groupset, Mavic Aksium wheels, Continental GP 4000 25mm tyres, Canyon's own bars and stem and a Fizik Antares saddle. It's nominally a 2016 bike, but Canyon is still listing it at this price.

Focus Cayo Tiagra — £1,399

Focus Cayo Tiagra.jpg

The Focus Cayo Tiagra uses a race-proven carbon fibre frame and fork with a more relaxed fit and geometry than the German company's racier offerings. The frame is fitted with Shimano Tiagra brakes, gears and semi-compact crankset, along Continental Grand Sport tyres. Focus uses its own-brand Concept components for the wheels, handlebars, stem, and saddle.

Find a Focus dealer

Trek Émonda S 5 — £1,400

trek-emonda-s-5-2017-road-bike-black-red-EV286581-8530-1.jpg

With a lightweight carbon fibre frame and Shimano 105 group, this speedster from Trek's racing range is a good deal.

The Emonda line is Trek's take on making the lightest road bikes it can produce for a given price, which means the frame here is worth upgrading as the parts wear out; it wouldn't be shamed by a Shimano Ultegra group.

Find a Trek dealer

Bianchi Intrepida — £1,400

Bianchi Intrepida Veloce 2017.jpg

We bet most people will want a Bianchi on any new bike shortlist. Bianchi classifies the Intrepida as part of its endurance racing line-up which places an emphasis on comfort over long distances. That means a slightly more relaxed geometry and more upright position than a traditional race bike. Bolted to the frame is Campagnolo's Veloce groupset with an FSA Omega chainset and Bianchi's own label Reparto Corse for the wheels and all finishing kit.

Find a Bianchi dealer

Vitus Bikes Zenium SL Pro Disc - Superlight Ultegra — £1,449

Vitus Bikes Zenium SL Pro Disc - Superlight Ultegra.jpeg

Recent price increases mean getting a full Shimano Ultegra group with disc brakes on any bike under £1,500 is unusual, making the offering from Chain Reaction's house brad excellent value with it spec on an aluminium frame. It comes with Michelin's fast Pro 4 tyres in 25mm width and there's room in the frame to go up to 28mm for versatility.

The frame is the same as the 2016 Zenium SL Disc, which our Stu Kerton really liked when he reviewed it. The SL tames the previous Zenium's harshness a bit, but this is still a fast bike. "I like it,"Stu wrote. "It feels purposeful, a kind of 'this is what I am, deal with it' type of thing. With a lot of bikes these days trying to be a bit of an 'everything' option, it's good to get on board something that can just be smashed about a bit and ridden hard."

Read our review of the Vitus Zenium SL

Giant Defy Advanced 3 — £1,499

2017_GIANT_DEFY_ADVANCED_3.jpg

Giant’s Defy has long been a benchmark for bikes that combine comfort, endurance and value. Over the years the model range has developed from being purely a mid-price aluminium bike to where we are now with a range of carbon fibre-framed Defy Advanced bikes from £1,500 to £6,000; the previous aluminium Defy range is now badged Contend.

The range starts with three Defy Advanced models, of which the Defy Advanced 3 is the cheapest. It has Shimano's excellent-value Shimano Tiagra 10-speed transmission, including hydraulic brakes.

If the carbon fibre frame pushes the Defy Advanced 3 out of your price range, the Contend SL 1 has an aluminium frame, Shimano 105 components and hydraulic disc brakes for £1,149.

Find a Giant dealer

Specialized Tarmac Sport — £1,500

specialized-tarmac-sl4-sport-2017-road-bike-orange-EV279870-2000-1 (1).png

If your tastes run to fast and sharp-handing road bikes, but your budget won't stretch to the astounding Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc, this everyman race bike will provide a big chunk of the thrills without holing your bank account below the waterline. It has Specialized's light, nimble FACT 9r carbon frame with a Shimano 105 groupset providing the stop and go bits.

Find a Specialized dealer

In just a few years aero road bikes have gone from The Next Big Thing to a mainstream bike option. The latest models have been tweaked to be faster than ever, according to the manufacturers, and to alleviate the harsh ride that characterised some early aero bikes.

Aero road bikes essentially draw the aerodynamic features from time trial bikes into a road frame, and balance the demands of weight and stiffness into a package that, on paper, looks to be the ideal all-round choice.

At any decent speed, most of your effort goes into overcoming air resistance, so reducing a bike's drag means you'll go faster, or ride at any given speed with a lower power output. Who doesn't like the sound of that?

Most of your air resistance comes from your body. Wearing non-flappy clothing will help, as will losing weight. But the 20% or so of air resistance from your bike is enough for engineers and designers to focus on making road frames and products more slippery in the air. In the pro peloton aero road bikes have been quickly adopted, where the margins of victory are very slim and there has been a focus on gaining ever smaller performance gains over the years.

Jos Van Emden Giant Propel - front brake

Weight, and the lack thereof, used to be the main driving force of frame development. Along with stiffness, these were the two cornerstones of bike design. These days most bikes are light, many well below the UCI’s 6.8kg weight limit (which doesn’t affect non-racers anyway), and come with more stiffness than is sometimes comfortable.

All that has made aerodynamics more important for manufacturers. Specialized has built its own wind tunnel, for example, and most manufacturers are testing in wind tunnels. Nevertheless, aero road bikes haven't converged on a perfect, slippery common shape. Different engineers prioritise different ways of improving aerodynamics but there are shared design trends: skinny, aerofoil-shaped tubes, integrated brakes, and internal cable routing.

Let's take a look at the latest aero offerings.​

Merida Scultura 6000 — From £1,700

Merida Scultura 6000.jpg

The Merida Scultura 6000 just feels right when you get on it. The position, the ride, the comfort… it's one of those bikes that gives you the confidence to push it as hard as you want, knowing that it isn't going to bite back. It's a bit of a bargain too when you consider the frame is being ridden in the pro peloton and weighs a claimed 750g. It's a hell of a lot of bike for the money.

For this revised version of the Scultura frameset Merida has concentrated on increasing comfort, and it's obviously paid off. The frame is handmade in Taiwan, and by tweaking the carbon layup in certain areas it has been able to bring in quite a bit of extra damping without sacrificing stiffness.

Aerodynamics was another target for Merida, using computational fluid dynamics in the design process and wind tunnel testing of various incarnations. It even used a dummy with moving legs to replicate the effect the rider's pedalling has on wind resistance.

Read our review of the Merida Scultura 6000

Find a Merida dealer

Boardman Elite Air 9.2 — From £1,899.99

Boardman Elite Air 9.2 - full bike.jpg

Boardman's Elite Air 9.2 is just the ticket if you're looking for a fast bike with a good spec but you haven't got very silly money. It's a good package and the performance is impressive straight out of the box.

If you're buying an aero bike, chances are you're doing so because you want to go faster; that, or you just like the look of deep-section tubes.

Do you go faster? The anecdotal evidence suggests a yes: you go faster on this than on standard road bike. Our tester grabbed a downhill KOM on Strava, hung on longer before getting blown out the back of a crit with riders a grade above him and added 10km/h to his top speed on a favourite descent.crit with riders a grade above him and added 10km/h to his top speed on a favourite descent.

Read our review of the Boardman Elite Air 9.2

Find a Boardman dealer

Storck Aerfast Platinum — £10,949

storck-aerfast-platinum-full-bike (1).jpg

At £10,949, the Storck Aerfast Platinum is a massive outlay, but boy, oh boy do you get one hell of a return on your investment. It's a sub-6.5kg race weapon, with aerodynamics that work in the real world, and it offers comfort levels to challenge most endurance bikes.

Taking plenty of things it's learnt from its astonishingly good Aernario, Storck has pushed the design even further down the aerodynamics route, and what it has created in the Aerfast is a bike that's not only unbelievably fast, but light and stiff too.

If you're in the market for an aero bike, speed is going to be topping your list of priorities, and it's where the Aerfast truly excels. Below about 23mph the Storck feels like any other bike to ride, any other superlight bike that is, but all the same it feels like it requires some effort; you've got to work at it.

Get above that speed, though, and the aerodynamics really come into play. It feels like a permanent tailwind is nudging you along, a friendly hand on your back as you watch the numbers climb on the Garmin – with no more effort required than there was 5mph ago. It's a wonderful feeling, and one you never tire of.

Read our review of the Storck Aerfast Platinum

Find a Storck dealer

Cervelo S5 — £ 3,999

Cervelo-S5-Ultegra-Road-Bike-2016.jpg

Long hailed as the fastest aero road bike by people who know a lot about aerodynamics, the Cervelo S5 has received quite a makeover this year. It still looks like an S5 but Cervelo claims to have finessed every tube profile and found significant drag reductions. It’s also increased frame stiffness in the head tube and bottom bracket to improve handling. Another change is the shorter head tube to put the rider in a lower, and more aerodynamic, position. Cervelo has also developed its own aero handlebar which is compatible with a regular stem.

Read our coverage of the Cervelo S5 launch
Find a Cervelo dealer

Ridley Noah SL — £5,399.99

Ridley NOAH SL

The Noah FAST packs a lot of innovative aero technology, including slotted forks and seat stays, integrated v-brakes and small ridges on the leading edges of the frame surfaces to smooth airflow. It’s still available, but the Belgian company has released the new Noah SL which is lighter than the previous Noah with a 950g claimed frame weight. It still features the innovative F-Splitfork, but there’s no slotted rear stays and the raised ridges have been incorporated into the tube shapes. The integrated brakes are gone, in their place regular caliper brakes in front of the fork and at the seat stay.

Read about Greg Henderson's Ridley Noah SL
Find a Ridley dealer

Pinarello Dogma F8 — £ 3,899 (frameset)

Pinarello Dogma F8

Developed in collaboration with Team Sky and Jaguar, the Dogma F8 is the first aero road bike from Pinarello, and it’s just won the 2015 Tour de France, though we reckon Chris Froome could have won on any bike. The F8 uses FlatBack tube profiles, a Kamm Tail sort of shape, with a rounded leading edge and chopped tail. Pinnarello has also lowered the seat tube water bottle cage and it’s further shielded by the down tube. Meanwhile, up front the fork has been derived from the company’s Bollide time trial bike with an aerodynamic shape, and the crown closely nestles into a recess in the down tube.

Find a Pinarello dealer

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX — From £3,249

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX

The second-generation Aeroad CF SLX has been inspired by the work on its futuristic Speedmax time trial bike, with razor sharp aero tube profiles and an optional one-piece handlebar and stem assembly. Much of the company’s focus with the new bike has been in reducing the frontal surface area, so along with the new handlebar there’s a narrower and hour-glass shaped head tube to help reduce drag. Other changes include the new tube profile, a variant of the Trident shape used on the Speedmax, and a seat tube that hugs the curvature of the rear wheel. Unlike some aero road bikes that integrate the brake callipers, Canyon has opted for direct-mount Shimano brakes in the regular positions.

Read our review of the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 70 Di2

Specialized Venge Vias — £6,499.99

Specialized Venge Vias

Out with the old Venge, in with the new Venge Vias. The Venge has had a radical makeover, with an all-new aero frame with the most interesting integrated brakes we’ve ever seen. Manufacturers have been integrating brakes into the frame in an effort to reduce drag, but the Specialized approach, with custom designed brake calipers, is claimed to produce zero drag. Elsewhere, a new aero handlebar and stem provides full internal cable routing, there are almost no visible cables on this bike, a further measure to reduce drag.

Read about Mark Cavendish's Venge at the Tour de France
Find a Specialized dealer 

Scott Foil — from £2,399

Scott Foil Premium

The Foil arguably kicked off the whole aero road bike trend, bringing aerodynamic design that was once the preserve of time trial bikes to regular road bikes. This update has been a long time coming but it’s evolution, not revolution that is the news here. Changes to the front-end see the down tube lowered and wrapped around the fork crown, and a smaller rear triangle and new internal seat clamp in the top tube. The rear brake is also positioned underneath the chain stays.

And don't think this is just a uncomfortable aero bike, Mathew Hayman rode over a few little bumps on his way to winning Paris-Roubaix.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Scott Foil launch
Find a Scott dealer

Trek Madone — from £4,499.99

Trek Madone WSD

Once an all-round lightweight race bike, the Madone has been given a complete aerodynamic makeover. It features a version of the Isospeed decoupler borrowed from the Domane to provide some comfort (aero road bikes have traditionally compromised comfort in the quest for speed) and it’s wrapped up in a frame with Kamm Tail shaped tubes. Like Specialized, Trek has also developed its own brake callipers, and they’re concealed within the fork and seat stays. To keep the cable routing of the centre pull front brake nice and clean, the head tube features flaps that open and close when the fork is turned.

Read our coverage of the 2016 Trek Madone launch
Find a Trek dealer

Merida Reacto — from £749.99

Merida Reacto DA

Merida’s Reacto features tube profiles shape in accordance with NACA airfoil principles, and using the popular Kamm tail approach of chopping off the trailing edge, tricking the air into acting as if the trailing edge were there. More than any other bike here, the Reacto looks like a time trail bike in drag. There’s an aero seat post, internal cable routing and the rear brake is positioned underneath the chain stays. The front brake, meanwhile, is found on the front of the fork.

Read our review of the Merida Reacto 300
Find a Merida dealer

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX — from £2,999

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX

Canyon has given its latest Ultimate CF SLX a light touch of aerodynamic influence. It has developed a new D-shaped down tube, seat tube and seatpost, which along with a new internal seat clamp, adds up to a claimed 10% reduction in drag compared to the previous non-aero Ultimate. It doesn’t challenge Canyon’s Aeroad CF SLX for outright slipperiness in the wind tunnel, but does point to a future where all road bikes might one day be shaped in the wind tunnel.

BMC TimeMachine TMR01 — £3,799

BMC TMR01

Launched in 2013, the TimeMachine grew out of the understanding of aerodynamics BMC derived from its TM01 time trial bike project. It uses a truncated wing profile (not unlike a Kamm tail) for the main sections of the frame. To reduce the air turbulence over the frame members BMC puts a smooth groove at the leading edge of forward facing sections, called a Tripwire. This delays flow separation and keeps the air attached for as long as possible, minimising drag — in essence it's doing the same job as the dimples on a golf ball.

Read our coverage of the BMC TimeMachine launch
Find a BMC dealer

Giant Propel Advanced — £5,998.99

Giant Propel Advanced SL 0

The Propel Advanced SL 3 was Giant's bold entry into the aero road bike fray and gave rise to a whole range of highly-regarded Propel bikes. 

Key to the frame is the AeroSystem Shaping technology that is the result of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) research and wind-tunnel tests. Every tube has been carefully shaped, with a teardrop shape in evidence wherever you look. Interestingly, the down tube has been shaped with a water bottle in mind. It’s flattened where the water bottle normally protrudes from the sides of a conventional down tube.

Read our review of the Giant Propel Advanced 1  
Read our coverage of the original Giant Propel launch
Find a Giant dealer​

If you're keen to get into road cycling, for the fun of zooming round the lanes, for fitness or as a quick and cheap way to get to work, it is possible to buy a road bike for under £500. In fact, we've found a few bargains starting from just under £200, proving you really don't need to spend a fortune to get a good road bike these days.

It’s quite likely that if you’re reading this you’re looking at buying your first road bike. You’ll probably have a lot of questions. A good place to start is always a well stocked bike shop where you can view the bikes in your budget and get a good idea of what is offered.

Merlin PR7 - riding 1

Road bikes priced under £500 often feature light and stiff aluminium or steel frames with good quality gears and brakes. Japanese firm Shimano is the predominant component choice at this end of the market, and the good news is that a lot of the technology seen higher up the ladder eventually trickles down to the entry level.

BTwin Triban - fork

Weight is the main area where entry-level bikes suffer. However, with compact or triple chainsets, and the wider range of gears they offer, getting up steep hills is made easier. As a general rule, the more you spend the lighter the bike will be. Closer to £500 and you can expect a carbon fibre fork which saves weight and offers improved performance over the steel and aluminium forks on cheaper bikes.

There are currently some amazing deals around as retailers clear out 2015 models to make space for 2016 bikes, which means a limited budget goes a long way.

>> Read more: 2015 End of Season Sales Road Bike Bargains

£200-£300

You can get bikes cheaper than this, but they are — frankly — not very good. If your budget is so tight this is beyond your range then should seriously consider looking for a second hand bargain  (head over to eBay or our own classifieds for a look), but if it has to be new you might find something if you shop around for discount bargains during the winter.

Spend just a bit more and you get a whole lot more bike. Lighter, better equipped, and we're willing to bet nicer to ride too. This is a price point where the big specialist retailers are really able to flex their buying muscle for your benefit, and combine it with design knowledge to deliver the maximum bang for your buck.

It's no coincidence that both Decathlon and Halfords in-house brands figure strongly here. This is also a price point at which you can pick up a really good discount bargain at the right time of the year, something we've reflected in our pick of bikes here.

Decathlon B'Twin Triban 500 — £250

B'Twin Triban 500

French-based international sport store chain Decathlon has a wide range of keenly-priced road bikes of which the Triban 500 stands out for under £300.

You get a good quality aluminium alloy frame and lightweight components. Most significantly you get a really wide range of gears thanks to the triple chainset and eight rear sprockets.

On paper that means you get 24 gears, but in practice there is lots of overlap between ranges from the three chainrings. What matters isn't the number, but that the small ring gives you lower gears for easier hill-climbing.

Carrera Zelos — £275

Carrera Zelos.jpeg

There are plenty of bikes costing under £500 at Halfords, and pick of the bunch is this Carrera Zelos. It features an aluminium frame built up with a 14-speed Shimano groupset and Tektro dual pivot brakes. There's a women's version too.

Barracuda Corvus 1 - from £227.28

barracuda corvus 1

Barracuda's Corvus 1 is the entry-level bike in their range and costs £329.95, but can be found cheaper. It features an alloy frame with a smart paint finish and decals, and a 14-speed groupset comprising a Shimano Tourney chainset and rear mech. It uses Shimano's rarely seen A050 bar-mounted shifters, a 7-speed system that places the shifting levers within easy reach on top of the handlebars. 

Corvus 1 pricing  varies a lot. It's currently the above price on Amazon, in a 59cm, but Amazon's demand-driven pricing algorithm has pushed it to £241 in 53cm and £330 in 56cm. 

£300 to £500

Step up to this price bracket and the choice suddenly increases, with some of the bigger manufacturers now coming into contention, especially the more you approach the £500 mark. Most of the bikes at this price, though not all, will feature an aluminium frame, which makes for a lighter bike. Get closer to £500 and you can expect to see the fork upgraded to carbon fibre fork, saving weight and improving the ride.

B'Twin Triban 500 SE — £299 (usually £330)

BTwin Triban

Probably one of the best performance and value bikes in this whole price range, the B'Twin Triban 500 SE road bike costs just £330 and for that you get a clean looking aluminium frame, carbon fork and 3 x 8 Microshift drivetrain, for an all up weight of 10.08kg (22.4lb). There are no unwelcome shortcuts in the finishing detail and it rides much like a race-bred bike, making it an ideal first road bike for anyone with sporty intentions. You can read our review to find out how much we rated it.

Merlin PR7 with pedals and shoes — £399.99

Merlin PR7.jpg

The Merlin Cycles PR7 is an entry-level road bike that offers outstanding value for money and superb performance all wrapped up in a smart-looking package.

The ride feel is very sprightly with a decent turn of speed and very sure-footed handling that will make anyone buying their first road bike feel right at home. The components are far better than many bikes costing substantially more; the slick shifting Shimano Claris gears are a real highlight.

For your £400 Merlin Cycles throws in a pair of clipless pedals and shoes, making the whole package excellent value.

Read our review of the Merlin Cycles PR7.

Merida Ride Juliet 100 — £479.99

Merida Ride Juliet 100.jpg

Good women's bikes under £500 are rare, but this Merida is currently an excellent deal. The frame is made from butted 6066 aluminium tubing, it has 25mm tyres for a comfier ride and a mix of Shimano's great-value Claris and Sora gears.

Boardman Road Sport — £375

Boardman Road Sport 2016.jpeg

It's fair to say the Boardman Road Sport is a bike that impressed us a great deal when we reviewed it. Enough in fact that it was our Budget Bike of the Year 2013-14 and came third in the overall Bike of the Year Awards. You get a 7005 double-butted aluminium frame with Shimano Claris gears and FSA Tempo compact chainset.

The Road Sport comes in a slightly more relaxed, sportive-friendly geometry than a full-on race bike; the top tube is a little shorter and the head tube is a little longer — not massively but enough to add extra comfort without sacrificing too much efficiency. You get mounts for mudguards too so it's very versatile. This is a seriously impressive bike for the money — not just a good bike for £400 but a good bike full stop.

Giant Defy 4 — £420 (usually £525)

2016_Giant_Defy_4_white.jpg

Giant is one of the biggest and most well-known bike brands in the world, and the £525 Defy 4— currently on offer at £420 — is the most affordable road bike in the range. Thanks to technology trickling down from Giant's more expensive models, the Defy 5 is packed full of potential. It offers an Aluxx aluminium frame with an aluminium fork, Shimano Claris 16-speed groupset, FSA Tempo compact chainset and 25mm tyres for extra comfort. The Defy range of bikes have higher handlebars for a more comfortable riding position, nice if you're just getting into cycling.

Vitus Bikes Razor — £449.99

Vitus Razor 2017.jpeg

With Shimano Claris components on a 6016 aluminium frame, the latest version of the entry-level bike in Chain Reaction's Vitus range looks like excellent value for money. There's a carbon-legged fork too, and plenty of space in the frame for mudguards, plus the necessary eyelets in the frame. You can fit a rack too, making the Razor VR a sharp commuter.

Mango Bikes Point R Claris — £499

mango_bikes_point_r_240.jpg

From a brand that started out with a singlespeed offering comes this brand new Point R aluminium road bike, available at four prices. This, at £499 with a Shimano Claris groupset, is the most affordable in the range; there's also a Sora version for £549. The frame has a very modern appearance. Smooth welds, curved tubes and internal cable routing. The bike comes fitted with 25mm tyres, and it'll go wider. We reviewed the top-of-the-range Shimano 105 model and were very impressed. 

13 Intrinsic Lambda — £350

13 Bikes Intrinsic Lambda

One of Halfords' new range of aero-tweaked women's road bikes, the 13 iIntrinsic Lambda zips along well, and the handling/steering is neutral, not at all twitchy. We'd swap the 23mm tyres for something wider, but otherwise, this is  a good looking bike that rides well and copes with ups as well as downs. It's a good first road bike;  and if half a grand is what you can afford on your second bike, the Intrinsic makes a fast and capable commuter (add a rear mudguard to help in winter), so your posh carbon steed and its fancy parts can stay at home out of harm's way. 

Read our review of the 13 Intrinsic Lambda

Verenti Technique Claris — £320

Verenti Technique Claris.JPG

We haven't ridden it, but on paper this  sportive bike from Wiggle house brand Verenti looks excellent for under £350. You get an aluminium frame with tapered head tube and — unusually at this price — a full-carbon fork. Shimano's Claris group makes it go and it rolls on 28mm Continental tyres which should make for comfort on potholed rural roads. Wiggle only has a sizes 56cm, 58cm and 60cm left, but it's a bargain if you're tall.

Verenti Technique Tiagra — £494.98 (was £650.00)

Verenti Technique Tiagra 2016.jpg

A whopping special offer makes this sportive bike from Wiggle frankly amazing value, especially as the weak pound has pushed up the price of most Tiagra-equipped bikes to the over-£750 range. You get a full-carbon fork and Shimano wheels on a frame that has rack and mudguard eyelets for versatility. It's well-mannered enough for novices, but there's a turn of speed under the, ahem, interesting paint job. We liked it a lot for £650 — at this price it's an absolute steal. You'll have to be on the taller side though; Wiggle only has a sizes 56cm, 58cm and 60cm left.

Read our review of the Verenti Technique Tiagra

• With 700C wheels, wide-range gears, flat bars and cantilever or disc brakes, hybrids are midway between road and mountain bikes. They're the UK's most common and best-selling bike type.

• The upright riding position makes them great for traffic, and for leisurely rides in the country — slow down and sniff the flowers.

• Oddly few hybrids come with practicalities like mudguards and rack. Budget £50-100 for them and get them fitted when you buy the bike. You'll be glad you did.

• These bikes are inexpensive transport par excellence, paying for themselves in just a few months if you live in a major city.

The most popular bike style in the UK, hybrids are practical and comfortable, and their upright riding position makes them ideal for the office run or leisurely cruising the lanes.

As the name suggests, hybrids have aspects of road bikes and mountain bikes. From the road comes a lightweight frame and fast-rolling 700C wheels, while mountain bikes contribute flat bars, disc or V-brakes and wide-range gears. The tyres are usually an intermediate width and tread to provide enough cushioning and grip that rough surfaces like forest roads and tow paths are no obstacle,

There are many variations under the hybrid umbrella. At one end, flat-bar road bikes are great for zipping around the lanes and even some light touring, but with skinny tyres might not be as much fun on potholed city streets. At the other end of the range are fully-equipped European-style city bikes, with mudguards, rack and even built-in dynamo lights or a rear-wheel lock.

Hybrids make great urban transport for potholed streets or towpaths (CC BY-NC 2.0 Tom Blackwell:Flickr)

Hybrids are great transport. You can pick one up for less than a hundred quid, and by the time you get up the price range to £300-600 there are some really very nice bikes. That's where we've started with this selection. If that blows your budget take a look at our guide to the best cheap hybrid bikes.

Oddly, fully-equipped bikes are less common at higher prices. Manufacturers perhaps think buyers with more money to spend will want to choose their own mudguards, rack and so on, but we see lots of people riding nice quality hybrids without mudguards and just getting wet bums. Seems a bit daft.

It's not unusual for designers of hybrid bikes to specify alternatives to the ubiquitous rear derailleur and you'll find a couple of examples in our recommendations below. Hub gears are less unusual than on sportier bikes, and can pick up flat-bar singlespeeders very inexpensively because they's so simple.

Hybrids are great cheap transport. Bung even a £500 bike on Cycle To Work Scheme and you'll barely notice the payments disappearing from your pay packet. In fact, in many cities, you'll be better off. Compared to a London Zone 1-3 Travelcard at £148.70 per month, a £154.00 Bristol City peak travelcard or a Cambridge Megarider Plus bus ticket for £96, the repayments for a hybrid are trivial.

Let's take a look at some of your best choices in flat-bar bikes.

B'Twin Hoprider 520 — £350

B'TWIN HOPRIDER 520

The B'Twin Hoprider 520 comes with everything you need to pootle round town, to the office or the shops or just round the park for exercise. It's not the lightest hybrid ever, but it's very well specced for the money.

Off the peg, the Hoprider 520 comes with hub-powered lighting front and rear, mudguards, rack and kickstand. That's a great set of accessories for a hybrid (too often they're just a bare bike) and really makes this bike an excellent choice for commuting and other practical riding.

If you want something a bit more upmarket, the recently-introduced £450 Hoprider 700 has disc brakes, Shimano Deore gears and a built-in Axa Defender lock.

Read our review of the B'Twin Hoprider 520
Find a Decathlon store

Trek 7.1 FX — £400

trek-fx-1-2017-hybrid-bike-black-EV286593-8500-1.jpg

Trek's best-selling city bike has a light aluminium frame, very wide-range 21-speed gears that'll get you up any hills you're likely to find in the UK, and convenient Shimano trigger shifters.

You don't get extras like a rack or mudguards, but the frame has all the necessary fittings for them, and will even take a Dutch-style frame/wheel lock like the AXA Defender so you can't forget your lock.

Find a Trek dealer

Reid Blacktop — £429.99

Reid Blacktop.jpg

Looking for a no-frills city bike? At £430 the Reid Blacktop isn't going to break the bank, and it isn't going to break itself either: it's a well-built and easy-to-ride city bike with durable components and an engaging ride. I like it.

The Blacktop has an aluminium alloy frame and fork. The welds are smoothed and the bike is finished in a matt/gloss black paintjob that's very understated and urban. There are a few chips in the paint now but generally it's holding up very well. The alloy fork is painted to match.

To that frame is attached some very sensible and durable city kit. The transmission is a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub with a grip shifter and a Prowheel 44T chainset. With the 20T sprocket on the hub that gives you 43in, 60in and 81in gears (approximately). That's a nice spread for getting yourself up the hills and still being able to push on along the flats.

Read our review of the Reid Blacktop
Find a Reid dealer

B'Twin Triban 540 — £500

BTwin Triban 540

B'Twin's Triban 540 promises road bike zip with the more upright position of a flat bar so you can sit up and admire the view or keep an eye out for random taxis.

The Triban 540 strikes a balance between speed and practicality. On the speed side, well, at heart it's a road bike. Skinny tyres, narrow saddle, seat a bit higher than the bars. On the other hand, it's got a flat bar, with gears controlled by mountain bike-style triggers so you never need move your hands away from the brakes.

The frame has fittings for rack and guards so it can be practical too and the Shimano Tiagra components make it a bargain for this price.

Read our first look

Raleigh Strada 4 — £523

Raleigh Strada 4.jpg

At first glance the Raleigh Strada 4 appears to be a singlespeed. Look a bit closer and you find a clever SRAM Automatix two-speed hub gear that automatically changes to a higher gear at about 15kph; this gives you a low gear to get away from the lights and then switches up to allow you to accelerate through traffic.

The hub nestles in Raleigh's lightweight 6061 aluminium frame, and Strada mechanical disc brakes bring the whole thing firmly to a halt.

We used an earlier, belt-drive version as the basis for John's Project Practical.

Find a Raleigh dealer

Charge Grater 2 — £770

charge-grater-2-2017-hybrid-bike-grey-EV290672-7000-1.jpg

Charge has always excelled at urban bikes. Watch London rush-hour bike traffic and you'll see a heck of a lot of them. We like the Grater's lightweight aluminium frame, and the fact that it comes with mudguards already fitted so you can't fail to get around to adding them and end up with a wet bum when it rains.

Wide-range Shimano gears, puncture resistant tyres and disc brakes are all nice, practical touches for a round-town ride.

Find a Charge dealer

Whyte Victoria women's urban bike — £799.00

Whyte Victoria 2017.jpg

Hybrids intended for women tend to have a shorter top tube than their male equivalents, and have female friendly components like a woman's saddle, as here. With hydraulic disc brakes and nippy 28mm tyres, the Victoria is at the sportier end of hybrids; when you need to get a move on it's noticeably quick.

Read our review of the Whyte Victoria

Find a Whyte dealer

Boardman Hybrid Team — £500

Boardan Hybrid Team 2016.jpeg

Boardman is another brand that's ubiquitous on the city streets and just lately main man Chris Boardman has been all over the media advocating for cycling rights and plugging his book on bike design, The Biography of the Modern Bike.

Boardman somehow finds time to design nice hybrids too, like this aluminium-framed, round-tow speedster. At this level you start finding hydraulic disc brakes, usually a bit more reliable and less fiddly than cable brakes. The Hybrid Team also has a carbon fibre forks, which helps take the sting out of potholes, and wide-range SRAM gearing.

Find a Halfords branch

Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 — £1599.99

cannondale-quick-carbon-1-2016-hybrid-bike-black-EV239431-8500-1.jpg

The late, sadly missed bike reviewer Steve Worland described this luxury hybrid as: "Quick like a road bike, comfy like a mountain bike, with disc brake confidence; a thoroughbred mongrel of an all-rounder". A hybrid with a carbon fibre frame will seem over the top until the first time you have to carry it up several flights of stairs, at which point it suddenly makes perfect, shoulder-friendly sense.

It makes sense on the road too. Its instantly most obvious and endearing characteristic is its casual speed, while the handling far more sprightly than most hybrid type bikes.

The latest version of the Quick 1 has wide--range Shimano Tiagra gears, fast-rolling 25mm Schwalbe tyres and Magura hydraulic disc brakes. There are fittings for racks and mudguards too, it can be practical as well as quick.

Find a Cannondale dealer

Read our review of the very similar 2014 Cannondale Quick Carbon 2

Todays selection of cycling deals from the DealCatcher is for those of you looking for current model bargains!

Forget bargain basement trawls, Boardman's Easter sale has seen a blanket 10% reduction in price on the brand's current range of endurance bikes.

Check out SLR Endurance bikes with a selection of components and frame materials.

There should be something for every kind of rider, and if we haven't picked up on something you're looking for, why not have a snoop yourself? The link to the entire sale is below:

- Check out: Boardman's entire Easter sale

10% off Boardman's SLR Endurance Disc 9.2
WAS £2299.99 | NOW £2069.99

Boardman SLR Endurance Disc 9.2.jpg

Boardman's opening deal is their award-wining SLR Endurance Disc 9.2.

Widely praised across the entire industry, the bike has no right to be discounted at this time of the season, so snap it up while you've got the chance.

For your hard earned money you'll be getting a carbon frame - with tapered steerer - Shimano's excellent Dura Ace 9000 groupset minus the cassette which is 105, BR-RS785 hydraullic discs from Shimano, a Prologo Nago Evo Dea 141 saddle alongside Boardman finishing kit.

Altogether, the value you'll be getting this 8.1kg bike is pretty exceptional.

10% off Boardman's SLR Endurance 9.2
WAS £2099.99 | NOW £1889.99

Boardman SLR Endurance 9.2.jpg

Read above. Really, you're looking at a very similar bike here.

Obviously, as you can see, it's disc brake-less. That fact may well suit many of you who aren't super keen on the option that's creeping onto more and more bikes every year.

This bike is also a touch lighter, coming in at 7.66kg - if you're planning on riding the medium framed version.

10% off Boardman's SLR Endurance Disc Womens
WAS £2049.99 | NOW £1844.99

Boardman SLR Endurance Disc Womens.jpg

The Boardman goodness isn't only restricted to frame geometries designed to suit men.

The SLR Endurance Disc Womens bike is just as well equipped as the mens' models, just with geometry that's slightly more suited to a woman's physique.

This bike comes with Shimano's Ultegra groupset, but again with a 105 cassette. The Hydraulic disc brakes are the same as the men's bike, as is the Prologo saddle and Boardman finishing kit.

10% off Boardman's SLR Titanium 9.2
WAS £2999.99 | NOW £2699.99

Boardman SLR Titanium 9.2.jpg

If you're not keen on carbon, Boardman's Ti10 Titanium framed SLR could be the option you're looking for.

There are plenty of similarities with the bikes we've seen so far. This bike carries a full Shimano Ultegra groupset with BR-RS785 hydraulic disc brakes, alongside a Prologo saddle and Boardman finishing kit.

10% off Boardman's SLR Endurance Disc Frameset​
WAS £1249.99 | NOW £1124.99

Boardman SLR Endurance Disc Frameset.jpg

Finally, if you're not looking for an entire bike, but you fancy a new fancy frame, Boardman is offering a selection of those in its Easter sale.

The SLR Endurance Disc Signature Frameset not only looks fancy with its red and yellow-striped colour scheme, but it'll get you some way to lightening up your load on long rides.

The frame weighs in at a spectaularly low 950g in carbon.

In case you hadn't quite clocked, we're currently right in the middle fo the Tour Series, the UK's country-wide annual criterium race series and Boardman is the official bike sponsor of two teams in the series: One Pro Cycling and Storey Racing.

To celebrate Boardman is running a 10% discount on its Elite range of AIR road bikes. 

The range covers high performance road bikes for men and women all the way up to elite level racers.

If you're happy that you've got your dream bike's trimmings all sorted and you're only after a frame, Boardman has discounts on those too.

Enjoy!

10% off Boardman's AIR 9.4
WAS £3299.99 | NOW £2969.99

AIR 9.4 Dealcatcher.jpg

This is the most expensive bike in today's DealCatcher.

The 9.4 offers the most attractive setup of any of the bikes available today. Sure, it's £900 more expensive than the 9.2 which you can see below, but the 9.4 runs Shimano's full Ultegra Di2 groupset and Boardman's Aerodynamic Surface Trip tape to give you an stable and aerodynamically efficient ride.

10% off Boardman's AIR 9.2
WAS £2299.99 | NOW £2069.99

-AIR 9.2 Dealcatcher.jpg

Boardman says its 9.2 road bike is designed to be ridden fast and is significantly more affordable than the 9.4 above.

It also landed the highest of accolades we're able to give in our Bike of the Year competition last year.

Our man Dave Atkinson called it a "great value aero road bike that's fast and easy to ride."

- Read more: road.cc's Boardman Air 9.2 review

10% off Boardman's AIR Womens
WAS £2299.99 | NOW £2069.99

AIR Womens Dealcatcher.jpg

The AIR Womens is has the same set-up as the 9.2 above, just with more female-friendly geometry.

Shimano's Dura-Ace chainset keeps things ticking over, and Boardman AIR Elite Five wheels will keep your riding true, fast, and comfortable.

10% off Boardman's AIR 9.0
WAS £1899.99 | NOW £1709.99

AIR 9.0 Dealcatcher.jpg

Now, for the most affordable of the bunch today, the Boardman 9.0.

Featuring the same aerodynamic focus and attention to detail that the rest of the AIR range benefits from, the 9.0 carries a Shimano Ultegra and FSA Gossamer Pro mixed groupset and Boardman's AIR Elite Five wheels, on a carbon Boardman AIR Frame.

10% off Boardman's AIR 9.8 Frameset
WAS £1399.99 | NOW £1259.99

AIR 9.8 Frame Deal Catcher.jpg

If you're satisfied with your own groupset and finishing gear, or you're simply after a faster frameset to whittle down your Strava times.

The Boardman AIR 9.8 frameset features custom paint finishing in the style of the One Pro cycling team, and a Boardman T9 tapered carbon fork.

10% off Boardman's AIR Signature Frameset
WAS £1499.99 | NOW £1349.99

AIR Sig Frame Deal Catcher.jpg

Finally, Boardman's Signature Frameset is targeted at riders really looking to maximise their performance benefits.

With slight aerodynamic advantages and a fancier paint job, what's not to love?

Founded in 2007 by Olympian Chris Boardman, Boardman Bikes might not have the history of some bike brands, but a combination of affordable prices and well-designed bikes, and some notable race success, has ensured that over the years the brand has become very popular with UK cyclists.

The range covers a wide spread of prices and disciplines, including mountain bikes and city bikes, so there’s truly something for all tastes and wallets. We’re focusing on road bikes in this guide to the 2017 range. 

To help choose the right road bike, Boardman helpfully splits the range into Performance and Elite, the latter focused on absolute performance and used by world class athletes, while the former is designed for everyone from beginners to enthusiasts and focuses on affordable value.

Boardman 2016 launch - Boardman Elite SLR Signature - down tube.jpg

Boardman Bikes was bought by Halfords in 2015, where all of the Performance bikes are available. A select number of the Elite bikes are available through Cycle Republic. Last year the company decided to also offer direct sales, and you can buy any bike from its extensive range through www.boardmanbikes.com.

The company says this decision has allowed it to lower the price of the Elite road bikes making them better value for money.

“By us going direct, we have made it possible for the first time for our customers to buy all Boardman products in the way they want to buy them. We have kept on a few key dealers across the country as click and collect locations. As part of the Halfords Group, you can now also go and see, test and buy a selection of the Boardman Elite range in 16 of the Cycle Republic stores across the UK. The Boardman Performance Series range is sold through Halfords, online and in over 460 of their retail outlets across the UK,” says Marthe Jansen, Boardman Bikes Marketing Manager. 

The website also allows you to customise the Elite road bikes so you can put together a bespoke bike. That custom option lets you spec the colour you want - with the main frame, secondary frame and a logo colour to choose from. Boardman says the total number of variables on offer comes to more than 5,000.

Boardman road bikes have reviewed very well on road.cc over the years. In fact, the Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR was the road.cc Bike of the Year 2016-17. We said: “when you combine the top level ride and handling, decent equipment and finishing kit, and the price, it just all adds up to offer a complete package.” 

It’s worth adding that Boardman works to a two-year product cycle, and these bikes were all released in 2016, so we’d expect to see some updates and/or new models later this year for the 2018 model year. Boardman has already discounted some of the current bikes which see them offer even better value for money than they already did at RRP.

Elite range

The Elite range includes the AIR and SLR in several guises, including with disc brakes or a titanium frame. 

AiR

Aerodynamics are everything in road racing these days and the AiR is Boardman’s go-to aero road model. 

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Every tube profile has been designed using “world-class aerodynamic engineering” to reduce drag using computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel testing. The fork features integrated brake calipers to smooth airflow, whilst the cables are internally routed into the top tube behind the stem. The rear brake is tucked down below the bottom bracket.

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The top models also feature new AST – Aero Surface Trip – technology which, it is claimed, reduces drag by 6 watts and could potentially save you 23secs over an hour of cycling. 

There are six models priced from £1,899.99 up to £5,999.99 and two framesets at £1,399.99 and £1,499.99. 

The most affordable AIR 9.0 (£1,899.99) gets the same frame as the higher-end models and features a Shimano Ultegra groupset and Boardman Air Elite Five wheels to keep the price down.

The AIR Signature (£5,999.99) is the top-of-the-range model and gets the best equipment you would expect at this price. A full Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with TRP brakes and an Enve SES 6.7 wheelset with Chris King hubs and Vittoria tyres complete a very nice build.

• Air 9.0         £1,899.99 
• Air 9.2         £2,299.99 
• Air 9.4         £3,299.99 
• Air 9.8         £3,799.99 
• Air 9.9         £5,500.00 
• Air Signature      £5,999.99 

• Air Womens     £2,299.99 

• Air 9.8 Frameset     £1,399.99 
• Air Signature Frameset     £1,499.99 
• Air Custom Frameset     £1,699.99 

SLR Race

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If you’re a weight weenie and want the lightest bike with a Boardman name on it, look no further than the SLR Race. The carbon frame weighs a claimed 798g putting it up there with the lightest carbon race frames on the market. Geometry is suitably aggressive for a bike with race in its frame, “perfect for sprinting out of tight corners or powering up steep hills” says the company. 

It’s a bijou range, just two complete bikes and two framesets. The SLR Race 9.8 (£2,999.99) comes with a SRAM Red groupset and SLR Elite Nine 30mm carbon wheels, while the SLR Race Signature (£5,999.99) gets upgrades of a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Enve SES 3.4 wheels and matching bars, stem and seatpost. 

• SLR Race 9.8         £3,099.99 
• SLR Race Signature     £5,999.99 
• SLR Race 9.8 Frameset     £1,099.99 
• SLR Race Signature Frameset     £1,199.99 
• SLR Race Custom Frameset     £1,399.99 

SLR Endurance

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If you want a bit of added comfort, the SLR Endurance, as the name indicates, is aimed at longer distance riding. The geometry has been tuned to provide a more relaxed fit, with a taller head tube and shorter top tube to reduce the stretch to the bars a little.  

The C10 carbon frame also delivers a smoother ride with narrow profile seatstays designed to absorb vibrations. 

There are five models priced from £1,599.99, with Ultegra parts, up to £5,999.99 with a Campagnolo Super Record groupset and Enve SES 3.4 wheels. As you’d expect of an endurance bike, Boardman has specced compact 50/34t chainsets across the board.

• SLR Endurance 9.0     £1,699.99 
• SLR Endurance 9.2     £2,099.99 
• SLR Endurance 9.4     £2,799.99 
• SLR Endurance 9.9     £5,299.99 
• SLR Endurance Signature     £5,999.99 
• SLR Endurance 9.8 Frameset     £1,099.99 
• SLR Endurance Signature Frameset     £1,199.99 
• SLR Endurance Custom Frameset     £1,399.99 

• SLR Endurance Womens     £1,849.99 

• SLR Endurance Disc Womens     £2,049.99 

SLR Endurance Disc

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Disc brakes are super popular on endurance bikes these days and the Endurance Disc takes the all-carbon Endurance model and adds disc brakes. 

Choose from five models priced from £1,999.99 to £5,499.99. All use the same frame, which harnesses the same essential design and geometry as the regular Endurance but adds disc brakes with a 12mm rear thru-axle and 15mm thru-axle fork. There’s clearance for up to 28mm tyres. 

The SLR Endurance Disc 9.0 (£1,999.99) is equipped with Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes, the range-topping SLR Endurance Disc Signature (£5,499.99) comes with Dura-Ace Di2 and Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels and Enve finishing kit.

• SLR Endurance Disc 9.0         £1,999.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc 9.2         £2,299.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc 9.4         £2,999.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc 9.8         £3,799.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc Signature     £5,999.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc 9.8 Frameset     £1,149.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc Signature Frameset     £1,249.99 
• SLR Endurance Disc Custom Frameset     £1,449.99 

SLR Titanium 

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Most of the Boardman range of bikes are made from carbon fibre but if you desire something a little bit special, the SLR Titanium is a good choice. Boardman has never produced titanium bikes before but the brand thinks that the material fits its endurance platform perfectly. The frame is made from 3AL/2.5V titanium with a pressfit30 bottom bracket.

There are just two bikes in the range and both come with disc brakes and a 15mm thru-axle carbon fork. The SLR Titanium 9.2 (£2,999.99) gets a Shimano Ultegra groupset with hydro brakes on 160mm rotors and SLR wheels. The SLR Titanium 9.4 (£3,999.99) upgrades to Ultegra Di2 for electronic shifting and carbon fibre wheels.

• SLR Titanium 9.2         £2,999.99 
• SLR Titanium 9.4         £3,999.99 
• SLR Titanium 9.8 Frameset     £1,699.99 

Performance range

Where Boardman has been really successful in gaining a strong foothold in the highly competitive road bike market over the years is in offering exceedingly good value for money, and its Performance range is a good place to start if you’re in the market for a new road bike. 

The range covers seven price points from £500 up to £1,619, and two frame materials, aluminium and carbon and a choice of Shimano and SRAM groupsets. 

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The Road Sport (£500) kicks the range off and is a bike road.cc reviewed and awarded when it first came out a few years ago. It features a really nicely designed modern aluminium frame with double butted tubes to save weight and a carbon fork. There are also a few details that extend its usefulness to commuting, with mudguard and rack mounts. It also now comes in a choice of white or grey colours.

It’s equipped with excellent Shimano Claris 16-speed gearing with Mavic wheels and Vittoria tyres. A compact 50/34t chainset and 11-28t cassette will be a help on steep hills.

“The Road Sport is a very capable road bike. When you're riding along you don't think, 'Well, this is okay considering it's only £500.' You think, 'This is a decent bike,’” said Mat Brett when he tested it.

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The Road Comp (£560) features the same aluminium frame as the entry-level Road Sport but swaps rim brakes for disc brakes, for extra control in all conditions. It’s a bike that has been designed specifically for endurance riding, says Boardman. The brakes are TRP Spyres with Shimano Sora brake levers and gears.

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The Road Team Carbon (£800) is the first rung on the carbon fibre ladder. The frame borrows technology from the more expensive SLR Endurance model and is equipped with Shimano Tiagra gears and Tektro dual pivot brakes.

It's a practical bike as well. It's got a full complement of mudguard mounts so you can keep yourself and your riding buddies spatter-free through the winter, and you get dependable high-spoke-count wheels with Mavic CXP rims, and four-seasons-friendly Zaffiro Pro folding tyres

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Step up to the Road Pro Carbon (£1,200) and you a carbon endurance frame and disc brakes. The C7 Carbon frame has a fairly sporty geometry - Boardman describes it as 'endurance' not quite as aggressive as an all out race bike, but not as upright as a classic sportive geometry. It's a bike intended to deliver all day comfort while riding at a decent clip. All cables and hoses are internally routed, including through the carbon fork.

The carbon frame is specced with a Shimano 105 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes and an FSA Gossamer Pro compact chainset. Wheels are Boardman’s own Aero Profile rims with Vittoria Zaffiro Pro 25mm folding tyres.

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Sitting atop the Performance line of bikes is the Road Pro Carbon SLR (£1,619) which uses a frame made from lighter C8 carbon fibre to the same endurance geometry as the Road Pro. It packs a competitive punch when compared to similarly priced rivals, with a SRAM Force 22 groupset and Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels.

The value proposition and the excellent ride manners have earned the Road Pro Carbon SLR two awards in the coveted road.cc Bike of the Year 2016/17 awards. 

Here’s an extract from Stu Kerton’s review: 

“The Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR is a great bike. It's there to be ridden fast, whether that's eyeballs-out fast or just a rapid average speed on a longer journey. It excites, and you certainly feel rewarded for any effort you put through the pedals.

“With a great groupset, impressive finishing kit and that smooth-riding frame, for this money, it's very hard to find fault with the SLR. It's certainly become one of my favourites.”

Here is the full price list for the Performance range:

• Road Sport     £500.00 
• Road Comp     £560.00 
• Road Team Carbon     £800.00 
• Road Team Carbon 105     £1,049.99 
• Road Pro Carbon     £1,200.00 
• Road Pro Carbon SLR     £1,619.00 
• Road Pro Carbon Grey   £1,500.00 
• Road Team Carbon White     £1,000.00 
• Road Comp Red   £700.00 
• Road Sport White     £500.00 
• Road Sport Women Teal  £500.00 

Like what you see and want to take a closer look, or even buy a Boardman? All the Boardman Bikes mentioned above and the full range can be purchased directly at www.boardmanbikes.com. Alternatively, the Performance range is available in all Halfords stores, while a selection of the Boardman Elite range is sold through Cycle Republic stores across the UK.

The Boardman Relaxed Fit Jersey is a generally capable budget garment, with most of features we've come to expect and several appealing colours to choose from. However, sizing was a bit of a sticking point, and it faces stiff competition from store brands boasting more sophisticated yarns.

I have always interpreted 'relaxed fit' as meaning a looser cut, the sort that works well with non-Lycra shorts or 3/4s and other street-style longs. In this context, it simply refers to freedom of movement.

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Sizing is more comprehensive than most, ranging from XS right through to 3XL, and the chart is pretty comprehensive, covering sleeve length, chest and waist measurements. Even so, judging by our S/M – which felt a bit too snug around the chest and shoulders – I'd recommend trying a size larger than usual.

Materials

The jersey is a fairly basic but practical 100% polyester blend designed to wick sweat and other moisture efficiently, and felt less synthetic than I was expecting. Given the price, I wasn't surprised by a lack of sun protection and anti-bacterial technology in the fabric.

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The seams sit flat, so no unsightly branding after a few hours, and the stitching is uniform and durable throughout. Ours has seen its fair share of trail action and remains unscathed despite brushes with brambles and similarly prickly foliage.

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Up front we have a full length zipper, perfect for fine-tuning airflow or showing off your finisher's medallion. As ever, the zipper tag could be bigger, but wasn't a problem wearing mitts.

Pocket provision

Round the back we have the time honoured three-pocket terrace plus a zippered side-entry one for stashing cash/other valuables. A silicone hem hugs all but the most slippery Lycra, doing a decent job of preventing incremental creep no matter how frequently I alternated between hoods, tops and tri-bars on the open road.

Boardman Relaxed Fit Mens cycle Jersey - pocket.jpg

The pockets offered dependable tenure to keys and smaller compact cameras, even across washboard tarmac or blasting along unmade roads, but they are surprisingly shallow by contemporary standards, which proved problematic with bigger smartphones, mini-pumps and 750ml bottles – the latter being ejected into a hedge during one 20-mile outing. Using a back bottle solved the issue during testing, but ideally the pockets need to be deeper/made from a more accommodating blend.

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The tops did provide a reasonably secure mounting point for LEDs, though, and the cut ensures they're aligned at driver eye-level rather than pointing skyward.

Climate control

Its ability to help you maintain a comfortable climate is good rather than great; the Boardman is a heavier weave than the £10-more-expensive PBK Montagna, hence the familiar glow kicked in more intensely after 20 minutes in comparable heat/humidity.

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Like for like, it takes longer to dry too, especially around the armpits and lower back. That said, given 20 minutes and a moderate breeze, things turn pretty arid, accelerated by dropping the zipper to half-mast.

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Things did turn mildly funky at the close of long, steady miles, which wasn't the case with the PBK thanks to its anti-bacterial fabric. This was easily dismissed along with any ingrained grime, given a 30-degree machine wash.

> Buyer's Guide: 8 of the best cheap cycling jerseys

On the plus side, if you like to extend your summer kit through autumn and early spring then the heavier weight fabric will be an advantage.

Conclusion

The Boardman Relaxed Fit jersey is by no means a bad one, and a few years back this sort of specification and performance was what I'd expect from this end of the market. Indeed, a zipped pocket is still sometimes missing from higher priced jerseys. But some store brands are offering more sophisticated fibres with sun protection factor and anti-bacterials and sharper detailing for similar money, so it's facing plenty of competition.

Verdict

Decent budget jersey but facing stiff competition – and check the sizing

The Boardman Men's Packable Jacket is a lightweight showerproof and windproof shell design that folds into its own pocket. This fits conveniently in a jersey pocket or saddlepack, ready for a heavy downpour or sudden drop in temperature. It works well generally, though I did have sizing/fit issues.

As I'd expect from this genre, not to mention price point, it's a lightweight polyester/elastane mix – the sort designed to keep the elements out but allow heat and sweat to escape. Relatively thin, it also seems fairly hardy, if my recent bridlepath and singletrack shenanigans are any gauge.

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It resists relatively persistent showers for around 20-25 minutes, while lighter stuff either rolls off or only becomes apparent after 30-40 minutes. When rain does begin to permeate the fabric, it's mostly kept in check by rider-generated heat encouraging the fibres to react and get wicking.

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More expensive garments sometimes sport perforated mesh panels, which makes for faster drying and improved comfort. Here, with a stiff breeze, it's predominantly dry again in around 20 minutes. It's infinitely preferable to crude old-school 'condom jackets', which would certainly keep the rain out but often leave you stewing in your own juices.

Cut/sizing

The jacket has a traditional cut with a long drop tail and shorter front, keeping your back dry and stopping the front from getting caught on the saddle nose during hasty mounting and dismounting.

It's a snug fit to prevent unwanted drag and annoying 'builder's tarp' flutter, but with enough room for fully loaded jersey pockets and a baselayer under your jersey. However, although I was able to alternate easily between tops, drops and tri bars, I found it restrictive around the chest and shoulders. This was particularly apparent with big flared drop bars – something I attribute to the slightly vague sizing.

According to the size chart, the small/medium on test should suit me fine, but although there's enough length in the arms and back, and it looks about right on, I felt rather constricted around my shoulders and chest area (it's not me in the photos – though I think from the pic below you can see what I mean). I would strongly suggest trying a few on for size – there is a big range to choose from, too, right up to 3XL, which should cater for most.

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Despite the tight fit, I found it quick and easy to whip on or off while riding, up to 17mph, and the bonus was no annoying flutter, even at 30mph on a blustery descent.

Aesthetically, it looks similar to the Madison Stratos Sportive showerproof jacket, although it feels glossier – dare I say more synthetic – to the touch (then again, it is £15 cheaper than the Stratos). Bold retro-reflective graphics are well positioned and bring the garment to life in low light.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best windproof cycling jackets

The full-length zipper has a tab big enough for faff-free operation, and has taken the inevitable everyday carelessness in its stride.

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Detailing extends to silicone cuffs and hem, and a fleece-lined collar to prevent potentially cold and wet stuff trickling down your neck.

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It's easy to care for too: wash at 30 degrees, with minimal detergent, and it emerges looking and, moreover, smelling packet fresh. I'd left ours a fortnight before washing, giving bacteria the chance to feast on sweat and other grime collected within the fleece collar…

Conclusion

Overall – sizing aside – the Boardman Packable Jacket isn't a bad effort and performs pretty reasonably for the price. You can pay a little more for a higher spec, such as the Madison Stratos mentioned earlier, and BTwin products always tend to give others a good run for the money – such as the 500 Ultralight at £19.99 – but the Boardman is well worth a look. Just make sure you buy the right size.

Verdict

Reasonably capable jacket for contingencies, but try for size first

The Boardman Women's Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey is a lovely everyday top at a great price. Boardman hasn't messed around giving its jersey a complicated name, nor has it messed around adding unnecessary features to a simple and functional piece of kit.

The jersey comes in various bright and tasteful colour schemes, and handily the turquoise and pink version I tested was my favourite.

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When I first put the jersey on, it felt slightly restrictive around the shoulders, but once I was on a bike with my arms stretched out to the bar, this was no longer an issue. I wore a size 8 and, other than that slight tightness, found the fit to be good and true to size.

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The casual, relaxed fit is flattering, and while it's not skin tight, it doesn't leave excess material where it's not wanted (note it is not me in the photos). I also found that the sleeve cuffs sat nicely around my arms without being tight, and the bottom hem with its rubber gripper stayed in place relatively well while riding.

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Other jerseys in this price range often come with a half or three-quarter-length zip, so I was immediately pleased to find that this had a full length zip giving more flexibility to undo it on hot rides and making those roadside wee stops in bib shorts just a little bit easier.

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The 'Qwick-dri' fabric of the jersey is very breathable and wicked away moisture well just as Boardman claims. The jersey isn't designed for the hottest or most humid conditions, but on mild and warmer (British) summer days I was perfectly content without overheating. I found it soft and comfortable with no itchy seams or chafing, and experienced no problems when washing it on a cool cycle.

> Buyer's Guide: 8 of the best cheap cycling jerseys

I find jerseys without a zip pocket really annoying, so was pleased to find that the Boardman has a zip-up valuables pocket at the rear. It was disappointingly small, though: my keys and debit card fitted in fine, but it wasn't big enough for my slim cycling wallet or phone.

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According to the product details from Boardman, the jersey features a further three rear pockets, as the majority of jerseys do, but in fact it only has two. This may sound a little crazy, but I am used to packing my spares into three pockets and I know exactly what lives where when I head out for a ride, so I found the two pockets, although well sized, a little frustrating.

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With an RRP of £30, I think this jersey is very good value for money. Brands such as dhb and BTwin have some similarly priced offerings, but Boardman has certainly set the bar high. The jersey's flattering fit, full-length zip and bright colour scheme mean I'd happily overlook the limited pocket space.

Verdict

A great, comfortable jersey for everyday riding without draining the bank

You’ve an abundance of riches in the £1,500 to £2,000 price band, with bikes that are light, well-equipped and great value for money.

You also have a big range of choices. Carbon fibre frame, or the latest ultra-sophisticated aluminium? Caliper brakes or discs? Racing geometry, more upright for comfort or something in between? How about taking the the byways and bridleways on a gravel bike? Whatever type of riding you have in mind, there’s a bike in this price range that’ll suit you perfectly.

Genesis Datum 10 — £1,709.99

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The Genesis Datum 10 will take pretty much whatever you can throw at it, on or off-road. The spec represents excellent value and the ability to jump between town and country use positions it as a sound contender for an 'only bike' that you won't be sheepish about getting muddy on, while being worthy of a shine-up for the Sunday morning group ride.

At launch two years ago, Dave rated the Di2 11-speed Datum 30 at 4.5/5, finding it a 'hugely capable bike that is loads of fun over all sorts of terrain'. Later that year it won our Sportive Bike of The Year Award, with only the Shimano Di2-influenced price holding it back from taking overall honours. At £3,200 in 2015 money, the Di2 version was a hefty price to pay, so this time around it's the base model £1,899 10-speed Tiagra model on test. Again, for this spec it's not a class-leadingly cheap bike, but the overall package is worthy of inclusion on anyone's to-be-considered list.

Read our review of the Genesis Datum 10
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Merlin Nitro SL — £1,750

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Merlin Cycles has been offering its own brand of bikes for a while, and the Nitro SL is an excellent addition thanks to its balance of speed, light weight and comfort. It's bsed on Ridley's Helium SL frameset , which holds its head up high and delivers across the board against the competition.

The ride is sublime, that balance of stiffness and the way it deals with the bumps in the road is a masterclass in carbon fibre layup and tube design. The Nitro SL just seems to take everything in its stride with regard to road surface imperfections.

Read our review of the Merlin Nitro SL

Vitus Vitesse Evo Disc Ultegra — £1,900

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If it's a modern, carbon fibre, disc brake-equipped road bike built around a race-focused geometry that you crave, the Vitus Vitesse Evo Disc is the bike for you. At £1,999.99 (currently discounted by £100) it's an affordable package, backed up by superb performance.

It doesn't take long before the real character and potential of the Vitesse Evo are revealed. It offers visceral performance, quick steering and unexpected speed that takes a few miles to dial in to. It's a thrilling and rewarding ride, backed up by decent equipment choices, and all at a competitive price.

Read our review of the Vitus Vitesse Evo Disc Ultegra

Raleigh Mustang Comp — £1,500

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With Raleigh's aluminium-framed Mustangs, carbon Rokers and steel Mavericks the Big Heron jumped into gravel bikes with both boots a couple of years ago. Raleigh's folks say they started revamping their endurance road range, then realised that for a lot of British riding a bike with a long wheelbase and fat tyres was better able to cope with back roads trashed by the combination of bad winters and hacked road maintenance budgets. The Mustang Comp has SRAM hydraulic brakes and 11 speed SRAM Apex 1 gears.

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Cannondale CAAD12 105 5 Disc — £1,359 (reduced from £1,700)

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Proving that composites don't quite reign supreme, Cannondale's meticulously engineered CAAD12 frame wrings every last gram of performance potential out of aluminium. Cannondale combines that frame with Shimano 105 shifting, its own HollowGram Si chainset and Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes for a thoroughly modern fast road bike.

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Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR — £1,800

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If you want to put that race licence to good use, smash those Strava KOMs or just want a fast, comfortable, easy-to-ride road bike, then the Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR needs to be on your shortlist. With a full-carbon frameset, SRAM Force groupset, Mavic Ksyrium wheels and weighing in at just 7kg (15.5lb), the SLR is a real contender even before you take the price into account – and that challenges even the direct-to-consumer specialists.

The Road Pro is a stunning bike to look at. That mirror effect silver paintjob makes it stand out, especially in the sunshine; you're going to get noticed for sure.

That beauty isn't just skin deep, though. In a cycling world where bikes are starting to cross as many disciplines as possible, the Boardman knows exactly what it is: a proper race bike that just begs to be ridden hard. It likes being on the tarmac, getting chucked downhill on the ragged edge of the tyre's grip, or being sprinted hard up that 20 per cent climb without the slightest hint of flex from the frame.

Read our review of the Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR

Giant Defy Advanced 2 — £1,775

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Giant's Defy line is one of the most popular bikes in the endurance and sportive sector, and is the company's best-selling model, combining smart geometry with a full range of competitively priced builds. It was completely revamped for 2015 with a whole new frame design providing enhanced comfort and, for the carbon frames, disc brakes only. The 2017 bikes are all carbon fibre, as the Contend range replaces the previous aluminium Defys.

Read our review of the Giant Defy Advanced SL
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Specialized Tarmac SL4 Elite 2018 — £2,000

2018 specialized tarmac sl4 elite

Specialized's £2,000 Tarmac Elite is a smart looking and well packaged bike that offers the sort of fast and engaging ride that will suit budding racers, along with sportive cyclists who favour a less upright position than is provided by the company's Roubaix model.

Read our review of the (very similar) Specialized Tarmac Comp
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Trek Émonda SL5 — £1,800

2018 Trek Emonda SL 5.jpg

Part of Trek's line of Émonda lightweight race bikes, the SL5 demonstrates one of two approaches to speccing up a bike in this range. Trek takes the second-lightest of its Émonda frames and equips it with Shimano's midrange 105 group for a bike that doesn't cost the earth but has plenty of upgrade potential.

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Specialized Ruby Elite Disc — £1,900

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There are some superb women's bikes in this category, of which Specialized's Ruby Elite Disc is a great example. It has the same shock-damping steerer and seatpost as Specialized's Roubaix (the men's equivalent) and the same spec as the Roubaix at the same price.

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Merida Ride 5000 — £1,900

Merida Ride 5000 2017

The Merida Ride 5000 is a quick road bike that offers plenty of comfort, splitting the difference between a standard race bike and an endurance bike. Jump aboard the Ride 5000 and within yards you can feel a bit more give than you get from most road bikes. There's just a touch more movement at the saddle to cancel out all the little bumps and hollows in the road surface, and the big hits when you ride over a drain cover or pothole aren't quite as big any more.

Read our review of the Merida Ride 5000
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Rose Xeon CDX-2000 Disc — £1,769.15

Rose Xeon CDX-2000 Disc.jpg

Rose claims an impressive 7.8kg for the CDX-2000 and given that its stablemate the Xeon CDX-4400 comes in at 7.5kg (16.6lb), we believe it. The ride is quick, easy to live with and delivers a lot of fun miles. Yes, it's slightly over the budget, but keep an eye on the pound/Euro exchange rate and you might bable to pick it up cheaper. It's a cracker of a machine ready to be ridden flat out or cruising the lanes.

Read our review of the Rose Xeon CDX-4400

[This article was last updated on August 3, 2017]

If the forecast is looking a little indecisive, a lightweight, packable jacket is the go-to for any cyclist. The Boardman Women's Packable Jacket pretty much has you covered, unless the rain turns torrential, with a good fit and decent protection, and it fits easily into any back pocket or saddle bag.

The jacket is reasonably breathable and was comfortable in most conditions, although I came home from a couple of rides on days above 18 degrees and was unable to tell whether the rain had come through or I was just damp with sweat. I particularly hate that clammy feeling of sweating in a non-breathable jacket so I imagine I struggled more than most in the recent rainy yet warm weather. Nonetheless, on some slightly chillier mornings when I took the jacket out, breathability wasn't an issue and it kept the wind and showers out and a little warmth in.

> Buy this online here

Riding in occasional showers and light rain, water droplets mostly rolled off the polyester/elastane material, which then dried out within a few minutes of the rain stopping. Only in more persistent, heavy rain did water start to pool and eventually permeate the fabric. For a water-resistant jacket, I was very satisfied with its performance and became unusually enthusiastic to head out on drizzly days with this in my pocket.

Boardman Womens packable Jacket - shoulder.jpg

The fit is reasonable, though not exceptional, and leaves some material to balloon and flap about in the wind. It has a little extra length at the back to protect from spray off the road and doesn't ride up, though I would have liked it to be slightly longer. The sleeves were also of a sensible length with the cuffs sitting comfortably around my wrists. Size-wise, I wore a 10, and while I felt it was relatively true to size, I'm in between an 8 and 10 and probably could have worn an 8 (note – it's not me in the photos).

Boardman Womens packable Jacket - riding.jpg

I was particularly impressed with the weight of this jacket, which packs up smaller than the dhb packable jacket I currently use. Incidentally, I also found it to be more breathable than dhb's offering so it's safe to say I was a fan.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best packable jackets

The reasonably sized zip was easy to undo while riding and it packs away into the large pocket on the rear right hand side, although it was far easier to stuff it straight into my jersey.

Boardman Womens packable Jacket - zip pocket.jpg

Smaller details include a soft fleece lining around the high collar, which was really comfortable and served nicely as a bit of extra protection from the elements. The jacket also features a series of reflective strips on the front, sides and sleeve cuffs along with a large reflective logo on the back, making you very visible in dark and rainy conditions. I liked the bright turquoise colour, too.

Boardman Womens packable Jacket - back.jpg

Although the Boardman Packable Jacket is towards the budget end of things, with an RRP of £35 it isn't the cheapest out there, and both dhb and BTwin have some cheaper options. However, it's a more than fair price and if you're on the market for something that packs up small and keeps the elements out, I would certainly give this a look.

Verdict

Weatherproof, lightweight and affordable jacket, great for those 'will it, won't it rain' days

Closing off this week's round of DealCatchers we've got three great deals for those of you out there looking to throw down some quick times while the weather's still half decent.

We kick things off with two limited edition TTE bikes from Boardman. The British brand only has the two bikes we're featuring today for a short amount of time, so grab them while you can!

Second up we've got a great offer on Maloja's handsome Kienberg Jersey. The invisible zipper adds to the attractive design of the jesrsey that's also well built to manage heat, sunshine, and odour.

Our final deal of the day are Altura's Airstream Gloves. With low-profile features giving an aerodynamic element to the sleek and stylish gloves, these are the perfect pair of mitts for all you racers out there.

Boardman

​Boardman TTE Limited Edition Time Trial Bikes
Dura Ace Di2 - £4499.99 | Ultegra Di2 - £3499.99

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As you'd expect, Boardman's time trial-specific TTE range offers "outstanding aerodynamic performance."

That's the obvious bit. These bikes not only have sleek, low profiles, they behave like fighter jets in the wind tunnel - and look like fighter jets on the road.

The limited edition colour scheme for both the Dura Ace Di2 and Ultegra Di2-carrying bikes make these two of the most attractive bikes we've offered here on the DealCatcher.

Whichever bike takes your fancy, know that Boardman make a top quality high-end road bike, as we saw when we gave the Elite Air 9.2 a 9/10 when it came our way for review

- Read more: road.cc's Boardman Elite Air 9.2 review

Cycle Surgery

25% off Maloja's Kienberg Jersey
WAS £73.91 | NOW £55.00

Maloja Kienberg Jersey.jpg

When you're on the look-out for a new jersey these days, what are you looking for?

If you've filled your wardrobe with the classic high-end offerings that'll keep you comfortable in the dry and the wet, the hot and the cold, what more could you be looking for?

Style, obviously.

Style is something Maloja offers in spades. And while this striped pattern might not be to everyone's taste, the brand make a great jersey, and we quite like this one.

Hargroves Cycles

20% off Altura's Airstream Black Gloves
WAS £16.99 | NOW £13.59

Altura Airstream Gloves.jpg

Our final deal of the day are Altura's Airstream Gloves.

It might seem counter-intuative to tuck your hands into insulating material on warm days, but if you come off you'll be thankful for the protection.

As with all protective gear, gloves have got to be comfortable and usable if you're going to make the sacrifice for safety.

These Airstreams feautre three seperate oads, a reclusive velcro strap, and breathable material.

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

It's that time of year when some of us feel the urge to go and get muddy. The whole gravel/adventure thing may have softened some bikes a touch to make them more versatile but Boardman's CXR 9.4 is having none of it.

'Ready to race straight out of the box,' it says on Boardman's website and while I'd say it could do with a couple of minor tweaks the CXR 9.4 is one flickable, lightweight off-road rocket which is an absolute blast on the technical stuff.

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I've been testing the CXR 9.4 alongside another from the Boardman Elite stable, the SLR Endurance 9.0 disc equipped road bike.

Similarly priced and with an almost identical weight (just 80g lighter) the SLR Endurance 9.0 really highlighted just how good the CXR 9.4 is when riding them side by side. This cyclocross bike felt so much lighter in the real world even on the road giving a much more snappy and eager feel to everything from acceleration to climbing and handling.

Buy Boardman CXR 9.4
Find a Boardman dealer

My off-road playground is Salisbury Plain, a giant Army training ground surrounded by miles and miles of gravel by-ways which if you dare to venture off deliver various routes on grass, chalk and lots of twisty singletrack through the various wooded sections.

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When the terrain becomes technical in nature like tree roots and potholes the flickability of the CXR really comes into play. With a 72° head angle the CXR's handling feels very quick indeed and with a relatively short 140mm head tube and 550mm top tube you sit in a long and low position which allows you to keep your centre of gravity low and weight distributed.

All this adds up to a bike that really responds to your input especially when the track is flowing and you are carrying plenty of speed over obstacles and through the bends.

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The low weight makes bunny hopping ruts or man made obstacles an absolute breeze too.

Adding to your control through the tricky stuff are SRAM's Force hydraulic calipers paired with 160mm rotors front and rear. The braking power is stunning and once I'd adapted to the way they feel, easy to modulate.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - down tube.jpg

I spend a lot of time riding Shimano's hydraulic disc brakes which I find engage as soon as you ease the lever back towards the handlebar, and have a very progressive feel. The SRAMs feel a little more on and off. I wouldn't say either is better than the other but a few times I failed to give the SRAM lever enough of a tug and would slightly overshoot the turn until I got used to it.

In short races like most cyclo-cross events comfort isn't necessarily as important as it is on say an adventure bike which you are likely to be sitting on for hours on end. The CXR reflects that by being very stiff and a little unforgiving on certain surfaces. That's not helped by the fact that the standard tyres require a minimum of 45psi. This isn't to say that the Boardman is uncomfortable it just isn't very plush.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - bar and shifter 2.jpg

The frame is made from the same C10 carbon fibre, Boardman's highest grade, as the Elite Endurance SLR and gives a very similar ride.

I took the CXR for a four and a half hour ride mostly on gravel and I knew I'd Done Something, thanks mostly to muscle fatigue in my arms and upper body. Padded bar tape and possibly shimming the seat tube to 27.2mm and fitting a more flexible seatpost would make a difference.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - rear disc detail.jpg

The high levels of stiffness though are welcome when it comes to climbing especially those short, sharp crests likely to be found in the woods or under race conditions.

The bottom half of the bike resists practically every force your legs can chuck at it thanks to that massive, near-square-section, oversized down tube, press fit bottom bracket area and tall chainstays.

The head tube has had the tapering treatment with a massive 1 1/2in bottom bearing race and a fork steerer to match.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - frame detail.jpg

Compared to the forks on Boardman's road bikes the CXR's is a beast with massive deep legs from top to bottom which resist both steering forces and those caused by hauling hard on the front brake.

Tyre clearance isn't massive. You might be able to swap the stock Vittoria Cross XM 31mm for 35mm wide rubber, maybe 38mm at a push, but you're not going to get those newfangled 45mm adventure bike tyres in there. That's not what this bike is about.

You will need to change the tyres if there is even the slightest hint of moisture on the ground. The minimal central tread offers no grip whatsoever on wet mud or grass and they tend to sink on deep sections of gravel because they're quite skinny.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - fork.jpg

While you're changing the tyres, go tubeless. Even at 50psi I suffered two pinch flats in a matter of miles. The the CXR Elite Five wheels are tubeless-ready so that's an obvious upgrade.

The CXR 9.4 has thru axles: 15mm at the front and 12mm at the rear. Most manufacturers have settled on 12mm all round now especially for road use so we might see Boardman go that way when the frame and fork are updated. We'd expect to see a move to flat mount for the calipers too rather than the post mounts currently used.

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It's good to see the CXR has full internal cabling runs for the gears and braking which keeps them out of the muddy elements and mean there is nothing to get snagged on should you need to chuck the bike on your shoulder to run with it.

If the CXR had a front mech, the cable would run through the top tube and exit just before the end to drop down to the front mech via a guide on the seat tube. Again this keeps everything out of the mud but it does look a little redundant when you are using a single-chainring transmission.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - tyre.jpg

The SRAM Force CX1 groupset will set you back just under £900 online so it makes up a fair chunk of the CXR 9.4's budget but it's worth it.

The wide-range 11-speed cassette (11/12/13/15/17/19/22/25/28/32/36) and a 38-tooth single chainring gives a pretty decent spread of gears for the type of terrain you'll likely encounter on this bike.

Bottom gear, 38x36, is 28.5 inches which is comparable to the 34x32 (28.7inches) lowest gear yuou get when you combine a compact chainset with an 11-32 cassette.

At the other end you'll find yourself spinning out a lot sooner. The 38x11 top gear combination is only 93.3 inches. At a brisk 110-110rpm spin that's about 28-30mph, so if you like to pedal down hills you'll struggle to keep up. That said, I found the gear ratios too gappy to spend any amount of time on the road.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - rear mech.jpg

Shifting is quick and crisp through the clutch rear mech. Even under load plus there were no issues whatsoever with the chain becoming derailed.

The wheels, Boardman's own CXR Elite Fives, are a tough set of hoops that stood up to all of the abuse from the terrain and weather I could chuck at them. They have 28 spokes front and rear, laced two-cross to a 28mm deep rim. The hubs run smooth and didn't need any tweaking or adjustment throughout the test period which towards the end turned very wet and muddy.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - stem.jpg

The rest of the finishing kit is all Boardman branded and keeps the look subtle and classy to match the frame. The handlebars are alloy, seatpost is carbon with the stem being a mixture of the two being alloy with a carbon wrapped finish.

When it comes to value the CXR 9.4 doesn't really disappoint. I think £2,299 is a fair price for a quality frameset and a decent selection of kit. The frame has been around a while now so it doesn't have the tyre clearances to accept the move towards big tyres and still has slightly old-fashioned post mounts for the brakes, but these are not major hindrances or deal breakers against the opposition.

Boardman CXR 9.4 - saddle.jpg

It's a couple of hundred quid cheaper than the Cannondale Super X and comes with a better groupset. The Merida CX 5000 is only £1,700 but comes with a much lower spec and more weight even if it does sound as though it could match the Boardman as a race bike.

If you want a double chainset Boardman offers the Ultegra-equipped CXR 9.2 which scrapes in just under the £2,000 mark and looks decent value for money. As a frameset it's available for £999.99.

If you're looking for a pure race-orientated cyclocross bike, the CXR 9.4 is a very solid choice. However, if you're looking for a bike that can do a bit of everything then bear in mind the carbon CXRs have no mudguard eyelets at all, so you're not going to fit mudguards or a rack without faffing. You'll have to choose the aluminium alloy framed CXR 9.0 for that luxury.

Verdict

Quick handling off-road race machine that is an absolute blast in the technical sections