BOARDMAN CX TEAM £999
› Boardman’s all-rounder workhorse gets a single-ring makeover
Acouple of years ago we bumped into Chris Boardman at the opening of a local bike shop and he got really excited about a super-light Frankenstein singlering conversion one of our test team had done – using his aluminiumframed Boardman CX bike and the contents of our mountain bike spare parts bin. Whether that was the spark that led to this latest version of the CX Team we don’t know, but whatever the inspiration this is a brilliant example of the new breed of ultra-versatile, categoryblurring ‘road and more’ bikes.
The Team’s chassis has only changed slightly for 2016 but the wishbone rear stays are slimmer for more vertical compliance, there’s a flush-fitting rear brake mount and the new top-tube has shed a bit of weight.
The triple-butted X7 frame’s seamlessly smoothed tube joints still not only look like carbon, they also ride with a carbon fibre-like forgiveness that surprised us every time we swapped across from the other test bikes. The fork is surprisingly smooth too and while you don’t get thru-axles, the fact that it complies with the ISO safety standards for mountain bikes shows SPECIFICATION 10.12kg (M) Triplebutted aluminium Carbon, quick-release axle SRAM Rival 1, 44, 10-42 SRAM Rival hydraulic discs Mavic XM319
Weight Frame Fork Gears Brakes Wheels Finishing kit
Boardman stem, bar, seatpost and saddle, 35mm Schwalbe Rapid Rob tyres that it’s sufficiently tough. The tyre clearances are adequate if not amazing, but the CX does have full mudguard and four-point rear rack mounts and a BB30 press-fit bottom bracket with matching fat-axle cranks for levering you and your luggage up the hill. The super-wideratio 10-42T cassette combines with a big 44-tooth chainring to cover you for everything from off-road climbs that would require a winch to high-speed road descents.
But where the CX Team really stands out for a sub-£1000 bike is that it comes with SRAM’s hydraulic Rival brakes. Not only are their tall lever hoods more secure
The triple-butted aluminium frame not only looks like carbon, it rides like carbon too