BOARDMANMTR9.0
£2,200 High Street brand’s lagship trail bike gets an update
Sold through Halfords, but a cut above their in-house brands, Boardman have always struck a good balance between value and quality. The MTR trail bike has been in their line-up since 2009, and has been updated for 2021 with 29in wheels and some familiar geometry changes. There are four models in the range, starting from £1,100. The 9.0 tested here is the top-end build.
The frame
Boardman have introduced a higherspec ‘X9’ alloy for this flagship model. This is hydroformed into swoopy tube shapes with smoothed welds, and finished with a fancy paint fade. A four-bar linkage suspension design provides 145mm of rear wheel travel. External cable routing and a threaded bottom bracket simplify maintenance.
The 66-degree head angle isn’t wildly slack by current standards but sits the MTR in the same ballpark as many other trail bikes. Similarly, the 75.5-degree seat tube angle is steep enough to make pedalling more pleasant but isn’t radical. We tested the medium bike, which has a 455mm reach, the same as last year’s large size. The chainstays are 440mm long across all sizes.
The kit
Shimano’s reliable and wellperforming SLX groupset handles stop and go duties. They also provide the hubs, which are laced to tubeless-ready WTB rims and shod with Maxxis Minion tyres. Our only spec complaint is the dropper lever – it’s too small and we found it uncomfortable on longer rides. Ideally, we’d like to see a longerstroke post fitted, too – 125mm isn’t quite enough for many riders.
The ride
The MTR climbs reasonably well, thanks to the pedalling position o ered by the relatively steep seat angle. It’d be easy to sum up the ride as ‘competent’, but that sells it short. The confidence provided by the solid
SLX four-pot brakes goes a long way towards the overall feeling of stability, along with the sti ness and reliability of the RockShox Pike fork.
With the fork and shock set with the recommended amount of sag for our weight, the MTR wallowed in corners and dived too deep into its travel on bigger hits. Upping the air pressure a little stopped this, but reduced small-bump sensitivity. The bike rode better overall, though, and felt balanced.
While it’s perfectly comfortable on rolling trails, the Boardman comes into its own as the ground drops away. The lockdown meant we weren’t able to take it to our favourite South Wales tech, but its planted feel instilled confidence on steeper local tracks. WILL POOLE www.boardmanbikes.com
Great value (even with a recent £200 price rise) and extremely fun trail bike with some top kit, although it’s fairly hefty