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Boardman Team Carbon review
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Firsthand Media
Firsthand Media
Immediate Media
Immediate Media
Steve Behr
If in that location'south one make that's consistently scored highly in performance for toll terms without resorting to direct retailing it'south Boardman. The sub-£m carbon bike is a massively of import model for the business firm – considering information technology simply sneaks into the 'bicycle to work' scheme bracket in the UK.
Boardman has acknowledged practical commuting needs by making the Team Carbon one of only two bikes hither that come up with mudguard eyes front and rear for more comfortable wet weather riding. Information technology also avoids the fashion for internally routed cables in favour of more than easily serviced external wires. The ride position is equally practical. Leave all the headset spacers in and you lot've got a relatively upright, creaking-dorsum friendly position.
- Highs: Confident, dynamic and ability friendly frame with surefooted, Continental tyre underlined handling
- Lows: Quality frame expense means adequate not amazing componentry
- Buy If: You desire an excellent economic system all rounder and arguably the all-time 'ride to work' scheme compatible bicycle
There's mode more than to the Team Carbon than trudging into work and back though – and if y'all whip the those headset spacers out the long height tube volition constrict you down nicely out of the current of air. Archetype 73-degree parallel frame angles keep steering engaged and well balanced while a generously long wheelbase creates a naturally stable, bravery boosting descending character.
There's ample authority in the fork, frame and Mavic wheels to explore the limits of the impressively grippy, confidence swelling Continental Ultra Sport II tyres. Boardman is bang up to date in choosing a ride smoothing, easy rolling 25mm carcass rather than the 23mm size that's withal the well-nigh mutual.
Immediate Media
The 25mm Continental Ultra Sport tyres proved to be impressive performers
The frame has enough of features you'd normally look to pay more than for. The Toray T700 fibre based build wraps in a BB30 bottom bracket to boost stiffness, the rectangular chainstays are usefully stout and there's a full carbon fork within the tapered caput tube. This means the aforementioned solid frame feel is definitely on your side when it comes down to getting your ability from the soles of your feet and onto your local Strava segments scoreboard.
Having been impressed with a consistently responsive and eager feeling ride we were surprised when we weighed it. We'll go for dynamic feel over workshop data every time when drawing conclusions though, and the surprise on the scales didn't affect the Team Carbon's positive attitude to scaling hills whether we were spinning tempo or grunting an over ambitious gear.
Where Boardman'south skill and experience of designing and tuning affordable carbon frames really comes in though is the fact it'south stiff and responsive without existence uncomfortably rigid. It's not expressionless and damped like many disbelieve carbon frames are either and there'due south a real sense of vitality between the evidently Fizik-influenced saddle and chubby Continental tyres.
Steve Behr
It's not just most the commute – accept the Squad Carbon out of the condolement zone and it'due south an authoritative ride
Even the super compact bend confined, which felt weird at first, were soon appreciated for the range of mitt positions they packed into a small change of overall body position. Several of our testers had get existent fans past the end of the process.
Fifty-fifty a brand with Boardman's ownership power is on an extremely tight budget to get such a good frame and fork set equipped for under £one thousand – and that does show. The nearly obvious sacrifice to dip under the iv effigy mark are the 20-speed Shimano 105/Tiagra gears, as opposed to a full 22-speed 105 drivetrain.
The Tektro brakes are besides softer and less powerful than 105 SLR-EV calipers when you lot're really hauling them hard heading into a downhill T junction. Spending £400 on the side by side model up doesn't get you lot either of those upgrades anyhow though – and then if you're on a strict bike to piece of work budget what you can go for a few quid more is totally immaterial.
Sub-£1,000 road bikes grouptest
Product Specifications
Product
| Proper name | Squad Carbon (15) |
| Brand | Boardman |
| Available Sizes | XS S G L Forty |
| Rear Hub | 9mm QR |
| Top Tube (cm) | 55.v |
| Seat Tube (cm) | 53 |
| Chainstays (cm) | 41 |
| Spoke Type | Stainless |
| Weight (kg) | 8.half dozen |
| Stem | Boardman E4P |
| Shifters | Shimano Tiagra |
| Seatpost | Boardman E4P 31.6mm |
| Seat Angle | 73 |
| Saddle | Boardman E4P - Chromoly Track |
| Rims | Mavic CXP-22S |
| Rear Tyre | Continental Ultra Sport 2 - 25c |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano 105 - 10 Speed |
| Bottom Bracket | FSA PF30 |
| Headset Type | SA Orbit C-40 ACB/Industrial |
| Caput Angle | 73 |
| Handlebar | Boardman E4P (31.eight) |
| Front Tyre | Continental Ultra Sport II - 25c |
| Front Hub | 9mm QR |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano Tiagra - two Speed |
| Frame Textile | Toray T700 Total Uni-directional Carbon Fibre |
| Fork | Full Uni-directional Carbon Fibre - Tapered Steerer |
| Cranks | FSA Gossamer Compact fifty/34t - PF30 |
| Chain | KMC X10 |
| Cassette | Shimano Tiagra - 12-28t |
| Brakes | Tektro R540 Dual Pivot Calliper |
| Frame size tested | One thousand |
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Source: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-team-carbon-review/