Cycling Weekly — February 08, 2018

swapping
a few spacers
from above to
below the stem.
The SRAM hydraulic
brake levers were pleasant
in the hand, and the brakes
themselves extremely
powerful, with good
modulation. This was great
off-road, although on damp
tarmac, paired with the
knobbly tyres, I used them
cautiously at first while I
worked out exactly how much
power I could use without
locking them up. Those

For

JLow weight makes the

9.4 so rideable

JSingle-ring shifting is

light and fast

Against

JBigger gaps between gears

than a traditional double

JMissing guard/rack mounts

for ultimate versatility

9

Verdict

Thanksto its low

weight, semi-aggressive

stanceand tubeless-

readywheels, the

CXR 9 .4 feels like a

racebike that can

doa bit of general

ridingratherthan the

otherway around.

However, it’s perfectly

capableof takingup

the‘adventurebike’

mantlethat Boardman

isso keen to push, and

eventacklecommuting

dutiesonce you’vefitted

someclip-on guards.

LikeBoardmanbikesin

general, it

looksgood,

ridesgood

andholds

upwell

onvalue.

An obvious concern with a

single-ring is whether you’ll

have enough gears, but 38x36

will take you up just about

anything. And with super-

fast shifting and no need

to swap chainrings,

selecting the right

gear is a cinch. At

the other end of the

scale, the 38x11

top gear is plenty

high enough and

never left me

wanting, even on

fast road sections.

There are bigger

gaps between

ratios than double

chainring users

will be used to,

and with a constant

whirring that felt

suspiciously like it

might be stealing a

watt or two, this feels

good, rather than perfect.

Value

Like Boardman bikes in

general, the 9.4 holds up

well in the value stakes.

The SRAM groupset with

hydraulic brakes is quality

kit, and about as good as it

gets at this price point too.

Much of the remaining bike

is in-house Boardman, but

Boardman, don’t forget,

was the man who headed

up British Cycling’s much-

heralded ‘Secret Squirrel

Club’ R&D section, and he

takes pride in the products

his company produces. The

knobblies, incidentally, were

fast while providing adequate

grip off-road, and acceptable

for short stints on road too.

The single-ring set-up

worked well too, with the

simplified shifting options

somehow subtracting a

welcome few per cent of

stress and physical effort. The

shifting was accurate, fast and

consistent and, as mentioned,

the chain didn’t jump ship.

Seatstay

absorbs

light hits

SRAM Force stoppers

inspire confidence

frame is excellent. The wheels

and even the finishing kit is

thoughtfully designed — good

stuff that adds to the value.

Cycling Weekly | February 8, 2018 | 33