Whenever we test bikes under £1,000 the Boardman Team C (carbon) is always one of the first considerations in the line-up, and for compelling reasons too.
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At the heart of the bike is a frame constructed with brand-name Toray fibres, used by such big hitters as Pinarello this is not low-grade stuff, and it also comes with a full carbon fork (almost unheard of at this price), but the real killer sell is just how good the bike feels on the road. The geometry is long, low and the classic road-race angles with sporty (101cm) wheelbase make the bike feel as agile as full-on race machines at multiple times its modest price.
Give the Boardman Team the beans and you're met with a responsive pick-up that’s as direct as William Tell’s arrow. Settle into the compact drop bar and point into a corner and it’ll stick straight to the apex and stay there. The Continental tyres might not be the most expensive in the German rubber specialist's range, but their all-weather grip is good, even if we’d prefer a bigger 25c variant.
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The 23’s fitted here feel even narrower when paired with Mavic’s long-standing CXP22 rim. Its testament to just how well the frame rides that the Team doesn’t feel chattery or uncomfortable on poor and broken surfaces, it does ride firmly however and it does feel a bit of a retrograde step to move to 23’s (the last time we tested the Team it had 25’s).
The running gear is predominantly Shimano Tiagra, and aside from its external exiting cable routing on the levers, and lack of a 11th sprocket on the back, it's every bit a match for higher-level Shimano groups. Shifting is pleasingly positive and smooth, and FSA’s Gossamer chainrings have a tooth pattern that’s every bit as reliable in holding and moving the chain as its Shimano equivalent.
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