So we are in June, a month I thought we would have been enjoying some great results from early in the year and having everything spot on to hit races in the build up for the nationals.
This wasn’t to be but I’ve now got the Boardman TTE all ready and set up so it’s time to do a quick review on it, I have managed a few sessions on it now and it feels great to finally be a position I can build on, I think it still needs a few minor tweaks but all in we are looking good to go, I rode a local club event last week on a course I use abit for training and the few miles cycle out to the start was the first time getting on the bike so I was a bit nervous but it felt good , like a proper tt bike ,a feeling I had missed since selling the P4 which in turn brought on something else that had been lacking before a race lately a smile.
Before the race and the carpark bike top trumps and the TTE was holding its own and getting some well-deserved attention. The course I rode last year a few times and clocked a 22:02 and a 21:56 for the 10miles of pretty crap road to be fair, both set on the P4 both on pretty good days so I had a bench mark. The evening was not looking great a bit windy and not the float conditions you dream about but always miss, still the bike felt great and I clocked a 21:37 knocking 19 seconds off my old course pb, power was down on training efforts but being the first time I had rode a proper tt position since September I was expecting that and a bit of time it will all come right so a great start and a top feeling for the ride home.
So the review, ive scanned online a lot and to be honest there isn’t a load out there on the bike, I’ve struggled to find wind tunnel data especially against the other so called superbikes so I won’t be making the claims of huge saving over bike x at x yaw blah blah blah just a honest look at what I like and don’t like about the bike I get to spend the next however long racing.
Let’s start at the front end and this bike is super clean, the brakes are hidden well away from the wind and the stem and bars are a fully integrated unit meaning no visible bolts or cables ( not the cable from the extension to the front of the bar as I run mechanical shifting ).the integrated set up did slightly concern me to be honest as I’ve heard of some of the superbikes being a nightmare to set up and get right and a simple pad height change becomes a day’s work, this is the first area for me a lot of thinking has gone on and Boardman has really nailed the need to be aero but useable, the pads are easilystackable from underneath and comes with a ton of different spacers and bolts to get your exact height and a strengthening bar if you really want to jack the pads up. The pad holders themselves can be used two ways for a really narrow or wider set up and there is huge adjustability in the pads themselves in every direction and can even be slightly angled in or out (I’ve used my drag2zero ones but the standard pads offer so much adjustment and support I wouldn’t have changed them unless I already had the other pads).
The cables run neatly through the stem which can also hold a di2 junction box and then are fully integrated into the frame, if you order a full bike its pre cabled and really quick to set up out the box, I went frame only so had abit more fiddling to do but still easier than the puzzle that was the P4 to cable.
The forks are tidy with the brakes well hidden , the only thing that I don’t like is the fact you cannot adjust the brakes apart from on the cable itself so swapping wheels from training to wider race wheels becomes a problem but I guess it’s the toss-up between making something really integrated and aero again
The frame itself mates perfectly into the stem and blends its way down to the seat post which gets a single clamp bolt adding to the minimalist but practical feel of the bike. The saddle clamp offers different angles and positions all off one bolt .
Down to the wide bottom bracket that adds a stiff base for the rest of the frame with little holes added to let the cables pop out seamlessly that are hidden in the frame,just behind are the rear brakes that are more easily adjustable that the front but still well hidden from the wind and blend nicely into the frame ( im trying not to use the words blend and seamless to much but pretty much the first words I think of when talking about the bike ) . teamed up with the kit I already had makes this bike in my eyes something pretty special . I think it’sbeen very well worked out not only to hit the goals they set out when making it, but its very useable and handles like a road bike and not the usual handful tt bike that only wants to go straight so hats off to Boardman bikes, I looked at everything else and it’s been a long and painful at times wait but we are on track. It’s a shame still there isn’t more data out there on the bike, I would love to back to back test it against the P4 and others, I honestly think it’s going to be a quick set up for me but is that down to other things such as the way the bike integrates with my position compared to the P4, me losing weight or holding a better head position and creating a smaller frontal position, or is it all down to the aero dynamics of the frame? answer is I don’t know but I do know I’ve got a piece of kit that will allow me to really get the season going now and we can start putting all the work we have done in training onto the road come race day.
So the season starts now and the build towards the nationals.
Thanks to www.rnhfotografia.com for the photos used in the blog
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