Boardman unveils new “four-season fast” SLR road range… and the prices look attractive too

Boardman has released a fully updated version of its SLR road bike that’s said to be faster, more comfortable and more versatile than previously, and better value, too. Those are claims we’re highly accustomed to hearing when new bikes are launched, of course; we’ll go into the reasons behind Boardman’s assertions, but right at the start, we’ll say that the prices do appear to be extremely competitive. Complete bikes start at £1,400, while the Shimano 105 Di2-equipped model is £2,500, for example. Boardman visited us with these bikes the other day although we've yet to ride any.

> Read our review of the previous Boardman SLR 9.6 Disc from a couple of years ago

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 (credit: road.cc)

“We have athletes racing the SLR at a high level, but they’re few and far between,” says Boardman’s brand and design manager James Ryan. “The briefing we gave ourselves is that we’re not making a bike for a WorldTour team, which is what most brands do in reality – so they end up with a bike that’s right for 20 people but not suitable for what most people are doing on it.”

“If you live in France, for example, maybe you can get away with riding a race bike all the time, but in the UK [with our weather and conditions], it’s even less appropriate. 

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 - seat tube junction (credit: road.cc)

“We’ve tweaked the SLR over the years, but until now it hasn’t been fundamentally changed since 2016. We’ve been applauded in the past for designing bikes that are right for UK riding, so this bike has some big shoes to fill.”

All that said, with pretty much any road bike launch these days you can expect a claim related to the aerodynamic efficiency of the new model versus the old one, and Boardman duly delivers on that score. It states that the 2025 SLR is 5.7W faster than the outgoing model across a -15° to +15° yaw sweep at a swift 50km/h (31.1mph). It did its testing in the wind tunnel at Silverstone. 

2025 Boardman SLR wind tunnel software (credit: Boardman Bikes)

That represents a 3% improvement, Boardman says, and a time saving of 24 seconds over 20 miles… although, of course, the chances of holding 50km/h (31.1mph) over that distance in the real world are remote.

Boardman says, “We developed the new frameset collaboratively with some of the UK’s leading sports engineering institutions and our global manufacturing partners. Our goal was to optimise the frame’s aerodynamic properties but not to the detriment of adaptability. Our extensive experience in the [wind] tunnel testing hundreds of athletes – from professionals to enthusiasts – has shown that a rider’s position and the bike’s adjustability are key factors in achieving the optimal performance advantage. The result is improved aerodynamic efficiency over the previous version without needing costly, complex and sometimes position-limiting proprietary cockpits or complex cable management.”

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 - seat tube detail (credit: road.cc)

In other words, Boardman says it has chased aero efficiency, but not at all costs. It was also interested in comfort and practicality. 

“We've gone for a clean cockpit, but it's a two-piece cockpit, not an integrated one-piece cockpit,” says James Ryan. “A lot of brands fit a one-piece carbon bar and stem. We could fit one and add another £300 to the retail price, but someone might just take it off straight away because the stem section is too long or too short, or the bar’s too wide… A multitude of things. 

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 - head tube (credit: road.cc)

“For most people, a one-piece cockpit doesn't make much sense unless they already know their exact position and it’s put on specifically for them. A two-piece cockpit is easier to change and we offer different stem lengths and bar widths.”

If you want to swap the stem, they’re available in 90-120mm lengths at a price of £48. A dual-position seatpost also allows you to adapt the fit of the SLR relatively easily. That seatpost, which provides you with inline and 15mm layback saddle options, is standard on the 9.0 model and upwards (see the various models below). It is also available as a £80 upgrade for the 8.9 (where a round alloy post is standard. You can use a round 27.2mm seatpost in any SLR using a Boardman spacer.

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.6 (credit: road.cc)

“In terms of dialling in the fit, the dual-position seatpost means that in most cases you don’t need to buy a new one,” says David Radcliffe, premium product designer. “With most brands, you’re in their system, so you need to buy their seatpost or, like a lot of people, slide the saddle dangerously forward on its rails. With us, you have a lot of adjustments available, so you shouldn’t need to buy anything else to get the fit exactly right.”

James Ryan adds, “You can get the perfect fit and that means you’re more efficient… all of that good stuff. We’ve nailed that.”

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.6 - downtube detail (credit: road.cc)

As for the weight, Boardman says that the new SLR frame is 995g with the fork 450g. It also says that the SLR is more versatile than previously. 

“The frame features additional bottle cage mounting points, which enhance its carrying capacity,” Boardman says.

You get three bottle cage mounts – so the choice of two bottle cage positions – on the down tube, inside the frame’s front triangle, and additional mounts on the underside of the down tube. 

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.6 - seat tube detail (credit: road.cc)

“That’s my favourite place for storage,” says David Radcliffe. “I hate saddlebags because having the weight up high is the worst place you can put it, so I use a tool keg, but that usually means you’re limited to one bottle because your tool keg is on your seat tube. Here, you can carry a tool keg and two bottles, or carry more bottles for an all-day epic.

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.6 - seat tube (credit: road.cc)

“It’s not costing the customer any more for us to include that feature and it’s something that’s super-useful. It’s such a useable position so we’ve just designed it in. If someone wants to use it, it’s there, great. If not, it doesn’t take anything away from the bike at all.”

As previously, the SLR features hidden mudguard mounts on both the frame and fork

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 - downtube (credit: road.cc)

Boardman says, “When paired with the dedicated Fend-Off SLR guards designed specifically for the SLR, switching to a wet-weather setup becomes simple and hassle-free”.

David Radcliffe says, “They look like standard off-the-shelf mudguards, but they’re designed to fit this bike, so they’re super-clean and simple. They’re a good price and putting them on is really easy. The fixings are in the same position on all bikes, and the stays come cut to length; you just take them out of the packet and bolt them on. It takes no time, so this is one bike you can genuinely use all year round.”

Boardman worked with Kinesis on those Fend-Off guards, and they’re available from Halfords and Tredz, priced at £60. Guards from other brands will fit too. 

The SLR will take tyres up to 32mm wide with those guards fitted or up to 36mm wide without, so there’s a vast number of options open to you. All models come fitted with 30mm tyres as standard. 

2025-02 Boardman SLR 9.0 - rear mech (credit: road.cc)

Boardman has also shifted all SLR frames to the Universal Derailleur Hanger system.

> What is UDH and is it the future of all bikes? SRAM's Universal Derailleur Hanger explained 

“That future-proofs it, especially with the way that SRAM is going on the road,” David Radcliffe says. “I’m sure most other brands are realising they need to do this quickly.” 

A UDH means that if you ever need a new rear derailleur hanger, sourcing one should be straightforward. 

2025-02 Boardman Carbon SLR 9.8 (credit: road.cc)

As with all other post-2018 Boardman models, the SLR range is covered by a lifetime warranty for the original owner.

Models and prices

There are six Boardman SLR models in the range, and the prices are lower than those of models from other brands with comparable spec levels.

SLR 9.8 £5,500
Groupset SRAM Red AXS
Wheels Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Tubeless

SLR 9.6 £3,500
Groupset Shimano Ultegra Di2
Wheels Zipp 303 S Carbon Tubeless Ready

SLR 9.2 £2,500
Groupset Shimano 105 Di2
Wheels Alex Alloy Road 30mm Tubeless Ready

SLR 9.0 £1,800
Groupset Shimano 105 (mechanical)
Wheels Alex Alloy Road 30mm, Tubeless Ready

SLR 8.9 £1,400
Groupset Shimano Tiagra
Wheels Boardman RD Alloy SLR, Tubeless Compatible

SLR 8.9 Women’s £1,400
Groupset Shimano Tiagra
Wheels Boardman RD Alloy SLR, Tubeless Compatible

2025 Boardman SLR 8.9 Women's full bike (credit: Boardman Bikes)

The SLR 8.9 Women’s (above) is sized slightly differently. For example, a size large has the same frame geometry as a size medium from the rest of the range, but with a shorter stem and a narrower handlebar.

2025 Boardman SLR geometry table (credit: Boardman Bikes)

The various SLR models are built to the same geometry, but the SLR 8.9 and 9.0 models use C7 carbon (mostly Toray T700), whereas the more expensive models use higher-level C10 (mostly Toray T800 fibres with some higher-modulus carbon included). 

2025 Boardman SLR 8.9 down tube (credit: Boardman Bikes)

The SLR 8.9 models have external cables/hoses between the handlebar and the top of the down tube and fork whereas everything is fully internal in the rest of the range.

The full Boardman SLR range will be available on 20th March 2025 at Halfords and Tredz. We should have a review of the Boardman SLR 9.0 ready by that time, as long as our man Stu gets the miles in between now and then.

www.boardmanbikes.com