Aerodynamic Racing
The Air 9.4 is a perfect example of a world-class frameset and components working in harmony. The AiR frame and fork profiles have been designed with the deep section aero cboardman AiR wheelset, and the integration of full internal cable routing, BB30 and tapered steerer make a further tangible impact on performance.
Highlights ;.
- New AiR Aerodynamic Racing frame, fork and seatpost.
- Full high modulus carbon fiber monocoque construction.
- Wind tunnel developed tube profiles.
- Down tube, seat tube and seatpost shaped for maximized airflow and reduced wind resistance in real world head and cross wind conditions.
- Forks and seat stays have flat inside and curved outside surfaces for enhanced airflow interaction between the frame and wheel. This is further enhanced when using deep section wheels.
- Mould design incorporates one piece BB30 bottom bracket and optimized oversize box section chainstays with steep taper at dropout for maximized power transfer and strength.
- Full internal cable routing for further airflow enhancement and clean lines.
- Stable, predictable geometry to cope will all race situations.
- Full carbon fork with tapered fork steerer for increased stiffness and steering precision.
We were shown six bikes from the Boardman Elite Series, all with full carbon fiber frames : the aero AiR 9.4 with Shimano Dura-Ace and deep carbon wheels (3,299.99) ; AiR 9.2 with Shimano Ultegra and semi-deep carbon wheels (2,299.99) ; the 6.4 kg SLR 9.4 with SRAM Red (3,299.99) ; SLR 9.2 with SRAM Force (2,499.99) ; EM1 .5 hardtail mountain bike with SRAM XX (3,499.99) ; and the EM1 .0 trail bike with SRAM X0 (2,499.99).
All very competitive prices for range topping bikes something that Boardman are already well known for. The 1,799 Road Pro Carbon, which we previewed recently and is based on the aero road frame, will be part of the Boardman Performance Series.
There will also be more additions to the Elite Series, although prices have yet to be confirmed : the AiR 9.8 with SRAM Red and Zipp 404 wheels (ridden by pro triathletes Alistair and Johnny Brownlee), AiR9 .0 with Shimano Ultegra and Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels (available only outside the UK), AiR TT revamped time trial machine, SLR 9.8 with SRAM Red and Zipp 202 (which promises to be even lighter than the SLR 9.4), SLR 9.0 with SRAM Force and Ksyrium Equipe wheels (also non-UK), and the EM 1.7 mountain bike with SRAM XX and a Rock Shox SID World Cup XX fork.
The Elite Series will be sold in the UK via selected (less than a dozen) Halfords stores and a handful of independent bike dealers, who are currently being finalized. They'll be available in summer 2011 and we'll post more details when we have them.
Boardman Bikes are also sponsoring the United HealthCare presented by Maxxis pro road team in the US with a view to expanding into that market. At the time of their UK launch, prices and distribution were being confirmed but again, we'll have details when they 're finalized.
AiR 9.4.
The AiR (Aerodynamic Racing) frame was born out of the successful AiR time trial frame, and has been a couple of years in development. The smooth, rounded tube shapes have been designed to work in what Andy Smallwood, director of operations, termed "real world road use". That is, up to 20 degrees of yaw (effective wind angle to the rider). Thus it's a frame that's suited to road racing, time trials and triathlons.
There's no high weight penalty for the aero frame either : a size L is said to weigh just 2.65 lb (1,200 g) and complete bikes weigh between 16.2 lb (7.35 kg) and 16.5 lb (7.5 kg). A tapered head tube should help with the front end handling, all the cable routing is internal, and the fork is optimised to work with deep section wheels : the inside is flat to help reduce turbulence while the outside is curved to improve airflow.
As with the other Elite Series frames, the bottom bracket and chainstays are a one piece design, which Boardman say based on finite element analysis will improve stiffness in that area. The chainstays are box section, tapering sharply at the end to help overcome a key stress area. Both the AiR 9.4 (Shimano Dura-Ace) and 9.2 (Shimano Ultegra) are well specced, and the addition of cboardman branded 50mm carbon wheels to the 9.4 is a nice touch. The 9.2 features Mavic Cosmics, although cboardman stickers feature heavily.
Weight * 16.2 lbs.
All pricing and specs are correct at time of upload. We reserve the right to make changes to any product information contained on this site at any time without notice. Please check with your nearest Boardman retailer for current details.
* approx weight based on medium excl pedals.