Boardman ADV 8.9 review: Brilliant value and nimble handling with only a few compromises

Gravel bikes have a habit of getting expensive very quickly, which makes the Boardman ADV 8.9 feel refreshingly sensible. For £1,200, you get an aluminium frame, full-carbon fork, Shimano GRX drivetrain, hydraulic disc brakes and chunky 40mm Goodyear tyres, wrapped up in a package that feels far more polished than the price suggests.

After spending time with the ADV 8.9 on tarmac and gravel, I found a bike that's nimble, confidence-inspiring and genuinely enjoyable to ride. It's not especially light or fast uphill, and there are a few rough edges, but as an affordable do-it-all gravel bike, it's difficult to argue with the value.

Boardman ADV 8.9 review

Price and availability

The Boardman ADV 8.9 (SKU: 240667) has an RRP of £1,200 in the UK and is available in black or orange, with both colours using the same specification. Sizes run from S to XL, and Boardman sells the bike through Halfords.

Boardman doesn't appear to officially sell this version of the ADV 8.9 in the US or Australia. Based on the UK RRP and current exchange rates, £1,200 works out at approximately $1,590 / €1,400 / AU$2,270, although these are direct conversions rather than local RRPs. The exception is Ireland, where Halfords officially lists the bike at €1,440.

Boardman's broader ADV family does offer cheaper and more expensive alternatives, including the £850 ADV 8.6 and £950 ADV 8.8. A separately listed ADV 8.9 Carbon also exists, but that's a different £1,750 carbon-framed bike and not another version of the model reviewed here.

Setup

Setting up the Boardman ADV 8.9 was refreshingly straightforward, largely because most of the work had already been done before it arrived. The bike came almost fully assembled; the wheels, drivetrain and controls were already in place, so there was none of the usual wrestling I usually have to do, especially with e-bikes.

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My main jobs were fitting the pedals and straightening the handlebar. Helpfully, the pedals were colour-coded with tape, making it immediately obvious which belonged on each side, and getting the bars into position took only a few minutes with an Allen key.

The box also included the usual reflectors, documentation and basic accessories, along with a Halfords assembly checklist showing the bike had been inspected and set up before dispatch.

After giving the chain a quick spray of lubricant, that was essentially it. From opening the box to having the ADV 8.9 ready to ride was a pleasantly fuss-free process.

Design and build quality

The Boardman ADV 8.9 makes a strong first impression with its understated finish, slim tubes and relatively clean cable routing, which give it a much more expensive appearance than you might expect from a £1,200 gravel bike.

It has a butted 6061 aluminium frame with smooth(ish) welds and a full-carbon fork that helps disguise the fact that it isn’t a carbon bike, especially in the all-black colourway I tested.

It might just be that I’ve been testing road bikes for way too long, but the ADV 8.9 feels remarkably light and nimble when you pick it up and move it around. At a claimed 10.9kg, it isn't exceptionally light by modern gravel-bike standards, but importantly, it doesn't feel like a heavy budget bike.

As for components, the Shimano GRX RX400 drivetrain sits towards the more affordable end of the company's gravel-specific range, but getting a 2x10 GRX setup with proper hydraulic disc brakes at this price is still a very respectable specification.

Most importantly, it isn't bargain-bin equipment dressed up to look premium. GRX is designed specifically for off-road drop-bar riding, and the RX400 brakes and shifters are exactly the sort of components I'd hope to see on a good £1,000–£1,500 gravel bike.

The 46/30T Prowheel crankset and bottom bracket are more budget-focused than the Shimano parts that surround them, and the KMC X10 chain and Shimano HG50 11–36T cassette, while dependable, certainly aren’t exciting.

The own-brand alloy wheels fall into the budget category, although being tubeless-ready is a significant plus at this price. However, I'm particularly fond of the 40mm Goodyear Connector tyres. They are proper tubeless-ready gravel models with a tightly packed centre tread for rolling efficiency and more pronounced shoulder knobs for grip.

They also suit the character of the ADV nicely and give the bike a chunky, purposeful look without pretending that it’s a mountain bike with drop bars.

The handlebar initially struck me as quite narrow, although that's partly a matter of what you're used to. My large frame has a 42cm bar fitted with a 16-degree flare, which isn't unusually narrow for a modern gravel bike. If anything, it's towards the road-inspired end of the gravel spectrum, with the flare adding extra leverage when riding in the drops.

One slightly unusual detail is the chunky 31.6 mm-diameter, 350 mm-long seatpost. After spending so much time testing e-bikes with frustratingly short posts, I actually had the opposite problem here and needed to drop it considerably.

The larger diameter is less compliant than the skinny 27.2mm posts commonly seen on endurance and gravel bikes, but it also leaves the ADV compatible with a wide range of mountain-bike-style dropper posts should you want to upgrade it later.

Performance

The Boardman ADV 8.9 isn't going to make you forget you're riding a relatively affordable aluminium gravel bike, but once I got it out on the road and onto loose surfaces, I was impressed by just how capable it felt.

The ADV 8.9 feels surprisingly nimble and responsive, changing direction quickly without becoming twitchy or unpredictable. On gravel, it was particularly enjoyable to throw around, and the 40mm Goodyear Connector tyres provided plenty of reassurance when the surface became loose.

Those tyres are a good match for the bike's intended purpose, offering noticeably more grip than a conventional road tyre and helping take some of the sting out of rougher surfaces.

There's a trade-off, though. Once I returned to smoother tarmac, particularly on climbs, the combination of wider rubber and the bike's overall weight made the ADV 8.9 feel a little sluggish.

It's not painfully slow, and on flatter roads it rolls along perfectly happily, but there isn't the same eager acceleration or effortless climbing ability you'd get from a lighter, racier gravel bike. Considering the price, that's hardly surprising.

The Shimano GRX drivetrain performed well during most of my testing. Gear changes were generally smooth, predictable and quick enough, and the 2x setup gives the ADV 8.9 a useful spread of ratios for switching between roads, climbs and gravel.

I did, however, encounter the same issue reported by other reviewers. Some drivetrain rub was evident in the most extreme gear combinations, and even though it wasn't enough to spoil the ride, the effect was certainly noticeable. If you avoid aggressive cross-chaining, that largely solves the problem, but it's worth knowing about.

I'd still take this drivetrain over a cheaper mechanical setup. Hydraulic braking and GRX shifting help the ADV 8.9 feel much more accomplished than its price might suggest.

The riding position is reasonably aggressive for an adventure bike. That contributes to the bike's responsive character, but over a roughly 40km ride I found myself having to tilt my head upwards more than I'd like, eventually resulting in some neck discomfort.

Fit is obviously very personal, and a different stem position or bike setup could alleviate this considerably. Still, riders who prefer a more upright endurance position may want to pay particular attention during a test ride.

There was plenty of room for adjustment at the other end. I could achieve full leg extension without needing to run the seatpost anywhere near its maximum height, which made finding a comfortable pedalling position refreshingly straightforward.

Pedal clearance caught me by surprise. When leaning into a particularly tight turn, I managed to clip a pedal against the edge of the road. Pedal strikes aren't unheard of on gravel bikes, especially when pedalling through corners, and it only happened once during my testing, but the bottom of the pedal does feel relatively close to the ground.

The ADV 8.9 also picked up cosmetic marks more readily than I'd expected. I really like the understated monochrome grey finish, but the paint on my test bike proved fairly susceptible to scuffs and small chips.

That's unlikely to matter much to riders who see gravel bikes as tools, although I'd be cautious when attaching a D-lock or squeezing the bike past walls or other obstacles.

Verdict

The Boardman ADV 8.9 isn't perfect, but at £1,200, it represents exceptional value for money.

The aluminium frame and 40mm gravel tyres mean the bike can feel a little heavy-footed on paved climbs, and I encountered some drivetrain rub at the extremes of the gearing. I'd also keep an eye on pedal clearance and protect that handsome grey paintwork if you want it to stay pristine.

Yet these feel like relatively minor complaints when you consider what you're getting. The ADV 8.9 feels nimble, changes direction beautifully, has loads of grip on loose surfaces and comes equipped with proper Shimano GRX components, hydraulic disc brakes and a full-carbon fork.

More expensive gravel bikes will be lighter, faster and more refined, but I'm not convinced most casual gravel riders actually need them. For anyone wanting an affordable first gravel bike, a capable all-rounder or something equally happy tackling towpaths, country lanes and weekend adventures, the Boardman ADV 8.9 is incredibly easy to recommend.