Former Olympic gold medallist and world hour record holder Chris Boardman last year put his name to a range of bikes available exclusively from Halfords Bikehut, and earlier this week the 2009 bikes were launched at the Manchester Velodrome in the company of Nicole Cooke and Boardman himself.

Currently much of the buzz surrounds the Boardman road bikes, which now feature technology first spotted on Nicole Cooke’s bike when the Welsh wonder sprinted to a euphoric Olympic gold medal in Beijing, but the range also sports some interesting mountain bikes.

The range of seven mountain bikes is headed by the £999.99 MTB Pro hardtail. Built with a Rock Shox Reba Team fork, SRAM X0/X9 components, Avid Elixir R Carbon brakes and Ritchey Pro finishing kit and rims, the bike looks set to compete favourably at this competitive price point.

There’s also a smart looking full-susser, the MTB Pro FS which for a penny under a grand packs a four-bar linkage design driving a Rock Shox Monarch 3.3 shock matched with a Rock Shox Reba Race fork up front. There’s SRAM X0 and X9 gearing and braking from Avid Elixir R Carbon discs, a Truvativ Stylo Team chainset and a smattering of Ritchey finishing parts and rims.

“Through constant research, development and product testing, we’re able to develop and build upon the key elements of last year’s range, says Chris Boardman. “I believe that for 2009 we’ve produced a range that will perform at the highest level across all disciplines and at all levels and offers excellent value, says. Don’t just take my word for it; I’m happy to let you be the judge.”

The Boardman brand also extends to a range of accessories, including helmets, carbon bottle cages, pumps, computers and more. On paper the bikes look impressive, combining a keen design, good value and top spec. We’ll look to find out how well they ride when we get one in for test soon. For now, head over to www.boardmanbikes.com.