BMC's newest Impec and Teammachine SLR01 have been garnering all the attention on the road side of things lately, and perhaps for good reason.
The Impec boasts unique two-piece 'shell nodes' that bond the robotically woven carbon tubes together for more consistent performance characteristics, and the SLR01 is easily the company's most refined machine yet, with an enviably stiff-yet-comfortable ride.
Even so, the mid-range is perhaps the most exciting place to be at BMC right now with the introduction of the carbon Racemachine RM01, a close cousin to the SLR01.
Apparently some riders like the drivetrain and torsional stiffness of the SLR01 but not the plush ride so BMC carried over most of the tube shaping – including the tapered front end, BB30 bottom bracket and compact rear triangle – but omitted the flattened Tuned Compliance Concept seatstays to give it a firmer and more communicative feel on the road.
The Racemachine stays do without the extra shaping of the SLR01 for a stiffer ride
TCC flex zones are still included in the carbon fork and seatpost, though, so we don't expect the Roadmachine to be at all harsh – perhaps we'll be able to swing a test ride on one at the Interbike Outdoor Demo in a few weeks.
Other changes include a conventional seatpost clamp instead of the SLR01's slicker wedge-type locking mechanism and a less advanced carbon fibre blend, which adds a bit of weight. Pricing is quite appealing, though, with the Racemachine undercutting the Teammachine by roughly 30 percent.
The RM01 uses a conventional seat collar instead of the SLR01's internal wedge system
Roadracer
Further down the lineup, the Roadracer now gets a full-carbon chassis instead of the aluminium-and-carbon mix that was used in last year's version, along with a tapered front end, matching full-carbon fork and the same cleverly designed teardrop-profile Streampost seatpost as before with its slick AngleLock clamp mechanism.
The new Roadracer SL01 and SL02 models get a full-carbon frame for 2011 plus the clever Streampost design adapted from the now-defunct SLX01
Mountain bikes
BMC have also made significant changes to their mountain bike line – in particular the 120mm-travel Speedfox trail bike and 150mm Trailfox all-mountain rig.
The Speedfox now uses a hydroformed and triple-butted aluminium frame that's more streamlined than before with similarly pared-down upper and lower links that decrease weight and add tyre clearance.
The Speedfox sports a slimmed-down chassis built with hydroformed aluminium tubing
BMC carry over last year's welded monocoque threaded bottom bracket shell and main pivot mount design to shed additional grams down below, and the seatstays are now straight instead of curved for a more direct path from dropout to linkage pivot.
While the Speedfox slims down, the Trailfox beefs up with an extra 10mm of travel and newly tapered head tube for more precise handling in rough conditions. The rear triangle is now fitted with the increasingly popular 142x12mm through-axle standard to improve wheel tracking.
Trailfox is BMC's 150mm all-mountain option, with 142x12mm through-axle rear dropouts