Launched 10 years ago, the first BMC Teammachine SLR kickstarted a revolution in the design and construction of performance road bikes. A revolution that continues to this day. BMC’s flagship platform has won every major title that a bike brand can possibly win, including Monuments, World titles, Olympics and the Tour de France. In the continued quest for ultimate performance, BMC engineers have pushed further and used the combined knowledge from the past decade to deliver a class leading frameset ready for the future.
“There is no doubt that racing is part of BMC’s DNA and we are proud to be at the forefront, both of WorldTour races and of the bike industry, when it comes to innovation and ground- breaking technologies,” explains Mart Otten, Senior Product Manager at BMC Switzerland. “With the new Teammachine, we have created a unique and perfect balance of weight, stiffness and compliance and enhanced it with advanced aerodynamics which will surpass the expectations of the most demanding riders. This is the flagship of BMC’s ambitions for the next decade.”
ACE+, the plus to race to the front
BMC’s in-house developed Accelerated Composite Evolution (ACE) technology software is able to perform thousands of virtual prototypes, identifying the best combination of shape and layup. “To continue lead, you need a plus. For the development of the latest Teammachine, the ACE software had to expand to add another key parameter to the equation; weight, stiffness, compliance and now also aerodynamics,” says Mart Otten.
Stiffness Where It’s Needed
Renowned for its power transfer, the new BMC Teammachine SLR takes this one step further with a wider bottom bracket contact area provided by the new downtube shape and the optimised carbon layup. On the front end, the headtube, fork and steerer have also been considered and improved in order to deliver responsiveness and agility.
When Weight Matters
Weight can make the difference between winning and losing when the road points up. By further developing our proprietary ICS (Integrated Cockpit System) and redesigning key parts, we have been able to significantly reduce the weight of the complete frameset. The new ICS carbon cockpit, a one-piece stem and handlebar element, achieves the perfect ratio of low weight to stiffness, targeted by our engineers for the development of the ultimate race bike. With its 305 grams, the ICS carbon cockpit is 30% lighter than the more traditional cockpit and is one of the lightest on the market. Available in six lengths (90 to 140mm) and coming with two computer mounts that are thread adjustable in length and fit most computers.
A new D-shape seatpost removes any excess material. Optimised carbon layups and minimalistic paint also reduce the overall weight, shaving a total of 160 grams or 9% compared to the previous generation Teammachine while still adding aerodynamics.
Thanks to recalculated shapes and layups, and the stealth dropout design, the fork accomplishes the lofty goal of being lighter (345g) but also stiffer and more aero than ever.
Comfort Is Speed
Because comfort is speed, the new Teammachine is more compliant than ever, thanks to the latest evolution of the Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC) technology, which allows for the fine tuning of the carbon layups to deliver compliance levels tailored to specific riding experience. The performance level of compliance called TCC Race, the TCC technology allows essential vertical frame and seatpost flex to improve traction and control, ultimately resulting in reduced muscle fatigue.
Introducing: Aerodynamics
Leveraging years of aerodynamic knowledge from creating the world’s fastest Road and Time Trial bikes, the latest generation of our race bike is the fastest Teammachine SLR ever designed.
Reengineered tube shapes and functional integration are key design pillars of the newly introduced factor to the ACE equation. Aerodynamics has integrated every component into the design for a high-performance package. The latest developments of the revolutionary ICS cockpits and D-shape seatpost, combined with newly designed downtube and fork, fulfill BMC’s unfailing motivation to create the ultimate all-round race weapon.
Matching a new set of performance goals, the downtube features a greater overall surface with reduced edges, for improved lateral stiffness. The downtube shape is also one of the components to the all-new Aerocore design and creates a seamless transition with the Aerocore bottle cage. The Aerocore design uses the functional element, the bottle cage to improve aerodynamic performance according to the creed ultimate performance through functional integration.
Crucial element to the aerodynamic performance, the fork has been totally reshaped, based on the outcome of the ACE+ software and the learnings of the developments of the Timemachine Road platform. It comes with flatter blades truncated at the back and a stealth dropout design with an integrated thru axle nut, that shows that high technical proficiency can go hand in hand with beautiful and minimalistic design.
“The new Teammachine SLR with its revolutionary ACE+ technology, is the perfect balance of performance and aesthetics. A plus better than the competition” Stefan Christ, Head of R&D.
Sizing, Geometry and Models
The new Teammachine SLR is offered in the following models: Teammachine SLR 01, Teammachine SLR and Teammachine SLR 01 modules. Sizes 47, 51, 54, 56, 58 and 61cm.
Click here for more information about the BMC Teammachine SLR, and look out for a review in a future issue of Cyclist magazine.
