June has been the month for new BMC bikes – from the new road Teammachine, to an e-trail bike, to the XM marathon racing Agonist. Now there is one more, a true mountain biker’s full-suspension ride – the overhauled Speedfox trail bike. At first glance it looks very similar to BMC’s existing trail bike, with 29er travel dialed back a bit, plus a new size-specific 27.5″ option, it’s a more versatile bike. But really it’s the new Trailsync connection between BMC’s own stealthily integrated dropper seatpost and the bike’s rear shock that stands out on the 120mm travel 29″/ 130mm 27.5″ short-link bike. One remote means you are always in the right suspension mode depending on whether you put the saddle up or down – so one less thing to worry about. Check the full details on the wide ranging Speedfox platform in either carbon or aluminum for all budgets…
The first thing that popped out to us on the new Speedfox is that clean dropper post setup. Beyond just neatly integrating a stealth dropper, BMC has their own post that almost disappears into the new carbon frame, with height adjustment taken care of by way of a mast topper like on an integrated seat post bike. While the Agonist XC race bike included dropper compatibility only with 1x setups, the new Speedfox puts dropper posts front-and-center for true trail rideability.
The key tech in the bike is the one remote activation of the dropper that BMC calls Trailsync. A single cable runs from the joystick-style remote (mounted in place of a front shifter) internally back to the neatly integrated dropper seatpost. Then a second cable runs from the dropper inside to the upside down mounted shock’s remote lockout. Like the Agonist, the Speedfox includes a hidden remote routing port between the lower shock mounts in the downtube to discretely run the compression damping controls. BMC’s own Trailsync post also gets size-specific drop – with the S getting 80mm, the M getting 100, and both L & XL getting 120mm.
Flip the lever and you both drop the post and fully open up the rear shock. Another flip of the lever and the saddle comes back up and the shock moves into a platform mode (not fully locked out.)
The Speedfox uses BMC’s APS (advanced pivot system) short-link four-bar suspension design with a new trail friendly tune developed for a plush & responsive ride. It gets fully internal housing from tip to tail on the top carbon bike with internal carbon guide tubes to simplify setup and eliminate rattling cables. The top bike also gets an integrated downtube protector, chainstay guard, anti-chain suck plate in the carbon chainstay version, and the same mud flap to protect the lower link that BMC debuted on the XC Agonist. BMC claims 58mm/2.3 tire clearance with 6mm of space around the tire, but that’s pretty conservative since they actually spec 2.35″ tires on the complete builds on 30mm internal rims.
Like all of BMC’s new mountain bikes, the updated Speedfox gets a Boost 12mm thru-axle. The frame gets a direct mount rear derailleur hanger option for Shimano setups, although many of the complete bikes actually use SRAM Eagle 1×12 or 1×11 drivetrains. With that Shimano compatibility also comes the option to mount a sideswing or Di2 front derailleur, with the same removable direct mount & access port on the seattube that we saw on the Agonist, with the alloy bike getting a simple bolt onto the rear of the seattube. That also means you can run a high mount chain guide if you want, and the Speedfox already includes a anti-chain drop plate just above the PF92 bottom bracket.
The Speedfox comes in four sizes, with the small & medium using the smaller 27.5″ wheels and pushing travel up to 130mm to match the same ride feel and trail capability of the big wheeled version. If you ride a medium you can also opt for the 120mm 29er with a bit more upright fit, then the large & extra-large are 29er-only.
The bike also comes in three different frame versions. The Speedfox 01 pairs a carbon front & rear triangle, the 02 swaps in an aluminum rear end, and the 03 goes totally alloy.
The top spec full carbon bike comes in just one complete build, the Speedfox 01 One. The $7500 bike gets an X01 Eagle build, Guide Ultimate brakes, a Fox DPS + EVOL Float with the Performance Elite coating paired to the BMC Trailsync post, a RockShox Pike RCT3 fork, and DT Swiss XM 1501 30 Spline One alloy wheels.
The all carbon Speedfox 01 is also available as a $4300 frame set that includes frame, the Fox shock & the Trailsync dropper post. A medium full carbon frame with shock is said to weigh in at 2330g.
The next level Speedfox 02 sticks with a carbon front triangle out of the same mold, although it drops down a level in carbon fiber spec, and is mated to a triple butted aluminum rear triangle. That claims to add just 350g to the frame weight. You get the same internal routing in the front triangle, with cables going external along the alloy chainstays. Three complete bikes are available all with Trailsync, but no separate frameset.
The $6500 Speedfox 02 One still gets a X01 Eagle build, with XT brakes, the same Performance Elite spec Fox Float, a Pike RC fork, and DT XM1700 30 wheels. The $5200 Speedfox 02 Two gets a mixed Shimano XT/SLX 1×11 build keeping the same shock, fork & wheels. The $4300 Speedfox 02 Three pulls back to a Shimano SLX kit and a Revelation RC fork, but the same shock & wheels making it the lowest cost of entry to the Trailsync setup.
The Speedfox 03 drops the carbon front triangle to bring costs down, but unfortunately loses both the neatly integrated dropper post and the Trailsync connection between dropper & rear shock. So no Trailsync link, but there is still stealth dropper seatpost compatibility and 2 of 3 builds get spec’ed with a dropper. The triple butted alloy front & rear keeps internal routing in the front triangle, and goes external out back, with a claimed frame+shock weight of 3280g.
The $3300 Speedfox 03 One gets a mixed Shimano 1×11 build primarily with SLX. It gets a standalone Fox Float shock in Perfromance level spec and Revelation RC fork, plus RaceFace’s new Aeffect dropper post. The $2700 Speedfox 03 Two gets another SRAM 1x by way of the budget NX group, paired with the same Float shock, a Recon RL fork, and the Aeffect dropper. The lowest spec $2200 Speedfox 03 Three loses the dropper post altogether and is the only complete bike to come with a front derailleur, opting for a 2×10 Shimano Deore setup. Its gets the Performance level Float shock and a new Judy fork.
BMC says that as mountain bikes have become more specialized, it has actually freed them to develop more unique tech to tailor to one riding style. But with Trailsync they have something they call a ‘quiver killer’ that should help get the most out of your all-day trail bike from extended climbs and flowy singletrack to proper technical descending. No more thinking about suspension settings, or forgetting the lockout. Just hop on the saddle and ride.
