BMC had, in my opinion, one of the sweetest paint jobs for their new Race Machine (above), and they also had a slick new entry-level carbon road bike called the Road Racer that has as much design detail as their higher end bikes.
On the mountain bike side, there are some minor updates on existing models, and we snapped some closeup photos of the new Team Elite hardtail.
Starting with the Race Machine, the front triangle is similar to their hi end Team Machine, but the stays are less compliant to make for a stiffer, more efficient frame. Check out all the details and photos after the break…
While the Race Machine is stiffer overall, it still has two Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC) zones in the seat post and fork to keep road buzz down.
The bottom bracket junction sees every tube meet it at the full width available, which should make power transfer virtually 100%.
Shown from the top down, you can see that not only are the seat- and downtubes super wide at the BB, but the chainstays are also pretty beefy.
The 2011 BMC Race machine also comes in red/black/white color scheme. It’s $4,999 for SRAM Red build (Rival brakes) and Easton EA70 wheels, and it’ll be offered in the US. $2,850 for frame set. BMC says the blue/orange color scheme, which we’re fond of, was inspired by the classic Ford GT.
BMC’s Road Racer, their new entry level carbon frame, is available with both 105 and Ultregra ($2,400 and $3,300).
It has a proprietary seat post with teardrop shape and angle lock clamping system that uses a wedge at the base so there’s no hardware for a seat clamp. Visually, it makes for a very clean appearance and is well beyond the level of detail normally found on an “entry level” bike.
Up front there’s a tapered heat tube with full carbon fork.
Even the BB and stays get some pretty unique shaping…again, a lot of attention to detail for this price point.
The Road Racer comes in both a carbon clear coat and this black/red paint. There’s a Women’s version called the Pure that gets female specific spec and colors.
The BMC Team Elite 01 is their top of the line racing XC hardtail, and it gets some frame updates for 2011. Full specs and details are in this post, but here are the detail photos.
The 2011 BMC Team Elite overall compliance is about 10% more ran prior model.
Trail Fox – Gets a total frame redesign and bumps up travel to 150mm (from 140mm) front and rear, drops 200g from the frame via different tube hydroforming and new linkage pieces, gets a tapered head tube. For the US, it’ll be available for $2,000 with Fox TALAS QR15, 12×142 rear end with Easton Vice wheels, Shimano drivetrain with XT rear derailleur and Avid brakes.
Speed Fox – 120mm travel marathon bike receives frame upgrades in the form of tweaks to the suspension movement. Three versions offered ranging from $2,000 to $4,300.
As with other BMC bikes, different specs and options are available throughput the rest of the world.
