BMC TEAMMACHINE SLR02
£3300 › Do big tubes translate to big performance?
Like the Tarmac, the TeamMachine sits on the acceleration and altitude gain side of the frame shape fence. It’s also the frame with the most obvious differences between sections designed to make the ride comfortable and those optimised to put competitors into the pain cave.
The thru-axle straight taper fork uses asymmetric leg construction but still looks skinny compared to the massive polygonal down-tube. The head-tube is stout and the toptube is bigger than the down-tube on some bikes we can think of. The asymmetric seat-tube is very broad at the base before tapering upwards to take the same shallow D-section shape as the seatpost. This shape is designed to promote back and forth flex between saddle and bottom bracket, and the post is clamped with a hidden Allen key in the space between top and seat-tubes.
The split personality frameforming theme continues through the big, boxy asymmetric chainstays, which are in sharp contrast to the skinny wishbone seatstays. BMC’s commitment to maximum transmission efficiency extends to Shimano’s latest Direct Mount, which replaces the articulated upper knuckle of the rear mech for a stiffer, more precise shift. The SLR02 uses internal entry points behind the head-tube for relatively tidy and aero routing but doesn’t get the superclean, internal, through-stem control routing of the SLR01. The front brake is a standard flat-mount rather than BMC’s thru-bolt flat-mount direct standard.
BMC hasn’t skimped on the Shimano Ultegra kit, including everything down to the chain, hilleasing 11-30 cassette and fully fincooled RT800 rotors. The stiff frame and direct-mount mech bring the best out of the shifting, although the 140mm rear rotor means rear wheel braking is subtle rather than savage.
The split personality frame-forming theme continues through the boxy asymmetric chainstays
The Fizik Antares R7 saddle is a highlight for high mileage riders, and the relatively long cockpit suits the overall ride of the TeamMachine.
It’s obvious early on that this bike is a serious power puncher with a direct connection to the road. Stand up and it’s even more noticeable as the slight bounce from the D-shaped seatpost is replaced by the raw rigidity of the massive main tubes and stout stem. Interestingly, despite being the lightest Ultegra bike on test it doesn’t have the naturally spirited dance and liveliness of the Tarmac, its obvious competitor here, which is mainly due to the Mavic Aksium wheels.
In a sustained attack the BMC rapidly closed any initial gap and then turned the tables firmly on most of the other bikes here, especially on shallow climbs, for as long as we held the hammer down.
A relatively relaxed and stable 72.5-degree head angle means it’s capable of holding high speed through corners. The Vittoria tyres mean you need a dry road to do it, and there’s also a hint of fork twitch and flex when you’re really pushing pace and lean angles. This translates to disc rub when out of the saddle.
That slight fork flex and downsizing of seatstays and seatpost mean it shrugs off bigger pothole and road repair hits. At higher tyre pressures vibrations and chatter are felt through the bar, pedal and saddle, so run the tyres softer, or go bigger, to get the best from the BMC.