BMC ProMachine

Blopslee said:

hey - sorry to hijack the thread - I have a BMC team machine that I love but has what I hear is a typical rattle of the brake cable inside the top tube - you guys with team machines have this too??? what have you done about it - or do you just live with it?

thanks!

Hi-
I know exactly the rattle you speak of. I just live with it. It's such a great bike, particularly when built out with Dura-Ace. 😄

The BMC SLC01 is a very cool bike indeed. You can see mine here : http://www.cyclingforums.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1107/cat/503

I have riden Aluminium, Steel, Titanium and carbon fiber. In the shapes of Merlins, Serottas, Cannondales and Colnagos. I still ride my Colnago C40 and my SOMEC made to measure steel workhorse.

The BMC SLC01 in Astana is my latest, I truely love it. I have ridden it with high profile carbon fiber wheels, low profile CF wheels both tubulars and light classic wheels with Chris King Hubs with clinchers. The above is with top notch tubulars or clinchers.

The 1st thing that stands out is the way the bike shows the various qualities of each type of wheel and rubber. The second thing you notice on this bike is that is not super stiff, it is more like a steel frame that was designed to respond very well (think serotta smooth with cannondale out of the saddle, does that make sense?). The confort is near if not better than a titanium merlin extralight (no kidding) just that on harsh holes you get a bit of a snap in the bars, no big deal because you are not ment to ride into those things.

I went up the mount Ventoux twice with this bike with just one day rest between (I am no superchamp at 47) and this showed me how easy the bike is 🙂. Going up was an enchantment (well almost...:eek🙂 each pedal stroke delivered (50-34/12-25) the power and controlling ones pace was quite enjoying. I was really expecting to be "dead" on the day 2 ride and I was just fine. On the way down I reached 92km/hr on the bit that is close to 12%, all okay at that speed and I may add that the bike was super stable and precise. The issue I had was wondering if my tubulars were well glued!!!

Cornering is a pleasure when at speed it seems like the bike was designed to go much faster than I would ever dream of going. On the flat the bike forgives and has that "power feedback feel" 😉 you get with better steel frames. I would not call this bike very good 🙁 when you get out of the saddle at 40km/hr, the frame does not seem that rigid in these situations (I don't care because I frankly do not do that so often even though I wished I could :rolleyes🙂

The finsh of the frame is excellent, carbon fiber dropouts super cool and seem solid. Inner cabling is truely something I have always liked and here it is very well done, no rattle noise with the cables that I have experienced on other bikes. The tolerences are tight. I use chains to prevent punctures and I have yet to find a method to put one on the rear. Upto now they have goy stuck between the tyre and the frame...so any advice here will be welcome.

So since I have had this bike I have done 2500km and will be doing 80km tonight here in the Paris Region and I have enjoyed every mile at rapid pace and more casual rides. I recall having the same feeling when I 1st got my Colnago C40 and that is quite a statement.

Tim

Got mine in 4/1/07
Record, Zipp 404
Speedplay
Ritchey Bars and seat post
specialized
Never mine here is the pic
I had to compress the pic but you get the jest of it. 14.25 lbs

rdressen said:

53 cm BMC SLC01 naked carbon
Dura-Ace 10 speed group
Shimano compact crankset
Zipp contour bar 46cm (outside to outside)
Zipp 145 carbon stem 110mm
Easton EC90 SL-X fork
Easton EC90 seatpost
Fizik Arione saddle
Rolf Elan Aero wheels
Speedplay X-1 peddles
Shimano flight deck computer
x-lite carbon cages
Polar HR mount

total = 15.8 pounds with everthing listed above