Everything about George Hincapie's BMC racemaster SLX01 is big, made to fit all 6'3" of the USPro Champion.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
George Hincapie's bike features a massive 140mm Easton EA90 stem.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
Hincapie's office: 440mm Easton EA70 bars and Campagnolo Super Record shifters.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
The team's herritage is acknowledged on the bars, with tape featuring the United States of America and Swiss flag on the opposite side.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
George Hincapie's BMC has been hand painted by JMS Creation.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
The American champion depends on Campagnolo Super Record brakes to slow him down.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
On the record: It's Campagnolo Super Record all-round for Hincapie's BMC.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
Hincapie is one of many using Elite fibreglass bottle cages in the field.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
The Campagnolo Super Record front derailleur features a carbon fibre chain guide.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
The chain stays on George Hincapie's bike features both the stars and stripes from the United States of America flag.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
It's the tried and true Speedplay pedals for George Hincapie.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
Going up: It's 800mm from Hincapie's bottom bracket to the top of his Selle Italia Turbomatic saddle.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
Hincapie's BMC uses Continental tubular tyres front and back on Easton EC90 Aero Carbon wheels.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
One of the CycleOps sensors on the fork.(Image credit: Greg Johnson)
The new year brings a new team and a new bike for George Hincapie in 2010. Having ridden on machines from companies such as Eddy Merckx, Trek and Scott, the 36-year-old from New York State is well over six foot and a Classics specialist so there's plenty of stress on his equipment.
The big American's switch to BMC Racing sees him aboard the Swiss company's BMC racemaster SLX 01 complete in US national champion's livery - it's been done by other brands in the past but this particular incarnation is rather striking. It's hand painted and the first element you notice about the bike.
The other initial observation is the size of Hincapie's bike. At almost two metres tall (6'3") he requires a 58cm frame and 140mm stem, with a lot of saddle setback. This is achieved by cutting the clamp and increasing the length of the cradle to support the carbon rails on the Selle Italia Turbomatic.
The frame itself doesn't make use of the BB30 standard, which can be seen on many of the bikes at this week's Tour Down Under. The bottom bracket shell is relatively minimalist compared to most composite bikes, which feature heavy carbon layups in this area. It maintains a clean look with the hint of a bygone era when there was a noticeable junction of the seat tube, downtube and chainstays.
The geometry is fairly traditional, although the seatstays are interesting in their application to the seat tube and the top tube/seat tube junction features a neat cutout that is designed to increase rigidity.
There's no sloping top tube, which means Hincapie uses frame with a 58cm top tube and utilises a long (140mm) alloy stem. Being a Classics rider he opts for strength over weight in the cockpit, using the relatively low-key EA90 and EA70 combo.
Hinapie's Easton EC90 Aero Carbon rear wheel doesn't come equipped with a PowerTap hub; we were told that it's only used for training data. There are plans by the team to use a PowerTap computer to feed live rider data to a doctor in the team car during races rather than power data transmitted from the hub on the rear wheel.
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BMC's market position as a premium brand means it's only fitting the team's bikes use a complete Super Record 11 speed groupset from Campagnolo. Unlike many teams, which may throw in a few odd components into the mix, the BMC Racing bikes feature a full complement of Super Record pieces.
