World champion stripes hit the streets of Adelaide
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Philippe Gilbert (BMC) gets a bit of rainbow flair on his BMC TeamMachine SLR01 for the Tour Down Under.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The seat clamp shows off the unusual profile of the BMC TeamMachine SLR01 seatpost.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A red SRM PowerControl 7 computer head is affixed to an aluminum mount on Philippe Gilbert's (BMC) BMC TeamMachine SLR01.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Philippe Gilbert's Continental tubular tires looked to be a fairly standard 22mm or so in width.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
50mm-deep Shimano Dura-Ace carbon fiber tubular wheels for Philippe Gilbert (BMC).(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
BMC once built the SLR01 with a BB30 shell but has now switched to a BB86 setup for both team and production bikes with bonded-in aluminum adapters(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC) will control his speed with Shimano's previous-generation Dura-Ace brakes at the Tour Down Under. We expect teams to transition to the new Shimano stuff later this spring.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even the 3T Rotundo Team handlebars get a custom paint job.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
An old-school Selle Italia saddle is mounted atop the BMC TCC carbon fiber seatpost.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Philippe Gilbert's (BMC) 3T ARX Team forged aluminum stem measures a rangy 140mm center-to-center.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Philippe Gilbert (BMC) grabs hold of traditional-profile 3T Rotundo Team carbon fiber bars.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The dramatic difference in size between the chain stays and seat stays is highlighted at the dropouts.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Just in case the stripes don't provide enough of a hint.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
While BMC's latest TimeMachine TMR01 prioritizes aerodynamic performance, team captain Philippe Gilbert's TeamMachine SLR01 uses stiffer and more squared-off tube profiles plus specifically designed flex zones for better ride quality and traction.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Elite Sior Mio bottle cages feature a small metal clip to help hold bottles a little more securely.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This article was originally published on BikeRadar
Current UCI world road champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) showed off a new rainbow-accented BMC TeamMachine SLR01 to the folks of Adelaide, Australia during the People's Choice criterium – the traditional opener to the Tour Down Under. Gilbert didn't win – but then again, he wasn't trying to – but the 30-lap was nonetheless a reasonable test for man and machine for the Belgian's real target, the spring Classics.
Gilbert's custom painted machine stood in stark contrast to the usual black-and-red BMC team livery with big swaths of gloss white paint on the fork legs and seat cluster bracketed by the trademark rainbow stripes he earned in September. Even the traditional-bend handlebar isn't spared the painter's touch with a matching gloss white finish and yet another set of stripes.
Lightening things up further are the white bar tape and matching Elite bottle cages – and just in case it wasn't sufficiently obvious whose bike this is, Gilbert's signature is on the seat tube, too.
We didn't expect to see teams bikes resplendent in the latest kit and despite his title, Gilbert's BMC TeamMachine SLR01 maintains the trend with not only a mostly off-the-shelf build kit but a previous-generation Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 7970 group instead of the new 11-speed 9070 version that Shimano announced back in May.
BMC has made some equipment sponsor changes during the off-season, too, so the long-running Easton wheels and cockpits that we've gotten used to seeing have now been replaced with Shimano wheels – 50mm-deep Dura-Ace tubulars in this case – and 3T bars and stems to accompany the proprietary BMC carbon fiber seatpost.
Actual weight with the SRM PowerControl 7 head unit but without bottles is 7.25kg (16.00lb).
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Another common pro trend perpetuated here is the undersized frame. Despite standing 1.79m (5' 10") tall, Gilbert rides a rather diminutive 50cm frame with a 535mm effective top tube length – something no fitter in their right mind would do for a typical cyclist of the same height.
As usual, though, it's all about head tube length for these guys and in this case, the top of Gilbert's bars sit more than 12cm below the top of his saddle. To get the reach he wants, Gilbert then has to run a 140mm-long stem slammed atop the headset.
Sure, the extreme position looks way cool and the 'SLAMYOURSTEM' kids would worship the ground you roll on. But let's be realistic here – you're not Philippe Gilbert and twice-daily Ashtanga yoga sessions and a closet full of Lululemon probably isn't going to get you there, either. But if you're 1.83m tall with a rockin' Euro fauxhawk and still think you can pull this off, go on and try – we dare you.
Let us know how things went after your resultant chiropractor appointment.
Rider's height: 1.79m (5' 10") Rider's weight: 69kg (152lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 751mm Saddle setback: 59mm Seat tube length, c-t: 505mm Seat tube length, c-c: 480mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 581mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 122mm Head tube length: 133mm Top tube length: 535mm Total bicycle weight: 7.25kg (16.00lb) with SRM computer
