BMC has today issued a voluntary recall notice on its Kaius 01 gravel bike, telling users to "immediately stop riding" the bike.
In a statement to the press, the brand says it has "become aware of a few instances where certain fork steerer tubes have separated under heavy duty riding conditions."
The exact number of instances is unconfirmed, with the Swiss brand labelling it "a few."
It added that "while there are few reported instances to date, these instances are inconsistent with the standards that BMC holds itself to.
"BMC's driving force is to provide products that meet the highest performance expectations of both athletes and everyday riders. With this in mind, BMC has decided that the best course of action is to recall all Kaius 01 bicycles for inspection, and to replace the affected forks with a more robust version."
The suggested course of action is for users to "immediately stop riding your Kaius 01 bicycle and visit your local BMC retailer or dealer.
"The retailer or dealer will inspect your bike and determine whether the fork requires a replacement. If a replacement fork is required, the retailer or dealer will install the new fork at no cost to you."
The brand adds that no other model of BMC bikes are affected by the recall, and that the affected list is as follows:
- 2023 Kaius 01 ONE
- 2023 Kaius 01 TWO
- 2023 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2024 Kaius 01 LTD
- 2024 Kaius 01 ONE
- 2024 Kaius 01 TWO
- 2024 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2026 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2026 Kaius 01 FRS
The Kaius 01 is the brand's go-to gravel race bike. It was launched in September 2022, and has been used at the highest echelons of gravel racing including the world championships and Unbound. Just this past weekend it was unveiled as the team bike of the 2016 Olympic Games Road Race gold medallist, Greg van Avermaet, and his new gravel team GVA Gold.
The bike made a splash upon launch for BMC's decision to spec a one-piece cockpit with handlebars that spanned just 36cm at the hoods. This went against the trend at the time for gravel bikes to get wider handlebars, and has seen numerous other brands follow suit since.
It received positive acclaim in our BMC Kaius 01 review, where our reviewer concluded the bike's positive characteristics went beyond those narrow handlebars.
Any users affected by the recall that have questions are urged to use the BMC contact form, or to contact the brand at 1 (888) 262 - 7755 in the USA, or +41 32 654 14 54 in other regions.
