Aero cockpit, integrated bottles added to the lightweight race bike
(Image credit: BMC)
BMC has today announced the all-new Teammachine, making it stiffer, lighter, more aerodynamic and more compliant than ever before.
With its dropped seat stays and aerodynamically considered tube shaping, the outgoing Teammachine is the bike that many consider as the catalyst to the aero revolution that has been the priority for bike manufacturers' best lightweight bikes over recent years. In designing that model, BMC developed ACE (Accelerated Composite Evolution) technology, which uses computing power to create virtual prototypes and quicken optimisation of frame weight, stiffness and compliance.
Now BMC looks to take it a step further with the launch of the Teammachine 2021. With new ACE+, the software now takes aerodynamics into the equation.
What's new?
The new ICS Carbon one-piece bar and stem is 30% lighter than a standard cockpit (Image credit: BMC)
Following recent trends, BMC has added a one-piece integrated cockpit - the new ICS Carbon - with stealth cabling to offer the clean aesthetic and aerodynamic efficiency that comes with it. The new ICS Carbon cockpit is a one-piece system that is said to be stiffer than the former ICS system, yet 105 grams lighter. However, for those who prefer the maintenance-friendly bar and stem, a new ICS2 is also available.
While the frame certainly retains the DNA of the outgoing Teammachine, BMC claims that every surface has been changed. This is most apparent with the shape of the wider down tube that has been given a larger surface area and fewer edges to improve aerodynamics while retaining stiffness. At the base of which, BMC has also widened the bottom bracket area to increase stiffness and improve power transfer. In testing, BMC claims to have found the rear triangle to be 20 per cent stiffer than the former model, with an overall stiffness increase of four per cent.
(Image credit: BMC)
Both the seatpost and the fork blades have also seen an overhaul. The seatpost has been given a D-shaped profile with a truncated rear, and the fork blades are made flatter, also with a truncated rear. They have also been given what BMC describes as stealth dropouts, which hide a captive nut into the fork (and frame, at the rear) which allows for a sleek aesthetic and, no doubt, improved aerodynamics.
BMC's new stealth dropouts look super clean (Image credit: BMC)
In addition, borrowing from the brand's Timemachine Road aero road bike, the new Teammachine is given 'Aerocore' integrated aerodynamic bottle cages, designed in conjunction with Elite. All told, the new Teammachine is said to be six per cent faster than the outgoing model.
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BMC is also looking to reaffirm weight's importance in the equation, with the flagship SLR 01 model weighing in at 820 grams for a size 54cm. A new second-tier SLR Carbon is introduced, too, sharing the same form factor as the range-topping model at a slightly heavier 1365g frame-and-fork combination. All told, the new model is said to be nine per cent lighter than its forebear.
In order to improve compliance, BMC has utilised what it calls TCC (Tuned Compliance Concept) which is able to fine-tune carbon layups in order to deliver differing compliance levels dependent on discipline. For the Teammachine, BMC created TCC Race, which allows for an two per cent increase in vertical flex in the frame and seatpost to offer improved comfort.
Tyre clearance also follows the modern trend of wider is faster, allowing up to 30mm road tyres, made possible by BMC's commitment to disc brakes for the 2021 model.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
