BMC Team Machine SLT 01 Replica

Price Paid:  $2700.00 at Friend's leftover

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Weston

Bike Setup:
Dura-Ace 10 derailleurs, FSA carbon crank, stem, seatpost and bars, Zero Gravity brakes, Detec carbon aero wheels, Topolino road wheels.

Summary:
Upgraded from a BMC Streetfire SSX and this bike is FAST, light and solid. Acceleration is instantaneous, handling is stable, ride comfy but not plush. I'm 6'0", 34" inseam, 220 lbs, 57cm frame fits well, very little flex on sprints. Bike gets lots of attention on group rides due to unique style and Phonak graphics- and is often the only BMC in 100+ bikes. I looked at Cervelo and Orbea- Geometry on the BMC fit me better and I liked the design better.

Strengths:
Light weight, rigidity, stability on fast descents, easy to find in a crowd.

Weaknesses:
The ProMachine is a bit lighter...

Similar Products Used:
Specialized S-Works, Look KX "not so" Light

Price Paid:  $8000.00 at Cyclingo, Hobart, Ta

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Daylight, dry, no wind, coffee after...

Bike Setup:
Easton EC90 bars, seatpost and SLX forks. Easton EC70 stem. Record groupset - except for FSA SLK MegaExo compact crankset (50/34 and 12 - 25 cassette). Look Keo carbon / titanium pedals. DT Swiss wheels / hubs. Salsa spindles. Fi'zik Arione saddle.

Summary:
Previous bike was a 1992 Giant Cadex carbon with alloy forks, so this is a step up. First impressions - so much lighter (7kg v 11kg?) and much less road buzz. The Giant was a bit big at 56cm so I chose a 53cm BMC. In retrospect it should have been a 51cm as the BMC is more like a 54/55cm Giant.
I am not a big rider (173cm / 68kg) so the bike is possibly over-engineered for me.

Strengths:
Love the responsiveness on hills and sprints, the minimal inertia in the DT Swiss wheels, the security of the Record brakes and the fine build quality. The internal cable routing within the frame is neat and the clean joins between tubes and lugs attractive.

Weaknesses:
The wide downtube looks like it might generate excess wind resistance for someone riding faster than me.
Not really keen on the 'We ride for better hearing' byline on the seat stays ("Eh?...eh?").

Similar Products Used:
None