When people think about some of the most successful bikes in the pro peloton, Pinarello’s Dogma F or perhaps Specialized's S-Works Tarmac may spring to mind, but the BMC Teammachine SLR 01 rightfully has its own place in cycling history, with a rich set of palmarès in its 14 years of racing. The very first iteration was used by Cadel Evans when he became the first Australian to win the Tour de France in 2011. Five years later, Greg Van Avermaet rode the second generation of the bike to Olympic gold at the road race at the 2016 Games in Rio.
Now BMC has just launched its fifth generation of the bike — to be used by the next generation of professionals but also as the brand's most popular bike model for cyclists around the world. Whereas the Teammachine R 01 is likely to remain the team’s ultimate race bike due to its superior aerodynamics, the BMC engineering team believe the SLR 01 provides the best combination of light weight, stiffness and comfort. Tudor Pro Cycling are expected to use the new SLR 01 on some key mountain stages at the Tour and some of the riders have already been trying it out at this month’s Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse.
The new bike was launched in Andermatt, in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland, which is officially the new home of the Tudor team. I got to spend a couple of days in Andermatt to have an early look at the SLR 01 ahead of its launch to see the new updates and get some first ride impressions.
16% Weight loss while maintaining stiffness
The key change from the previous model of the SLR 01 is the 16% weight reduction — a saving of 222g on the fork, frame and seatpost (size 54). BMC said they achieved this with a “reduced frontal area, optimized tube profiles, re-engineered fork”. BMC announced that the claimed weight for a size 54cm Teammachine SLR 01 frameset is 1,173g (frame 700g, fork 339g and seatpost 134g), depending on the pain scheme. With all the accessories this results in a 6.6kg bike (without pedals) for a 54 frame.
As the brand’s premium climbing bike, the weight is understandably the most important metric to improve for the brand. However, they did not want to lose any stiffness in the pursuit of weight-saving: “The latest Teammachine SLR 01 represents progress in its purest form: delivering the same explosive stiffness and acceleration as its predecessor, now in a frameset that is 16% lighter.”
The brand used Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to measure the stiffness of three different aspects of the bike: rear triangle stiffness (for power transfer) front triangle stiffness (for handling) and overall stiffness. In real terms the new bike is claimed to maintain the same overall stiffness as the fourth generation and also the current Teammachine R 01, although BMC do not disclose their stiffness metrics.
Frame design and tyre clearance
The focus on the light frame hasn’t detracted from the Swiss brand’s ambitions to make sure the bike is fast over flat terrain, with aspects of the frame taken from the Teammachine R, such as some aerodynamic gains from the design of new fork and frontal area achieved “through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, wind tunnel hours, velodrome testing”. BMC claims that the aerodynamics of the bike and rider together has resulted in a 2.2% faster bike compared to the fourth generation.
The new SLR has an increased tyre clearance from 30mm to 32 mm tyres, BMC confirmed that the bike has been optimised for 26mm. It’s an interesting decision given that the current trend of the bikes opting for wider tyres, where 28–30 mm is now common. Despite this decision to optimise at a skinnier tyre than expected, the Swiss brand said it is focused on comfort of the SLR: “It’s designed to feel like a true extension of the rider, providing confidence in every descent and responsiveness in every turn.”
Following feedback from riders, BMC have increased the seat tube angle of the SLR to make it a bit slacker. To maintain the bike fit needs, they will be offering three different seat post offset positions: 10 mm and 25 mm (already available) and 0 mm coming soon. In terms of the look of the frame, the geometry has remained the same between the fourth and fifth generations but there are some clear visual differences between tube shapes, tube profile, and tubes connections. Likewise, the colorways are new and striking with the design subtly displaying the BMC logo — a change from the older paint jobs. At the highest spec, the frames are available in black and red (SRAM) and navy and white (Shimano).
First ride review
I got the chance to try the new SLR in the Swiss Alps on two separate rides over some mixed terrain and in wildly different weather conditions — the first day being cloudless and warm and the second being rainy and around 5°C on top of the Furka Pass.
Riding the SLR through these different conditions and landscapes — where steep climbs, fast descents, smooth valley flats, and the occasional patch of rough patch, where freezing weather can damage road surfaces, all come into play — was a good opportunity to test out the bike’s versatility.
As expected, when the road pointed upward, the bike’s lightness came into its own — whether seated or standing out of the saddle, the stiffness of the frame translated power efficiently. Most importantly for me, however, was on the way back down in wet and cold conditions. I was quickly reassured — despite my own shivering — that the bike itself handled comfortably, which gave me real peace of mind through some of the wet and tight switchbacks. Even when navigating around cracks or debris common on alpine roads, the bike remained agile and precise.
The bike felt like a dependable companion in the mountains, but despite the test roads usually either going up or down, I did get a bit of a feel for what it was like on the flatter sections between climbs, where it was easy to tuck into an aerodynamic position and feel the benefit of its low drag.
For more information on the bike, head over to the BMC website.
