PRO RIG - Greg Bennett's BMC TM01
When we went to cover the Boulder Peak earlier this month, we caught eventual winner Laura Bennett chatting with her husband Greg Bennett, a decorated champion in his own right. Greg let us have some time with his very slick BMC TM01, tricked out with Zipp hoops, Shimano Di2, and HED Corsair bars. That alone makes up almost everything on the bike. But what interests me the most on this bike isn't any of that. It's Bennett's hydration setup.
The first thing Greg Bennett said when we approached him was that he reads TriRig to study hydration setups, especially what's on the bikes of his competitors. So perhaps it's no coincidence that his choice to use a BTA bottle up front, and single cage on the saddle is exactly in line with our hydration guide. (And thanks for reading, Greg!)
Bennett's BTA
Because Bennett uses a sharp J-bend extension that's tilted dramatically upwards, he has a hard time with the traditional zip-tie method of securing a BTA (between-the-arms) bottle. There's just not quite enough room to put one in the usual location. So he had a custom bit of hardware fabricated. It's basically a flat aluminum plate that has been bent such that it is clamped down by the integrated 'triangle system' stem of his TM01 bike. It may not be the most elegant thing ever built, but it works well with his setup. The bottle cage is secure, and the setup gives Greg ready access to liquids.
The other thing Bennett gets out of this placement is that he controls the fore-aft position of the bottle. The usual place to see these bottles is right between the forearms. But bringing it back a little, as Bennett has done, helps reduce the effect on steering that a heavy bottle can have. For some, it's not an issue either way, but reducing the inputs to steering can certainly be nice for long hours of riding. Bennett has certainly put some thought into this rig, and it's very cool to see how that's manifested in his equipment choices. Keep up the good work, Greg. Best of luck with the rest of the season, and we'll see you in Kona!
