FIRST LOOK - the BMC TM01
One bike that has made a lot of headlines in the tri world is BMC's new TM01. The bike debuted at the Dauphine de Libere just prior to the 2010 Tour de France. The bike incorporates many of the aerodynamic cues we've seen elsewhere in the triathlon world -- truncated airfoil tube shapes, integrated front and rear brakes -- etc. But the BMC does them very smartly. When they integrated the front brake, they rightly made it a centerpull design, so that there was no nasty cable hanging out in the wind, a la Giant Trinity and the new Argon 18. And with all the integration this bike offers, BMC kept room for a lot of modularity. The stem is a round clamp, so you can use any standard aerobar. The bottom bracket is BB30, so you can use nearly any crankset (including one of my favorites, the Lightning). And the bike is designed to work with the new generation of ultra-wide rims. In fact, the version of the bike that I test rode comes stock with the fantastic Zipp 808 Firecrest wheelset. It's also equipped stock with Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. Not a bad spec!
Test Ride Verdict: I want more
When BMC offered me to test ride the brand spankin new TM01, I couldn't resist, and wanted to take a few photos to boot. I have to reserve full judgment on the bike until I can take a longer look at one, since we didn't have enough time to adjust the bike's front end to my position.
But I can say one thing for sure - this bike is mean. I'm very, very curious to see this bike some more. And hopefully it won't be too long before I can get one to test - BMC says this bike is shipping to stores in just a couple months. For now, enjoy the gallery.
UPDATE: I had a chance to shoot a video with Andrew James, the product manager for BMC, on the showroom floor at Interbike. Andrew went through some of the tech/marketing language that BMC is using about this bike. Specifically, they like to say that a rider's maximum velocity is achieved with their new bike through a combination of optimal bike adjustability and superlative aerodynamics. Or in their lingo, Vmax = p2p x subA. Whatever you happen to think about the marketing jargon, the video gives you a good sense of the landscape of the new Timemachine TM01.
