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The BMC Teammachine R launched in October with the bold purpose of being the right street racing bike. Whereas I didn’t get to check it in a race, I did journey to the Circuit of the Americas race observe in Austin, TX, to affix BMC for check laps, plus a day of around-town driving by myself. Under are my impressions of the bike, however first, a bit about the way it got here to be.
Why did BMC companion with Pink Bull?
![bmc teammachine r road bike by red bull f1 pit booth](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-9.jpg)
BMC’s racers needed a motorcycle that would deal with the cobbles in addition to the climbs, flats, and sprints, giving them a one-bike quiver for many races and levels. Having already collaborated with Pink Bull Superior Applied sciences (RBAT) to create their Speedmachine TT/Tri bike, they determined to leverage the beverage model’s F1 expertise and tech for this, too.
![bmc teammachine r road bike by red bull f1 pit booth](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-4.jpg)
So BMC went to Pink Bull and stated that they had three standards:
- It needed to be as aero as their Timemachine
- It ought to have the identical really feel as their Teammachine SLR
- It needed to be actually mild
RBAT gave them extra laptop simulation energy, letting them check extra tube shapes and layup schedules. As soon as Pink Bull’s computer systems had their model of a really perfect bike, BMC got here in and tweaked it into one thing that would truly be manufactured at scale.
![](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/bmc-teammachine-r-sketch.jpg)
The preliminary renderings confirmed a extra bulbous head tube, however it might have been heavier than the slimmer profile with flatter sides, as a result of (BMC says) rounded, bulbous shapes want extra carbon than flat shapes, at the very least in that exact utility. And so they wanted it to “look” like a BMC, in any case.
The tip result’s a motorcycle that’s 19% sooner than the SLR with out a rider, 3.5% sooner with rider, and 1.9% sooner than Timemachine Highway, all at 0° yaw within the wind tunnel.
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-1.jpg)
Whereas BMC isn’t calling it an “aero bike”, it’s certainly a race bike that occurs to be very aerodynamic.
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-13.jpg)
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-3.jpg)
Full tech particulars are in our launch protection, however the important thing aero options are:
- Slim headtube and frontal profile
- Extraordinarily extensive spacing between fork leg and spokes
- Deep, lengthy backside bracket part
- Built-in bottle cage that shapes airflow over water bottles
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-2.jpg)
They are saying with the fork, you both need to be extraordinarily near the wheel and tire, or actually removed from it. It’s safer and simpler to go extensive, and that enables extra rim and tire compatibility.
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-8.jpg)
They spec a 1700g wheelset with 62mm deep rims, so you possibly can go lighter, however they selected these particularly for the aerodynamics.
The bike can be actually mild, solely ~50g heavier than the SLR. Claimed body weight is 910g with a 345g fork. They did this by decreasing overlap between plies with extra custom-cut items of carbon, utilizing much less the place it’s not wanted and a bit extra within the head tube and BB space for improved stiffness.
BMC Teammachine R journey overview
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-7.jpg)
The Circuit of the Americas observe is a wonderful testing floor for this bike. Every 3.4 mile lap has 20 turns, one large punchy climb, and what appeared like a relentless headwind. Powering down the straightaways, standing to hammer up the climb, or diving into corners and S-curves have been all nice. It’s stiff, environment friendly, and handles nice, as I’d count on from a race bike costing $14,999 in prime trim. (Full bikes begin at $9,199, frameset with cockpit is $5,999)
![closeup frame and cockpit details of bmc teammachine r road bike](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-6.jpg)
Whether or not drafting others (or flatbed tractor-trailers with vacationers on the again) or pushing previous them for a solo effort, the bike clearly likes to cheat the wind.
As BMC’s personal numbers counsel, although, the rider remains to be the largest supply of drag. So that they gave the bike very slender handlebars. All measurement body sizes, from 47 to 61, include the identical one-piece bar stem measuring 360mm extensive on the hoods. It flares to 420mm within the drops.
The purpose is to maintain a rider’s arms narrower, making a smaller frontal profile. As a much bigger rider with broader shoulders who usually rides 440mm extensive handlebars, I used to be stunned that this didn’t hassle me. No less than not given the bike’s intent. Had been I shopping for this for all-day driving and coaching, I’d need one thing wider. However for racing, this spec makes numerous sense and wasn’t uncomfortable.
![bmc teammachine r road bike on gravel bike path](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-12.jpg)
What stunned me in regards to the Teammachine R is how nicely it rode as soon as I obtained off the superbly easy asphalt of a System One race observe. I took it for a late morning journey out of downtown Austin, the place the roads are lower than excellent. Potholes, development zones, and metropolis streets. After which a much less congested journey alongside their bike paths straddling the Colorado River.
With free scrabble to hard-packed grime, the path is the type of factor I’d usually take an all-road or gravel bike on. However the Teammachine R, for all of its stiff hi-mod carbon, didn’t beat me up. If their crew needed one thing that would deal with cobbles, this was the closest I obtained to counsel BMC delivered. The one limitation for mere mortals like me is its claimed 30mm tire clearance. Nonetheless that appears to be the popular measurement for the professionals racing Paris-Roubaix, so… it’s positive.
![bmc teammachine r road bike on a taco ride](https://bikerumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-BMC-teammachine-r-road-bike-review-11.jpg)
In the event you’re on the lookout for a purpose-built all-around race bike that doesn’t skimp on any of the three key standards (aerodynamics, weight, journey high quality), the BMC Teammachine R is value a glance. It’s even positive with the post-ride taco truck cease, which earns it an additional nod from me.
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