# BMC Team Machine SLR01 or Cervelo R3?



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

I'm thinking about replacing my Look 585 with either the Team Machine SLR 01 or Cervelo R3. I'm wondering if either the BMC or Cervelo will be a significant improvement over my Look 585 and worth the upgrade? Lots of hills in my area, so I'm looking for a bike that is a capable climber and descender. Anybody with experience riding a 585 and either the SLR 01 or R3? Also, would welcome any comparisons btw the R3 and SLR 01. Thanks!


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Tough choice. I have an SLR01 which I really like, but no experience with the Look or R3 to compare it with. The SLR01 seemed to work satisfactorily for Cadel Evans and others in this year's racing so it must be at least OK, if not better than the R3 or Look. Here in the US they seem to be a lot rarer than Cervelos, and perhaps even Look.


----------



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

Thanks, Looigi. Can you comment on how the SLR01 climbs and descends? Also, I've read a lot about how smooth the ride is? Any further comments there? How does it fair on 4-6 hr rides? Thanks!


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Mostly subjective impressions: Climbing wise, it's light and pedaling seems stiff to me. I have a 55cm and it's about 15.5 lbs total with pedals, seat, HED Ardennes, etc.. Handling is quick and it likes to turn in, which is probably also a function of the wide HED rims. It's very easy to ride hands-off. Nothing about the bike or it's handling slows me down in a descent, and I descend pretty fast having lived and ridden in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada for many years (and raced motorcycles).

Ride quality is firm but muted (if that means anything . I have an older Al Specialized Roubaix which is much harsher, and 12 year old Ti bike which rides much softer but is very flexible. I typically ride 30-50 miles with occasional rides up to 100 miles or so. I had the BMC out in the Rockies this summer for a couple of weeks touring 600+ miles with 42,000'+ of climbing and it work well for me. Of course there were others riding bikes of all sorts and they worked OK too. 

Here's some related material:

BMC SLR01: The Franco Ballerini Memorial
Tour Pro Bike: Cadel Evans’ stage-winning BMC teammachine SLR01
Peloton
FEATURES: FIRST RIDE: 2012 BMC TEAMMACHINE
USAPCC BMC pix

And a pic of mine. I bought it exactly one year ago, the last week of Nov 2010:


----------



## tindrum (Mar 5, 2008)

nice bike! that's a pretty aggressive-looking position you got there


----------



## mtor (Mar 1, 2007)

looigi said:


> Mostly subjective impressions: Climbing wise, it's light and pedaling seems stiff to me. I have a 55cm and it's about 15.5 lbs total with pedals, seat, HED Ardennes, etc.. Handling is quick and it likes to turn in, which is probably also a function of the wide HED rims. It's very easy to ride hands-off. Nothing about the bike or it's handling slows me down in a descent, and I descend pretty fast having lived and ridden in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada for many years (and raced motorcycles).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sweet bike. I like it


----------



## Digger51 (May 12, 2006)

I just bought a Race machine from a guy who switched to a Cervelo R3 and said he regretted switching because he liked the BMC RM01 so much. The SL01 I understand is a little smoother than the RM01. I am currently builind a Look 585 frame, so I will be able at some point to compare the BMC to the Look, but from what I have read the BMC and Look bikes are similar in perfromance. I will know soon.


----------



## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

There's not an objective better/worse between the 2 frames you're looking at. I'd choose on the basis of fit (e.g., the Cervelo sizing works better for me) BUT both frames do have long head tubes. Not a deal breaker, but for me (who rides a 58 or 59) I'd want to make sure the front end is sufficiently stiff.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

tindrum said:


> ... that's a pretty aggressive-looking position you got there


Not too. The tops of the bars are 10cm below the top of the saddle. I find it more comfortable than being more upright. Had I gotten a 53 frame I probably could have gotten away with a -6 or -10 degree stem instead of -17 deg.


----------



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

looigi said:


> Mostly subjective impressions: Climbing wise, it's light and pedaling seems stiff to me. I have a 55cm and it's about 15.5 lbs total with pedals, seat, HED Ardennes, etc.. Handling is quick and it likes to turn in, which is probably also a function of the wide HED rims. It's very easy to ride hands-off. Nothing about the bike or it's handling slows me down in a descent, and I descend pretty fast having lived and ridden in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada for many years (and raced motorcycles).
> 
> Ride quality is firm but muted (if that means anything . I have an older Al Specialized Roubaix which is much harsher, and 12 year old Ti bike which rides much softer but is very flexible. I typically ride 30-50 miles with occasional rides up to 100 miles or so. I had the BMC out in the Rockies this summer for a couple of weeks touring 600+ miles with 42,000'+ of climbing and it work well for me. Of course there were others riding bikes of all sorts and they worked OK too.
> 
> ...


Sweet looking ride. I would have a hard time choosing btw the white and the red. Both colors look good.


----------



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

Digger51 said:


> I just bought a Race machine from a guy who switched to a Cervelo R3 and said he regretted switching because he liked the BMC RM01 so much. The SL01 I understand is a little smoother than the RM01. I am currently builind a Look 585 frame, so I will be able at some point to compare the BMC to the Look, but from what I have read the BMC and Look bikes are similar in perfromance. I will know soon.


Did he say why he doesn't like the R3?

Yes, would really like to hear your comparison of the Look 585 and RM01 once you've finished the build. Thanks!


----------



## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

I think they're great choices. The geometry is fairly close between the two, with the BMC having a slightly taller head tube for a more comfortable distance ride. The BMC wins by the rare occurences of what you'll see in group rides though. I don't think you'll be unhappy either way you choose though.


----------



## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

LARC said:


> Also, would welcome any comparisons btw the R3 and SLR 01. Thanks!


Recently faced the same decision. Went with the Cervelo R3. Main reason? It just "spoke to me" more than the BMC. Something about the BMC frame design just doesn't do it for me.

Though, had I chosen the BMC... I'd probably be just as happy.


----------



## redmarble (Nov 26, 2011)

I would go with the BMC Machine.


----------



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

looigi said:


> Handling is quick and *it likes to turn in*, which is probably also a function of the wide HED rims.


Could you elaborate? I'm not familiar with that expression.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Bob Ross said:


> Could you elaborate? I'm not familiar with that expression. "It likes to turn in"


It's an expression I'm used to from motorcycling. Perhaps it's not common to bicycling? What I mean by that is it will take and track a tight line without a tendency to want to run wide. It's most evident when taking a sharp corner in a fast group. You can aggressively dive into the inside of the turn and closely hold the inside line as you pedal accelerating through the exit.


----------



## asherstash1 (May 16, 2010)

lol, cyclists often have a lot to learn regarding cornering lines i think, the slower speeds and less ability to kill yourself means i think less attention is dedicated to real handling skills as evryone just focuses on making the pedals spin quickly as the be all and end all. hitting apexes saves time and energy!


----------



## BrokenBonz (Nov 20, 2008)

asherstash1 said:


> lol, cyclists often have a lot to learn regarding cornering lines i think, the slower speeds and less ability to kill yourself means i think less attention is dedicated to real handling skills as evryone just focuses on making the pedals spin quickly as the be all and end all. hitting apexes saves time and energy!


+1 on this. Paul Sherwen often brings up cyclists' general lack of understanding of handling/cornering lines during grand tour telecasts. Anyone who tracks cars knows all about hitting the apex, trail braking, push, turn-in, etc. Ever watch World Cup alpine ski racers? They are particularly adept at finding the perfect lines and efficiently hitting their apexes.


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Closed course road racing is all about cornering; brake as late and as hard as possible, maintain the highest possible speed through the apex, then accelerate as soon and as hard as possible until you hit the next corner. Bicycle racing is a bit different and corning skills aren't generally a big factor. It's interesting to watch time trials though and see the wide disparity in corning skills between different riders. I'm sure they'd benefit from some coaching and track experience on motorcycles.


----------



## Chris Keller (May 19, 2008)

LARC, What about another Look?? 

I have a Look KX Light, and a 695...and I had a 595 Ultra...LOVE MY LOOK bikes!! Looks are gorgeous, have excellent handling qualities and are a bit unique. I have done some test rides on BMC bikes and I would love to have one...IIRC the BMC rode similar to the Looks.


----------



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

I had the opportunity to test ride both the Team Machine and R3 this past weekend. They were short rides on flat roads, unfortunately no nearby hills to test climbing characteristics. Based on these short rides, I would have to say that I liked the BMC more than the Cervelo. The SLR01 just felt more lively, lighter and more responsive to short sprint bursts. Both were stiff enough, for me at least and very smooth over bad patches of pavement and manhole covers. The BMC just felt more responsive to me.

Compared to my Look 585, both bikes were a bit stiffer and smoother - not by a whole lot but noticeable. The 585 is perhaps a more lively and just as responsive of a bike as the SLR01, just a bit softer in the BB area. I'm not a big rider (145 lbs), so be sure to factor that into my evaluation.

Is the BMC that much better to justify selling my 585? I'm still debating that... If I could, I'd like to have both!


----------



## LARC (Jun 4, 2011)

Chris Keller said:


> LARC, What about another Look??
> 
> I have a Look KX Light, and a 695...and I had a 595 Ultra...LOVE MY LOOK bikes!! Looks are gorgeous, have excellent handling qualities and are a bit unique. I have done some test rides on BMC bikes and I would love to have one...IIRC the BMC rode similar to the Looks.


I'd love to have a 695, but if price wasn't an issue. I do like my 585 a lot, but just wondering if I'm missing out on the recent advancements in cycling (e.g. bb30, tapered forks, etc.)?


----------



## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

LARC said:


> I had the opportunity to test ride both the Team Machine and R3 this past weekend. They were short rides on flat roads, unfortunately no nearby hills to test climbing characteristics. Based on these short rides, I would have to say that I liked the BMC more than the Cervelo. The SLR01 just felt more lively, lighter and more responsive to short sprint bursts. Both were stiff enough, for me at least and very smooth over bad patches of pavement and manhole covers. The BMC just felt more responsive to me.
> 
> Compared to my Look 585, both bikes were a bit stiffer and smoother - not by a whole lot but noticeable. The 585 is perhaps a more lively and just as responsive of a bike as the SLR01, just a bit softer in the BB area. I'm not a big rider (145 lbs), so be sure to factor that into my evaluation.
> 
> Is the BMC that much better to justify selling my 585? I'm still debating that... If I could, I'd like to have both!


I learned a long time ago to stop worrying about trying to justify switching frames by realizing it's simply part of what keeps some of us riding - some people look for a bike for life; others like to get a new bike every season or so. I was used to a new frame every season when I raced for teams and just got used to having a new frame every season or so. So, if you're itching for the BMC go for it, put the Look for sale on ebay - it's all going to a sport that makes you enjoy life more and keep healthy...


----------



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

stevesbike said:


> I learned a long time ago to stop worrying about trying to justify switching frames by realizing it's simply part of what keeps some of us riding - some people look for a bike for life; others like to get a new bike every season or so. ...


^^^ This.


----------



## racinrob1 (Dec 9, 2011)

LARC said:


> Is the BMC that much better to justify selling my 585? I'm still debating that... If I could, I'd like to have both!


Keep the 585 and get the BMC, you can never have enough bike's. I have just slid my BMC SLC01 from race bike to training bike, so i can get an SLR01 to race next year. 

Always remember the cyclist rule for bike ownership: N+1= 
Where N= number of bikes now


----------



## RiDe_BMC (Jan 17, 2012)

racinrob1 said:


> Keep the 585 and get the BMC, you can never have enough bike's. I have just slid my BMC SLC01 from race bike to training bike, so i can get an SLR01 to race next year.
> 
> Always remember the cyclist rule for bike ownership: N+1=
> Where N= number of bikes now


This is great advice!


----------



## morgan1819 (Nov 22, 2005)

All things being equal ( both bikes fit you well, same components, etc) the Look 585 might be the best all around bike I have ridden. It's a really good benchmark.

I say go for some test rides, and be prepared to accept that the bike you currently own is damn good.

That said, I've bought several bikes over the last few years, just because I like to try different things and see what works for me, and what doesn't. Can't always figure that out in a test ride or two.

I would try to ride the BMC and a Giant TCR SL back to back. I was a a little shocked by how good the TCR SL was, but I know they are not for everyone...


----------

