# Thoughts on BMC Team Machine?



## wesmeyer11

I am a long distance triathlete but obviously ride a lot as well. I don't race bikes. Was looking to get back on a carbon bike after riding ti for a few years. Was almost committed to the Roubaix but then I threw a leg over the Team Machine and found that it's geometry wasn't overly aggressive for me and the fit was pretty much dead on. I generally ride somewhere between 40 and 80 miles at a go with a fair amount of climbing as well.

What do you think of the Team Machine? 

Also, should I wait for the 2014s to hit the floor or try and pick up a 2013 on sale? The 2013 53 fits perfectly and I see that the geometry looks to be tweaked ever so slightly for 2014. The 2013 I rode was the SRAM red version and was on sale for 5999. Still too high in my opinion given that the '14 will be lighter and come with 11 speed ultegra. I think my top price for the 13 would be somewhere around 4000-4500. But I digress.

Any thoughts and experiences with the team machine would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

Wes


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## looigi

Love mine, a 2011. I have about 13,000 miles on it. It's light, handles very well, plenty stiff pedaling and a pretty decent ride for a race bike. Despite the advent of newer models it's still the ride of choice for the BMC pros, though they're now starting to ride the 2014 model. If it appeals to you and you feel the price is right, there's no reason not to go for it.


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## uncrx2003

Buy it!!! It's a great bike.


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## marathon marke

I have the 2012 SLR01. It has about 18,000 miles on it right now. Last year I used it for breaking a 300 mile record across Wisconsin. After 19 hours, I had no complaints about comfort nor a single saddle sore. 
I could be wrong, but I think because of the larger/stiffer head tube on the new edition, the ride was reported to be less comfortable. It's an incredible bike. The only thing I've had to replace, other than an Easton rear rim that had spoke holes cracking (under warranty), was a cracked seatpost that I discovered last week. That was also under warranty.


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## bmwk100

I'm in the same boat. I'm looking at a 2013 Team frame for $2700 after my Cannondale hi-mod Supersix cracked. Ready to pull the trigger, although with the release of the 2014 I'm thinking I may get a better price. I'm a 54 with the Supersix and looking to get a 53 with the Team machine as I hear they run big. Anybody with experience with both bikes- your comparison would be appreciated.


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## wesmeyer11

No warranty? If not, did you think about having calfee repair it?


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## bmwk100

Long story- but it was considered crash damaged and I received a Supersix (non hi-mod when my previous bike was a hi-mod) as crash damage replacement. I'm selling the Supersix due to my crush on the BMC.


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## veloci1

I rode a 2011 Race machine because I fell in love with the way they look. I has a cannondale that I sold in order to get the BMC. I know you are asking about the Team machine,but, my personal preference is the Cannondale SS. I felt the SS was a much better descender than the BMC. 
I have an Evo now and I cannot see myself riding anything else. I think the BMC head tube flexes a little too much for me. I am 185 lbs or so.as a matter of fact, I believe the beefed up the HT after 2011. So, maybe now the BMC handles better. I have not tried the new models, but, if you are coming from a cannodale, I am not too sure you will be upgrading with the BMC..


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## bmwk100

Very interesting take. I'm having problems with Cannondale's warranty team and my LBS is very frustrated with them too. I have become smitten with the Team Machine and I guess if Cadel can win the TDF riding it, it should be OK for this weekend warrior. Plus, I got a good price offer. I appreciate the input, and I have to say I was very satisfied with my hi-mod SS. But two cracked frames in two years opened the door to my transition.


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## looigi

bmwk100 said:


> Very interesting take. I'm having problems with Cannondale's warranty team and my LBS is very frustrated with them too. I have become smitten with the Team Machine and I guess if Cadel can win the TDF riding it, it should be OK for this weekend warrior...


Lot's of wins on the Team Machine. Tejay '13 AMGEN ATOC, Gilbert '12 Worlds, and many more. Check it here: BMC Racing Team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia you will have to read between the lines a bit to figure out which were won on the SLR01, but there were many.


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## bmwk100

I ordered my 2013 Team Machine today with SRAM Red. Counting down the days until I receive it. I hope it is all that I have heard about it.


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## uncrx2003

bmwk100 said:


> I ordered my 2013 Team Machine today with SRAM Red. Counting down the days until I receive it. I hope it is all that I have heard about it.


Sweet. Should be very light with Sram Red.


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## thomasrcleary

uncrx2003 said:


> Sweet. Should be very light with Sram Red.


I have the BMC teammachine SLR01 2012 with SRAM Red. Very comfortable bike but having some issues with it such as loose lock nut on the rear sprocket. There's a knocking nose over rough terrain; I think coming from the seat post. And my rear derailleur exploded on Saturday and hoping to have it replaced under warranty. O and my derailleur hanger was loose. I paid €5,000 for mine and in my opinion this shite shouldn't be happening.


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## looigi

thomasrcleary said:


> I have the BMC teammachine SLR01 2012 with SRAM Red. Very comfortable bike but having some issues with it such as loose lock nut on the rear sprocket. There's a knocking nose over rough terrain; I think coming from the seat post. And my rear derailleur exploded on Saturday and hoping to have it replaced under warranty. O and my derailleur hanger was loose. I paid €5,000 for mine and in my opinion this shite shouldn't be happening.


Hmmm. Hard to blame BMC on these issues, IMO. On wheels I have (not supplied with my BMC) I find the cassette lock ring sometimes gets loose over time despite being tightened to the specified 40 Nm. And, of course, the RD is manufactured by SRAM, so if it failed, that's a SRAM issue regardless of the frame manufacturer. Loose hanger? It's not loose when the skewer is tightened. At what point did that happen or become evident? Was it in some way connected to the RD failure, and specifically, what happened to the RD?


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## thomasrcleary

The last time I cleaned my pride and joy [wheels off], I noticed that the hanger was very loose, hence the comment. As for the RD, my LBS has ordered a new one and sent photos of the busted RD to the irish distributor, who in turn will send to BMC.

Finally, if BMC are fitting components to their frames wouldn't you think that they would be correctly installed on the frame before leaving the factory? Many of the issues I've been having with my bike are due to components not being correctly installed on the frame :cryin:


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## uncrx2003

thomasrcleary said:


> The last time I cleaned my pride and joy [wheels off], I noticed that the hanger was very loose, hence the comment. As for the RD, my LBS has ordered a new one and sent photos of the busted RD to the irish distributor, who in turn will send to BMC.
> 
> Finally, if BMC are fitting components to their frames wouldn't you think that they would be correctly installed on the frame before leaving the factory? *Many of the issues I've been having with my bike are due to components not being correctly installed on the frame* :cryin:


I found to be way too common. I find very few faults with various frameset. It's usually the installation that's faulty. When my SLR01 Di2 arrived, they didn't install the connections very well. Over rough terrain, it popped right out and rode home with one gear before I could figure it out.


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## wesmeyer11

Time to update the thread...First off, thank you for all the input. I pulled the trigger on a NOS team machine size 53 for 2300 - Di2 only. The Di2 only bit was a little disappointing as they have since rectified that on 2013 but electronic is the future and the future is now - I have been on Di2 for two years and don't think I missed a shift that wasn't my own fault since I started riding it. 

To the bike. Everything I hoped it would be and more. I don't have many miles on it yet and haven't done any major climbs, but I can report that it is as butter smooth as I wanted and certainly works well as an endurance bike even though it is their racier model. It is stiff and most of the energy goes into moving the bike forward but it leaves you fresh after a ride on rough roads. I came off a Moots compact which I still have and I would say it is just as smooth as the moots if not more so. The handling and ability of the bike to corner is unreal. It will go as hard and as far over as you are comfortable and won't hesitate a bit - my only concern was the ability of the tires to hold grip - nothing from the frame gave me a second thought when I was leaned into a corner going downhill. My rough test of a bikes handling is the ability to ride hands free downhill and it does this with ease - no twitchiness up front.

The only downside is that it feels as big as it is, which isn't a problem for me as I am mainly a seated climber, but when you get out of the saddle you know it is beneath you - I think this is mainly due to the more horizontal versus compact top tube. 

I didn't weigh it but it feels about 16 pounds or so if I had to guess with a normal build of old dura ace Di2, a SRM power meter and kysrium ES wheels. SRM is probably going to be switched out for a DA 9000 stages and I have a set of Enve 45s that I am waiting to put on so maybe that will get me to 15 pounds or so.

I will update this thread when I have more miles on the bike but my first impressions are that this is a one quiver bike that does it all, and does it very well. I don't race, I just ride with guys who race and then ride long as well, but I would be comfortable on the Team Machine whether it be a 40 mile hammer ride or a 100+ mile base ride.

So, here's to BMC for making an excellent bike that will keep me happy and comfortable for years to come all while looking pretty good. And I think that is one of my favorite parts - all the major makers have great high end bikes and I think I would be hard pressed to tell the difference - but at the end of the day the BMC fit me like a glove and isn't what everyone else is riding, which is part of the cool factor.


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## looigi

Very close to how I would describe my experience with the SLR01. Great handling and nice ride. The ride isn't as plush as my Ti bike, but handling and pedaling stiffness is much better. Mine (55) with Red, HED Ardennes, pedals, saddle, cages weights just at 16 lb. Doesn't leave much wanting.

Tire wise, I've been running Pro3s (gone through 10 in 13k miles) but have just switched to Pro4 and have just over 1k miles on them. Great grip except when brand new. They have a waxy coating that takes a few miles and progressive leans to wear off. I liked the 3s but am finding the 4s superior in ride, handling and apparent durability. Not that it seemed to matter, but I used to get a lot of small cuts in the 3s and the 4s seem much more resistant, though I don't have that many miles or seasons.


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## bmwk100

Received my 2013 SRAM Red Team Machine on Friday and had a 2.5 hour RETUL session for proper fitting. I had my Enve 6.7 wheels installed and headed out Saturday. Ended up with 90 miles and had no issues. Another 60 miles on Sunday and both were fast group rides. 

What an amazing machine! With the Enve wheels it looks fast standing still. (I don't know how to post pics.) The fit was perfect. The bike accelerates very quick. Coming off a Cannondale hi-mod Supersix that I really enjoyed, the main difference I felt was the PERCEIVED shorter wheelbase on the BMC. (It feels like the rear wheel is underneath the seat. This probably explains the difference in acceleration between both bikes.

I am very happy with my new machine!


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## looigi

bmwk100 said:


> ...(I don't know how to post pics.)...


When you Reply, there's a tool bar across the top of the reply box. The third icon from the right is box with dark corners. Click on that at it will bring up a dialog allowing you to upload a photo from your computer or specify a URL for a photo.

Now post some photos!!!


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## bmwk100

700 miles on it and really loving it!


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## looigi

Sweet! I like that you don't have to plug it in and make sure it's charged before riding.


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## Spark

Congratulations nice bike :thumbsup:


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## rinconryder

Nice ride! Looks about identical to mine including having to slide the seat up a bit on the set back post. I wish it had come with a standard post without set back but it's all good in the hood when you are on a BMC.


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## bmwk100

I had a Retul fitting and have no issues. I guess the seat is pushed forward a bit. Set back post makes us different.


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## B05

OP,

Consider getting a TMR01/02 since you're a Tri guy. You'll benefit from the Aero Shaped design whilst it being a road bike frame.


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## RiDe_BMC

bmwk100 said:


> View attachment 286107
> 
> 700 miles on it and really loving it!


Congrats on the new bike! Looks great!


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