# New BH RC1 - any comments?



## Steelguy

I like the new BH RC1 but have never seen any reviews of it. Can somebody who has ridden one comment on its qualities - ride, handling, and so forth? Thanks, W


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## medimond

I did a 4 mile test ride on the RC1 back in April. I really liked how it climbed, the rear end is nice and tight. The ride quality is really good. Now the but ... I didn't didn't like the front end, it didn't seem inspiring. I even had the LBS put my front wheel (Kinlin 270, 20 x-rays spokes on White Industry Hubs), a known wheel. It didn't improve the handling. I told the LBS owner about my experience and he came away with the same impression when he road it. 

After the RC1 I road a Rocky Mountain full carbon with Ultegra, that bike's front end was more grounded and connected to the riders inputs than the RC1.


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## Steelguy

medimond said:


> Now the but ... I didn't didn't like the front end, it didn't seem inspiring.


Thanks for your comments - very helpful. On the other hand, many of the BH bikes that have reached the US recently seem to be pretty good (G-series, Connect, Speedrom), so I wonder why the difference. I think the RC1 is supposed to be the successor to the Connect.


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## medimond

If you can, try riding the RC1, perhaps you'll come away with a different conclusion. The Prisma is the Connect replacement. The RC1 is a cheaper version of the G5. 

I purchased my wife a Speedrom with full Ultegra, she loves it. My buddy also has a Speedrom as well.


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## maxn

First, price is not the most important difference between the RC1 and G5 IMO. I could have bought a G5 for not that much more money, but I opted for the RC1 because of the smoother ride and the non integrated seatpost (I'm not a fan of integrated seatposts).

I own a euro spec RC1 with FSA gossamer cranks, everything else Ultegra, Dura Ace 7900 wheels with tubeless tires. I have put ~1700 km and 40k or so vertical meters on it this year (only ~100 with the 7900s. Most miles were on the stock Rollen Elites). Stiffness where you want it, very little if any flex out of the saddle, very comfortable, beefy BB , yadda yadda. The only criticism I can think of is the same as others have stated: that it is a tiny bit little twitchy in the front -- no hands off riding for me on this bike. I should also say that it does not bother me in the least. Overall, I love the bike.


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## ourdiales

i just bought a new 2011 g5 and one of the guys on my team also purchased a 2011 bh rc1. both bikes climb like a beast....all the effort put on the pedals tramform in to power!!!.really great machines..hope your really enjoying yours


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## twaggener

I have owned and ridden the snot out of a G5 and spent some miles on the RC1 (I own a shop and sell BH) and the rides are very similar. To the posters who said the front end was twitchy and or uninspiring, I would blame set up. For some reason a lot of shops, and BH for that matter set these bikes up with a massive steer tube stack. This will chance the handling characteristics of most bikes. Stem length, angle and set up can also effect this. Properly set up and dialed in, the RC1 has an amazing front end, very responsive but not, in my opinion, twitchy. We mostly sell the Rcs with a 105 kit, and that kit is in and of itself uninspiring. I am planning on setting up an RC with a much nicer kit to give it a proper comparison to the G5, but for the most parts these two bikes ride the same. And by same, I mean incredibly. We sell a lot of high end bikes and the G series and the RC1 are among my favorites.


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## dgangi

*2011 RC1 - I bought one*

About a month ago I bought a 2011 RC1 custom-built with some very nice components: SRAM RED drivetrain (everything), Reynolds Attack carbon wheels, FSA K-Force Light compact crankset, FSA carbon bars, Selle San Marco Aspide saddle.

I've put about 300 miles on the bike so far and I love everything about it. The ride is comfortable (dare I say plush?), yet the frame has very little unwanted flex. On climbs the frame feels like a rock, even when standing. On descents the bike is very stable...even at 50MPH. Handling is on the faster side, but that's how I like it. I would never call it twitchy; rather, I would call it "precise". This is a race bike after all...

My old bike was a 2005 Fuji Professional w/Dura Ace, which was a very nice bike...but the BH beats it in every way. It's more comfortable, especially on rough pavement, but the frame is much more solid (the Fuji had a fair amount of flex around the BB). The Fuji was a fantastic handler (probably it's best feature), and the BH definitely matches it.

Plus the BH looks sexy as hell. I've gotten a lot of comments about the bike from lots of people.

I highly recommend this bike!

Thx...Doug


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## twaggener

I just got a 2011 Black and White RC1 built up with Chorus and Fulcrum 1's yesterday for myself and took it out for a 40 mile shake down. Obviously the ride is very similar to the G5. My 57cm RC1 came in 90 grams heavier than my G5 in the same size and the longer post is 35 grams heavier. The fork was the biggest shocker, coming in 65 grams heavier (uncut) than the G5 fork. Still, for the price savings I dont mind the extra weight and it is certainly not noticeable on the road. .
The one difference in ride feel that I noticed was the front end, which is not as solid and steady as the G5. Certainly not twitchy as one poster noted, but going from G5 to RC, there is a definite difference in intention in the front end. The G5 is one of the most confident bikes I have ever ridden and the RC takes a tad more coaxing in certain condition. Still a huge improvement over a lot of other bikes and well worth the price tag.
Other than that ride and feel are identical. I am glad to see BH bringing the performance of the G5 down to another level that is more attainable to more riders. 
Plus, the bike looks awesome. I love the look of the G5 but the stark black and white contrast of the RC1 is exactly what I wanted aesthetically. <img src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cClSaTThwPk/Ttj45Y-gWoI/AAAAAAAABuc/AVHS76W-2ao/s1024/IMAG0753.jpg> <br> <br> The only other complaint I have about this bike, that I have with all of the BHs is the placement of the seat tube bottle cage bolts on the 57 and 59 size. I ride a 57 and I swear getting the bottle off of the seat tube requires master yoga skills. I have learned to just swap bottles when I drain the one on the down tube, but still...


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## dgangi

Interesting to note your comments about the RC1. I live in Phoenix and have many friends who work at Pivot (the company that imports the BH into the USA). I asked a lot of questions when making the decision between the G5 and RC1 bikes and, according to them, the *only* difference between the RC1 and G5 framesets is that the RC1 has additional material added around the seatpost area to accommodate the added stress from the seatpost (G5 has the seatmast and doesn't need this). Otherwise they told me the front/rear triangle is identical. Same with the fork -- they said they use the identical model (made by Edge Composites) on both frames, with the only difference being the paint scheme (to match the frames).

I wonder if the difference in feel from the front end has to do with the wheels, stem, or bars...? My RC1 was custom built with an identical build kit used on the G5 (Reynolds Assault, FSA SLK carbon bars, FSA OS-99 stem)...so I couldn't tell the difference in feel between the two bikes when they were built up the same way. 

Thx...Doug


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## twaggener

My RC1 is a 2011 and I think they did make a change for 2012 which I have yet to ride one of. The fork that came with the 2011 is definitely different than the Edge fork that came with the 2010 G5 that I owned. According to everything I have read about the 2012 line up, it looks like the RC and G5 are now much more identical save the extra weight and seat mast.
Set up was identical to my G5, at least in the last few months I had it (made several changes). And yes, it could also be tire pressure, wind, road surface or all in my head. Or just missing the G5. Definitely not a huge mark agains the bike and if the current model year is now that much closer to the G5 it would be hard to justify the upgrade. Both great bikes.


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## tnajner

Hi Guys,

I am really glad to see that BH RC1 are popping up. I am also owner of RC1, it is 2012 model, on which I got a great deal. I just tell, that I got the price from store that was comparable to the clearance price of 2011. Basically it is RC1 8.7 equipped with ultegra but instead of Cole Rollen elite it got Fulcrum Racing 5 and probably will get something better in spring. Till now I have made roughly 120 kms. but it feels great. Definitely worth the money. 

View attachment 246488


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## dgangi

*My RC1*

Here's a picture of my RC1. It's a custom build to emulate a G5. I love it so far!


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## cnw20

Is there a big difference between the Prisma and Speedrom? Thanks


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## twaggener

yes, there is . The Prisma has a different geometry, tapered headset and fork, press fit bottom bracket and different carbon lay up. Both are good bikes for the money, but the prisma is worth the extra cash. The ride quality is remarkably better in my opinion. Geometry wise they are close, but the prisma is leaning more towards the endurance bike set up with a slightly taller front in and longer wheelbase. I stress "slightly" as the geometry is pretty close.


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## cnw20

Thanks, bikesale.com has the 2011 Prisma on sale for $1799, $200 less than 2012 Speedrom - both have 105s.


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## twaggener

I sell BH too and I would be happy to compete with their price. Give me a call at 502-220-4136
Tom
Main Street bikes


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## ChucklesKY

*BH RC1 Geometry*

I am very interested in this bike. My concern though is the frame geometry. According to the website on the 54cm size the head tube angle is 72.5 and the ST angle is 72.8. Seems to be a bit more relaxed than what I've seen before as a bike touted as a race bike.


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## sgray

twaggener said:


> I just got a 2011 Black and White RC1 built up with Chorus and Fulcrum 1's yesterday for myself and took it out for a 40 mile shake down. Obviously the ride is very similar to the G5. My 57cm RC1 came in 90 grams heavier than my G5 in the same size and the longer post is 35 grams heavier. The fork was the biggest shocker, coming in 65 grams heavier (uncut) than the G5 fork. Still, for the price savings I dont mind the extra weight and it is certainly not noticeable on the road. .
> The one difference in ride feel that I noticed was the front end, which is not as solid and steady as the G5. Certainly not twitchy as one poster noted, but going from G5 to RC, there is a definite difference in intention in the front end. The G5 is one of the most confident bikes I have ever ridden and the RC takes a tad more coaxing in certain condition. Still a huge improvement over a lot of other bikes and well worth the price tag.
> Other than that ride and feel are identical. I am glad to see BH bringing the performance of the G5 down to another level that is more attainable to more riders.
> Plus, the bike looks awesome. I love the look of the G5 but the stark black and white contrast of the RC1 is exactly what I wanted aesthetically. <img src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cClSaTThwPk/Ttj45Y-gWoI/AAAAAAAABuc/AVHS76W-2ao/s1024/IMAG0753.jpg> <br> <br> The only other complaint I have about this bike, that I have with all of the BHs is the placement of the seat tube bottle cage bolts on the 57 and 59 size. I ride a 57 and I swear getting the bottle off of the seat tube requires master yoga skills. I have learned to just swap bottles when I drain the one on the down tube, but still...


Sounds like you weighed the individual frame components, what were the individual weights for the 57cm frame, fork and seatpost if you don't mind me asking?


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