BMC TeamMachine SLR01

BMC’s TeamMachine SLR01 is one of the best ProTour inspired bikes we’ve ever ridden. It hits the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg and is comfortable enough for any level of rider to enjoy, so long as they can handle its pro-inspired angles.

Ride & handling: A dreamy ride with a good balance of weight, pedaling efficiency and comfort

The SLR01 is far from the stiffest professional-level bike we’ve ridden, but it’s one of the best at balancing all of the coveted features of a top-level carbon fiber bike – stiffness, low weight and a degree of comfort.

In fact, it's one of the lightest bikes we’ve ridden lately – our 53cm test frame weights 905g with all of its hardware including titanium water bottle cage bolts, and the complete bike as pictured weighs just 6.812kg (15.01lb) – and it offers an incredibly forgiving ride.

It was the perfect ride for our tester, a 150lb all-rounder who enjoys climbing and descending the twisty, elevation-intensive roads around Boulder, Colorado.

Despite the TeamMachine's smooth ride – which is similar to that of Specialized’s 2011 Roubaix SL3 – it offers stiff and confidence-inspiring steering precision. This is rooted in the large down tube, tapered head tube (1-1/8 to 1-1/4in) and the way the top tube gently tapers towards the seat tube. It means that subtle shifts of bodyweight aren't muted by the frame's built-in flex.

The well designed front triangle is mated to a rear end punctuated by notably svelte seatstays. Because of BMC’s focus on producing a relatively comfortable ride, the TeamMachine feels noticeably softer to pedal than other bikes in the category. Nonetheless, pedaling efficiency was adequate for our test rider, who was happy to sacrifice a little stiffness for lighter weight and improved comfort. The TeamMachine may not be the highest performing machine on paper or on the test bench, but it's stronger than the sum of its parts. Companies that focus too much on one attribute – such as weight or stiffness – often fail in producing a bike that rides well. That's certainly not a mistake BMC have made here.

In the past we’ve ridden bikes with ultra-rigid front-ends and super-comfy rear-ends that have a sort of disconnect between the two halves; Cannondale’s half-carbon, half-aluminum System Six bike is an infamous example of this. The TeamMachine, however, feels very much like a complete package.