BMC Teammachine SLR Two 2021

The BMC Teammachine SLR Two is a proper road race bike: nippy, stiff, and hugely responsive, begging to be ridden hard. It even manages to temper the firm ride enough that comfort doesn't become an issue on any but the roughest of roads.

Ride

The Teammachine has been in BMC's line-up for over 10 years, and the SLR Two highlights why it has stood the test of time. It's an absolute blast to ride. I never had a mundane outing on it, no matter how tired I was feeling.

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The moment I got on it and rode off out of the estate, everything just felt absolutely spot on. The geometry allowed me a decent saddle to bar drop, and once into the lanes my body position just felt bang on for threading the SLR Two through the bends.

The BMC just wants to go, too, all of the time. You can cruise along on it, and it's a pleasurable place to be, but this thing really comes alive when you give it a kick.

It's just so responsive to your inputs; there is no feeling of waste, just efficiency. I always seemed to be riding just a touch harder than I needed to, the Teammachine goading me on a little bit more for just a little bit further.

The paybacks are big, too, and not just from the screen on the computer – it's just a fun bike to ride.

On the flat sections, the small amount of aero touches in the design come into play, and I could really cover the miles in relative ease. As I said, the geometry was spot on for me and I could make full use of the drops or the hoods for long rides without any effect on comfort.

While on the subject of comfort, it's worth pointing out that the Teammachine doesn't have the most supple ride quality – in fact it is firm by today's standards. That never translated as harshness, though, even with the 25mm Vittoria Rubino tyres pumped up to 100psi. It's exactly how I like my bikes to feel: tight and stiff, with comfort being a secondary concern without becoming an issue.

If you prefer a little more compliance, the SLR Two will take up to a 30mm tyre.

Hitting the climbs, or when sprinting, the rear end of the frame feels exceptionally tight. The use of a press-fit bottom bracket allows for a wider shell without affecting the q-factor (the distance between the cranks) which means the junction of tubes can also be bigger, ensuring more stiffness under power transfer.

The shortness of the wheelbase (989mm) gives a nimble feel to the Teammachine under these hard efforts, all adding to the feel of efficiency.

The 54cm model I was riding has a 72.3-degree head angle, which wasn't quite as steep as I was expecting considering how quick the steering feels – but it works. Descending on the SLR Two is an absolute thrill.

The amount of feedback you get from the frame and fork is incredible. Every tiny detail of how this bike is interacting with the tarmac is transferred through to your hands, and when you pair that to the nimbleness and quick handling, any tweak you have to make while carving your way through a technical bend at speed is dealt with instantaneously.

It's brilliant!

Frame and fork

When it comes to designing its bikes, BMC developed what it calls ACE+. The original ACE concept was a design software that was used to calculate cross-sections of the frame, carbon layup and geometrical structure, to create thousands of virtual prototypes to achieve the perfect balance based on three key parameters: stiffness, weight and compliance.

The newer ACE+ now used includes aerodynamics.

According to BMC, all of the tube shapes have been chosen to improve how efficiently the Teammachine cuts through the air – things like the kamm-tail down tube and the D-shaped seat tube and associated seatpost.

The fork has also been redesigned, including things like an integrated thru-axle nut inside the leg at the dropout.

Even the bottle cages have been designed to work with the frame profile.

The D-shaped seatpost also adds comfort, allowing some flex in the same way it does on some of the Giant frames I've ridden. That, and the very slender seatstays, take the sting out of the tail.

The Teammachine is available in six sizes ranging from a top tube length of 517mm through to 589mm. This 54cm model has a 549mm top tube, 145mm head tube and a seat tube length of 504mm.

Angles-wise, it's 73 degrees for the seat and, as mentioned earlier, 72.3 for the head. Stack and reach are 550mm and 386mm respectively; nothing too out of the ordinary there.

Overall quality of the frame and fork looks and feels to be very good. There were no horrible rattles or creaks when riding on a multitude of road surfaces, and if I clipped a pothole the frame responded with a solid feeling response.

Groupset

The SLR Two comes fitted with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, which, quite frankly, is one of the best electronic gear systems out there.

The gear shifts have been refined over each iteration, to the point now where they are fast and precise regardless of how much load you are applying to the pedals.

Gearing-wise, the BMC comes with a 52/36-tooth semi-compact chainset and an 11-30t 11-speed cassette.

It's the right ratios for the riding style of the SLR Two, giving you plenty of gears for top-end speed work (while some might query the need for an 11-tooth sprocket, I actually use it quite a bit) along with the 30-tooth sprocket to bail you out on the climbs.

As you'd expect, the brakes are also Ultegra: full hydraulic units clamping onto a 160mm rotor on the front and a 140mm rotor on the rear.

Like the gear shifting, the braking is top notch. Ultegra hydraulics have got me out of some tricky situations over the years thanks to their great levels of power and modulation regardless of the conditions.

Finishing kit

BMC provides its own Rab 02 ergo top shape compact handlebar and RSM01 stem. I got on well with both, and they do the job, though they're not exactly flash for this kind of money.

The addition of an out-front computer mount on the stem is a nice touch, though.

The D-shaped seatpost is BMC's own and comes with a 15mm offset. Sat atop it is a Fizik Antares R7 saddle, one of my favourites, and I got on with it very well indeed.

Its length gives plenty of room to move around on, if that's how you ride, and I like its firmness. Just like the Teammachine, it's firm without being overly so.

Wheels and tyres

BMC has specced DT Swiss P 1800 Spline wheels. These are popular wheels we're seeing on a wide range of builds from many manufacturers.

With 32mm-deep aluminium alloy rims mated to DT Swiss hubs by DT Aero Comp spokes, they're a good all-round choice. At around 1,600g they are light enough to not hamper performance too much, and they'll take plenty of abuse.

I've ridden them on various bikes and never had an issue with them. As with the finishing kit, though, I'd expect to see something carbon or very high-end alloy for this kind of money.

The Vittoria Rubino tyres are also another good selection. I had no issues with reliability, and grip levels are high, as they need to be to cope with the fast handling achievable on the Teammachine.

Value

This model comes in at £4,500. That's very similar to the Quintana Roo SRfive that I was testing alongside the BMC.

The Quintana Roo is also a semi-aero road bike that comes with an electronic groupset (FSA K-Force FE) and an alloy set of wheels. Its geometry means the steering is more 'endurance'-based than the BMC, though, and I'd say the latter also wins out on the fun factor.

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One of my benchmark bikes is the Orro Venturi STC, a truly stunning take on an aero road bike, and it does well on value too. I tested the SRAM Force eTap AXS build at £4,699.99, but it is also available in an Ultegra Di2 build for £4,399.99, which includes deep-section carbon wheels and a carbon integrated cockpit.

Another bike I've riding alongside the BMC is the Vitus VX-1 (review coming soon), and it follows a similar theme to the Teammachine. It has a very similar ride feel in the way it responds, and can't be faulted when it comes to performance.

With Reynolds AR58/AR62 deep-section carbon wheels, a Vision Metron SD carbon integrated stem and handlebar plus an Ultegra Di2 groupset, it costs £3,999.

Conclusion

The Teammachine SLR Two is one of the most fun bikes I've ridden in a while. It's just raw performance and sweet handling, which, if you are a keen performance rider, I really don't think you'll ever tire of. Yes, it's up against some stiff competition price-wise, but not to the level where it becomes detrimental to the overall package.

Verdict

A highly entertaining race bike to ride, with a performance to match