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TECH NEWS
BMC GF01 Disc - full bike - exposure corrected so you can actually see itJust in: BMC GranFondo GF01 105 Disc
Swiss company BMC launched the GranFondo way back in 2012, a bike designed to tackle the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix when piloted by its own professional cycle team, but also to be a comfortable long distance ride for amateur cyclists, without compromising on performance.
With disc brakes sweeping like wildfire through the road cycling industry, it’s endurance bikes like the GranFondo that are first in line to get the disc brake makeover. Discs on bikes like this appeal to cyclists less interested in absolute peak power and aerodynamics, and more about comfort and control over long distances and through varied conditions.
And bikes designed for the cobbled classics like the aforementioned Paris-Roubaix make ideal road bikes for non-racing cyclists wanting a bike that can handle typical British roads and be dependable through all sorts of weather. There's also the clearance for wider tyres, much wider than you can get in most race bikes, and disc brakes have really allowed these new bikes to accommodate bigger tyres.
- Buyer's guide: 2016 sportive and endurance road bikes + 15 of the Best
Fro sure £2,499 is a big outlay but you do get a well kitted out bike for the money. It comes equipped with a Shimano 105 mechanical groupset, with a compact 50/34t chainset and 11-32t cassette, and, best of all, Shimano’s RS685 hydraulic disc brakes. These are combined with 140mm disc rotors, the size that Shimano recommends for most applications.
This marriage of mechanical gear shifters to hydraulic disc brakes is probably the jewel in Shimano's current range, offering great performance at a more affordable price than an electronic version. Ideal for people not bothered about electronic gears. And no batteries to worry about charging either.
- Review: Shimano BR-R785 road hydraulic discs
And we reckon the latest Shimano 105 11-speed mechanical groupset is the Japanese company’s best yet. Trickle down technology from Dura-Ace means really precise and quiet gear shifts, and the hydraulic disc brakes are amongst the best currently available (not that there are many hydraulic road disc brake options at present).
- Review: Shimano 105 5800 11-speed Groupset
You get Shimano RX31 disc-compatible wheels with 25mm wide Continental Ultra Sport 2 tyres, but the frame can easily accommodate wider tyres if you wanted to boost the comfort factor. It's a shame really BMC hasn't specced wider tyres. We’re starting to see some rival companies spec 28 and even 30mm tyres on similar endurance bikes. Still, 25mm is a good starting point and will certainly provide more smoothness than a racier 23mm tyre. We'll soon see what the full review has to say about the tyre width.
Completing the build is a carbon fibre seatpost, with 18mm offset, and BMC RDB 3 handlebars, RST 3 stem and a Fizik Aliante R7 saddle with manganese rails.
As the GranFondo is intended to provide a comfortable ride, you’d expect some sort of comfort-boosting feature hidden somewhere in the frame. And you’d be right. BMC has taken a two-pronged approach to providing comfort, with Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC), a combination of carbon layup and tube shapes; and Angle Compliance Technology (ACT), which is the kinks you can see in the chainstays, seatstays and fork legs. Both measures are intended to provide a bit of give when the wheels encounter a bump or hole.
The geometry also differs from the racier TeamMachine. Basically it’s a bit short and higher. That makes it ideally suited for long distance riders seeking comfort and performance, but also new riders who want the performance of a race bike but also want a bike that is easy to handle, with good stability to deal with a variety of road surfaces.
The changes amount to a taller head tube, short top tube, longer wheelbase and more fork rake. There’s no shortage of stiffness if you’re after performance though with a press-fit bottom bracket, tapered head tube and enormous down tube ensuring that there should be oodles of lateral stiffness.
The GF01 Disc is currently doing the miles around Bath and the wider area, so watch out for a full review soon, to see if the BMC can cut it with some of the younger rivals in this hotly contested bike category.
BMC bikes are available exclusively through Evans Cycles.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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7 comments
I own a 2013 Ultegra BMC GF01 with all original components including the DTSwiss R1650 wheel set and 28C 4 Season tyres. I bought this new.
Under load the rear wheel shifts causing the tyre to rub against and erode the inside face of the non-drive side chain stay.
The LBS inspected the wheel and frame and found nothing wrong apart from the damage caused by the tyre. They were able to reproduce the wheel hitting the chain stay.
I have been told by the LBS that BMC have refused to replace the frame because this frame should not be used with 28C tyres. This is despite the bike being supplied by BMC with 28C tyres.
What a strange world this is. I wonder if I were to keep riding this bike how long it would be before the tyre caused the chain stay to fail? I wonder what it would be like if this occured during a long decent?
As long as the lbs has confirmed the rear wheel is correctly dished, tensioned and running true then BMC or the distributors (evans) have a case that should be valid for warranty. If they have supplied the bike with tires too large for safe use under regular use its their problem. All road wheel exhibit some flexure under load, there needs to be a minimum safe clearance to allow this.
The chainstay in this area tends to be quite thick but with constant contacts, Eventually the chainstay will fail, which will present as a softness under power, or the rear wheel dragging / jamming causing a skid. Not as catastrophic as a headtube detaching but not ideal either!
I've dealt with 100s of customers warranties over years in the trade, and seen this issue before generally user error by running a buckled wheel or fitting too large tires.
you don't want to be riding a faulty frame, it won't get any better but further degrade. If the newer model comes with same frame and 25c tires that is a dead give away that issues were seen with your model year with 28c tires.
I have a similar situation with my 2014 BMC GF02, the wheel seems to rub on the off-side and did pretty much from day one. I thought it was user error but can't see any buckling in the wheel.
My bike was supplied with 28c tyres too so may be the cause. Time to ring Evans I think.
@ivanovicognjen
fair point
you can pick up a 2016 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2 with full Ultegra, hydro discs and lighter wheels for just under £2300
If I was looking for that type of bike, then that would be on my shortlist for sure.
I think it's too expensive. 105 and hydraulics with a nice carbon frame...1800 sounds about right.
Strange that BMC used to spec the old GF with 28s, which was widely praised at the time, and now they're gone to a 25mm tyre...