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First Look! BMC TeamElite TE01 29 Carbon 29er Hardtail

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike
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2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

BMC started their 29er programe in 2012. Like several other brands, they took a wait and see approach before jumping into the big wheel party. The result was the alloy TE01 29, but almost immediately they wanted to do more.

With this new bike, they had three goals. Be fast, be efficient and be lightweight.

To tackle fast, they maximized the advantage of bike wheels by designing it to handle like a 26″ bike. This was done with short 429mm (16.8″) chainstays (tighter handling, snappy acceleration), a low bottom bracket (65mm drop, lower center of gravity and a feeling of being “in” the bike rather than on top of it), a somewhat slack 70º head angle (improved stability), and a low stack height by using short headtubes of just 90mm to 110mm depending on frame size (a comfortable yet aggressive fit).

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

Like the new GF01 road bike, it essentially splits the frame into two parts. The lower section for stiff power transfer and the upper half for compliance and comfort. It’s all part of their TCC (Tuned Compliance Concept), and it gives the rear axle about 20mm of movement under normal hard riding, but it’s designed to max out at 30mm of vertical deflection. The movement comes via flex in the seatstays, seat tube and top tube. To add a bit more compliance (read: comfort), they designed a lightweight (200g for zero offset) 27.2 seatpost that’s designed to flex slightly. This combo lets the frame absorb some of the bump without affecting rider position, and it keeps the frame tracking better when standing because it’s not just relying on seatpost flex for adding comfort.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

The top tube gets quite narrow as it moves back.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

Also like the GF01, it’s one of the stiffest bikes they’ve made. This was done partially by using a massive downtube and chainstays, but also new carbon layups and molding techniques.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

Engineer Jonas Müller said as much attention was paid to the interior molds as to the exterior, yielding a perfectly smooth inner wall without wrinkles that could end up as stress risers. The frame is made of four monocoque pieces that are then bonded and wrapped together, and the whole thing is made of unidirectional carbon fiber.

The result is a 980g frame (medium, with hardware – bottle cage bolts, derailleur hanger, cable guides, seatpost clamp & chain keeper), which they claim is one of the lightest 29er hardtail frames available. It’s available in S, M and L, which BMC says accommodates riders from 5’4″ up to 6’5″.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

A massive bottom bracket junction houses a PressFit 86 BB.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

Note the metal chainsuck plate on the chainstay.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

An adjustable chaincatcher is integrated into the frame will work with 2×10 or 3×10 cranksets.

2013 BMC TeamElite TE01 29er carbon fiber hardtail mountain bike

The rear brake uses an integrated post mount with alloy inserts that are replaceable. It’s designed for 160mm or 180mm rotors. Sorry weight weenies, no 140mm on this bike.

New Onza Canis 29er tubeless tire

Will come with SRAM X0 group (with X9 shifters), the new Fox 32 CTD FIT Float Factory Fork, Easton EC90 handlebar and EA70 XCT tubeless wheels and new Onza Canis ERA tubeless tires. MSRP is $5,499. Weight of the complete bike is claimed at 9.8kg (22.0 lbs).

It’ll ship with a 0mm offset seatpost, and 15mm and 30mm offset posts are available aftermarket.

The frame has been tasted in World Cup racing at Pietermaritzburg and Houffalize as well as the Cape Epic, with more than 8,000km of testing and 500km of racing under its belt. Their sponsored racer, Stephen Ettinger, is racing in his first year out of their U23 development team and was the top Pro American finisher at Houffalize aboard this bike.

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12 Comments
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Tom Bammann
11 years ago

So is it edible? What does it taste like?
“The frame has been tasted in World Cup racing at Pietermaritzburg”

CtoF
CtoF
11 years ago

Wow. A new carbon 29r that is lighter and stiffer than everyone else’s with compliancy in all the right areas. Thanks BMC for coming out with something brand new that will really turn the bike world upside down. *Yawn* Wake me up when something new comes out.

Chris
Chris
11 years ago

I’m starting to warm up to BMC’s recent push for built-in chain catchers..

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
11 years ago

paris-roubaix bike redux.

Topmounter
Topmounter
11 years ago

Cliche’d bicycle marketing gobbly-gook aside… ~building a 29’er that handles like a 26’er~ (oh brother!?!)

I’d be curious to ride this frame and see how the rear-end compares to a traditional soft-tail (e.g. Moots).

And like the Roub-frame… this would be a slick looking frame if they could find a way to tie together the seat-stays and the main triangle brace…. but I guess the fact that they didn’t means there is some tangible benefit to the design as-is.

Cali-Steve
Cali-Steve
11 years ago

Tyler, what is the new fork you speak of above? Is this the new RLC or an OEM RLC? What is CTD?
– “the new Fox 32 CTD FIT Float Factory Fork”

Topmounter
Topmounter
11 years ago

Sounds OEM to me.

Will BMC offer this as a “frame-only”?

fanboy
fanboy
11 years ago

hahahaha

I can’t believe that BMC have persisted with the Team Elite model name. previous models under that name have enjoyed 100% failure rate. in fact, some owners have broken multiple frames and eventually been given store credits.

Winning
11 years ago

I will start by saying that any negative comments about this bike are just ignorance. Riding is believing with these bikes. If you have ridden multiple 29ers and studied the geometries of each to understand what part of the bike does what both positive and negative you would understand what works overall and not just for you but just in general. These bikes actually do ride like 26ers and every single rider i have seen get on one gets off the bike saying they got faster, more so than any other bike they have ridden. This bike is internal cable routing (maybe for strength and weight issues) away from perfection. If you ride any other 29er and then this bike you will understand why people say they handle and accelerate just like a good 26.

If you have the chance to you should take a drive to the closest available demo day or shop with demo bikes. Give it a shot before you smash, then if you dont like it go ahead and say so, then i will call you a liar 😉

evilZ
evilZ
11 years ago

CTD is the new Fox damper for 2013 with 3 modes – Climb, Trail and Descend.

ascar larkinyar
ascar larkinyar
11 years ago

slack headtube=fail

44gnats
44gnats
11 years ago

16.8 cs, short ht, lowish BB, long TT, short ht, bb92, sub 1000 grams and presumably stiff as hell, this thing looks great to me; the fact that BMC engineers are more talented than their marketer counterparts is encouraging to me; the ride quality is in the math of the bike, not the predictable prose..

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