Based out of Switzerland, BMC (Bicycle Manufacturing Company) was founded in 1986 by Bob Bigelow. It was a wholesale distributor of Raleigh bikes and shifted its focus to building bikes in 2001 after Bigelow lost his Raleigh distributor license.
Businessman Andy Rihs took over BMC in 2000 and built a production capacity in Grenchen, Switzerland. From there, the BMC Impec bike was born. Today, the Grenchen facility no longer manufactures but houses BMC’s R&D and Engineering teams, called the Impec Advanced R&D Lab.
While BMC manufactures bikes for all cycling disciplines, we will focus solely on BMC road bikes in this article.
BMC Road Bikes Line Up
BMC’s naming convention can be confusing for some. There are three models of road bikes from Teammachine SLR (all-rounder) to Timemachine (aero) and Roadmachine (endurance).
The top-of-the-line frames have a 01 after their names, and the lower range doesn’t. The ALR acronym indicates aluminum frames.
The bike specs are specified in written numbers such as ONE, TWO, THREE, and so on, indicating their component levels. The lower the number, the better the specs.
Example : BMC Teammachine SLR01 ONE
Model | Designed for | Price range (USD) |
---|---|---|
Teammachine SLR01 | Premium, all-rounder race bike | $7,500 to $16,000 |
Teammachine SLR | All-rounder race bike | $3,200 to $6,500 |
Teammachine ALR | Aluminum, mid-range bike | $2,600 to $4,000 |
Roadmachine 01 | Premium endurance bike | $7,300 to $12,700 |
Roadmachine | Endurance bike | $3,400 to $6,500 |
Roadmachine X | Urban bike | $5,100 to $6,700 |
Timemachine Road 01 | Premium aero race bike | $7,200 to $12,800 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01
The BMC Teammachine SLR01 is an all-rounder, pure-breed race bike.
Cadel Evans won the Tour de France in 2011 on the same model, albeit an older generation model. At first glance, the naming convention of the Teammachine SLR01 can be confusing and looks to be all over.
The range-topping model is the Ltd, the same bike ridden by the AG2R Citroën Team. It’s followed by the ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, and FIVE models. Top-of-the-line models are equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or SRAM Red AXS. Mid-range models are equipped with Shimano Ultegra Di2 or SRAM Force AXS.
There are six models in the Teammachine SLR01 lineup based on the choice of groupsets.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Teammachine SLR01 Ltd | Carbon | Campagnolo Super Record EPS | $15,999 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01 ONE | Carbon | SRAM Red eTap AXS | $14,999 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01 TWO | Carbon | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (R9200) | $12,999 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01 THREE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $9,299 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01 FOUR | Carbon | SRAM Force eTap AXS | $8,499 |
BMC Teammachine SLR01 FIVE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $7,499 |
More reading : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (R9200) vs SRAM Red eTap AXS Groupsets
BMC Teammachine SLR
The BMC Teammachine SLR is a mid-range carbon race bike at more accessible pricing levels.
It’s similar to the SLR01 except for one big difference; the absence of hidden front-end cabling. Unlike the Teammachine SLR01, the Teammachine SLR has exposed brake hoses on the front end due to the non-integrated, two-piece cockpit design.
Similar to its elder sibling, the naming convention of the Teammachine SLR looks to be all over and with overlapping pricing. This is due to the combination of wheelsets and/or groupsets that is specced with the bike.
There are seven models in the Teammachine SLR lineup based on its groupset options.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Teammachine SLR ONE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $6,499 |
BMC Teammachine SLR TWO | Carbon | SRAM Force eTap AXS | $5,999 |
BMC Teammachine SLR THREE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $5,599 |
BMC Teammachine SLR FOUR | Carbon | SRAM Rival eTap AXS | $5,199 |
BMC Teammachine SLR FIVE | Carbon | Shimano 105 Di2 (R7100) | $4,599 |
BMC Teammachine SLR SIX | Carbon | Shimano 105 (R7000) | $3,399 |
BMC Teammachine SLR SEVEN | Carbon | Shimano 105 (R7000) | $3,199 |
More reading : Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) vs SRAM Force eTap AXS Groupsets
BMC Teammachine ALR
The BMC Teammachine ALR is an entry-level, aluminum road bike, hence the ALR acronym.
With the same geometry as the Teammachine SLR and Teammachine SLR01, the Teammachine ALR is a solid bike by itself. For it to be budget-friendly, BMC specced all the models with low to mid-tiered Shimano or SRAM drivetrains and aluminum wheels.
There are two models in the Teammachine ALR lineup. The difference lies in the choice of electronic vs. mechanical groupsets and wheels.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Teammachine ALR ONE | Aluminum | SRAM Rival eTap AXS | $3,999 |
BMC Teammachine ALR TWO | Aluminum | Shimano 105 (R7000) | $2,599 |
More reading : Shimano 105 Di2 (R7100) vs SRAM Rival eTap AXS Groupsets
BMC Roadmachine 01
The BMC Roadmachine 01 is a top-of-the-line endurance bike.
It has a more relaxed geometry compared to the Teammachine. It has a carbon fiber layup geared towards more comfort, especially over rough roads, at the expense of high performance and stiffness.
There are five models in the BMC Roadmachine 01 lineup, with prices ranging from $7,299 to $12,699. All models are specced with electronic shifting only. The frameset is also available separately.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Roadmachine 01 ONE | Carbon | SRAM Red eTap AXS | $12,699 |
BMC Roadmachine 01 TWO | Carbon | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (R9200) | $12,999 |
BMC Roadmachine 01 THREE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $8,899 |
BMC Roadmachine 01 FOUR | Carbon | SRAM Force eTap AXS | $8,299 |
BMC Roadmachine 01 FIVE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $7,299 |
More reading : Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) vs Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (R9200) Groupsets
BMC Roadmachine
The BMC Roadmachine is the cheaper version of the Roadmachine 01.
They have the same frame geometry and carbon fiber, but the Roadmachine doesn’t come with hidden cables. The front and rear brake hoses are exposed and enter the frame at the top left of the fork and downtube.
The highest-specced BMC Roadmachine is with either an SRAM Force eTap AXS or Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset. Mechanical Shimano 105 groupset is used on cheaper models.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Roadmachine ONE | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $6,499 |
BMC Roadmachine TWO | Carbon | SRAM Force eTap AXS | $5,999 |
BMC Roadmachine THREE | Carbon | Shimano 105 Di2 (R7100) | $5,599 |
BMC Roadmachine FOUR | Carbon | SRAM Rival eTap AXS | $5,199 |
BMC Roadmachine FIVE | Carbon | Shimano 105 Di2 (R7100) | $4,599 |
BMC Roadmachine SIX | Carbon | Shimano 105 (R7000) | $3,399 |
More reading : List of Road Bikes with Shimano 105 Di2 (R7100) Groupset
BMC Roadmachine X
The BMC Roadmachine X is designed for adventure rides, daily commutes, or light-duty touring.
The carbon frame with a carbon fork has a relaxed geometry focusing on comfort, wider tires, and mounting points for fenders and rear bike racks.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Roadmachine X ONE | Carbon | SRAM Force eTap AXS | $6,699 |
BMC Roadmachine X TWO | Carbon | SRAM Rival eTap AXS | $5,099 |
BMC Timemachine Road 01
The BMC Timemachine Road 01 is BMC’s fastest bike to date.
Designed for all-out speed, the tubes are aerodynamically shaped, and cables are fully hidden and integrated, achieving a clean front end. All models are specced with deeper 50mm wheels.
This lineup has three models with prices from $7,199 to $12,699. The option for frameset only is also available.
Model | Frame material | Groupset | Retail price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
BMC Timemachine Road 01 ONE | Carbon | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (R9200) | $12,799 |
BMC Timemachine Road 01 TWO | Carbon | Shimano Ultegra Di2 (R8100) | $7,999 |
BMC Timemachine Road 01 THREE | Carbon | SRAM Rival eTap AXS | $7,199 |
BMC Road Bikes in Professional Cycling
As one of the leading road bike brands today, the BMC bikes have been a mainstay in professional cycling with BMC Racing Team. They made their first Tour de France appearance in 2004 with Phonak Cycling Team.
The Teammachine SLR01 is their top racing bike with Cadel Evans (2011 Tour de France), Philippe Gilbert (2012 Road Race World Championship), and Greg van Avermart (2016 Olympics Road Race, 2017 Paris Roubaix).
The AG2R Citreon Team will ride BMC bikes in 2023.
More reading : Bikes at the 2022 Tour de France
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is BMC’s warranty?
BMC bikes come with a 3-year warranty for the frames and a 2-year warranty for the paint. You can extend the warranty from 3 to 5 years by registering on the BMC website within 30 days of purchase.
More about BMC’s warranty policy.
Does BMC make women-specific road bikes?
BMC doesn’t make a women-specific bike nor has models with women-specific components such as narrower handlebars and saddles. Their smallest size is 47, which will suit someone between 5’ 3” to 5’ 5” (160 to 166cm).
More reading : How to Determine Your Ideal Bike Size
Where are BMC bikes made?
BMC bikes are made in Taiwan since 2014. Initially, the bikes were made in Grenchen, Switzerland, but BMC decided to move production to Taiwan to keep costs down and stay competitive. The Grenchen facility today is their R&D center.
Why are BMC bikes more expensive than others?
BMC prides itself on its design and engineering technologies, such as Impec, TCC, and ACE+. Their bikes are generally priced higher than others for similar specs.
What is the Impec Advanced R&D Lab?
The Impec Advanced R&D Lab is BMC’s Research and Development and Engineering teams facility in Grenchen, Switzerland. It is where the BMC Impec bike was born, but today it is not a manufacturing facility. It is used for R&D and Engineering teams.
More reading :