BMC SLC01 Pro Machine

The BMC SLC01 is a true thoroughbred. We've seen Astana and Phonak riding its skeletal Carbon frame in the past, and now we've had a chance to put some miles in we can see the attraction: it's a very light, very well behaved mount that's supremely stable at fast cruising speeds and stiff and responsive when you put the hammer down. Don't expect any fireworks from the ride, just solid and unflustered performance.

What do you get for your £2299? well, we covered the main features of the frame in our first look but here's a quick recap. The frame and fork are Carbon (natch) but more so than probably any other bike: only the bottom bracket threads and mech hanger are alloy, everything else – even the headset faces and cable routing – is made of the black stuff. Easton's Carbon Nanotube Technology is used extensively, which adds stiffness to the Carbon/resin matrix, and the Integrated Skeleton Concept – the odd-looking design at the seat tube junction – is claimed to distribute forces more effectively.

There's no woven vanity layer on top, just a bit of paint and lacquer, which shaves a few grams off. The whole bike weighs just 7.07kg (for the 57cm tested), though for most of our test miles we were running Campag Neutrons intead of the tubular EC90s the bike came with, which pushed the overall weight up about 300g. The rest of the build consisted of a Record 10spd groupset and Easton EC90 bars and seatpost, with the Aluminium EA90 stem.

When I first swing my leg over a pro bike I often find that I'm surprised not by how different the bike feels, but by how similar. After all, we're not talking Formula One versus my Citroen Picasso here. The geometry is familiar, a fairly classic flattish top tube with 73/73 head and seat tube angles, the rest of the kit is brands that I'm used to but a couple of rungs up the ladder from where I'd normally be. Clip in and put the power down for the first time, however, and you get an impressive response. All those incremental improvements add up to a very noticeable improvement in performance, with the bike ever eager to jump forward at every input.

It's not a hard bike to ride though. Pro bikes tend to distinguish themselves by the quality of the technology and components they use, rather than having a different ride feel, or requiring a different riding style. The SLC01 is designed primarily for racing and than means long stints in the saddle, with tired legs and fuzzy brains at the business end of the race. It's well designed for those demands, with steering on the slow side of neutral which lends itself to trouble free cruising, while the lightness of the bike overall means that it's still very agile when you need it to be. Point it downhill and it's much more assured than its weight might suggest; BMC have specced a stiffer fork for this '09 bike which the pro riders suggest has helped, I didn't try the '08 version so I can't really comment.

Climbs are where many races are won and lost and the SLC01 climbs superbly, either seated or standing. The stiffness of the bike is apparent through the whole frame, not just the bottom bracket, and the bike has a very immediate power transfer. With the super light EC90s wheels you need to keep a keep a highish cadence and be smooth with the power to get the best feel from the bike, but drop a couple of cogs and stamp on the pedals and the response is excellent. I'm not exactly built for the hills and the SLC01 didn't turn me into a mountain goat but it did make a noticeable and immediate difference, allowing me to keep pace with friends who would normally leave me grovelling in their wake.

Anything not to like? Well, the ride can be a bit uncompromising at the saddle end. The EC90 bars do a great job of adding a bit of give to the front which is welcome after a few hours. The EC90 'post does exactly the opposite and the flattish top tube means you don't run the seatpost very long anyway. I've never got on with the Fizik Aliante saddle either, which no doubt didn't help. A different seat and 'post might soften it up a bit but most of that stiff feel is coming from the frame – not necessarily a bad thing if you're looking for efficiency over comfort, but I've ridden other top-end bikes that have been more forgiving while not feeling any slower.

My other worry is the seatpost clamp. It's a full carbon clamp at a high stress point, and looking at the recommended bolt tightnesses for the two clamp bolts – 5Nm (hardly even hand tight) and 8Nm – it's hard not to come to the conclusion that it's a bit fragile. Obviously it's designed to take the loads but as a heavier rider who's broken more than one frame in that exact spot I'd look elsewhere for my pro fix. If you're a racing snake then snapping it when riding is probably not an issue, but snapping it when fettling is: if you break it there because you tightened the bolts too hard, you won't get a replacement under warranty. So, add £50 to the cost of the frame to cover a decent torque wrench, if you don't already have one...

Verdict

The SLC01 is designed to take day in, day out punishment from the Pros and it's a quick and well-behaved mount for long hours in the saddle. You can't argue with the quality, but there are other ways to spend this much money – it's a super efficient machine but there are more comfortable pro bikes out there. Best for those of you out there who are willing to sacrifice a little bit of ride comfort for a little bit of extra go on the climbs.

More pics of the SLC01 in our gallery...