Collaboration with Red Bull F1 engineers produces “fastest time trial and triathlon bike in the world”
BMC has officially unveiled the Speedmachine time trial bike, which features a fork crown spoiler and an integrated hydration unit.
BMC calls the Speedmachine the “fastest time trial and triathlon bike in the world”.
The brand says the all-new bike is the fruit of a five-year collaboration with Formula 1 aerodynamic experts, Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
A prototype Speedmachine made its race debut at the 2022 Ironman World Championships.
BMC-sponsored WorldTour teams have time trialled on a UCI-compliant version of the prototype this season.
BMC says the Speedmachine is lighter and more stable than the outgoing Timemachine time trial bike.
The BMC Speedmachine will be available to buy from November 2023 as a frameset for $6,999/€6,999 and a full bike from $10,999/€10,999 for the range-topping Speedmachine 01 LTD.
“World’s fastest”
Developed at BMC’s Impec research and development lab in Grenchen, Switzerland, the Speedmachine has deep, truncated aerofoil tube shapes and wide fork legs.
BMC says a fork crown spoiler shaped like a shark fin diverts dirty air from the down tube and cutting drag.
The head tube’s leading edge and wide fork have the same effect, according to the brand.
The Swiss bike brand adds that the “Shark Fin” directly resulted from the partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
This company performs aerodynamic modelling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations mainly for Formula One cars.
Since 2018 it has collaborated with BMC to apply its F1 expertise to bike racing.
BMC says the Speedmachine’s simple frame comprises 20 parts, contributing to the frameset being 500g lighter than the Timemachine’s.
A graph in the press material appears to show that the Speedmachine has a lower drag coefficient, a measure of aerodynamics, at various yaw angles than the Timemachine.
All else being equal, this should make the Speedmachine faster on the road.
But BMC hasn’t supplied evidence demonstrating the Speedmachine is the “world’s fastest time trial and triathlon bike” by comparing it to competitors’ bikes.
More confident at speed
BMC says its Impec lab engineers made the Speedmachine’s geometry longer, taller and slacker than the Timemachine’s.
The brand claims the Speedmachine’s handling is consequently more predictable and the rider is more confident at speed.
Red Bull Advanced Technologies translated the concept of ‘Driver Feel’ – the way in which the driver feels connected to the car – to the Speedmachine, according to BMC.
The BMC press material quotes AG2R Citroën’s Ben O’Connor as saying: “The main positive point is the manoeuvrability and stability, which are significantly improved, especially on the descents.”
The Australian climber is also quoted as saying that the Speedmachine feels more “rigid and responsive” on ascents.
Compared to the Timemachine 01 Disc, the Speedmachine has a cleaner front end.
The base bar integrates into the stem and standard riser blocks support the armrests and extensions.
BMC now claims to offer riders more cockpit configurations with base bar, extension and stack options.
The Speedmachine is optimised for 28mm tyres but has clearance 30mm-wide rubber up from 27mm on the Timemachine, according to BMC.
BMC Speedmachine geometry
| Size | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rider height (cm) | Less than 174 | 172-185 | Over 180 |
| Armrest stack (mm) | 558-65 | 588-681 | 628-721 |
| Armrest reach (mm) | 348-466 | 368-486 | 395-548 |
| Seat tube (mm) | 460 | 525 | 551 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 80 | 80 | 82.4 |
| Rear centre (mm) | 405 | 405 | 405 |
| Front centre (mm) | 578 | 606 | 646 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 974 | 1,000 | 1,040 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 62 | 72 | 72 |
| Fork length (mm) | 391 | 391 | 392 |
| Standover height (mm) | 766 | 806 | 837 |
“A Swiss Army knife”
The Speedmachine has integrated storage for water, snacks and tools, drawing the comparison to a “Swiss Army knife that can hold 70kph on the flats” from BMC.
BMC has incorporated an “integrated hydration unit” above the Speedmachine’s bottom bracket junction. The T47 bottom bracket helps efficiently transfer power and reduces frontal area, according to BMC.
It adds that the positioning of the hydration unit aids handling and aerodynamics.
BMC supplies the water bottle for the bike in two sizes, a 400ml version to meet UCI rules for WorldTour time trials and a 1.2L triathlon-sized tank.
A tube from the 1.2L tank runs along the down tube to the base bar, so riders can drink without leaving an aero tuck.
For triathletes, a combined storage box, for tools and spares, and rear light slots behind the seat tube.
Top tube bag mounts allow you to screw in a bag to hold nutrition, such as energy gels.
BMC claims the Speedmachine is easy to disassemble when you fly with your bike. You only need to remove four bolts to turn the bar assembly. The vertical clamp means the seatpost is easy to remove and pack into a bike box or bag, according to the brand.
BMC Speedmachine spec and builds
The top-of-the-range BMC Speedmachine 01 LTD costs $16,999/€16,999 and is specced with a full SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset.
The Zipp 858 NSFW wheels are wrapped in 700x28mm Pirelli P Zero Race TLR SL tyres.
A split-nose Fizik Aeris triathlon saddle sits on BMC’s proprietary seatpost. BMC also supplies the base bar.
The $10,999/€10,999 second-tier BMC Speedmachine 01 Two is equipped with a SRAM Force AXS groupset, deep-section DT Swiss ARC 1650 wheels and Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres.
You can buy just the frameset and base bar, called the Speedmachine 01 module, for $6,999/€6,999.
More to come
Internal team discord and a fly-on-the-wall Netflix series are not all professional car and bike racing have in common.
BMC and Red Bull Advanced Technologies have also collaborated on an as-yet-unreleased aero road bike, which will likely replace the Timemachine.
Ben O’Connor rode this prototype BMC aero bike at the Tour de France, so an official launch can’t be far off. We’ll bring you all the details when we have them.