BMC Teammachine ALR Brings Quick Disc Road Performance in Affordable Alloy
The first bike I raced was an alloy Cervelo Soloist, it was an incredible bike. Despite riding carbon fiber rigs for the better part of the last decade, there’s still something I miss about the connected feeling and responsiveness an aluminum frame bicycle offers. Turns out alloy is far from dead, in fact it’s having a bit of a moment.
BMC has been delivering some very interesting aluminum laterly, latest modern BMC road bike to get a more affordable alloy version is the new Teammachine ALR. The release follows on the heels of the Roadmachine X’s light gravel revival.
The new alloy Teammachine ALR promises all the performance of last summer’s revamped carbon Teammachine SLR in a more affordable build. The Swiss bike maker calls this their most advanced aluminum frame to date and it sure looks the part.
The Teammachine ALR features a hydroformed aluminum frame that uses wide un-ground welds for a look that is equal parts sleek and industrial. With disc brake frames weighing in at 1250g (54cm painted, plus a 405g fork) and rim brake frames at 1165g (54cm painted, plus a 375g fork), you won’t be sacrificing much in terms of weight with the aluminum bikes.
The frame’s tubing gets size-specific butting to create light and compliant frames across all sizes. Saving smaller riders from overly stiff road feel and bigger riders from squishiness. The comfort of aluminum bikes has improved a lot in recent years, BMC keeps things comfy with something they call Race-Tune Compliance. Small diameter flattened & dropped seatstays, a compliant D-shaped seatpost & the same full carbon fork from the carbon Teammachine SLR02 add some flex to help damp road vibrations.
The disc brake bike includes standard flat mount calipers, 12mm thru-axles, a tapered 1.125-1.5 €³ steerer, an integrated seatclamp, and modular internal routing with alloy clamping cable ports. The rim brake version still gets the tapered steerer, integrated seatclamp and internal routing, but sticks with standard center mount rim brake calipers & quick release axles. There is enough room to fit up to 28mm wide tires on either.
The $2,200 Teammachine ALR Disc One features a Shimano 105 compact drivetrain with an 11-32 cassette, with new 105 hydraulic disc brakes, and Shimano RS-170 wheels.
