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news
Thos Hushovd recces the cobbles on a prototype frameThor Hushovd recces the cobbles... and tests the new BMC GF01 frame?
We got alerted to this video on YouTube today (thanks othello!) of Thor Hushovd having a blast over the cobbles on a recce of the Paris Roubaix. But what that he's riding? It's certainly not a standard issue BMC Team Machine and looks as though it might be a special Classics bike. Perhaps the new GF01?
What makes us say that? Well, have a look a look at the super skinny chainstays (0:23 on the vid); Nothing says 'laterally stiff yet vertically compliant' like a set of wafer-thin stays. Also the top tube is very sloped, meaning Thor is running a lot of seatpost, again possibly to help with cushioning.
At the front the head tube/down tube interface is beefed up considerably from a Team Machine and the fork has a forward kink at the bottom of the legs, possibly to increase rake and wheelbase a bit and make the bike a bit less jittery over the rough Classics surfaces. We don't know if this is a production frame or not. What we do know is that the UCI approved frames list makes mention of a GF01 frame and GF fork, ratified by the UCI on 8 November last year. GF presumably stands for Gran Fondo, which would be in keeping with the sort of comfort-first design brief you'd have for a Classics bike.
Here's another view of the bike; this one belongs to Marcus Burghardt. You can see the design of the bike pretty clearly here. The sloping top tube and 27.2mm seat tube will mean plenty of give at the rear, coupled with those thin seatstays. The chainstays certainly aren't thin - they're kept nice and beefy to keep power transfer efficient - and the massive down tube and head tube should keep the spine of the bike plenty stiff. The fork is certainly interesting. You can clearly see the added rake on this pic, and note that the rear wheel isn't tucked right in against the seat tube either. That should make for a slightly longer wheelbase and a stable ride, that kink in the fork may add a touch of cushioning at the front too.
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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16 comments
In a world of ugly BMC bikes that is particularly minging.
Note how they have mounted 15£ Elite Ciussi Gel bottle cages..
No need for fancy carbon cages here!
Ah, but that's a pro tip specific to riding on cobbles - you can't bend carbon fibre inwards to ensure a tighter grip on the bottle and prevent it flying free as you pound the pavé
great looking piece of kit, wonder if there will be a time in the future when BMC isnt tied into Evans.
Bit of a daft comment to make Jon, considering you're a contributor to the site an' all.
That, to me at least, seems very defensive. At no point there did I suggest Evans was good, bad, ugly or otherwise. My point was simply to address the fact that not everyone lives near an Evans and some people prefer their local bike shops. Some also prefer Evans.
Also, I havent contributed to this site for 18 months plus.
Jon's a bit busy running his triathlon shop (http://www.thetriathlonshop.co.uk) to write much for us at the mo, more's the pity.
maybe he'd like to be selling BMC bikes is all
Cheers Dave, thats a very nice thing to hear, appreciate it.
Chris - one of the lads that works here is ex-Evans and is superb so I wont do Evans down.
As with most major companies with multiple locations it is going to be tough to maintain quality levels in terms of staff, location, enthusiasm etc etc to the same levels as they had when they were smaller. Im sure they try though, they are doing very well so Im sure they are doing plenty right.
It would be nice though (selfishly) if we could sell BMC too, theyre lovely.
Apologies Jon, totally got my wires crossed and feel like a complete wolly now! Best of luck with the new venture
Is it just me, or is that bike ugly? I am sure it is very clever and I will be interested to see Thor's results, but I really don't like the look. Looks a bit like a bodybuilder who forgot to work on his legs...
And normally I really like the BMC style (I ride a 2009 Racemaster SLX01)
Looks like a nice BMC at least..
I hope he wins Paris-Roubaix this year, he's one of the guys who really deserve it..
And I am not just saying that because I am a huge fan
Hincapie has by the way said that being on the same team as the Paris-Roubaix winner would be a "show-stopper" for his sake! :o
Couple of photos
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VbCewSZCkfE/T0iqCybFWzI/AAAAAAAADlw/kzevpPQkMQ...
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bCJ8fKRJEfg/T0fFpMcVgpI/AAAAAAAADlo/nQ8QaEmVK6...
How long is that stem!?
I've got a feeling Thor rides a 140mm. SLAMMED.
Oh yeah, gotta slam it! Looks like his seat layback is about the same... Like the bike though surely BMC have painted themselves into a corner with the 'double triangle' stays treatment?! Gets smaller all the time. Did anyone say 'GT'?
was just thinking the same thing. Eventually it will be rationalised down to a slight angular fillet twixt top and seattube.