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TECH NEWS

BMC unveils limited edition TeamMachine with naked carbon finish

Just 80 bikes will be available with this naked carbon finish

Paint and stickers can be used to mask a lot of evils, but there's nowhere for this frame to hide. Swiss bike brand BMC has released a limited edition TeamMachine SLR01 with a naked carbon finish. The bike was unveiled at the current Interbike show in Las Vegas.

Produced at the company’s state-of-the-art Impec Lab in Grenchen, Switzerland, the technique used to create the custom finish “demands a very high level of execution so it is being carried out manually,” says BMC in its official press blurb.

- Review: BMC Team Machine SLR01

The proprietary process is a hand-finished technique that strips away the paint and usual lacquer finish, and leaves the frame with a raw appearance. BMC doesn’t go into much more detail about this process, but we have requested a bit more information about it from the company.

Apparently it’s a labour intensive technique and for that reason BMC isn’t producing the frame in large numbers, instead restricting it to just 80 units.

- 2015 WorldTour bikes: BMC TeamMachine SLR01

“This technique demands a very high level of execution so it is being carried out manually. The result is stunning, and quite minimalistic. We are stripping away the frills and showing you the beauty of a raw frame. But, because of the labour involved, we can only apply this finish to an extremely small quantity – making it all the more special.” says Stefan Christ, Head of Product at BMC Switzerland.

The special frames will be decked out with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupsets, carbon fibre wheels with a lack of stickers providing an appearance to match the frame and 3T finishing kit. No word on the price but it's not going to be cheap.

What do you think?

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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12 comments

Avatar
crikey | 8 years ago
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Fur coat and no knickers, without the fur coat.

Seriously, it appears that you can sell cyclists any old shit!

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Iamnot Wiggins replied to crikey | 8 years ago
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crikey wrote:

Fur coat and no knickers, without the fur coat.

Seriously, it appears that you can sell cyclists any old shit!

 37

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djmjay2 | 8 years ago
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One has to be very careful of the solvent or whatever is chosen to strip down a carbon frame since the frames contain resin. Some may damage or breakdown the resin which would be costly and so very painful.

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viagro2 | 8 years ago
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The spec may be magic but the frame is the same as everyone elses. Come on BMC man up in the graphic design department!!!!

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themartincox | 8 years ago
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Takes about 20 mins to sand and clean a lacquered frame.

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Beaufort | 8 years ago
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One is born every minute.

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mp31 | 8 years ago
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"The proprietary process is a hand-finished technique that strips away the paint and usual lacquer finish"...why not just take the bike off the assembly line before it gets to the paint shop and then sell it for *less* than the standard painted bike.

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hughsain replied to mp31 | 8 years ago
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Probably because the process requires a different layup to make the carbon look nice around the joins on the frame.

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bauchlebastart replied to hughsain | 8 years ago
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hughsain wrote:

Probably because the process requires a different layup to make the carbon look nice around the joins on the frame.

Basically paying more for less. The standard SLR01 also has exposed tube junctions and they look fine.

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2 Wheeled Idiot | 8 years ago
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or save yourself a ton of cash and sand the frame down yourself... and btw mikroos acetone will remove paint off a stem

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mikroos | 8 years ago
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Those white stripes on the stem spoil the whole bike.

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marche | 8 years ago
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Well finally! I am a big fan of the SLR01. I've asked BMC if they'd drop the black and red "sticker" design.

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