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Not a week passes without a new adventure bike being launched, and today it’s the turn of Swiss outfit BMC with its brand new Roadmachine X.
It’s an evolution of the existing Roadmachine, an endurance focused disc brake bike, but with tyre clearance increased to accommodate 34mm WTB Exposure tyres and versatility boosted by mudguard and rack mounts.
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But a gravel bike it's not. BMC has been careful to avoid the gravel tag with this new bike because it’s clearly not an all-out gravel crushing bike. Instead, it’s going with all-road, adventure and a side dish of commuting.
It’s obviously pitched at those cyclists that ride predominantly on the road but want bigger tyres for increased comfort and traction on poorly surfaced roads, and a gentle slice of dirt path and canal towpath cycling.
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Where the regular Roadmachine is a carbon frame and fork, this new Roadmachine combines an aluminium frame with a carbon fork. There’s only one model as well, not a complete range, perhaps suggesting a slight hesitancy to commit to this growing sector.
“The new Roadmachine X completes the Roadmachine collection,” explains Mart Otten, Senior Product Manager Road at BMC Switzerland. “This versatile bike is tailored for those who love adventure road riding and sometimes like to go further even when the road ends, but it serves just as well as a commuting companion.”
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The frame is made from triple-butted aluminium with internal cable routing, a tapered head tube, 142x12mm thru-axle dropouts and flat mount brakes. BMC has used its Tuned Compliance Concept technology to ensure the new bike is able to provide a smooth ride on and off-road.
“TCC Endurance technology delivers superior compliance, both on road and off the beaten path. It takes the edge off the uneven roads for a fast and forgiving ride and the highest degree of vertical deflection,” adds Mart Otten.
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BMC has worked on the geometry as well, giving the new bike a long front-end for “improved control” and short chainstays for “rapid accelerations” which “combines stability on loose terrain and snappiness for asphalt” says BMC. There are six sizes from 47 to 61cm.
To put some numbers on the geometry, a size 56cm has a 585mm stack and 391mm reach, with a 1,024mm wheelbase, 71mm bottom bracket drop, 71.5-degree head angle, 607mm front centre and 420mm chainstays.
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The Roadmachine X is specced with 34mm WTB Exposure tyres on Mavic Allroad Disc UST wheels, and it has equipped it with an SRAM Rival 1x11 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes, operating on 160mm front and rear rotors.
We don't have a UK price yet, but we do know it'll cost €2,199.
More at www.bmc-switzerland.com and it's available now from Evans Cycles.
Would you ride this bike? Does it suit the sort of riding you do?
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. 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.