There is a group of you—who are longer in the tooth that are no strangers to the hype of soft-tail mountain bikes. Granted, the early ’90s weren’t that long ago, but in light of how much bike technology has changed, it seems like an eternity. BMC isn’t afraid to go retro, not Birkenstock retro (please, no), but it has taken a concept that missed its cue a couple decades ago and is now offering it to the next generation of upcoming riders.
The BMC Teamelite 01 has emerged to give cross-country racers an edge on the intermediate terrain that can sometimes be a little too technical for a true hardtail but not quite technical enough to warrant a duallie. The Teamelite 01 was built on the idea that racers shouldn’t have to compromise while leaving it all out there on the racecourse.
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A race-ready rig: The Teamelite 01 was built with one thought in mind: winning races. A lightweight frame, efficient build kit and the Micro Travel Technology make this race machine ready for any cross-country course.
A race-ready rig: The Teamelite 01 was built with one thought in mind: winning races. A lightweight frame, efficient build kit and the Micro Travel Technology make this race machine ready for any cross-country course.WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
There is no doubt that this machine was made for cross-country racing and long days in the saddle. The aspiring racer will appreciate every ounce of engineering that BMC wove into each layer of carbon, while the price points are set strictly for those who are committed to their craft and have specific goals in mind for the upcoming race season. The Teamelite 01 starts at $3,600 for the frameset and caps out at $10,600 for the top end, which is XTR Di2- and Fox iRD- equipped. Our test bike was in the middle with SRAM’s XX1 and a price of $6,600.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The Teamelite 01 is a mix of materials, but the frame itself is a proprietary MTT Carbon 29. Micro Travel Technology (MTT), allows for 15 millimeters of travel, which gives the bike more ability on the trail and a softer ride. BMC offers three different damping options to accommodate different riding styles and rider builds, varying in stiffness. The chainstays and seatstay junction tubes have different shapes to add strength and give the bike more stability in technical sections. Most of this MTT design is built around the idea of carbon flexing, while some don’t realize it, carbon can be manipulated to flex in certain areas while still maintaining strength. Two bolts sit snuggly in the polymer housing to keep the seatstays from separating and hold the MTT together.
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Back to the future: The Micro Travel Technology (MTT) isn’t the first of its kind, but it is one of the more effective soft-tail systems we’ve ridden. With the ability to change the stiffness of the MTT, the ride can be tuned for different riders.
Back to the future: The Micro Travel Technology (MTT) isn’t the first of its kind, but it is one of the more effective soft-tail systems we’ve ridden. With the ability to change the stiffness of the MTT, the ride can be tuned for different riders.With short chainstays and 15 millimeters of travel in back, the Teamelite 01 is made for getting out of the saddle when climbing and taking the more aggressive line in your local cross-country race. Rider skill permitting, this bike will surprise the average cross-country race warrior with just how far it is willing to go. We noticed the usual amenities, such as a 12×148 thru-axle, tapered head tube and PressFit bottom bracket. Some nice touches that give this rig a clean look and smooth ride are the internal cable routing and 27.2-millimeter seatpost.
WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
We have spent quite a bit of time on the SRAM XX1 drivetrain, and it has yet to let us down, the quick shifting had us finding our gears easily. The Fox 32 Float fork worked flawlessly throughout our testing and complemented the MTT design, considering that all three levels of the Teamelite 01 are spec’d with Fox suspension, we would be willing to bet that the MTT was created with Fox in mind.
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Managing the layout: All of the cables run internally through the frame just past the head tube. Whether you’re running Di2 or mechanical, the Teamelite 01 has a slick and, most importantly, fast look.
Managing the layout: All of the cables run internally through the frame just past the head tube. Whether you’re running Di2 or mechanical, the Teamelite 01 has a slick and, most importantly, fast look.It’s a small detail, but one that often gets overlooked on hardtails (or soft-tails); the 27.2 carbon seatpost was a much-welcomed sight when we first saw the Teamelite, and adds to the supple ride quality. The five millimeter offset gave us a comfy position on the saddle and a good range of adjustments.
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A subtle guide: In the absence of a front derailleur, BMC installed a small chainguide to give riders a little extra assurance that they won’t drop their chain in the heat of the race.
A subtle guide: In the absence of a front derailleur, BMC installed a small chainguide to give riders a little extra assurance that they won’t drop their chain in the heat of the race.HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
We put this bike through its paces on everything from our local cross-country rides to the Leadville 100 in Colorado. Setting up the fork was pretty straightforward, although we did play around a bit with just how much air we wanted to run. The MTT does change the overall feel of the bike, so to go along with the rear travel we ran a little less air in the fork to get a feel for just how smooth the bike would ride.
Moving out: The bike came with a surprisingly short 70-milli- meter stem and 720-millimeter-wide bars that gave us a trail-like feel. The bike does have a relatively long top tube, so this bar/stem combo offset the slightly large geometry nicely. There were concerns our knees would bump the bars when we were out of the saddle, but it didn’t happen on the trail.
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Pin it: The Teamelite 01 can be laid down in corners and ridden hard through tight sections. Although the geometry makes for good cornering, tire selection will have a big impact as well on how well the bike can hold a corner.
Pin it: The Teamelite 01 can be laid down in corners and ridden hard through tight sections. Although the geometry makes for good cornering, tire selection will have a big impact as well on how well the bike can hold a corner.Cornering: The short chainstays allowed the bike to pull through corners like a trailbike, and the MTT kept the wheel in contact firmly. Since there isn’t any type of rebound adjustment on the MTT, we were concerned that the rear tire might slide around in corners, but we were pleasantly surprised at how well the Teamelite 01 held a line through tight turns and switchbacks.
Climbing: If there is one characteristic of this bike that impressed us first, it’s how well it can climb. The Leadville 100 features 12,000 feet of climbing, and since the Teamelite 01 was our bike of choice, its climbing prowess was critical. When pedaling out of the saddle, we didn’t notice much movement in the MTT, but when we sprinted hard on a steep section out of the saddle, we could feel some flex in the rear end. We attributed most of this to the wheels and not the actual frame itself. At no point did we feel that the MTT worked against us on climbs the way full suspension can.
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Point it down: There is no shortage of capability built into the MTT. We had plenty of confidence over rocky and steep sections that normally would have us using the brakes.
Point it down: There is no shortage of capability built into the MTT. We had plenty of confidence over rocky and steep sections that normally would have us using the brakes.Descending: We were eager to see just how well this bike could rip down a trail, and we weren’t let down. The MTT soaked up the moderately rough stuff and progressed over rocks and other obstacles that would normally cause jarring or bouncing. The short bar/stem combo worked in our favor and gave us plenty of leverage over technical sections, and it was easy to sit behind the saddle over the rear wheel thanks to the shorter chainstays.
The head angle of the Teamelite 01 is almost too steep, especially in comparison to other cross-country bikes in this category. With the head angle at 70 degrees, if you aren’t a gifted descend- er, you will have to pay a little extra attention, but those of you who know how to rip down a trail will appreciate the tight front end.
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Take the rough line: Just because the Teamelite 01 is a cross-country race bike doesn’t mean that it won’t rip through the rocky lines. With a little finesse and help from the MTT, racers will gain an edge taking the technical line.
Take the rough line: Just because the Teamelite 01 is a cross-country race bike doesn’t mean that it won’t rip through the rocky lines. With a little finesse and help from the MTT, racers will gain an edge taking the technical line.TRICKS, TIPS OR UPGRADES?
We didn’t have many complaints about this bike, but we weren’t thrilled with the tires. Our test bike didn’t come with tubeless-ready rubber, and for $6600 we would expect a bike to come with tubeless tires. We swapped out the stock tires for WTB Nine Lines and were quite pleased with the change during our testing. The wheels worked well for us, but we did feel the added weight working against us on climbs. A lighter wheelset would be a big game-changer for this level of bike. Even though we needed all the help we could get at Leadville, the 30-tooth chainring did make the BMC feel under geared.
BUYING ADVICE
There are some of you reading this and thinking, “Six thousand six hundred dollars for a hardtail?” and the answer is yes, this bike is expensive. But, if you’re a committed cross-country rider looking for something that will handle the adversity of modern cross-country courses, this bike should be a solid contender. The Teamelite 01 is made for those who know what they want and are committed to pushing their ability to the top step.
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