BMC’s new Fourstroke doesn’t hang around

Last week saw a perfect launch for the all new BMC Fourstroke with Titouan Carod powering to victory at the Val di Sole round of the MTB World Cup.

Amongst a host of changes to the already serially successful World Cup race weapon, the immediately  attention grabbing part; the flagship model Fourstroke 01 coming equipped with ‘Autodrop technology’, more clearly explained as ‘the first ever fully integrated automatic dropper post.’

Taking a broad overview, the Fourstroke frame has been redesigned across all models, featuring a redefined geometry, with the range now featuring a line-up including the Fourstroke 01, Fourstroke and Fourstroke LT series.

Interestingly, the XC focused range sticks with 100mm travel front and back, reserving the 120mm option for the LT spec bikes, which are positioned as, ‘offering trail-racing at XC speed’.

“We pushed the core features of the Fourstroke to deliver a frame that takes all the elements of its predecessor and advances the capabilities even further,” says Conrad Glassey, Head of Product Management at BMC. “Even before its official launch, this all-new XC racing machine has already won gold for Titouan Carod in Val di Sole.”

Stefan Christ, Head of R&D at BMC gives insight into the processes that created the all-new Cross-Country family: “Each model satisfies the demands of different rider types whilst sharing the same medal-winning frame redesigned from the ground with revolutionary core elements: an all-new suspension system, updated geometry, and improved design to fit two bottle cages.”

Geometry

The 66.5˚ head angle, and a long front end, are tailored to a fast and progressive racing style designed to attack the steepest and loosest courses. 429mm short chainstays focus on delivering power and traction on most technical sections, with a lowered bottom bracket and steep 76.7˚ seat angle providing perfect weight distribution and handling.

Autodrop Technology

The brand-new BMC Autodrop provides the 01 series with the first ever fully integrated, automatic dropper post.

 

Autodrop enables on-the-fly and squat-free seatpost dropping, which eliminates the need to squat to lower the saddle via an intuitive 2-position adjustment, enabling riders to pedal longer before hitting a downhill section. Autodrop is designed specifically to improved lap times, reducing rider fatigue, focused specifically in delivering a race-defining split-second advantage.

“During a race, we activate Autodrop up to a hundred times allowing us to focus entirely on the track and giving us the gold-medal-winning advantage.” Titouan Carod, BMC MTB Racing Team.

XC and XCM focus

The Fourstroke 01, Fourstroke, and Fourstroke LT all feature a re-design to accommodate 2 water bottles – on side-entry bottle cages – in the main triangle, without compromising performance and functionality. The models also offer a tyre clearance of 62 mm to fit modern 2.4” XC tyres.

Challenges for riders and engineers alike

With XCC and XCO racing never having been more technical, and the demands of events like the Cape Epic increasingly exploring the limits of bike design, the versatility engineered in to short travel bikes has never been more important. With this in mind, Conrad Glassey, Head of Product Management at BMC, comments; “We took note of the feedback from our athletes to expand the scope of the frame to multi-day events. Fitting two water bottles was a no-brainer, but it led to rethinking the whole frame.”