BMC TE29er Review

            Last season, I rode the BMC TE01, a carbon 26” bike. My transition to a big -wheeled big rig was easier than expected. The TE29er is aluminum but it is honestly hard to tell with the expanded footprint of the 29er.

With around twenty-five hours on the TE29 between Colorado and Minnesota, I have a good feel for the bike. Without getting carried away on Colorado trails, I will just say that it handles the fastest rocky sections with no frills and at the same time is a bike made for climbing. Nevertheless, I am still partial to the twenty-six inch wheels because of the nature of Midwestern trails and having had mixed feelings while riding 29ers in the past. BMC has addressed most of the awkward characteristics associated with many 29er’s, making it a breeze to ride through tight trails such as Elm Creek, Lone Lake Park, and Theodore Wirth. These trails derive their technical aspect due to the speed they are ridden, not the innate nature of the trail.

The Avid Elixir 7’s are great brakes and it really shows their strength when paired with the stock 180mm rotor. However, as a cross country racer, I prefer the 160mm rotors which helps with brake modulation under a hard braking load while also having a light touch in slow, technical sections. I noticed quickly, that the cockpit is long. The seat tube is angled rearward from the rear wheel’s closet point to the seat tube. I am using a 90mm, 17-degree rise stem even though I usually use a 110mm stem with negative rise. For me, the benefit of having a slightly shorter stem allies with making the front end feel lighter while being able to get over the rear wheel easily. The TE29 fits that bill while having a short wheelbase yet no foot overlap with the front wheel.

After a couple rides on the stock Cross-Marks, I switched to Hutchinson Tora’s in a 2.15. The Cross Mark is an all conditions race tire, and the Tora is right there with it, being slightly better in the wet stuff.

When you ride the TE29er, expect a responsive drivetrain stemming from the Sram X-0 group, Easton EA70 wheelset, a triple butted frame and a 15mm through axle Fox Talas fork that has no noticeable flex under hard climbing or cornering. In stock form, the TE29 comes as a bike that is ready for the toughest trails out there. Take a minute to bolt on some smaller rotors, trim the 720mm bars, easily convert the UST rims and tubeless tires, and you have a very competitive race bike, weighing in at twenty-three pounds.

2012 BMC TE29 at the shop.

Brendan and me after the race. I do not endorse Freewheel, but they are a really good group of guys.