Rohan Dennis' hour record BMC TrackMachine TR01 – updated

Rohan Dennis' hour record BMC TrackMachine TR01 – updated

Details and special construction of Swiss hour-record attempt machine

BMC's Impec Advanced R&D Lab took 3T's Brezza Nano track bar, combined it with an adapted stem and the fork and wrapped it in carbon to add strength

Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media

Tom Ballard

Published: February 6, 2015 at 3:10 pm
The BMC TrackMachine TR01 of Rohan Dennis - complete with custom-moulded front end and stiffness increases - Oliver Burgess / BMC
The 3T Brezza II Nano LTD bar set-up has been custom-moulded to the hinge fork in Dennis' perfect aero position - Oliver Burgess / BMC
There's some nice motivational detailing on the basebar - Oliver Burgess / BMC
Custom track cogs were created so Dennis could stick with his SRM equipped Dura-Ace road crankset - Oliver Burgess / BMC
The TrackMachine TR01 was designed to overcome the head-on drag of velodrome environments - Oliver Burgess / BMC
Stiffness increases mean Dennis shouldn't lose power through flex at the standing start - Oliver Burgess / BMC
The BMC team, rightly proud of their creation - Oliver Burgess / BMC
Here's a sneaky shot that first confirmed Dennis' bike as a BMC TrackMachine TR01 - BMC
The Australian gave the bike its first public viewing through the Instagram channel of bike shop Meesterknecht - Cyclecity Amsterdam - Rohan Dennis Instagram
Rohan Dennis' hour record attempt bike alongside a stock TR01 showing the difference between the standard adjustable stem and Rohan's custom built one-piece integrated model - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
After the first stage ofcarbon wrapping is completed - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The inverted fork, stem and bar combo receiving a clear lacquer coat - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
From the block beneath to the finished sprocket on top - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The new sprocket places the chain 6mm further outboard than a standard sprocket. Note the custom lock ring that sits in its own recess - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media
The finished bar and stem setup aboard one of Dennis' two bikes for his attempt - Robin Wilmott / Immediate Media

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BMC has released full details of Rohan Dennis' customised BMC TrackMachine TR01 bike, which the Australian rider used to set a new record of 52.491km in his world hour record attempt.

Despite BMC's claim that the TrackMachine TR01, designed and developed for the Swiss National Track Team, is the most advanced track-specific bike in the world, Dennis' TR01 has been modified at BMC’s Impec Advanced R&D lab to improve its aerodynamics and stiffness.

The trackmachine tr01 was designed to overcome the head-on drag of velodrome environments: the trackmachine tr01 was designed to overcome the head-on drag of velodrome environments

With a few key improvements, the TrackMachine TR01 is ready for its test under the powerful legs of Rohan Dennis

BMC Switzerland head of product, Stefan Christ, said: "Rohan is a superb athlete and it is our duty to match his athletic capabilities with a bike of that same caliber. Some minor modifications to influence the aerodynamics and stiffness have been made to Rohan’s Trackmachine TR01. We felt these were necessary to ensure that Rohan’s bike is optimised to take on this highly specific challenge."

In a bid for marginal gains, the BMC Impec Advanced R&D lab engineers took an off-the-peg TrackMachine TR01 and upgraded it with a custom-moulded cockpit following the fine tuning of Dennis' position at a training camp in Spain before Christmas 2014.

Using the data from that fitting, the BMC engineers mated the TrackMachine 01 hinge fork and p2p stem to a 3T Brezza II Nano LTD aerobar set-up using advanced composites.

The 3t brezza ii nano ltd bar set-up has been custom-moulded to the hinge fork in dennis's perfect aero position: the 3t brezza ii nano ltd bar set-up has been custom-moulded to the hinge fork in dennis's perfect aero position

The bars are bonded with the bike's fork into Dennis' perfect position

Dennis is using a Shimano Dura-Ace crankset with an SRM power meter rather than the stock bike's track cranks, with BMC's engineers creating a perfect chainline for the road cranket via specially designed and milled custom-spaced track cogs.

The regular TrackMachine TR01 was designed for optimum aerodynamics within a velodrome, taking advantage of the constant zero-degree yaw wind and lack of crosswind interference. Highlights of the 'SubA' aero design include an integrated hinge fork, 3:1 teardrop truncated tube shapes and flow disrupting 'tripwire' technology.

The p2p (position to perform) triangle concept stem allows this aero advantage to be utilised in harmony with varying rider position. The stock bike also weighs just 6.45kg, which BMC has had to increase to 6.8kg to meet UCI regulations.

The saddle is a Fizik Arione R3 (the brand sponsors Team BMC) while Dennis' SRM head unit is show as being fitted on the back of the seatpost – due to a UCI rule restricting the viewing of such a device during the attempt.

Check out the full gallery from BMC above. We should have an exclusive closer look soon.

Specs

  • Frame: 2015 Trackmachine TR01, p2p x subA, full carbon, replaceable alloy dropouts
  • Fork: 2015 Trackmachine TR01, subA, full carbon hinge, custom integrated stem / bar
  • Crank: Shimano 9000 175mm, 56T, SRM-equipped
  • Chain: Shimano 9000 Dura-Ace (3/32”)
  • Cog: Impec Advanced R&D Lab custom machined 14t
  • Bar: 3T Brezza II Nano LTD, HM carbon, 30cm
  • Seat: Fizik Arione R3 braided
  • Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000
  • Tyres: Continental Tempo 19mm, 15.5 bar

Tom Ballard

Former senior writer

Tom Ballard is a former senior writer for BikeRadar, who previously worked across Future Publishing's triathlon portfolio.
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