Never a brand to shy away from superlatives, BMC announced the Teammachine R Mpc. last autumn, and now we've finally had a chance to see what all the fuss was about.
Priced at a whopping €8,999 / $8,999 for the frameset and seatpost alone, the Teammachine R Mpc., which stands for 'Masterpiece', is claimed to set “a new standard in speed, precision, and performance”.
It is, BMC says, “more than just a perfect bicycle” – it’s “a work of art… brought to life by the hands of the world’s leading carbon fiber artisans” and “eager to be ridden on some of the world's most scenic and challenging terrains.”
Heady stuff…
Last week, at Bike Connection’s spring 2025 road and gravel event (look out for a full round-up of new tech from that event coming soon, and check out our coverage from the mountain bike-focused winter event), I got a chance to get up close and personal with both the Teammachine R Mpc. and the Swiss brand’s updated gravel race bike.
Pushing the limits of carbon fibre tech
At a glance, though, you could be forgiven for thinking it doesn’t look all that different from the ‘standard’ Teammachine R – a bike that was developed in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (a “high-performance vehicle engineering division” of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team) and costs a far more reasonable €4,999 / $4,999.
And in terms of aerodynamics, stiffness and geometry, you’d be right – in respect of those characteristics, it is the same bike.
BMC, though, says the Teammachine R Mpc. pushes the limits of carbon fibre bike construction, with no overlapping fibres and a “perfect finish out of the mould”.
The latter also means there’s no clear coat or paint needed here, allowing the carbon layup to be shown off proudly.
The result, the brand claims, is a weight reduction of 130g on the Teammachine R 01 frameset (which carries a claimed weight of 1.8kg for the frame, fork, seatpost, aero bottle cages and hardware).
In fairness to BMC, the finish of the frameset is – when you’re up close and the light catches it just so – stunning.
It’s understated in a way custom paintjobs often aren’t, but all the more elegant for it.
The man on the Clapham omnibus might not recognise it as anything special, but anyone’s who’s into carbon bikes will.
And, in case the frameset alone didn’t make its owners feel special enough, BMC says each one will be “identified by a unique number plate to emphasize its exclusivity”.
Due to its handmade construction – BMC says it partnered with a German brand to apply carbon layup methods typically reserved for one-offs to a production bike – only 200 framesets will ever be made.
The brand says it has already supplied two framesets to Tudor Pro Cycling Team riders Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi, leaving only 198 framesets for the rest of us.
If you’d like to join the exclusive Teammachine R Mpc. owners club, BMC says the frameset can be pre-ordered now, in six sizes from 47 to 61cm.
Framesets should be dispatched within 60 days, with BMC saying lead times are longer than normal because its Masterpiece collection bikes are essentially made to order.
From this point, you’ll be free to spec the frameset according to your preferences (and remaining budget).
This Teammachine R Mpc. was set up like a Tudor Pro Cycling Team bike, with SRAM's latest Red AXS groupset.
Updated BMC Kaius with UDH and carbon-spoked gravel wheels
Like the Teammachine R, the Kaius isn’t technically a ‘new’ bike, but BMC has treated it to a running update in recent months.
The overall design and geometry of the latest Kaius 01 ONE is almost identical to the gravel race bike launched in 2022 (and BMC’s fondness for slightly confusing naming conventions continues unabated). However, this year’s model sees the adoption of SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger standard.
This means the bike is compatible with SRAM’s latest 13-speed 1x gravel groupset, Red XPLR AXS (and potentially any future lower-tier versions, given it looks as if we might soon get a new Force AXS groupset too).
Aptly, the bike we saw at Bike Connection was set up in full race trim with Red XPLR AXS and its integrated power meter, plus the brand’s aggressively narrow ICS Carbon Aero cockpit, which measures just 360mm centre-to-centre at the hoods.
Like many gravel bike handlebars, the drops flared out to a more standard 420mm, but it's fair to say not everyone is convinced such a narrow bar belongs on a bike designed primarily for riding off-road.
Our tester, Warren Rossiter, wrote: “When things were more technical and tricky, I felt the road-derived geometry and the narrow bars hampered me at every stage” in his review of the BMC Kaius 01 ONE back in 2023, for example.
The bike was also specced with BMC’s own CG 39 SL Carbon gravel wheels, which we’ll admit to not realising existed.
Compared to the hot red frameset and matching handlebar, the CG 39 SL Carbon wheels feature a far more subdued design, with subtle logos and branding.
The headline specs are impressive on paper, though, with 39mm-deep rims and a modern 25mm internal width.
Built with bladed carbon spokes, BMC claims the wheelset weighs only 1,380g, contributing to the Kaius 01 ONE’s low overall weight of 7.6kg in a size 54.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on this red racer, the Kaius 01 ONE costs €11,999 / $11,999 – but you do at least get a complete bike for your money in this case.
If it weren't for the chunky tyres, you could easily mistake the Kaius for a road racing bike.
BMC specs its flagship gravel race bike with Pirelli's Cinturato Gravel H tyres, which are designed for fast rolling on hardpack gravel.
For almost €12,000, you do at least get a truly high-end build, plus the latest SRAM Red AXS power meter – which enables you to swap chainrings using the brand's Thread Mount standard.
