Anyone tried/got a TimeMachine TMR02?

[Usget]

I've got a case of upgradeitis. I currently ride a CAAD8 with some upgradey bits (Fulcrum Quattros, 105) and, while it's served me incredibly well, I'm keen to start thinking about the next level of bike. So, this Saturday, I went into Evans to abuse their bike trial thing. Tried a SuperSix Evo - they only had the base build in stock with R500s and a mostly Tiagra gruppo. I think I expected all the angels to sing and the clouds to part, but on my (admittedly short) test ride, it simply didn't feel different enough to the CAAD. I guess the wheels didn't help, and the fact it wasn't set up right, etc etc, but my flabber remained steadfastly un-gasted. I tried the boss' Specialized Tarmac SL2 too, as a point of comparison - it felt more aggressive, but then he had slammed the stem and fitted narrow bars, so it may well have been down to that.

Then he showed me a picture of the BMC TimeMachine TMR02 and I fell in love. It looks like a spaceship. I have totally and irrationally fallen for it. But there's only one left in Evans and it's in York. Even if they get it into Cheltenham so I can have a go on it, I'm not going to be able to tell much from a spin around the block. So, has anyone got one, or a similar aero road bike? Is it going to shatter my spine the first time I go over a bump? Given my "powerful build", I'm never going to be Quintana, but am I going to die on the first hill? Will it be comfortable enough to handle the odd sportive? I know the pros ride the TMR01 with a similar lay-up for hours on end, but I've not got a trained masseuse waiting for me!

A bit more background - the build I'm looking at is basically a RaceBase version, with a 105 gruppo and R500 wheels (which would be replaced with my Quattros in the interim and something Oriental and carbon in the long run). It retails for £1900.

In terms of my riding style - I have been doing longer rides this year but now want to concentrate on improving my speed over 20-40 mile training rides, targetting a 24-minute 10 on my local circuit by the end of the year.

So - what do you reckon? Is my lust justified? Is there something else I should look at instead? Or am I barking not only up the wrong tree, but in the wrong garden?

[nammynake]

First thing to decide is do you want a road bike or TT bike? I can't imagine the latter being useful for anything but TTs. I'm sure that a road bike with clip-on bars would be more than adequate for TTs (unless you're planning to be very competitive) and would be far more versatile.

£2k is a decent budget and you're spoilt for choice. Boardman/Planet X/Ribble for UK warranty/support or direct sale (Canyon/Rose) for best VFM. Or just buy what you fancy the look of from the bigger brands but expect worse VFM.

Buying last years models is another alternative (Westbrook, Pauls etc).

[okgo]

The bmc is a road bike isn't it?

[TKF]

I sometimes ride with somebody that has one. He likes it but to me it looks like it's mid crash being rear ended.

[nammynake]

okgo said:

The bmc is a road bike isn't it?

So it is....

[yellowjack]

Did I hear someone cry 'budget creep'?

I saw one of these in the Guildford 'Giant' store on Saturday morning...


http://www.shopgiant-bicycles.co.uk/3721/products/...

I proper fancy one of those!!!

[Usget]

yellowjack said:

I proper fancy one of those!!!

And I fancy Kaya Scodelario, and to be honest I'm not sure which one is more likely! £4k is rather a lot of money for a relatively poor relatively fat bloke who is never going to win a race...

Looks ace though. Fast standing still.

Back to the BMC - nammynake, the point is that while I would love a TT bike, I'm already at S-1. Any future acquisitions must be on a strictly one-in, one-out basis, and I'm not prepared to sacrifice my ability to do sportives and weekend social rides just to do the odd TT that I might stand a chance of coming top third in. So this bike appealed to me as a kind of pedal powered M135i. Jack of all trades and master of most of them. The other options in this category (dogma, Venge, S5, that Giant, probably others I'm not aware of) seem significantly more expensive. Hence my question to see if anyone had owned one, so they could say "I wish I hadn't bothered because of x" or "it's the best thing since the minty fresh feeling of Assos bum cream!"

[yellowjack]

Usget said:

yellowjack said:

I proper fancy one of those!!!

...£4k is rather a lot of money for a relatively poor relatively fat bloke who is never going to win a race...

Looks ace though. Fast standing still...

I'm a "relatively poor, relatively fat bloke" too, and I can't afford one either (it was a bit of a nod to the PH tradition of man-maths and budget creep). I was just drawn toward it, displayed as it was on the wall of the shop, surrounded by 'Team Giant-Shimano' kit. I'd gone in to look at some rather more affordable road bikes, and my wife snapped me back to reality with the comment "you'd look like a right lemon in all that get-up". Sadly, she is right...

[Eddh]

Best just buy it and find out...

[yellowjack]

The bloke in the shop said "It's fast".

I said "depends very much on what you use to power it". It could be deeply embarrassing to be overtaken by muddy mountain bikers in the Surrey Hills whilst riding a 'Propel' dressed in full pro team kit.

[Usget]

Eddh said:

Best just buy it and find out...

To be honest this is the kind of sensible consumer advice I was hoping for.

I'm going to ring Evans today and see if they'll get it down to Cheltenham without me having to sign my life away.

[MadDad]

Can I suggest a different approach? Get a bike fitting first, then decide on the bike.

Although you might be a 56/M (or whatever) every bikes geometry is different, so a 56cm Cannondale frame might be A-OK for you, but a 56cm BMC might be a terrible fit......

If you have a decent shop near you they will probably charge you £100 for a full bike fit and then be able to provide you with a list of suitable bikes based on your fitting and cycling objectives. The charge for a fitting is usually refundable against the purchase of a bike.....

[ndg]

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXN2A68002/planet-x...?

[Usget]

MadDad said:

Can I suggest a different approach? Get a bike fitting first, then decide on the bike.

Although you might be a 56/M (or whatever) every bikes geometry is different, so a 56cm Cannondale frame might be A-OK for you, but a 56cm BMC might be a terrible fit......

If you have a decent shop near you they will probably charge you £100 for a full bike fit and then be able to provide you with a list of suitable bikes based on your fitting and cycling objectives. The charge for a fitting is usually refundable against the purchase of a bike.....

I've had a fit on the Cannondale with my not-actually-very-L BS and they said that my ideal bike size is a 55cm. Typically awkward bd. I've got stumpy legs and a long body, so a more TT-esque geo may actually suit me. You make a good point though - I might give them a shout and see what they think.

That N2A looks good and I'm sure it's lightning fast... but somehow doesn't tickle my fancy.

[TKF]

Usget said:

I've had a fit on the Cannondale with my not-actually-very-L BS and they said that my ideal bike size is a 55cm.

Ideal fit on a Cannondale. Doesn't mean you'll be the same on every bike.

[stuthemong]

I've got an slx01 - bought it about 4 years ago and only now does it need any tlc - I've ridden and forgot about it but it was built so well that it just goes without any tweaks/servicing really needed. Big plus for that - going to have to spend a bit on it now, but more due to pothole damage than the bikes fault.

The one thing that is a PITA - and looking at your image the timemaxhine may suffer from too - is seat post creak. They creak and are very very hard to stop creaking - google it. I've just got used to it but if you a silent bike (as we most do) then this is by far the weakest point of the package IMO

Thing is though the bikes just look stunning. So we put up with foibles. The TVR of the biking road

[Eddh]

I think you might find the rear triangle really harsh. Just looking at it that is it doesn't look as though it has an awful lot of give in it.

The alternative extreme to this is the Cevelo R series bikes with really thin cushiony

[okgo]

There is absolutely nothing 'cushiony' about the r series, in fact the r5 is one of the stiffest bikes you can buy, with the r3 not far behind.

[Eddh]

That is me told, I thought the thin stays would take some of the harshness out, admittedly they are dead straight rather than curved but apposed to a meaty thick wedge like on the TM.

[Usget]

Whilst these Cervelos are wonderfully sexy, I am not, in fact, Dizzee...

Now - about that new Trek Emonda SLR - should I have two?