BMC have always been strong proponents of 29ers, and their enduro race team firmly believe that the bigger wheels are faster. However, the public will always have a louder voice than the sport's elite athletes, and the Swiss company's product team have given in to dealer demand, creating a new addition to the Speedfox series - the Trailcrew. The new bike sports 150mm of travel front and rear, and rolls on 27.5" wheels. Initially, the plan had been to tweak the geometry on the existing 29" wheeled Speedfox, but those plans changed, and the new ride has been designed from the ground-up, with the intention of creating a more fun and lively bike than its bigger wheeled sibling.
Trailcrew Details• Intended use: trail / all-mountain
• Wheel size: 27.5"
• Rear wheel travel: 150mm
• Carbon main frame and alloy rear triangle
• Removable ISCG mounts
• 428mm chain stay length
• 66.5° head angle w/ 150mm fork
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Price: $5899 USD (Trailcrew 02)
•
bmc-switzerland.com Frame DetailsThe Speedfox Trailcrew 02 is constructed with a carbon fiber front triangle and an aluminum rear end, while the Trailcrew 03 model is a full aluminum affair. The frame maintains the clean look of the 29” version, a mix of curves and angles that give it a very refined appearance. Internal cable routing is in place at the front of the bike, with a generous access port at the bottom of the frame that should make housing swaps a relatively painless experience. The dual-link suspension layout leaves plenty of room for a water bottle inside the front triangle, a design feature that's always nice to see, and one that can be harder to accomplish on longer travel bikes.
Suspension Design: BMC's Advanced Pivot System is in place on the Trailcrew, a suspension design that uses two short aluminum links to join the rear swingarm to the front triangle and rear shock. According to BMC, the bike's rear suspension is intended to feel plusher than previous iterations, with enough ramp up at the end of the stroke to avoid any harsh bottoming out.
Geometry: The Speedfox Trailcrew keeps the roomy front center that's the hallmark of the 29” version, and with five sizes available riders of all heights should be able to find a bike that fits their needs. Smaller wheels allow for shorter chainstays, and at 428mm the Trailcrew's fall into the 'relatively short' category. With a 150mm fork the bike's head angle is 66.5°, a number that's intended to preserve a bit of handling quickness without sacrificing stability in the steeps.
Components: Both the alloy and carbon versions of the Speedfox Trailcrew have the same quantity of travel at 150mm front and rear, and come ready to shred with chunky 2.4" Onza Ibex rubber and tubeless ready wheelsets. A house brand BMC carbon bar measures in a 750mm and is paired with a 50mm stem. The proven and capable RockShox Pike RC sits up front on both models, and is balanced out with a Cane Creek Inline on the 02 model, and a Fox Float on the 03. Shimano hydraulic brakes help keep speeds in check, and a 203mm front and 180mm rear rotor ought to ensure there's plenty of stopping power on hand.
Those with a keen eye will notice that the lower model is still equipped with a 2x drivetrain, as opposed to the 02 model's 1x gearing. When questioned as to the reasons for not adopting a 1x setup across the board, BMC said that many of their dealers still prefer to offer this option to their prospective customers.
Pinkbike's Take:
| We were able to get a brief ride in on the Trailcrew on the trails within close proximity to the Scotland stop of the Enduro World Series, an ideal place to get a first impression of how the bike would handle some properly steep terrain. The bike was set up with what initially felt like less rebound damping than we'd usually run, combined with a decent handful of low speed compression damping, but BMC engineer Guillame Farin assured everyone that we should not adjust the settings during the ride. As it turned out, the bike remained poised, stable and alert to anything that was thrown its way while weaving through the tightly spaced pines. With 30% sag and the suggested shock settings the rear end feel planted and predictable, but we'll still need to spend more time on the bike to truly get the feel for it. In any case, the addition of a less serious member to the Speedfox family is a welcome one, and it's easy to appreciate a bike that's aimed at the reason the majority of us ride - for fun. |
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"Those with a keen eye will notice that the lower model is still equipped with a 2x drivetrain, as opposed to the 02 model's 1x gearing. When questioned as to the reasons for not adopting a 1x setup across the board, BMC said that many of their dealers still prefer to offer this option to their prospective customers. "
As to why mount it to the swingarm... most front derailleur cages are optimized for a specific chainstay angle range, like 66 to 69 degrees... which is fine for hardtails, and not so fine for a suspension bike where the swingarm is and changing the effective chainstay angle by a good ten or fifthteen degrees. Also the fewer intrusions into the carbon lay-up of the main frame the better.
@paulaston
i agree on
"BMC makes concessions for a front derailleur by including a S-type mount, but doing away with it would give much a cleaner aesthetic."
but i want to run a 2 x 10 set-up on my bike for now and therefore like the given option. as i found out this year - there is not that much choice
and every bike that comes with it is more then welcom.
...and there are nice looking covers as well :-)
...stay tuned for the Specialized Bike Mechanic!
But you're right, it definitely wouldn't last five minutes with you.
youtu.be/YpuRcmPnSTM