ZACH'S BMC TEAMMACHINE SLR MASTERPIECE

We’ve been very fortunate this year to have had a few halo projects; bikes from the bleeding edge of the industry we work in, that are pushing boundaries and breaking new ground in cycling.

Zach’s BMC Teammachine Masterpiece is certainly one of those.

Zach is possibly our most featured client on Bike of the Week, dude to his impeccable taste in extremely high quality bikes. The proud owner of a stunning Australian made Bastion Superleggera, a Colnago C68, and a hand made Scarab Paramo. For his next bike, he was looking for a climbers bike, a lightweight machine that wouldn’t tip the scales but would retain quality and durability. Thanks to our recent closer relationship with BMC, we’re able to offer some of their more special bikes, with the Teammachine Masterpiece being one of the very finest they currently offer; it was clear that this would be the bike for Zach.

We’re not exaggerating when we say this bike is at the very top end of commercially available road bikes. The Teammachine Masterpiece builds on the extremely successful Teammachine base model, but with significant upgrades in the carbon fiber, and a unique construction method.

For the Masterpiece models, the carbon is laminated directly into the moulds, creating the entire frame in one seamless piece with no lugs or bonding. Because of this technique, once the carbon is layered and autoclaved, it requires no additional finishing straight out of the mould, with all Masterpiece edition frames having a matte black, extremely stealthy raw carbon finish. With no paint or finishing processes to mask any mistakes in the production, every frame has to be “born perfect”, and flawless straight out of the mould.

For a deeper dive on the Masterpiece, check out the Bike of the Week edition when we featured the bike.

For a frame like this, only the very finest and lightest components will match. Guided by the frame and Zach’s personal preferences, we used the new Shimano Dura Ace 12 speed, with an SRM Origin PowerMeter and stunning 54x42t chainring combo. Like the frame itself, for wheels we opted for some extremely light German hand made carbon fiber, with Meilenstein Obermayer Evo wheels, known for their all-carbon construction and incredible performance, paired with Ceramic Speed bearings and OSPW Pulleys. To finish it off, there was no other saddle to use but the lightweight, hand made (are you noticing a theme?) K3 carbon saddle from Gelu, which comes in at just 39g.

With all of these exceptionally light components, it’s no secret this bike is a featherweight climbing machine. We can’t disclose the final weight, but we can say it’s well under 15lbs!

Whilst he couldn’t join us for the KOM challenge ride on the day, Zach returned to Keeler Hill to complete the climb in his own time, as a test of the bike. It’s safe to say it performed extremely strongly, with Zach setting an impressive time of 3:50, which is over 6.1 pounds per kilo for 4 minutes, beating the fastest time of the official challenge.

As well as developing as an amazing rider, Zach is a true bike connoisseur, with his desire for the finest hand made frames giving us the opportunity to explore some of the finest products from the manufacturers we partner with. The uniqueness and exclusivity of the BMC Masterpiece was a perfect match for Zach, and we’re extremely proud of this project.