BMC Fourstroke 01: New cross-country race bike with refinements

Mountain bike legend Julien Absalon was probably only fully convinced by his 2014 World Championship victory in Hafjell that the ratio of performance to bike weight is not the only answer in the search for the fastest cross-country race bike. Since then, the BMC Fourstroke has become an integral part of the Swiss mountain bike range. The Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has been busy collecting victories and titles on the Fourstroke. Since the world championship in Les Gets, the Successor to the BMC Racefully in the starting blocks. And the Swiss promptly celebrate their first major success when Titouan Carod, with the new Fourstroke 01, in Val di Sole to World Cup victory. BMC has now unveiled its new Fourstroke family. We present the MTB innovation in detail and explain the three models in detail.

What's new about the BMC Fourstroke?

During development, the engineers at BMC asked themselves one key question: "What have we done so far and how can we make it even better?" Accordingly, the cross-country race bike now comes with a revised (and compared to the predecessor even more radical) geometry, an integrated, automatic Vario seatpost and a shock mount bolted to the top tube in order to be better equipped for possible new shock mounts in the future. When it comes to the bottle cage, the developers have listened to feedback from professionals. "We have extended the frame's range of use to include multi-day events. The decision to accommodate two water bottles was an obvious one, but it led us to redesign the entire frame," says Conrad Glassey, Senior BMC Product Manager. The result: two 550 ml water bottles can be mounted on top of each other on the down tube of the three Fourstroke models, as is the case with the Cube at the AMS also does. BMC specifies the following frame weight for the Fourstroke 01: 2172 grams in size M with autodrop hardware, but without shock and rear axle. The other two frames should weigh 2130 grams in size M without shock.

Even more aggressive: the geometry of the BMC Fourstroke

In order to sound out the perfect race bike geometry for current cross-country race tracks, BMC provided its professional athletes with a test bike with adjustable geometry during development and had the professional racers do laps on it. Their feedback led to an even more aggressive geometry of the bike. In terms of geometry, the old Fourstroke was already more of a trail bike than a race bike. The 66.5 degree steering angle ensures even more safety and smoothness on descents. Overall, the front end is very long, while the rear end is short. The 432 millimetre short chainstays promise traction on technical sections with good manoeuvrability. While the lowered bottom bracket and the 76.7 degree steep seat angle should ensure optimised weight distribution and handling.

BMC Autodrop - Lowering the seatpost without dismounting

System integration is all the rage. But what BMC has done with its fully integrated telescopic seatpost is simply impressive. A seatpost that lowers mechanically at the touch of a button without having to dismount is revolutionary. However, this requires an additional air reservoir, which means extra weight. Up to 100 lowerings can be carried out with one filling. The integrated dropper post, which is fixed to the frame via a screw connection above the bottom bracket, offers 80 millimetres of travel and saves the rider from having to sit down in racing situations, thus saving a few knee bends. BMC moulds the air chamber required for this directly into the down tube of the Fourstroke 01 frame. It is inflated with a floor pump with up to 14 bar air pressure. If the air runs out, the seatpost can also be lowered using the rear end. BMC only installs the Autodrop seatpost on the three Fourstroke 01 models with 100 mm travel. The Autodrop seatpost can be serviced via a special access point on the seat tube.

Details: Focus on the BMC Fourstroke for 2023

The new Fourstroke family, equipped with a stiffer frame, comes with a tyre clearance of 62 millimetres so that modern 2.4 inch wide XC tyres can be fitted. An integrated steering stop limiter, a chainstay protector and the mud flap on the lower link protect the carbon frame and ensure a longer service life. BMC has also worked on the rear suspension characteristics. The improved Fourstroke kinematics and the completely new shock tuning ensure a progressive spring characteristic. The rear suspension should generate more traction on climbs, while pedal kickback and negative braking effects should be minimised on descents.

BMC Fourstroke: Variants, availability and prices

The Fourstroke family consists of three bikes. The Fourstroke 01 is the top-of-the-range model and comes exclusively with an Autodrop seatpost. It is available in four frame sizes (S, M, L, XL) and in three different equipment variants from 8999 euros to 12,999 euros. The frameset including autodrop seatpost, fork, shock and stem costs 5499 euros. The carbon frame of the Fourstroke 01 also weighs around 150 grams less than the other two models. The Fourstroke 01 Ltd and One will be on sale from June 2023, the Two version from October 2022 and the frameset from February 2023.

From the Fourstroke BMC is offering four models. The Fourstroke One will be available from October 2022, the Two version from April 2023, the Fourstroke Three from June 2023 and the entry-level model Four from September 2023. The 100 mm bikes cost between 4299 euros and 7499 euros.

Fourstroke LT: The down-country version

The Fourstroke LT is and remains the trail bike of the race bike platform. Here, thicker suspension forks (Fox 34 SC and Rockshox SID) with 120 millimetres of travel are used. The rear triangle of the carbon frame also offers a maximum of 120 millimetres of travel. BMC also equips the three Fourstroke LT models with 180 mm brake discs and 2.4 inch wide Maxxis Rekon tyres. This means you are equipped for long, sporty singletrack tours. The down-country version of the Fourstroke is also available in four frame sizes (S, M, L, XL) and is offered in three models. The Fourstroke LTD will be available from April 2023, the Fourstroke LT One from January 2023 and the Fourstroke LT Two from September 2023. It will cost 11,999 euros, 5899 euros and 4499 euros respectively.