World champion Philippe Gilbert’s BMC Teammachine SLR01
- By Caley Fretz
- Published Feb. 1, 2013
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01 was outfitted with the rainbow stripes for the World Tour opener in Australia — except for his stem, which sponsor 3T was still preparing. By his next race Gilbert will have a white one with the requisite stripes.
BMC made the switch to Shimano wheels from Easton this year, and Gilbert was riding the versatile C50 set for most of the week. He's on 10-speed Dura-Ace Di2 with a 3T cockpit. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Stripes for the world champ. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
The advantage of having only a single major sponsor: a very clean, simple, and classy world-champ kit. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
BMC made another major sponsor switch for 2013, from Hincapie Sportswear to Pearl Izumi clothing. PI's proprietary fabrics are clearly visible in the shoulders and back of the team's thin summer jersey. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Gilbert rides round-drop bars. When he first walked out to his newly built bike, he honed in on the black stem, directing an incredulous: "What is this? Black?" (with a smile) at his mechanics. Head mechanic Ian Sherburne assured him that a white version was on its way. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
BMC was all riding 25mm Continental tubulars, which match up well with the new Shimano C50 rims. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Neat internal routing throughout the SLR01. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Gilbert's SRM power meter hadn't been mounted before his first training ride on the new bike, when this photo was taken, but it was put on before race time. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Gilbert rides Shimano's carbon-bodied Dura-Ace pedals. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Attached to those pedals are these custom DMT shoes. Gilbert rides with Shimano's red zero-float cleats. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
No detail left unstriped. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
The 5-foot-10-inch Gilbert rides a 50cm SLR01 with 58cm of reach (saddle tip to bars) and a saddle height of 75cm. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Gilbert was quite pleased with the move to Shimano wheels, posting on Twitter: "Shimano wheels are so good! it's like 100 years evolution to last year." Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
How long before SRM sends over a computer with rainbow stripes? By next race, we'd guess. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
3T had the custom-painted bars ready, but not the stem quite yet. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Di2 sprint shifters. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
The battery is not internal, but still hidden away quite well. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
In case the stripes weren't a big enough hint, Gilbert's signature sits on the seat tube. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Yet more stripes. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
Philippe Gilbert's BMC Teammachine SLR01
Ready for its maiden voyage. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech / Gallery / News / Pro Bikes / Road TAGS: Philippe Gilbert / Pro bike
Caley Fretz
Tech Editor Caley Fretz came on board with VN in September 2010, and now splits his year between Boulder, Colorado and Annecy, France. Beyond his journalistic pursuits, he is a category 1 road, 'cross and track racer. He also holds a pro XC mountain bike license, though unlicensed racing is now more his style.
