After a several year hiatus after ending its carbon and aluminum Cross Machine line (reviewed in Issue 4), Swiss bike company BMC has returned to the cyclocross market for 2013, showing its cyclocross-worthy do-it-all machine called the GranFondo GF02 disc off at Eurobike 2012.
The aluminum frame bike strays from the road-oriented nature of the rest of the BMC GranFondo line by dropping road brakes for Shimano R515 mechanical disc brakes, stretching the chainstays out to a cyclocross standard of 42.5cm, and shortening the bottom bracket drop to 68mm.
Full length view of the GF02, with three cables running along the downtube. Conti cyclocross tires indicate one of its intended uses. ©Thomas van Bracht
The result looks to be a cyclocross bike marketed to the growing GranFondo crowd, but BMC says the new bike has “the tire clearance and CX geometry [so] it can compete in cyclocross races.”
A Shimano 105/CX50 drivetrain offers 36/46 and an 11-28 gearing combination, with plenty of range for both cyclocross and gran fondos. Continental Cyclocross Sport tires indicate that cyclocross use is not just an afterthought.
A tapered steerer follows the trend of oversized lower steerers and fork crowns to support the unique asymmetrical stresses of disc brakes.
Stay tuned for more Eurobike 2012 cyclocross product from Cyclocross Magazine. Jordan Villella contributed to this report.
Photo Gallery of the BMC Gran Fondo GF02 Disc Cyclocross Bike:
