The Gear: URS Gravel Bike
Posted By Gravel Union
On the 10th July 2019
Product Title:
URS Gravel Bike
Release Date:
10 July 2019
Brand:
BMC
Website Link:
https://www.bmc-switzerland.com
Product Description
To meet the needs of the demanding and diverse gravel rider BMC applied its engineering expertise on an all-new platform designed for everything in between high-intensity gravel racing and limitless backroad exploration. The off-road-ready URS features progressive geometry, sleek cockpit integration for a custom fit and all-new gravel-tuned frame to deliver a compliant and adventure-ready ride.
To meet such a wide range of rider demands, BMC developed Tuned Compliance Concept Gravel, which utilises a gravel-dedicated carbon frame and fork layup and proven D-Shaped seatpost, plus incorporates 10mm of seatstay-mounted MTT damping for optimum compliance and traction on rough terrain. To further enhance the holistic, gravel-minded approach to compliance and capability, the groundbreaking Gravel+ specific geometry features a slack 70-degree head angle and combines a long reach with a super-short (55 or 70mm) ICS integrated stem for enhanced control and responsiveness on varying terrain.
We took the time to speak to Stefano Gennaioli of BMC to find out a little more about the URS, and what influenced the company to produce a whole new platform.
Introduce yourself to the Gravel Union community.
I am Stefano Gennaioli, Product Marketing Manager at BMC Switzerland.
So, BMC is a very well-known brand. A brand that has had great success in professional cycling both mountain and road. What appeal does gravel have for the brand to make you produce a bike specifically for it?
The BMC brand goes beyond its racing and performance heritage, even though it is the most natural connection for a lot of people.
BMC bikes are imagined and designed by a very diverse group of riders which, very simply put, wanted to have their own dedicated Gravel machine.
We found ourselves riding Gravel a lot over the last 3-4 years so we figured that there would be riders out there that would like to have a Gravel bike that would share the same design approach that is found on our bikes
How has your experience with other categories influenced your interpretation of a gravel bike?
Definitely: Gravel bikes spend most of their time off-road so MTB had an obvious influence in our design in terms of geometry. We also had a very clear vision about suspending the rider during seated pedalling on rough surfaces which we could turn into reality with our Micro Travel Technology which was originally featured on the BMC Teamelite (launched in 2015).
Who do you feel is your target audience for this new platform?
A very wide range of riders. Gravel is hard to define, every rider will have a different interpretation and we’re totally fine with that, we realised very early in the process of designing URS and set out to create a very versatile platform that would appeal to Gravel racers as much as to bike packers with a performance mind set.
Tell us about the bike and any unique features.
The Gravel+ geometry is a big departure from the road-inspired geometries found on most Gravel bikes and takes inspiration from our MTB category because of a very simple fact: Gravel bikes are mostly used off-road. The Gravel+ geometry delivers the stability of a MTB on loose surfaces and steep terrain while still delivering lively handling and efficient power transfer.
Integration: we decided to use our own ICS (Integrated Cockpit System) technology for URS to have the best cockpit setup for our Gravel+ geometry and to add the Premium feel that customers have come to expect from a BMC bike.
The Gravel-friendly stems feature a 0˚ angle and range from 55mm to 100mm; S and M sizes uses 55mm stems while L and XL sizes will feature 70mm stems.
Tuned Compliance Concept x Gravel: we use our D-Shape seat post design and MTT (Micro Travel Technology) to deliver a two-phase suspension that effectively isolates the rider from the terrain. The D-Shape seat post takes care of soaking-up the smaller impacts that occur during seated pedalling while MTT uses its 10mm of travel to take care of bigger impacts that occur downhill, at higher speeds or during technical riding (e.g. riding over rocks and roots on a trail).
Beside these key pillars we added all the features that are expected on a Gravel/Adventure bike: ample tire clearance (700x45mm / 650cx47mm), multiple frame mounts, integrated protections, stealth dropper post cable routing, fender and rack mounts, dedicated bolt-on fender solution, front- suspension corrected geometry (for a FOX SC AX fork) and hub dynamo cable routing.
You spec the new Shimano GRX group set … was there something particular about this new product range that made it the perfect complement to your new bike?
The first thing we liked when we tried the new GRX group set was the great ergonomics of the lever. The shape of the levers and the hoods are a big improvement and provide a confidence boost when riding on rough terrain.
The look of the GRX components also matches our vision of what is needed to create a good-looking Gravel bike and played a role in our choice.
Beside this we are very confident in Shimano’s manufacturing and quality; they usually deliver very dependable products that we can spec with confidence.
How do you think gravel will develop in the future?
I personally believe that Gravel has a lot of potential to grow and will potentially evolve around specific types of riding that will require specific and more specialised designs.
Good or bad? It doesn’t really matter as long as we’re out there having fun off the beaten road!