Just wondered if anyone had ridden or bought one of the 150mm 29er BMC Trailfox bikes?

Saw one today and it looked really nice but maybe a bit of a tank if your under 6ft!

It really felt to me like a bike that needed to be on big mountains. Very promising first impression. I was at Kent Cyclopark unfortuately, so I only have that first impression to go on : (

Thanks for replying jameso.

How do you think it’d be for enduro racing here in the UK? Bit of a steamroller? I’ve heard that the rear tyre clearance is slim so might not be the best but on paper everything else looks good.

Pinkbike review said similar to the above.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/bmc-trailfox-tf01-review-2014.html

Riding a $9000 bike should cause an ear-to-ear grin of guilty pleasure, but at times riding the TF01 felt more like work than play. Getting sideways, blasting off of little trailside bonus features; basically, going any direction except in a straight line is what makes mountain biking so enjoyable, but the TF01’s serious manners had us struggling to ride it like we wanted to. It’s a lot of bike to handle, and won’t be the best option for riders seeking a lively, nimble ride. In the hands of an aggressive rider whose home terrain consists mainly of ultra-high speed, wide open trails the TF01 could be a formidable weapon, but that type of terrain can be difficult to come by. Plus, even though the TF01 has a very high end parts kit, the final price is still well above what we would have expected; there are similarly spec’d carbon bikes on the market that retail for hundreds of dollars less

Thanks honourablegeorge. I had seen that before. Unfortunately I am looking at a lower spec version that the carbon dream machine! The one reviewed here: http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/full-suspension-bikes/bmc-trailfox-tf03-review/

Verdict

BMC is sitting on a gem. The geometry, sizing and frame finish on the Trailfox TF03 make it one of the best laid-out 29ers that we’ve thrown a leg over, but the lacklustre suspension response and some aspects of the spec instantly took the shine off the ride. It’s as if the bike has been dumbed down, or restricted, and we never came close to unlocking the Trailfox’s full potential. Yes, there were moments when we experienced its raw speed and promise, but they were too short-lived to give the Enduro Comp a real run for its money in this test.

How do you think it’d be for enduro racing here in the UK?

No idea, in all honesty : ) I wanted to take it to the Alps.

Ah ‘proper BIG mountains’. The MBR review has me thinking that a few wee upgrades and it could be a winner.

It’s a lovely looking bike, I’ll give it that. Would love to try one.

Rode one very recently, that had already had some of the stock components swapped for lighter parts, and had been 1x’d.

I was staggered by how much it weighed. Dreadnought Class. If it matches BMC’s claimed weight for this model, I’ll frot a puffin. Cracking looking bike, but I could not be bothered lugging that weight around. It didn’t really feel like you could slim it down much either, even with plenty of cash at your disposal.

If your regular rides involve a few hike-a-bike sections, this probably isn’t the bike for you.

stevestunts – thanks for that info on the weight. Its a big bike so guess weight will be a factor. What sort of bits had been changed? Wheels? Forks?

Sorry, completely forgot about this post.

Nothing as significant as wheels or forks had been changed, just the own-brand type components where there’s traditionally a load of hidden weight; seatpost, stem, bars, etc. You’d add all that back on, though, if you fitted a dropper post.

It really felt to me like a bike that needed to be on big mountains.

150mm and 29er wheels?….of course it’s for big mountain riding!…

…strange thing is that here in the UK we have lost the plot completely and refer to bikes like these as ‘great all rounders’ or ‘one bike for everything’ or simply as ‘trail bikes’….what kind of trail in the UK is going to NEED 150mm and 29 inch wheels?!…but it doesn’t stop people deluding themselves into thinking they need long travel and slack angles for their local trail centre.

I could be wrong but I think Merlin have one of these for sale in their showroom at the moment, £2400 reduced from £6000… Very nice looking bike but seemed quite steep for a modern ‘enduro’ bike…

Edit http://www.merlincycles.com/bmc-trailfox-tf01-xtr-small-74897.html this was the jasper… Only a small and I don’t think it’s the 29er… So this becomes the least helpful post yet!

Got one (TF03)for the price I paid it couldn’t be beaten on paper. Only covered about 35 miles so far so good. Like it was said above, rather heavy! Only thing missing is a dropper post (which will increase the weight that little bit more!)