The BMC Roadmachine 01 Three is the Swiss company’s endurance take on the race bike – something it has achieved very well indeed. It offers a great balance of stiffness, low weight, versatility and performance while still focusing heavily on comfort.
BMC Roadmachine 01 Three: The ride
We’ve often pointed out that an endurance bike is exactly the sort of machine that would benefit most of us, more so than an out-an-out race bike – and BMC’s Roadmachine is proof of this if it was ever needed.
‘Engineered for long rides’ is how BMC describes it, and thanks to its tallish front end it very much is. The position is comfortable and easy to hold for a long time, which is part of the reason it is so efficient. The other reason – the designers haven’t forgotten about performance!
I’ve ridden many BMCs over the near 17 years I’ve been reviewing bikes for road.cc and the one thing that they have all had in common is that they are incredibly stiff – which is great for translating your power into forward motion.
This Roadmachine is no different. It feels very tight through the parts of the frame that will handle the pedalling, steering and braking forces – most noticeably around the bottom bracket.
When sprinting, climbing or accelerating from a standing start there is no notable flex around any of these areas.
Another thing that BMC is good at is ride feel and quality. On UK roads especially, an overly firm frame can become a chore to ride. This is acceptable if it’s a race machine, but not so much when it’s aimed at the endurance side of things.
There are some of the usual tricks employed when it comes to frame design such as narrow curved seatstays to introduce some flex and compliance, and the compact frame design allows you to run a lot of seatpost – again bringing in flex.
Aside from that, though, BMC has also done a great job with the carbon lay-up. Very stiff, light carbon frames can have a habit of feeling a bit hollow, ‘plasticky’ if you like, and this causes increased vibration from poor road surfaces, and a feeling of harshness.
BMC has done a great job with this, though as any of those feelings have been muted and tamed. I could still feel the stiffness with every pedal stroke, but there is none of that high-frequency buzz or resonation from the road. This also means that feedback isn’t affected, and this is actually a very talkative frameset in terms of sending you information from the tyres to your contact points.
Adding to the comfort is the Easton EC70 handlebar. I’ve used this on a couple of review bikes lately and it has to be commended for its comfort with a subtle bit of flex, without affecting stiffness when pulling on the drops when sprinting.
From a handling point of view the Roadmachine is again very balanced between performance and endurance.
With a slightly slacker head tube angle than a pure race bike the handling isn’t as quick as it could be, but the only place that you’ll ever notice is on really high-speed technical descents. The tall head tube is noticeable too as it prevented me from being able to get down into a tucked position. Not by a huge amount, but enough to just keep my centre of gravity a little higher than I was used to.
As this is an endurance bike, though, I’d say the handling is spot on for how this kind of bike is designed to be ridden. Everywhere else other than those fast, technical descents the steering is quick enough without ever creeping over into the realm of twitchiness.
Even on the wet, salt-covered greasy roads I ‘enjoyed’ for the review period the BMC never gave me any surprises, and if things did go a little pear-shaped the Roadmachine was a bike that is easily reined in without too much drama.
BMC Roadmachine 01 Three: Frame and fork
BMC says that the Roadmachine’s frame and fork is made from its 01 Premium Carbon that it uses on its top-tier framesets. It doesn’t go into exact details about what that is, but hey – we’re all allowed our secrets.
The aim is the usual low weight and maximal stiffness, with the comfort coming from what BMC calls Tuned Compliance Concept (TCC), which balances vertical compliance with lateral stiffness.
Whatever the marketing jargon, as I’ve mentioned above it does work from a performance and ride quality point of view.
Thanks to internal hose and cable routing the Roadmachine is a very clean-looking bike too, and it also has plenty of neat additions.
There are a couple of mounting points on the top tube for the fitting of a bento box and you also get some internal frame storage inside the down tube with the cover sitting beneath the bottle cage mounting.
It’s roomy and even includes a water-repellent bag to store stuff in.
The seat clamp is completely integrated and the slot that sits behind the post is designed to hold a rear light, which is included with the bike. You’ll have to take my word for it as we have no pics because I didn’t find the light until I was taping the box up ready for returning the bike to BMC.
You can see it in situ on its website though. It offers a range of modes and is USB rechargeable.
With all of these accessories fitted (well, except the light) the weight on our scales was 7.82kg for the complete bike.
Tyre clearance is technically 40mm for the frame and fork, but the front derailleur limits the overall useable size to 36mm. Definitely still very roomy for this kind of bike and more than most of us need.
In terms of the bottom bracket, BMC has gone down the pressfit route.
Geometry-wise, the Roadmachine is available in six sizes with the 47 being the smallest, and the 61 being the largest. That gives a top tube range of 520mm to 581mm.
Our 56cm test model has a 559mm top tube, 181mm head tube and 508mm seat tube.
The angles are 72.2 degrees for head and 74.2 degrees for the seat tube, which combined with everything else gives stack and reach figures of 595mm and 388mm respectively.
BMC has a very detailed geometry chart on its website to help with sizing. A few headliners are a wheelbase of 1,010mm, a 415mm rear centre measurement and a fork rake of 45mm.
The bottom bracket drop is 75mm.
The Roadmachine has a system weight limit of 110kg and comes with a three-year frame warranty, while any other BMC component is covered for two years, as is the paint.
BMC Roadmachine 01 Three: Finishing kit
The 01 Three comes fitted with the latest version of SRAM’s Force AXS groupset which I think is brilliant. I have a full review coming in the near future, but in a nutshell, it shares a lot of similarities with its top-tier Red AXS groupset and the latest Rival AXS, both of which I have reviewed.
The BMC has a 2x chainset featuring 46/33T chainrings and a 12-speed 10-36T cassette. I find that the smaller chainrings work well for my style of riding, as it means I do virtually all of it in the big ring, which feels more efficient.
This build also comes with a single-sided power meter.
SRAM made some big changes to the layout of their hoods, which means not only that the ergonomics are very comfortable, but the braking power has been massively increased. Two-fingered braking is possible even from high-speed helped by the 160mm rotors.
As for the other kit. I’ve already mentioned the Easton bar being very comfortable and on this size bike it is 420mm wide and comes with a 125mm drop and an 80mm reach.
The ICS2 stem is designed to smuggle the brake hoses into the frame through the head tube and also has a sleek, aero handlebar clamping system.
The full-carbon seatpost is made from the same grade as the frame and fork.
It has 15mm of offset, and is topped by a Selle Italia Novus Boost Evo Superflow saddle that I found very comfortable.
BMC has specced its CRD-321 SL wheels which have a carbon fibre tubeless rim with a depth of 35mm and an internal width of 21mm.
With a claimed weight of 1,580g they’re middle of the road in terms of that and performance, but are still well suited to the job. I had no issues with durability or performance, and they roll well overall. Aesthetically I think the chunky frame of the Roadmachine looks even better with a set of deeper wheels, which would be the only upgrade I’d consider.
While I find many of Vittoria Corsa tyres very supple, the 32mm N.EXT versions are designed with durability in mind. Ideal for the conditions I’ve been riding in over the last couple of months, but I did find them quite lifeless and lacking a little suppleness.
As I say, though, they worked well for the winter months, successfully warding off punctures and providing decent grip. But come summer, I’d definitely be upgrading for something livelier to get the most out of the bike.
Value
BMC’s website doesn’t show UK pricing as it doesn’t ship directly here but the Three costs 7,999 CHF, 7,999 EUR and 8,399 USD.
That said, the bikes are available through UK dealers where it has an RRP of £7,999.
For comparison, the Giant Defy Advanced SL 1 I reviewed and rated very highly was priced at £8,799, but for 2026 that price is now £7,199.
There are a few component changes, but you’re still getting the same great frameset, SRAM Force AXS groupset and Giant’s own 40mm deep SLR 0 carbon wheels. Tyre clearance is 40mm.
Canyon has the aptly named Endurace as its endurance road bike, with the range-topping CFR model coming with either a SRAM Red AXS groupset or Dura-Ace Di2 for £7,449, both of which get a powermeter.
I reviewed the CFR a couple of years ago when the new frameset was released, and I was impressed with the comfort, and the geometry in terms of the height of the front end is very similar to the BMC.
I didn’t find the ride quite as involving as I would have liked, though. I like a bike that gives me a lot of feedback and that was something that the Canyon lacked, it was a touch muted in that respect.
It’s a good bike, but the BMC’s ride suits me better.
The Argon 18 Krypton Pro is branded an all-road bike but is very similar to the BMC in terms of geometry – tall front end, racy nature, decent tyre clearance (up to 40mm) and internal frame storage.
I liked the ride quality very much when I reviewed it in 2024 and it was stiff too, plus at 7.6kg it’s a similar weight to the BMC.
The Ultegra Di2 model I reviewed is £7,000 and comes with Hunt’s Aerodynamicist carbon wheels, while the SRAM Force-equipped bike costs £8,750 with Zipp’s 303 Firecrest wheelset.
A lot of money, yes, but when you look at the competition above it’s not what I’d consider expensive or overpriced, especially when you consider the ride quality of the BMC.
For more options, check out our best endurance road bikes buyer’s guide.
Conclusion
The BMC Roadmachine 01 Three is a very complete bike. It balances the needs of those of us who want performance and comfort without really any compromises between the two, which is a tricky route to get right.
On top of that the build quality of the frameset is absolutely top notch, and it’s also well specced, which goes a long way to justify the price.
What does the manufacturer say about this product?:
BMC says: “Endurance Without Limits. The Roadmachine 01 THREE redefines endurance performance with a blend of speed, comfort, and all-road versatility. Built from our premium 01-grade carbon, it features advanced integration including internal cable routing, downtube storage, and a fully integrated rear light for added safety.”
Rate the product overall for quality (1-10):
8/10
Rate the product for performance when used for its designed purpose (1-10):
8/10
Rate the product for value (1-10):
5/10
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested?:
On the whole the price is in the right sort of ballpark. It’s similar in price to Giant’s Defy once you factor in the lack of a powermeter on that bike, while the Argon 18 is quite a bit pricier even when you consider the jump up to the Zipp wheels.
The Canyon is cheaper, but I’d take the BMC’s ride quality over it.
List the components used to build up the bike:
Stem: BMC ICS2 | Integrated Cockpit System Technology
Handlebar: Easton EC70 SL Carbon | 125mm drop, 80mm reach, 4° flare
Seatpost: Roadmachine 01 Premium Carbon D-Shaped Seatpost | 15mm Offset | D-Fender Compatible
Saddle: Selle Italia Novus Boost Evo Superflow | TI316 Rail | 145mm
Crankset: SRAM Force AXS (FC-FRC-P-E1)
Chainrings: 46-33T
Power Meter: SRAM Force AXS Power Meter | Single Side (FC-FRC-P-E1)
Cassette: SRAM Force (CS-XG-1270-E1)
Cassette Size: 10-36T
Chain: SRAM Force (CN-FRC-E1)
Front Derailleur: SRAM Force AXS (FD-FRC-E-E1)
Rear Derailleur: SRAM Force AXS (RD-FRC-E-E1)
Shifters: SRAM Force AXS (ED-FRC-E1)
Gears: 2 x 12
Bottom Bracket: SRAM Press Fit DUB
Brake Levers / Calipers: SRAM Force AXS (ED-FRC-E1)
Rotors: SRAM Centerline X | Centerlock
Rotor Size (F/R): 160 / 160mm
Wheelset: CRD-321 SL Carbon
Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.EXT, 32mm
In the Box: Integrated Rear Light 25 | Roadmachine Bottle Cages | Storage Pouch
Tell us what the bike is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?:
BMC says: “Endurance Without Limits. The Roadmachine 01 THREE redefines endurance performance with a blend of speed, comfort, and all-road versatility. Built from our premium 01-grade carbon, it features advanced integration including internal cable routing, downtube storage, and a fully integrated rear light for added safety.”
That sums up the Roadmachine well. It has the characteristics of a road bike with a more relaxed ride position.
Where does this model sit in the range? Tell us briefly about the cheaper options and the more expensive options:
The Roadmachine range is made up of four models the 01 ONE, TWO, THREE and FOUR which are available at two price points. The ONE and TWO come with SRAM Red and Dura-Ace respectively, while this model and the FOUR cost the same as each other but offer either SRAM Force or Shimano Ultegra.
Overall rating for frame and fork
9/10
Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork:
An exceptional build quality throughout. The internal storage allows you to see how clean and smooth the internal faces of the tubes are too.
Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork:
Both the frame and fork are made from BMC’s 01 Premimum Carbon grade.
Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork:
The front end is higher than that of a race bike, which gives the bike a more upright, endurance-friendly position.
How was the bike in terms of stack and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?:
It’s a bit taller than some other models on the market, but the reach is in the typical range.
Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality:
Ride comfort is very good thanks to the compliance engineered into what is a stiff frameset.
Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?:
The Roadmachine has plenty of stiffness focused around the bottom bracket area and lower half of the frame.
Was there any toe overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?:
No
How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive?:
Neutral
Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?:
The handling isn’t as quick as that of a full-on race bike, but still fast enough to be fun in the bends without feeling twitchy.
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike’s performance? Would you recommend any changes?:
The saddle is comfortable and the compliance in the carbon bar helps tame any stray road buzz. The BMC wheels showed good lateral stiffness and the carbon fibre cranks of the Force chainset will cope with hard out-of-the-saddle efforts. The gear spread of the SRAM groupset feels efficient with my pedalling style. The only thing I’d change would be the tyres to something more supple for the warmer months.
Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
9/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
8/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
8/10
Rate the bike for stability:
8/10
Rate the bike for cornering:
8/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
8/10
Rate the drivetrain for performance:
9/10
Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn’t like? Any components which didn’t work well together?:
A stunning groupset thanks to great ergonomics and performance.
Rate the wheels for performance:
9/10
Rate the wheels for weight:
7/10
Tell us some more about the wheels. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so, what for?:
A good all round wheelset for all kinds of road riding.
Rate the tyres for performance:
8/10
Rate the tyres for weight:
7/10
Rate the tyres for comfort:
7/10
Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so, what for?:
Designed for durability and they work really well on that front, although I didn’t find them the most supple. Wet and dry grip was good though.
Rate the brakes for performance:
8/10
Rate the controls for performance:
8/10
Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?:
Some excellent component choices in this build, with bar and saddle particular highlights.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
For the Roadmachine BMC has focused heavily on the engineering to deliver a high-quality ride while incorporating loads of performance; and the build quality is equally impressive. It’s a well-designed complete package that makes it a very good choice if you want a fast, high-quality all-round road bike.