FlashBazbo

Is anyone else subject to the BMC TeamMachine SLR01 Disc fork recall? It relates to 2018 and 2019 models and, word has it, hits all or most 2018 models and a few 2019 bikes. I took my bike in yesterday for the inspection to determine whether my fork has to be replaced. It does. So the BMC is out of commission while we wait for a new fork. If you've got a 2018 or 2019 model, have you taken yours for inspection? How did it go for you? And if you're waiting on a fork, what's the ETA your bike shop has given you?

As for ETA, a week ago, my LBS said the forks should be ready sometime in December. Last night, the LBS said they might be ready this week or next. (My best guess, based on the optimism that bike companies tend to use when giving ETA's, is . . . April. I hope I'm wrong.)

It's been a banner year for me for bike mechanical issues. More mechanical issues in the last 12 months than in the last 30 years, combined. It's got to get better . . . doesn't it?

chainwhip

...but didn't your BMC frame also have issues with its seatpost clamp? And a difficult resolution process on that one?

Sorry to hear about the mechanicals.
2020 is a New Year.

FlashBazbo

Yes, my 2018 frameset had issues with the frame in the integrated / concealed seatpost wedge area (the frame broke). Not a difficult resolution. It just took time. The replacement frame was this early 2019 frame. Incidentally, the 2018 frameset would also have required a fork replacement.

Great bike but, like a lot of manufacturers, I think BMC (and Trek and Specialized and . . . ) are going too far with the gee-whiz integration, concealed wires/cables, proprietary component trend. Not that long ago, even the fastest, most exotic bikes were rock-solid reliable for years and tens of thousands of miles. Almost zero maintenance. The new fully integrated bikes look cool. But they've lost something important in the translation. When you spend what a bike costs these days (even at the low end), the bike should be unquestionably reliable.

TiHabanero

Not sure if the gimmicks in design are causing issues, or cost cutting by manufacturers or engineering testing is where the problems come from.

FlashBazbo

Revised ETA per my LBS . . . fork availability moved from late November to mid- to late December. (I'm standing by my guess of April 2020.)

berner

I've been reading a good amount about industrial failures. Included are accounts from investigators of the Space Shuttle, the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, several offshore drilling platforms, the Skyway collapse and others. Also included are manufacturing defects leading to recalls. If a defect is not caught during the planning or manufacturing phase of production then it seems to me that is a management problem in that not enough time is allotted to quality control. Today there is an increased pace of life which permeates all aspects of our culture with the result that there is not enough time to think things through.

A prime example is the Fukushima meltdown representing in incorrect assessment of risk by locating emergency water pumps on the ground floor. When the meltdown began, nearby residents were evacuated but to an area where radiation was actually higher, due to winds, than the area the residents were evacuated from. Not only that, but there were not enough geiger counters for emergency responders to adequately monitor radiation levels. There were other failures of planning in this incident that increased the death toll. I don't know how to change a culture. All I can do is to steer myself so that I'm not caught up in the frenetic pace around me.

FlashBazbo

You may be on to something. Whether it's the engineering or the execution, there's clearly a problem out there -- not limited to BMC. I'm tempted to find an old fashioned, non-integrated, non-proprietary component bike. It might not be cutting edge, but at least it will be available to ride anytime I want to ride. English threaded BB, conventional stem, conventional seatpost clamp. Not very exciting, but they are extremely low maintenance and very reliable -- and, in most situations, just as fast.

When it's working, I like the SLR01 a lot. But this bike has sat in the LBS's building more days than all the bikes I've previously owned, combined. (I've previously gone decades without ever taking a bike back to the shop!)

chainwhip

Two of my faves, built/ restored in 2019:

'73 Raleigh Comp


Shogun Selectra updated with Sora R3000 9spd


Shogun Selectra updated with Sora R3000 9spd



...and a very nice Ritchey Logic:


And if not a C&V regular, you might enjoy this thread for inspiration...I sure did:

Retro roadies- old frames with STI's or Ergos
(Classic & Vintage)
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/361558-retro-roadies-old-frames-sti-s-ergos.html?highlight=retro+roadies

FlashBazbo

DAY 15 of the BMC Fork Recall Hostage Crisis.

Has anyone received a fork replacement yet or an ETA?

FlashBazbo

My LBS says that BMC says that forks for the recall will "start becoming available" next week. (The week of December 15, 2019) I hope they're right and I hope mine is one of those that becomes available next week.

(If I had to bet, I would still say my fork's ETA is sometime in April 2020. We will see.)

FlashBazbo

The week of December 15 came and went. My LBS said, "We are still waiting for BMC to give us an ETA."

nomadmax 

If cycling is an integral part of your life, you gotta have a quiver of bikes; always something to ride.

Kimmo

I don't think you necessarily need a retro bike for reliability, but modern bikes are a minefield. I'd consider it to be mostly down to the teething issues associated with branching away from tried and true stuff, and I reckon it'll settle down eventually. Hopefully by the time T47 really catches on, bike companies will have figured out how to avoid making lemons.

sdmc530

I just saw this last night. I don't own a BMC but hopefully getting resolved. I have been victim of two fork recalls. One by spec and it was fixed in DAYS, yes days. Awesome CS at Specialized. Second was Cannondale, that took months. They were really horrible about it and will never buy another cannondale ever again because of the terrible CS. they were very rude when contacted too.

Good luck BMC folks!!

Sy Reene

Agree in general.. but in this case we're talking about a carbon fork.. they've been around quite a while. Not sure what BMC thought they were reinventing, though I think it was this brand that also had issues with some seat clamps not holding the seatposts up.

indyfabz

IKR. I’ve never owned a carbon frame and don’t go for the latest tech yet even I have been using carbon forks since 2001.

Kimmo

Well yeah, I didn't get into the merits of various brands, and BMC haven't got the best reputation, but another angle I didn't get around to touching on is kind of an extension of what I said - this probably isn't your grandma's carbon fork. What with disc, aero, the continuing quest to be ever lighter, and the ongoing development of raw materials, not to mention manufacturing processes and the drive to make stuff cheaper, there's probably been a fair degree of reinventing going on.

I'd guess some of the most reliable carbon gear was made between the late 90s and late 00s, before it was more common to really push the material's limits. 400g used to be plenty light enough for a fork... now, some of em feel like they'd float away in a light breeze.

Sy Reene

Maybe to tie this together for you two.. in recent past, picked up a NOS Ouzo Pro CF fork from ebay seller "Independent Fabrications".. 40mm rake (not easy to find), and a perfect match to the stock fork of the same brand/model/rake that came on my 2003 Merlin. Sorry to say though, it's still sitting on a shelf as my original fork is still working just fine.

bpcyclist

I am very disappointed at how you have been apparently treated. They do not seem to have their acts together. I have a 2018 SLR02 with rim brakes and it has been just fantastic. Zero issues. Different bike, though. I think when I get my disc/UDi2 rig next, I may go back to Orbea.

Miles2go

I'm in the market for a new race and daily club ride bike (replacing my well-loved '12 SuperSix) and I'm sad to hear about this fork issue, and apparent lack of being on top of things from BMC. They were on my short list of bikes to consider. Gonna be a hard choice as is.

indyfabz

Heh. I happen to own a custom Independent Fabrication steel road frame that was built with an Ouzo Pro CF fork. Road it for some 12 years until I got my custom ti Engin.

FlashBazbo

The "new" thing about the BMC SLR01 fork steerer is that it isn't round in section. The steerer is narrow and oblong in section in order to allow the brake lines and Di2 cables to be fed past it, through the head tube, and into the frame -- gee whiz, super-kewl, totally concealed stuff. The original steerer tubes had sharp corners where the sides were cut off the circle. I suspect (but don't know) that they should have radiused those sharp corners so they wouldn't serve as a stress point.

According to BMC, most 2019 and all 2020 SLR01 Disc front forks are fine. Of course, if that's true, they have the wherewithal and the design to manufacture replacements. So . . . why is it taking so long?

But another fun fact . . . the other super-kewl feature of this design is that it has a tendency to occasionally grab hold of an internally routed Di2 wire and pull it out of the junction -- leaving the bike without the ability to shift, at all.

This is my 4th BMC SLR01. And it is assuredly, my last.

melikebikey35

With the desire for "total integration" (combined with cutting weight) being the main focus of the industry, I suspect we will be seeing other bikes/brands with similar issues down the line...

FlashBazbo

UPDATE: My LBS says BMC is "noncommittal" about the ETA for the fork. They claim they are sending out forks as they receive them but mine (the first one ordered under the recall in this state) apparently hasn't yet made it to the top of the stack. I haven't heard from anyone who has received one. My LBS is a big multi-location BMC dealer, but he hasn't received any.

He says optimistically that we should receive my fork this week or next. But he doesn't really know.

My original guess of April 2020 is looking more likely by the passing day.

Noctilux.95

I would ask for a complete refund. Actually I would demand a complete refund.