New 2015 BMC SPEEDFOX SF02 29 XT BIKE

The Speedfox is a way to enjoy the widest variety of riding as possible with a single bike. The BMC SF02 29 XT Bike provides the range, and the build when matched with the frameset offers both high performance and value.Shimano Deore XT fills the niche of the Japanese component giant's mountain bike offerings that Ultegra fills on the road. They're great no-nonsense parts that eschew flash for practicality, coming in at almost identical performance and weight of the top-shelf stuff, but at a much better price. XT covers all of the components. The 38/24 double-ring crank, the 11-36 ten-speed cassette, chain, front derailleur, Shadow+ rear derailleur, and disc brakes.

Wheels tell you much about what a bike is supposed to do. The 180mm rotors, front and rear reveal that this bike can go steep and fast, but probably won't be ideal for the extreme end of all mountain riding. The DT Swiss M1700 Spline wheels are durable and at a competitive weight. The tires, Continental Mountain King in front X-King in the rear are 2.2", which, when combined with the wide rim, give a great, sure-footed grip on the ground, regardless of what "ground" comprises.

The suspension comes from Fox. The shock is Fox's Float CTD E-S. The fork is the matching 32 Float CTD E-S. 130mm in front, 130mm in back, and easily tunable on the trail. It's comfort, it's margin of error, it's efficiency all rolled together. Front and rear thru-axles add considerable lateral stiffness to the package, allowing your bike to track better more easily no matter how hard you're thrashing it.

In the middle of it all resides the Speedfox SF02 frame. Carbon-fiber front triangle, same as you'll find on the SF01, with a welded, triple-butted aluminum rear, which provides considerable savings with minimal weight added. Joining the two are BMC's Advanced Pivot System, a sophisticated linkage that keeps pedaling moving you forward and suspension keeping your wheel on the ground. It's also easy to adjust, thanks to sag indicators etched onto the rocker arm. And if you need more adjustment, the RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post is there to help. And cabled internally to keep the clean look.

When put all together, the BMC Speedfox SF02 29 XO Bike provides lots of ride for its brief.