FAST BIKE FRIDAY – BMC URS ONE APEX 1

Today’s Fast Bike Friday feature takes a look at this super-hot, cutting-edge gravel bike from premium Swiss bike brand BMC. The URS One Apex 1 is equal parts ‘fast and fun’ with a superlight carbon frame boasting BMC’s unique and cleverly engineered Micro Travel Technology for enhanced comfort, combined with some sophisticated angular tube-profiling which increases stiffness and pedaling efficiency; those ‘fast’ performance capabilities are married up with some fairly progressive frame geometry to factor in the ‘fun’ portion of the URS, providing agility on tight terrain and stability at speed. What does URS stand for? Unrestricted, which is exactly how BMC want you to approach your gravel riding.

The BMC URS boasts a distinctive silhouette thanks to those unique angular frame tube profiles.

 

Instead of billing the BMC URS gravel bike as being specifically suited to a particular type of gravel riding – for example bikepacking, racing, or rowdy trail riding as some brands have done the URS is most-definitely aimed at doing at least two of those things on that list! Namely high-performance gravel racing and more playful trail riding; the URS does lack the kind of multiple bolt-on bosses that you might find on a more utilitarian bikepacking machine, but that said, there’s still bolts for a small top tube pack and there’s plenty of large bikepacking saddle packs and frame bags that will easily fit on this bike. Calling it the URS (Unrestricted) is fitting; this BMC almost stands alone as a carbon gravel bike that’s race-ready but has a wild side too.

URS – BMC’s abbreviation of unrestricted. 

 

While the URS gives off the appearance of a responsive, lightweight climbing machine that’s capable of stealing KOMs on every ride (which of course it is!) it is also a very playful, agile gravel bike that’s ready for fast, fun riding through tight singletrack. How is this done? Well, it’s mainly thanks to BMC’s clever tweaking of the bikes geometry; optimised for modern, aggressive gravel riding the URS features a slack 70° head angle, a long, roomy front triangle combined with a short stem to give you room to move freely about the bike while keeping steering sharp and a slightly longer wheelbase for enhanced stability on steep descents.

Before we move on to more details on the frame and fork it’s worth highlighting BMC’s rather clunky URS model names and the distinction between them, the URS sub-range of gravel bikes is split into two different groups URS 01 and URS; with the URS One Apex 1 model we’re looking at today being part of the URS group rather than the URS 01 group. Yep it can be a little confusing!

First off it’s important to point out that the grade of carbon is exactly the same for both sub-ranges with the only difference being that the URS 01 models feature BMC’s ICS integrated fork, bar, stem configuration with fully concealed hydraulic brake hoses while the URS models do not. I would argue that the lack of integrated components and internal cable routing through the stem is actually preferable on a gravel bike like this anyway so the setup of the URS makes complete sense to us.

The URS looks fast and performance-focused but its ‘Unrestricted’ moniker hints at something more playful.

 

The URS progressive geometry will inevitably encourage you to push harder on tight, technical off-road terrain. With this in mind BMC developed the MTT system on the rear of the frame; MTT stands for Micro Travel Technology and as the name suggests this system provides a small amount of travel to take the sting out of the rear of this stiff carbon bike. MTT’s origins were in mountain biking with the system first being used on BMC’s range of lightweight cross-country mountain bikes. The carbon frame has been cleverly engineered to flex vertically to accommodate this movement while retaining lateral stiffness so that your pedaling input and power transfer through the frame is not compromised in any way. The movement of the MTT system is clearly visible even when you are simply pressing down firmly on the saddle on the showroom floor and it seems a like a really simple but efficient design solution to staying comfortable in the saddle on rough terrain.

BMC’s MTT (Micro Travel Technology) adds 10mm of travel at the rear of the frame for enhanced comfort in the saddle.

BMC’s sophisticated carbon frame manufacturing techniques do not just stop at the MTT system; the frame features BMC’s TCC (Tuned Compliance Concept) to give the highest level of compliance through a dedicated carbon layup combined with dropped seatstays which facilitate more flex as well as a D-shaped seatpost designed to flex when you’re in the saddle, providing enhanced comfort during long hours spent riding off-road.

A clever combination of BMC’s MTT system, dropped seatstays and d-shaped carbon seatpost all help to make the URS comfy and capable. 

 

The 70° head angle is pretty slack for a gravel bike and gives the URS a more stable feel at speed.

 

With carbon frame and fork protection in mind BMC have included some neat rubber protection on the fork blades and on the underside of the downtube by the bottom bracket. The fork blade dropout guards are a brilliant addition that will provide protection when your bike is in transit with the front wheel out or when you’re fixing a front wheel puncture at the trail side; the rubber portion of the downtube underside protects from flying debris and there’s additional protection on the chainstay.

Rubber covers on the URS carbon fork are a nice addition.

 

BMC have spec’d the URS One with SRAM’s excellent gravel-specific Apex 1 groupset. When SRAM first launched their purpose-built 1X drivetrain groupsets they were well ahead of the curve. Things in the cycling industry move on quickly but it’s important to remember that they were the first component manufacturers to produce gravel-specific groupsets that featured the simplicity of a 1X setup – one chainring at the front combined with a wide ratio cassette at the rear; this simple solution provides a lightweight, easy to maintain, functional drivetrain with no need for a front derailleur that still provides all the gear ratios you’ll need to negotiate a mix of gradients both on and off-road.

The URS One Apex 1 comes spec’d with a simple, efficient 1X SRAM Apex 1 drivetrain.

 

The SRAM Apex long-cage rear derailleur features their clutch technology; this keeps the chain in tension regardless of what gear ratio you have selected, helping to keep the chain secure when you’re riding over rough terrain and preventing it from unshipping off the cassette or chainring. BMC have opted for a gravel-friendly 10-42T SRAM cassette giving a huge range of gears to prevent you from spinning out on fast road descents or running out of gears on the steepest off-road climbs.

The SRAM Apex 1 long cage rear derailleur works brilliantly with the huge 11-42T rear cassette.

 

SRAM Apex 1 shifters are simple and intuitive to use with gear shifting taken care of by one small shift-lever tucked behind the right-hand brake lever; when pressed lightly the chain shifts down the block, when pressed more firmly (further inward) the chain moves up the block. If you’re more used to Shimano shifters it’s worth pointing out that these SRAM shifters feel a bit more ‘definite’ in their shift compared to Shimano which can feel a bit light; this is a good thing when you’re making multiple gear changes while negotiating technical terrain and everything happening at once; there’s no chance of accidental gear shifts in the heat of the moment. Another positive aspect with these shifters is the large hoods which are made that way to accommodate the brake’s hydraulic fluid reservoir but also provide a more secure feel when riding on the hoods, negating the risk of slipping and losing grip particularly when you’re riding in wet off-road conditions.

SRAM Apex 1 HRD levers give solid, precise gear shifts which are well suited to gloved-finger gear changes off-road.

 

With another hint towards how BMC see this type of gravel bike being ridden (rowdy!) the BMC URS One Apex 1 comes spec’d with powerful SRAM Apex HRD-A1 hydraulic disc brakes matched up with a large 180mm Centreline rotor upfront and a slightly smaller 160mm Centreline rotor on the rear; this braking configuration really helps to scrub off speed quickly and effectively at those times when the URS has encouraged you to really push the limits of your off-road bike-handling.

SRAM Apex HRD-A1 flat-mount hydraulic disc brake calipers provide plenty of braking power in all riding conditions.

 

When it comes to the need for a gravel-specific wheelset which meets the demands of fast, frenetic riding off-road riding BMC have met the brief with a pair of C1850 SPLINE wheels from their national contemporaries DT Swiss; these wheels feature a 23mm deep rim with a nice wide 22mm inner rim width that helps give a wider tyre footprint placing more of the tread in contact with the ground as well as giving the tyre’s sidewall a more square, less pinched-in profile which helps to prevent pinch flats too. These wheels feature DT Swiss 370 Spline hubs which are smooth and fast-rolling with durable sealed bearings spec’d to help stand up to the demands of off-road riding in all the elements.

Super-smooth DT Swiss 370 Spline hubs roll fast and are durable against the elements.

 

Tubeless-ready alloy DT Swiss C1850 SPLINE rims feature a 22mm inner rim width to help give your tyres a wider footprint.

 

A good or bad tyre choice on your gravel bike can make or break your ride and there’s a balance to be struck between having a tyre that provides plenty of grip and traction as well as being fast-rolling enough to remain efficient on smoother stretches of gravel track or even tarmac. The 40mm wide 700c WTB Raddler gravel tyres hit that sweet spot, with a very shallow square tread running down the middle of the tyre the URS One won’t be held back on the road; then when you head out onto the gravel there’s still plenty of  bite on those steep, lose climbs. When the BMC URS encourages you to take on more technical singletrack trails you can be confident that the larger square blocks that run along the outside of the tyre will dig in and keep you upright on tight downhill turns.

Fast-rolling WTB Raddler tyres provide ample amounts of grip and cushioning from rough terrain thanks to their 40mm width.

 

A well-designed tread pattern means the central portion of the tyre rolls fast while the outer edges provide more grip on loose turns.

 

The BMC URS One Apex 1 comes fitted with gravel-specific alloy Easton EA50 AX handlebars with a 16 degree flare on the drops; nothing too excessive or over the top, just a sensibly shaped bar with a shallow drop and a little flare making them perfect for fast road miles as well as slow, tight turns when you want to spread your centre of gravity too retain control at slow speeds. A WTB SL8 Chromoly saddle fitted to BMC’s own carbon d-shaped seat post is sized medium, making it comfortable over long distances spent in the saddle; a nice little touch is the scuff-protection trim to help prevent damage to the saddle in crashes.

A comfortable medium-sized WTB SL8 saddle features a durable trim making it ideal for gravel duties.

 

We love what BMC have created with the URS One Apex 1 gravel bike; while it’s clearly been designed to perform at speed and is more than capable of taking on long, fast gravel events the URS also excels during the more technical off-road singletrack trail type of riding that you may be tempted to take on. This is thanks in no small part to the progressive geometry, with a slack head angle, long top tube, short stem and short chainstays all influencing a ride-feel which is stable at speed but nimble and agile when things get more tight and technical. BMC’s MTT system takes the sting out of riding off-road while nice details like the rubber bumpers on the fork legs and more protection on the underside of the down tube help negate the potential for frame damage when the URS One inevitably encourages you to push your riding to the outer limits of control.

BMC’s URS gravel bike is equal parts fast and fun, helping it stand out from the gravel bike crowd.

 

The BMC URS One Apex 1 frame geometry is fairly progressive for a gravel bike.

 

BMC URS One Apex 1 2022 £2,850.00

Full Specification:

• Frame: URS Premium Carbon with Micro Travel Technology, Tuned Compliance Concept Gravel, Gravel+ Geometry, Internal Cable Routing, Fender and Rack Mounts, PF86 Bottom Bracket, Flat Mount Disc, 12x142mm Thru-Axle
• Fork: URS Premium Carbon with Tuned Compliance Concept Gravel, Internal Brake & Hub Dynamo Cable Routing, Fender Mounts, Flat Mount Disc, 12x100mm Thru-Axle
• Shifters: SRAM Apex 1 HRD
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM Apex 1 Long Cage
• Cassette : SRAM PG 1130 Apex 11-42T
• Chainset: SRAM Apex 1 40T
• Chain: SRAM Apex 11-Speed
• Brakes: SRAM Apex HRD-A1
• Rotors: Centerline Rotors (180/160)
• Wheels: DT Swiss C1850 SPLINE 23mm Rims, DT Swiss 370 Spline Disc Hubs
• Tyres: WTB Raddler 40mm (Max Tyre Clearance 45mm)
• Stem: BMC MSM02
• Handlebar: Easton EA50 AX
• Seat Post: URS Premium Carbon D-Shaped Seatpost, 0mm Offset
• Saddle: WTB SL8 Steel Medium

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

Photos by James Vincent

 

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