Stefan Kung spotted on a new BMC Timemachine time trial bike at Trofeo Ses Salines

It’s been nearly eight years since BMC unveiled the disc-brake-equipped Timemachine 01 TT bike, which was essentially a mildly updated version of the 2016 rim-brake version. Due to the rapid development of the best time trial bikes and the emergence of newer frame designs with improved aerodynamics, the Timemachine was phased out in 2023 in favour of the BMC Speedmachine.

Developed in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the move to the Speedmachine represented a peculiar strategy for the team – especially as it was developed for the storage and stability requirements of modern triathlon, where bike legs are typically ridden at average speeds of 45km/h. When you consider the 50-55km/h average speeds of WorldTour time trials, there were notable chinks in the Speedmachine’s armour when it came to competing against out-and-out time trial bikes.

That all looks set to change, because at today’s team time trial at Trofeo Ses Salines in Majorca, Stefan Kung was seen on a brand-new BMC time trial bike – presumably a new Timemachine, while his teammates were using the regular Speedmachine. According to reports on Escape Collective, there is indeed a new Timemachine in the works, which goes on to report a 3% watt saving at 55km/ for the entire system – bike and rider included. While removing entire tubes is not permitted under UCI regulations, the design team considered radically remodelling the tube shapes, which is clearly evident on Stefan Kung’s new time trial bike.

Reports also suggest the new bike is a collaboration between BMC’s Impec Lab engineering team and the Sports Innovations team at Tudor Pro Cycling, leveraging the team’s expertise to provide feedback on position and real-world feel.

At 1.93m tall, Kung is one of the tallest riders on the WorldTour roster and is presumably riding the largest frame available. The tube architecture, saddle rail and V-shaped cockpit appear to offer an impressive degree of adjustability, which bodes well in futureproofing the frameset against potential UCI fit updates.

In terms of design, the bike appears to be inspired by the Trackmachine track bike, utilising a similar deep head tube and fork legs, but with a radically evolved rear stay design. While the top tube, seat tube cut-out, and bottom bracket look largely the same, the most notable change is the wide-set rear seat stays, which resemble those on the Hope HB.T track bike and Ventum Tempus.