BMC Builds the Ultralight Kaius 01 for ‘Unbound’ Speed
BMC rolls out the super-lightweight Kaius 01 along the leading edge of the gravel world. Integration everywhere, internal cable routing, and carbon layup tooled to take some punishment headline the build.
BMC’s new gravel bike aims at high performance and has the specifications to reflect it. The company looks to have made heavy research and design investment into the Kaius 01, and if nothing else, it weighs next to nothing.
The Kaius 01 comes with a carbon layup designed to protect the bike from rock strikes in vulnerable spots, stealth cable routing and dropouts to clean up visual and aero lines, geometry it says improves compliance and stiffness on gravel, and an integrated frameset that weighs less than 4 pounds (claimed).
BMC Kaius 01: Design Drives Pedigree
BMC says the full-carbon integrated frame, seat post, cockpit, and fork weigh 1.785 kg or 3.93 pounds despite the reinforced areas. High-module (read: stiffer, but potentially more fragile) fibers, according to BMC, increase stiffness but balance out the weight sacrifice from the heavy layup below. The “areas exposed to rocks and shocks,” BMC said, get reinforced to protect against impacts.
It’s part of BMC’s “Tuned Compliance Concept” (TCC) methodology, which it deploys to deal with various surface types and riding styles. The Kaius 01 gravel build translates to a front wheel bumped slightly forward for stability and traction on loose terrain and a more extended reach.
It also uses a D-shaped seat post to add compliance because it can flex backward farther along the two 90-degree angles. The final TCC touch is 10mm suspension travel. That’s roughly as subtle as the elastomer on a skateboard truck but could prove valuable on bumpy tours.
The integrated cockpit weighs 315 g; the frame tips the scale at 900 g (claimed). Wide tolerance at the fork and seat stays make room for fat 44mm tires.
You can customize the rig to a range of ride distances and purposes by using a dropper post, a 1x or 2x chainring, or bolt-on frame bags. And 12.5-degree flared drops promote control when pedaling hard, and a short stem should deliver responsive handling.
The Kaius 01 lineup — starting with the range-topping “One” and tuning down to the Three — gets an electronic SRAM drivetrain in the Red, FORCE, or AXS line, depending on spec.
The One rolls on Zipp 303 Firecrest tubeless rims. Five sizes ranging from 47 to 61 cm at the seat tube. The line starts at $5,499 MSRP and tops out at $11,999.
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