BMC has unveiled a new Kaius 01, updating its gravel race offering to meet the demands of modern gravel racing and gravel racers. In doing so, it has increased tyre clearance, improved aerodynamics and stiffness, marginally reduced the weight, and tackled the main geometry gripe riders had with the first-generation Kaius released back in 2022.
The result is a bike that looks like a gravel-going version of BMC’s TeamMachine R aero road bike, with more than a few design similarities and some shared components.
BMC points to the increasing speeds of gravel racing as the motivation behind these aero features and cites rider requests as the rationale for more cargo capacity, as the reasoning for adding bottom bracket and under-top tube mounting points to the top tube mount and standard bottle cage mounts, which the previous Kaius already offered.
There’s the obligatory mention of better power transfer and improved ride compliance, but long story short, BMC is unsurprisingly positioning the Kaius as its solution to the demands of the increasingly extreme demands of modern gravel racing.
I was due to attend the press launch for the new Kaius 01, but unfortunately, a missed flight and a lack of alternative options mean I haven’t yet thrown a leg over the new bike. That day will come, hopefully soon. In the meantime, here’s what we know from the press materials emailed out.
The racing trilogy - Wind, gravity, stiffness
It’s hardly a news flash, but BMC identified aero, stiffness (including in a compliance sense), and weight as the key performance metrics a good gravel race bike should tackle. As racey as the Gen 1 Kaius was, it was a far cry from aero-optimised. In the Gen 2 version, BMC has carried over many of the learnings and design cues from the TeamMachine R road and TimeMachine R time-trial projects into the gravel space.
Ronan Mc Laughlin
The Gen 2 Kaius' resemblance to the TeamMachine R is most noticeable at the front where the Kaius gets a gravel version of the TMR’s “Halo Fork” designed to open up a channel between the wheel and fork with the added bonus of generous tyre clearance.
Ronan Mc Laughlin
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