New Bike Day, BMC Streetfire SS02 (3)

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Wheelset

I utilized the 'old' wheelset from my 'Italian Style Bike', which is the Campagnolo Khamsin wheelset. The front and rear wheels both fit the 100mm width of the fork and the 130mm spacing of the rear wheel.

-Tires or Tyres

As I am always hunting for new, cheap tires, I've tried a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pros. These are the older, traditional Vittoria tires before the 'Graphene' era. I've had bad experiences with the reviewed Vittoria CORSA G+ folding tires, but these older tires have been a positive surprise, in both performance and reliability. I've put a 25mm (245g) on the front and a 28mm in the rear. On this BMC frame, the wider Rubino Pro's 28mm tires fitted with some space to spare while it rubbed on the rim brake bridge of my Fastrax racing bike.

In my experience, both Vittoria Rubino Pros with the latex inner tubes (see below) are a very good combination. With higher pressure, they run effortlessly like true racing tires, but the additional profile beside the smooth central section makes them good all-weather tires with some comfort on bad roads. However, over 30 km/h, they could become sketchy in fast corners.

-Inner Tubes

I regularly use latex inner tubes. The front is manufactured by Vittoria, and the rear is from Challenge, which are both parts of the same group. Compared to traditional butyl inner tubes, the tires and the whole bike feel livelier with the same pressure. I found both tubes to be reliable. When combined with the Vittoria Rubino Pro tires, I haven't had a flat over several hundred kilometers. I should note that the Challenge latex inner tubes hold air longer, even when supporting a heavier load on wider rear tires.

Accessories:

1.Pedals: To stay in the spirit of a Gran Fondo or Endurance bicycle, I've decided to invest into Road Touring Light Action Pedals or Shimano PD-ED500s.

Shimano PD-ED500

Don't misunderstand me; I really like my road bike clipless pedals, but frequently buying plastic cleats was significantly impacting my budget as a high-mileage rider. After doing some rough calculations:

1.a. Costs

Road Pedal Plastic Cleats

When riding often and long, I had to replace the KEO plastic cleats every 2-3 months which cost

-NTD199 (USD6.00/EUR5.60)/pair

-NTD796 (USD24.00/EUR22.40/year

b. Mountain Bike Metal Cleats

-NTD350 (~USD10.65/~EUR9.82)/pair, and could be theoretically used for several years!

Beside above lower costs, the PD-ED500s

a. can be clipped in dual sided, no more 'hunting for the right side' to clip into the road pedals

b. the metal cleats are rather 'in' than 'on' the shoe, unlike the plastic cleats 'on' traditional road shoes. The comfort on and off the bike is much better, no more clicking on hard surfaces while walking off the bike.

Conclusion

I had a lot of fun bilding up the frame with standard components like full 1 1/8 fork, rim brakes, BSA buttom bracket etc.

After riding the BMC Streetfire SS02 for some hundreds of kilometers, I think it is a very versatile and stable bicycle. I certainly cannot agree with the opinion that alloy is a harsh and unforgiving material for bicycle frames.

-I don't feel any disadvantage with the larger frame, but the 10mm shorter (now 110mm) stem has enhanced its agility and provided more comfort than the former stretched racing position.

-I always ride with my waterproof frame bag. The slightly larger frame gives me space in the frame triangle for this bag plus one water bottle cage for my 700ml water bottle on the seat tube.

-The 28mm wide rear tire on the back makes it feel even plusher on not-so-smooth Taiwanese roads.

As stated on the BMC homepage, the BMC Streetfire SS02 frame reviewed here is no longer being developed. It has been succeeded by the Roadmachine AL X ONE, their only current alloy endurance road bike, priced from CHF 3,099.00. Even though there are some alloy-framed Lifestyle bikes with flat handlebars available, the company mainly focuses on high-end carbon race bikes, as they sponsor the Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

Take care on the road, Gerhard