JC 911

Current roadie now and thinking about getting into cyclecross. I have been looking at the BMC CX02 and the Focus Mares AX1. Anyone have any experiences with these 2 bikes?

flargle

BMC never struck me as a serious cross maker. Until recently their top tubes were T-shaped, would be a non-starter for any real cross racer. JMHO but those lugs seem kind of dated?

That Focus frameset is hot. Tapered steerer tube = a good thing. The carbon version would be even hotter. I would like a longer headtube on the bike but that's a personal preference.

triggersd

The Focus Mares is indeed hot. The AL version is bomb proof. I've got a couple friends who are racing them and they've got nothing but good things to say.

Chris_W

No experience with either bike, but I do know that BMC is not making the CX02 anymore (from model year 2011 onwards). I spoke to one of their rep's at Eurobike and it didn't sound like they had any plans to replace it with anything else, they'd just decided to get out of the CX market and focus on other things. Of course, this doesn't make the 2010 CX02 any worse.

JC 911

Thanks – I like the look of the BMC but am worried that with BMC discontinuing it that they didn’t feel they could make a decent dent into the CX market based on their bikes compared to other manufacturers.

The Focus AX-1 is Ultegra level while the BMC is 105 and I think it is the old generation 105. I can get a decent deal on the Focus which would only make it a couple of hundred more max than the BMC.

Anyone know the weight differential? I couldn’t find the weight of the Focus but at my local shop they had a sign for the BMC that stated it was about 21.5 lbs.