Limitless Exploration
What if there was a gravel bike that was designed not just to be raced but for adventure, that was as fast as it was comfortable, that could tackle almost any terrain that you pointed it at. What if there was a bike that let you ride completely UnReStricted? Well there is, and it's called URS. While developing URS we gave three very different riders an URS prototype each to find out just how much the bike is capable of, these are their stories.
As far back as she can remember, the bike has been part of her life. “I remember watching Pantani at the Giro,” she recalls - but the path of Il Pirata never appealed to her personally. For Serena, bikes have always been much more than machines for racing on the roads: first, and always, riding for fun; later as the best form of transport in New York; for mountain bike racing; and now navigating Tuscany with URS as a means for self-discovery. “There’s a bit of every landscape here and URS handles it all. My favourite riding is the fast, wide strade bianche, where you relax, go fast, cover ground, and don’t worry about where to put your wheel.” Climbing is also high on her priority list–an act that has felt much easier since riding URS. “It’s so smooth and agile that I can attack the climbs. The gear ratio, position and set-up mean that I go faster than ever.” Reaching the summit quicker leaves Serena with more time for another favorite pastime: admiring the horizon. “Pedaling is such great exercise for the mind. It’s not surprising that people get addicted.”Serena
The Epic
Former Dutch Junior Track Champion Isabel Tambach is not your average cyclist. She is one of those rare riders that can go fast on any bike. From twisty crits to grinding day races, the wooden boards of the track to the deep sand of beach racing, the 19-year-old ace has spent half her life learning how to find the fastest lines on every type of terrain. It was the sea of pink that started it all. At ten years old, Tambach was entranced by the Amsterdam start of the 2010 Giro d’Italia. Within 18 months, she progressed from local club races to national competition. By 2017 she was a double National Junior Track champion. But the wave of success she was riding was accompanied by pressure to perform. Her training increased. An invite to the National squad landed on her doorstep. Increasing academic and social demands inevitably took their additional tolls. Things needed to change.Isabel
The Racer
With her love for gravel having reinvigorated her cycling career, she’s acutely aware of the need to not overdo it. ‘It’s amazing. I can do training sessions on gravel and it keeps me mentally fresh too. Performance and process are central to Tambach’s mindset, which made her keen to put URS to the test. Having heard about the direct handling of Urs, she went to a local singletrack circuit with tight corners and loose sand. PRs were broken. “URS and I had really good luck. I had never ridden as fast on that part before. I could lean into the corners and the bike corrected itself even after an unexpected slippery root.”
Maxime is a man of distance. A teacher, a bikepacker and a storyteller. His tales of adventure make you want to immediately ride your bike as far and as courageously as he does. He’s impressively accomplished - finisher of the Transcontinental and third at the 2,200km French Divide - but for him, it’s all about travelling light, exploring, and sharing moments with friends. “When I’m riding, I want to be in the mountains and away from traffic. Trains get me there. I know my body; I know how much I need to eat and drink and that I can sleep anywhere.” His first long solo ride with URS was from Bordeaux to the BMC HQ in Grenchen, Northern Switzerland just because “it felt like the right thing to do.” Through experience he has perfected his set-up: bottle cages on the forks; a full frame bag; and a powerful light mounted on URS’ bars. “Even fully loaded, I can ride no-handed on URS, and got it down to 14.5 kg including packed bags,” he exclaims. “The geometry is so suited to riding off-road, I love the short stem and open fork angle. When you’re going fast it rides like it’s on rails.” Adventures can be hard work. But that’s half the magic.Maxime
The Adventurer
RIDE UNRESTRICTED DISCOVER URS