Check out Tom Pidcock’s Olympic blacked-out BMC Fourstroke mountain bike
It’s not often we cover a flat-bar bike at CW, but for Tom Pidcock and his curly bar’d palmares, we’ll make an exception


Tom Pidcock has been showing impervious form this year, with an Olympic gold medal topping off his already glittering season – winning De Brabantse Pijl ahead of Wout van Aert and then taking the second round of the 2021 XC World Cup in Nové Město, ahead of Mathieu van der Poel, Mathias Flückiger, and cross-country legend, Nino Schurter.
>>> How Tom Pidcock narrowly qualified for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Here at CW, we like to keep to the curly bars, but considering the significance of Tom Pidcock’s victory, being first British rider ever to take gold at the Olympic cross-country race, as well as his already shinning palmarès on the road and in cyclocross – we’ll make a special exception.
So, let’s dig into the details of that bike.
BMC Fourstroke mountain bike
Competitors at the Olympics will typically ride the bikes of their trade teams – Richard Carapaz, as a rider for Ineos Grenadiers, won the road race on Saturday aboard a Pinarello.
But although Pidcock is also part of that British-based team, Pinarello doesn't actually have a suitable mountain bike in its line-up for him to ride. So, instead, the Yorkshireman has turned to Swiss manufacturer, BMC, to meet his mountain bike requirements.
He’s had the choice of either a hardtail (the Twostroke) or a full-sus rig (the Fourstroke). With the exception of the World Cup round at Albstadt – which is particularly hilly and not so rough – Pidcock’s been riding the Fourstroke this year, and that’s the bike he took to the technical Tokyo 2020 course.
The frame offers 100mm of rear suspension travel, takes 29in wheels and is even available with an integrated dropper seatpost – which not only looks a lot cleaner, but saves around 100 grams over a conventional dropper. It’s available with just 80mm of drop, but that is sufficient for XC racing.
The groupset he’s running is at least sponsor correct with Ineos Grenadiers, being Shimano’s top-flite 12-speed XTR. With 11-speed XTR coming in a Di2 version and SRAM’s MTB groupsets now being electronic down to the third tier, it may come as a surprise that a conventional gear cable is still used here.
But more shocking perhaps even than that, if you look closely, it appears as though Pidcock is running his brakes Euro-style.
The suspension is handled by Suntour, with the Edge shock at the rear and the AXON-Werx34 Boost EQ SR fork at the front – likely matching the rear suspension travel at 100mm. It’s possible to spot a remote lockout lever on the handlebars, however, that looks as though it will only be operating the shock at the rear.
Wrapping the wheels are sponsor correct prototype rubber from Continental. While kit-wise, Pidcock was wearing the Lazer Genesis helmet, Oakley Jawbreaker sunglasses, and Specialized S-Works Recon shoes.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Starting off riding mountain bikes on the South Downs way, he soon made the switch the road cycling. Now, he’s come full circle and is back out on the trails, although the flat bars have been swapped for the curly ones of a gravel bike.
Always looking for the next challenge, he’s Everested in under 12 hours (opens in new tab) and ridden the South Downs Double in sub 20 (opens in new tab). Although dabbling in racing off-road, on-road and virtually (opens in new tab), to date his only significant achievement has been winning the National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championships in 2019.
Height: 177cm
Weight: 67–69kg
-
-
Unreleased Giant Propel with all-new Cadex tubular wheels breaks cover at the Tour de France
Cycling Weekly exclusive photos confirm the new Giant is the next Propel, and it's rolling on as-yet unreleased tubular wheels
By Simon Smythe • Published
-
Weird, wonderful and woeful: Rating each 2022 Tour de France limited-edition kit
Seven teams have released new kits for the French Grand Tour, so we just had to give them all a very measured rating
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Sarah Storey claims 17th gold medal with road race victory in Tokyo
She becomes Britain's most successful Paralympian of all-time
By Jonny Long • Published
-
British husband and wife take cycling gold at Tokyo Paralympics in final medal flurry for GB
The medals came pouring in for GB on the final day of track cycling in Tokyo
By Jonny Long • Published
-
17 of the best pictures from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Some of the best shots from the most memorable moments in Japan
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
British Cycling announces plans to grow BMX freestyle after Tokyo, including national competition structure
The hope is to produce future medallists after the success of British freestylers in Japan
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Laura Kenny finishes sixth in 'nightmare' Omnium
The Brit says it was already 'job done' after winning the Madison earlier in the week
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'It was just too big an opportunity': Jason Kenny had nothing to lose in Keirin final before coming up with Olympic Gold
“Literally just before we rode off, I didn’t want to be on the front and I said to my coach, ‘if they leave the gap, should I just go?’"
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Jason Kenny wins seventh Olympic gold as he steals away to take Keirin title in Tokyo
The Brit put in an audacious attack, sprinting clear with three laps to go
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Tokyo 2020 Olympics track cycling LIVE: Follow all the action from day six
Live updates from the sprints, Keirin and Madison at the Izu Velodrome
By Jonny Long • Published