BMC Kaius: The Ultimate Gravel Race Bike

BMC is no stranger to the world of gravel with their UnRestricted family of bikes, but of course, they couldn’t stop there. Introducing the BMC Kaius, a gravel bike built for pure performance. BMC has pulled from the knowledge and tech they’ve developed making some of the world’s fastest road bikes and adapted it to gravel.

The Kaius has a new carbon layup for the frame designed to give you stiffness when you want it and compliance when you don’t for the ultimate traction and speed on gravel surfaces. Combined with their Integrated Cockpit System, you have an incredible, aerodynamic, and lightweight gravel racing machine. The Kaius comes in three different component builds.

Fabulous Frame 

The frame, along with its new carbon layup, also has specialized geometry for gravel racing. It features a more extended reach with a front wheel that’s been moved forward to improve stability and traction on loose gravel. Superior responsiveness is provided by a shorter stem. The Kaius is also super lightweight. The frame comes in at 910 grams, and the fork, 400 grams. If you include the seatpost and cockpit, the total weight before components is 1.785 kilos. 

Integration Heaven 

Speaking of the cockpit, BMC’s integrated cockpit system (ICS) is a one-piece solution for the handlebars and stem. The Kaius 01 ONE features the ICS carbon aero cockpit for amazing aerodynamics, bringing it in line with BMC’s performance road offerings. This is achieved with a low frontal profile and integrated cable routing. The best part is since it’s all one piece, the total weight for the bars and stem is just 315 grams – no sacrificing weight for aero! The ICS is paired with BMC’s Aerocore water bottle cage design to ensure no loss of these benefits when riding with bottles on the bike.  

You also won’t be limited by this frame. It has clearance for up to 44mm tires, can support 1x or 2x drivetrains, a dropper post, and BMC’s new MTT suspension stem if you want some added bump absorption. There’s also a mount for a bolt-on top tube bag for storage on the go. 

Builds 

As we said earlier, the Kaius will be available in three different builds, the ONE, TWO, and THREE with the ONE being the highest level. All builds come in six sizes: 47, 41, 54, 56, 58, and 61 centimeters. 

The Kaius 01 THREE features a 12-speed SRAM Rival AXS drivetrain with CRD 400 Carbon wheels. The TWO steps up to a 12-speed SRAM Force AXS drivetrain with Zipp 303 S wheels. Finally, the top-of-the-line ONE features a 12-speed SRAM Red AXS XPLR group with Zipp 303 Fircrest wheels. 

Gravel (Un)Bound 

Can’t wait to check out this perfectly tuned gravel machine? Stop into your local ERIK’S for a test ride or get all the details on shopERIKS.com!