BMC has issued a safety recall to owners of its Kaius 01 gravel bike, stating that under ‘heavy duty riding conditions’ there is a risk that the fork’s steerer tube will ‘separate’.
The brand asks users to stop riding the bikes immediately and take them for inspection at a registered BMC dealer or retailer. If necessary, the bike will be serviced and the fork replaced with ‘a more robust version’.
Despite the Kaius sharing a steerer tube design similar to other BMC bikes, the brand says that no other products are affected by this recall. The top part of the Kaius’s steerer tube is rectangular in cross section, to allow brake hoses to run either side of it through the top headset bearing while keeping the bearing and head tube as narrow as possible, so to not adversely impact frontal area, and therefore aerodynamics.
BMC isn’t alone in using non-round steerer tubes – brands such as 3T and Giant use a D-shaped steerer to allow hoses to run inside the bearing in front of the steerer, while Cannondale uses a pizza-slice shaped steerer to achieve a similar outcome to BMC’s solution. Pinarello recently switched to an elliptical steerer in its latest Dogma F, again to create space for internal cables while keeping the head tube narrow.
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Non-round steerers undoubtedly allow a sleek way to hide cables without impacting aerodynamics, but given their unusual shapes they are fighting an uphill battle versus round steerers when it comes to structural integrity. While the Kaius was favourably reviewed by Cyclist in 2023, issues such as the one BMC now face serve to highlight the risk in advancing aerodynamic performance and looks without adversely affect long-term safety. We have reached out to BMC for comment on the topic and will update this article in due course.
BMC Kaius 01 safety recall notice in full
‘BMC Switzerland has decided to voluntarily recall all Kaius 01 Bikes and Framesets for inspection, and if necessary, service by a BMC retailer or dealer. No other BMC products are affected by this voluntary recall.
'BMC Switzerland has become aware of a few instances where certain fork steerer tubes have separated under heavy duty riding conditions. While there are few reported instances to date, these instances are inconsistent with the standards that BMC holds itself to.
'BMC's driving force is to provide products that meet the highest performance expectations of both athletes and everyday riders. With this in mind, BMC has decided that the best course of action is to recall all Kaius 01 bicycles for inspection, and to replace the affected forks with a more robust version.
'Please immediately stop riding your Kaius 01 bicycle and visit your local BMC retailer or dealer. The retailer or dealer will inspect your bike and determine whether the fork requires a replacement. If a replacement fork is required, the retailer or dealer will install the new fork at no cost to you.
'This voluntary recall affects the following models:
- 2023 Kaius 01 ONE
- 2023 Kaius 01 TWO
- 2023 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2024 Kaius 01 LTD
- 2024 Kaius 01 ONE
- 2024 Kaius 01 TWO
- 2024 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2026 Kaius 01 THREE
- 2026 Kaius 01 FRS
'BMC apologizes for the inconvenience created and will do whatever is in its power to solve all cases as fast as possible.
'If you have any further questions please contact us through our contact form.
'Or by phone:
- USA phone number: 1 (888) 262 - 7755
- Other regions phone number: +41 32 654 14 54 '
