BMC URS AMP LT
Wheel Size: 700c
Travel: 20 mm front and 10 mm rear
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 69.5°
- Seat tube angle: 75º
- Reach: 420 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 435 mm
Drive System Highlights:
- Motor: TQ HPR 50
- Torque: 50 Nm
- Power: 300 W
- Battery: 360 Wh
- Display: TQ Integrated top
- tube display
- Remote: TQ Remote
Frame Material: Carbon Fiber
Price: Complete bike: $9,999
Blister’s Measured Weight (URS AMP LT TWO, size L, w/o pedals): 31.8 lbs / 14.4 kg
Test Locations: Colorado, New Mexico
Reviewer: Simon Stewart: 6’, 170 lbs / 183 cm, 77.1 kg
Test Duration: 6 months
Intro
The “URS” component of the URS AMP LT name is short for “unrestricted,” by which BMC means that it’s meant to go almost anywhere. Then, the AMP portion is easily correlated to it having amps of electrical power — i.e., a motor. It all looks really good on paper, but it’s time to find out how it translates to what matters the most, and that is, does it reach its goal of unrestricted eGravel riding? Let’s dig in to find out.
Fit & Sizing
Simon Stewart (6’, 170 lb / 183 cm, 77.1 kg): I got along well with the fit on our size Large URS AMP LT, especially its relatively upright seated position. I typically prefer a more upright position on Gravel bikes, which for me is more about a dynamic riding position for climbing and descending in technical terrain than it is strictly for comfort. However, it does have benefits in the comfort department as well. The only drawback is that it is harder to get my upper body down into a more aero position — which really doesn’t bother me since a) I’m not racing, and b) it’s got a motor.
The only change I made to the fit was to swap a 10 mm spacer from the top of the stem to below to raise the bar height from the stock position. I find it easier to pick up the front end over rocks and roots when climbing, and the higher hand position also feels more natural when descending.
Due to the MTT front suspension, which has a fork lock-out knob in place of a traditional top cap, changing stem height by moving the spacers around requires an additional step. The Lock-out knob is held in place by a snap-fit system and BMC’s MTT suspension manual recommends pushing on the side of the knob while simultaneously pulling up to remove it — which didn’t work for me at all. Instead, I used a plastic pry tool (used for removing interior trim pieces in cars), and then it popped right off. With the lock-out knob out of the way, there’s just an 8mm hex tool to remove the top cap. When re-installing you have to index the lock-out knob snap fit system with the lock-out rod (while also paying attention to the orientation of the lock-out graphics on the knob). All in all, it’s a fairly simple process, if a little more involved than it is on most bikes.
I appreciate the URS AMP LT’s modern cockpit ergonomics. Its 80 mm stem, coupled with the 420 mm reach (size Large), made for a roomy cockpit that was easy to move my weight around in. The standing and seated climbing positions feel both comfortable and efficient.
As I said above, I find the fit on URS AMP LT to be about perfect for how I like to ride both Gravel and eGravel bikes, with the only change being the spacer I moved to below the the stem to raise the bar height 10 mm. Overall, I’d say I spend more time fiddling with the fit on Gravel bikes than I do on Mountain bikes since I find them more finicky to dial in, so the ease with which I got comfortable on the URS AMP LT is a win in that department.
Climbing
So, we are talking about an eGravel bike here so it’s unsurprisingly a rocket ship uphill. What I didn’t expect is just how good the URS AMP LT is in steep technical terrain.
One of the attributes of the TQ motor is how proportional the power delivery is, which translates to easy-to-modulate power with excellent traction. But there’s more to it — the URS AMP LT takes the traction up a notch compared to similar eGravel bikes I’ve ridden and my guess is the 10 mm of MTT rear suspension has something to do with that. On paper, 10 mm is not very much, and it’s not always something you can discern while riding, but on steep, loose, and rocky trails, I was surprised by how I could always count on the URS AMP LT to hook up and maintain traction. To be clear, that is not the norm for Gravel bikes in these kinds of conditions, especially not ones managing a motor’s power output. Let’s just say it’s impressive and one of the standout qualities of the URS AMP LT.
The front end feels marginally heavier than an eGravel bike without some form of front suspension, and thanks to the motor’s contribution, I enjoy timing front wheel lifts with a surge of power from the drive system to get smoothly over obstacles. The URS AMP LT’s nice and high bar height in addition to the short stem helps here too, as well as making it comfortable on long consistent climbs.
Overall the combination of an upright riding position that promotes an active seated climbing style along with stellar traction and the wonderfully proportional power delivery make the URS AMP LT engaging and fun to climb on. It encourages the rider to seek out difficult climbs, and in my experience, rewards those decisions with way above-average technical climbing performance for the category.
Descending
I really enjoy pushing Gravel bikes beyond their limits on technical terrain. There’s just something about the extra difficulty and inherent necessary skillset that resonates with me. All the Gravel bikes I’ve ridden have eventually ended up in situations that feel beyond their comfort zones. Some have felt super sketchy, while others have kept it together — and the URS AMP LT definitely falls into the latter category.
The spec and geometry of the BMC URS AMP LT result in one of the more capable Gravel bikes I’ve ridden downhill on legitimately tricky singletrack. Its well-sorted combination of geometry, suspension, and spec has created what feels quite reminiscent of some recent XC Mountain bikes I’ve been on, like the Cannondale Scalpel. Of course, the Scalpel is miles ahead of the URS AMP LT in capability, it is a mountain bike after all, it’s more about how you have to pay attention to line selection and often feel like you’re at the limit of what the bike can comfortably handle. Granted the limit is much higher on the Scalpel, but the feeling is similar.
I started looking for lips and little jump features to boost off, and at one point when faced with a drop that looked a bit sketchy to roll, I had no problem quickly transitioning to wheelie-dropping the URS AMP LT, and it felt like business as usual. The URS AMP LT’s modern geometry is key in these situations — having a longer reach and shorter stem in conjunction with a more upright body position allows me to confidently push into some pretty challenging bits of trail.
Blasting downhill on washboard gravel roads at high speeds, I was thankful for the MTT suspension to take away some of the chatter — and it does so to a surprising degree. The MTT front suspension fork, which is a collaboration between BMC and HiRide (an Italian maker of Gravel suspension forks), utilizes a hydraulic cartridge with spring assembly that all resides in the headtube to provide 20 mm of travel in addition to a hydraulic lock-out. It’s an interesting bit of engineering that looks clean and works better than expected. Understandably it’s not going to take the place of a traditional front suspension fork for mountain bike duty or anything like that, but it’s also not designed to, and its performance exceeded my expectations — plus I like the aesthetics.
Out back, the MTT rear suspension is a much simpler affair, relying on good old elastomers sandwiched between the seat stay and seat tube to provide 10mm of movement. Like the front fork, the effect on muting chatter is noticeable. Plus, as I mentioned in the Climbing Section, I think it improves climbing traction by helping keep the tire in better contact with whatever surface you’re riding on, which also is a benefit when descending.
Drive System and Range
I’ve gone on record saying that I think eGravel bikes are a particularly good match for the TQ HPR50 drive system. I have spent a good bit of time on the system in light-assist eMTBs, and while I generally like it in that application, I sometimes find it to be somewhat underpowered as well as somewhat range-limited. However, I’m still always impressed by how quiet and smooth the motor is — I still have yet to ride a quieter eBike drive system.
Any issues I have with the power or range of the TQ HPR50 pretty much disappear when fitted to an eGravel bike. It also amazes me just how different the range is between eGravel and eMTBs. It honestly doesn’t seem possible to gain so much range with just lighter overall weight, the lack of suspension (ish), and Gravel tires. For example, we currently have the Canyon Spectral:ONFly in for review and I have been routinely running out of battery power after a little over an hour of ride time in its highest power setting. Of course, that is very dependent on terrain and rider, but in the same conditions, the URS AMP LT can usually go twice as long, again riding predominantly in the highest power setting.
Despite my experience of having quite good range overall, I did run the battery out of power on more than one occasion, and each time I was impressed by how well the URS AMP LT pedals without motor support. I think it actually feels quite similar in pedalling efficiency to a full-suspension Trail MTB when ridden unpowered, which makes sense given its almost 32 lb / 14.5 kg weight (a typical weight for a lot of full-suspension Trail mountain bikes). And because it pedals so well without power, I didn’t find myself having any range anxiety, which is one of the reasons I ran out of power multiple times — I just don’t worry about it and don’t pay much attention to the battery level.
I mentioned in the Flash Review that even though I don’t think the available TQ range extender is a mandatory accessory, I would still probably invest in one if I owned a URS AMP LT. I have used TQ’s range extender and it offers a sizable bump in range, at the cost of only 2.09 lbs / 950 g of additional weight — which is not much of a weight penalty given it increases battery capacity by 44%. For me, having the extra 160 Wh is more so I can ride in the highest power setting more on longer rides, but I do also see the benefit when using lower power modes and actively trying to eke out the most range (like hypermiling electric cars). In those situations, the addition of the range extender opens up some pretty big ride options. The only drawback is that it occupies a water bottle mount which lessens your water-carrying capability, and ironically you’ll need more water since the range extender allows you to be out longer. It is a wee bit expensive too, with most of the pricing I’ve seen north of $500.
I find TQ’s integrated top tube display to be one of the better top tube displays available. It provides the necessary information in a clean, easy-to-read way. The TQ app lets you customize the display, which I did on our test bike to include a screen that displays rider power and motor power – which turned out to be a really fun screen to look at because it keeps you honest with your own power contribution, and definitely makes you pedal harder as a result.
Back in the garage, the TQ HPR50 charges fast, usually taking around 3 hours to go from fully depleted to fully charged. And on the reliability side, all of the bikes we’ve tested with the TQ HPR50 drive system have had zero issues so far.
The Build
BMC’s off-road focus for the URS AMP LT carries over nicely to the build with thoughtful decisions that highlight its intent. There really aren’t any black eyes in the spec.
I admittedly spend more time on mountain bikes than Road or Gravel bikes so there is a familiarity to the hybrid drivetrain that I welcome — SRAM’s wireless electromechanical drivetrain components can be mixed and matched. The URS AMP LT pairs SRAM Force AXS drop bar levers with a SRAM XO Eagle Transmission mountain bike cassette and derailleur. The 42/52 low gear made possible by the SRAM Transmission cassette is extremely helpful (even with a motor) when tackling especially steep technical climbs, plus I’m just more accustomed to the gear spacing on the Transmission cassette versus the road and Gravel cassettes.
Despite having clearance for 47 mm tires, BMC specs 44 mm WTB Raddler tires on the URS AMP LT. I would prefer wider tires in a lot of the conditions I ride in because they I find they typically offer more flat and rim protection. That said, looking back at my time on it, I also didn’t have any tire issues, and my guess is the narrower tires significantly affect the range in a good way. So, I think BMC might have it right with their tire choice.
Because the URS AMP LT is so good in technical terrain, it gives you the confidence to push it even harder, especially on descents, and as a result I miss not having a dropper post. The D-shaped seatpost design is simply not conducive to dropper posts, and to my knowledge there just aren’t any options. I think that is really the only thing I would change about the URS AMP LT, but since that would require a new frame, it’s not something that will happen — unless someone starts making a D-shaped dropper post, that is.
One area that could use improvement is the front brake cable routing. The cable rubs excessively on the head tube, which I think is a result of where the internal routing port is located on the fork, and the short 80 mm stem brings the cable closer to the head tube area as well. Between those two things, the headtube has taken a beating from the cable. I’m not sure what BMC can do to remedy the routing, but they at least need some form of robust frame protection in that area at a minimum.
Who’s It For
The URS AMP will appeal to riders who are looking for an eGravel bike that can comfortably handle more singletrack than a lot of other available offerings, while also offering plenty of versatility and ample cargo mounts. I might go so far as to say it’s the ultimate Mountain Biker’s Gravel bike because you can kind of ride it like a Mountain bike in a lot of situations.
Bottom Line
BMC has created a very compelling eGravel bike that can confidently handle a wide variety of road and trail conditions while also incorporating the excellent TQ HPR50 drive system. If you’re the type of Gravel rider who can’t pass up a bit of singletrack when you see it, then the URS AMP LT deserves to be on your shortlist.