I am interested in anyone’s experience with BP Stealth and their range of bikes. The bikes seem well priced, different from the norm and have a complete range. Anyone using them? Keen to hear any positive/negative comments. Also, the BP-2 seems like a great alternative to the P3. By the way, I have nothing to do with BP Stealth, I am interested in their bikes and whether I should continue looking at their bikes. Thanks in advance for all the feedback!
I don’t have a BP Stealth. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. However, several have posted on this forum that they’ve had good experiences with this bike. One of the Ironman winners rode one to victory last season (wasn’t it Garrett McFadden in IM Canada?). It’s supposed to be quite a good frame, but I believe the seat angle is slack. McFadden rode it with a forward post if I remember correctly.
The BP Stealth frame has been marketed under other names. Currently, the frame is available from Chuck’s Bikes (chucksbikes.com) under the Martec badge. It’s yellow, but it runs about $385 for the frame. Add a couple of dollars for the fork (I’m not connected to Chuck in any way at all, just for the record).
I have the BP stealth AL/carbon fiber frame, all carbon forks and put on a carbon post on my wife’s and my bike. The forks rock, I love them. The frame is a bit heavier since the carbon is in the top tube and down tube. It is a stiff bike, stand on the pedals and go. The seatposts are nice and the newer ones’, which my wife has, are much nicer looking than the older ones. All around 2 thumbs up.
i have a mongoose that is the same as one of the bp frames. i think it is the bp2. i got it in 1998 and it has held up well. i dont ride a ton of miles but i can be pretty ruff on bikes being an old bmxer. the bike has always felt smooth to me and very comfortable. fast on flats and downhills. cant tell u much about how it climbs because i climb bad on all bikes(i have a look and giant tcr also). the geometery is fine for me but i would buy one for my wife if it had tri geometery. cant say anything but good but isn’t that how it usually is when someone is talking about there bike
The geometry of the BP & Cervelos is very different. According to the BP website, the stealth has a 73 deg. seat tube angle vs the stepper cervelos. A more appropriate comparison might be the Stealth to the Trek TT. Now that would be interesting! Imagine if all the aero gurus decided the Stealth was a better performer than the TT at a third the price!
The frame at chucksbikes.com is made by Martec. You will also find the Martec frame at spicercycles.com Martec also makes the Kestrel, Talon. And their other carbon frame look familar too. I don’t know if they make the BP Stealth or not, but they are very similar in looks.
I looked into these a while back, although I have yet to lay eyes on one. Take a look at http://www.bikeparts.net/. They have the article on the IM Canada winner. Frames that look like these showed up under several names while I was poking around. Bikeparts was willing to correspond a bit, and I found one or two instances of people very satisfied with their customer service.
Questions about this particular frame pop up every couple of months or so, and only a few people respond. And the responses are usually pretty positive. However, when the Trek TT comes up, or Cervelo, Yaqui or other such frames, more of the industry types ring in and comment. However, few – if any – say anything about the BP Stealth. It looks like a nice frame, is priced very well, and you can’t argue with the results (IM Canada victory). It would be interesting to see what the cycling gurus out there have to say about this bike.
FWIW, on these posts I’ve yet to hear anything negative about this bike, except that it’s a little on the heavy side for some (but then again, so are Softrides).
It may suffer from being priced too inexpensively. Sometimes we shy away from bikes, frames, wheels, etc., that aren’t “expensive enough” because we often associate price with quality. If something is inexpensive, we often don’t think it’s good quality. I know Renn has suffered a bit from this – people will sometimes wonder how such a good disk wheel can only cost $320.
At any rate, I’m of the opinion that the BP is a good frame, very competitively priced, and overall a nice ride. But I’m just a flunkie down here in the backwoods of south Georgia. I’d like to know what the real bike gurus say about it.
I don’t know if they make the BP Stealth or not, but they are very similar in looks.
Yes, it’s definitely made by Martec. I have corresponded with them in Chinese and they confirmed that they make the BP Stealth frame. I inquired about purchasing one locally since they are made or assembled here in Taiwan, but while they answered my email they didn’t follow up on our correspondence. I’m happy (thrilled, actually) with my Giant TCR, anyway, so no big deal.
I have a BP-2, and love it. I find I have to force mysely to ride my other bike (which cost twice as much). The only downside is that I wish it was a little lighter. Then again, I wish this for myself. I enjoy having a bike that sets itself apart from others. People always give a second look, because it’s different. Gook luck with search.
“only a few people respond…However, when the Trek TT comes up, or Cervelo, Yaqui or other such frames,”
I think that has to do with there being so few of these bikes being out there. Treks, Cervelos, etc are all over the place nowadays but I don’t think I’ve seen a BP. I don’t know the first thing about them, but the price sure looks right compared to a lot of other stuff.