We take a look at the design process behind the revolutionary machine
The track bike which will be raced by the Great British Cycling Team at the 2020 Olympics might not be a looker in the eyes of all beholders – but the unconventional design is has been turning the heads of cyclist’s globally since its unveiling.
>>> Read more about the bike, see photos from the factory tour and hear more from British Cycling’s Director of Technology Tony Purnell in Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale January 9. <<<
Around 40 people were involved in the development – including veterans of UK track bike design Dimitris Katsanis and composite engineer Chris Clarke who were part of the team behind the UK Sport Institute (UKSI) bike raced to victory time and time again in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Turning sketches into a finished product was made possible through the convergence of a trio of tech companies: Lancashire brand Hope created the frame and wheels, Lotus stepped in to develop the forks and handlebar, whilst Renishaw offered 3D printing support.
The bike features 8cm wide seatstays and forks – designed to channel air more effectively around the rider’s legs. Hope’s design engineer Sam Pendred noted the distinction between this method, and what goes on elsewhere.
“You can design a very aerodynamic bike – but as soon as you put a rider on it, you create massive problems for yourself! The largest effect on aerodynamics comes from the rider. If you address that issue from the start – turning the question on its head to ‘how can we make the rider more aerodynamic?’ – you design a package,” he said.
It was BC’s technical director Tony Purnell who first penned the concept on a whiteboard. He says the initial concept came from a searching attempt to find space for creativity within the UCI rulebook.
“We knew we had to create something really special. But the rules were pretty restrictive! There was almost nothing we could do. We realised the only scope [for creativity] was that there were no real width restrictions,” he said.
Technical director at BC since 2013, he’s pretty pleased with the outcome: “I’d abolish all bikes and make sure that they’re all based on this concept going forwards, though I’m not sure that everybody would agree with me,” Purnell told Cycling Weekly.
See our video interview with Sam Pendred at Hope above, and read more about the bike in the print edition of Cycling Weekly, out January 9.