British Cycling debuted a groundbreaking track bike a couple of weeks ago in its bid for Olympic glory in Tokyo, Japan. Without a doubt, the bike is visually striking, and a clear departure from conventional design, with its unusually widely-spaced fork blades and seatstays. This was all done in the name of aerodynamic efficiency, we surmised, and after a trip to Hope Technology in Barnoldswick, UK - who manufactures the bike for the federation - it turns out we were right.
But what’s surprising is how relatively minor that gain is, and the lengths British Cycling went to extract that advantage.
According to Hope design engineer Sam Pendred, the overall layout of the bike was dictated by the philosophy that the bike-and-rider should be considered as a singular unit, not something that should be considered after the fact. After all, even the most aerodynamic bike needs someone to propel it through the air. Several bicycle companies have already been using lifelike mannequins in aerodynamic bicycle design, mind you, but Team GB took the idea further still.
18 ноя 2019
