Lotus gets back on its bike | Update
A Lotus bike won Gold at Barcelona in 1992; here's the one they hope will repeat the feat in Tokyo
Lotus Engineering has released new details of the results of its partnership with Hope Technology, a collaboration which sees the company return to the world of cycling. The new track bike co-designed by the two British firms is said to have been built to "deliver medals" for the Great Britain Cycling Team at the 2020 Olympic Games - which sounds like as good a goal as any.
Riders have been testing the bike in secret over the past few weeks, and are set to continue evaluating the new design with a view to riding it in Tokyo next summer. Based around a Hope frame, the unique front fork and handlebar designs are Lotus' main contribution; both elements having been created to maximise strength while minimising weight, improving stiffness and front end feel in order to increase rider confidence.
The new partnership, and resulting design, was made possible by a change in the rules surrounding bike development following the 2016 Olympics. To qualify to be ridden at the 2020 games, however, the new design must still be approved by cycling's governing body, the UCI, and must also be ridden by Team GB in the Track Cycling World Cup series before the end of this year. To that end the bike will be ridden by British athletes at the Minsk-Arena velodrome in Belarus this weekend, as well as at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow on November 8-10th.
Tony Purnell, head of technology for the Great Britain Cycling Team, said of the new bike: "It's a dream team of engineering prowess - Hope Technology bring high quality manufacturing standards and Lotus Engineering is renowned for lightweight design and outstanding aerodynamic efficiency. Both have been supported and advised by additive manufacturing experts Renishaw, who have ensured that Lotus and Hope have access to the most modern and fastest turnaround process from design to usable pieces."
ORIGINAL STORY, AS REPORTED 22/10/2019:
Lightweight engineering, aerodynamics and advanced material manufacturing; all pillars of Lotus' automotive business that are directly applicable to countless other industries. From aerospace to furniture and medical research to boat-building, the marque's consultancy division, Lotus Engineering, helps capitalise on knowledge gleaned from over 50 years producing some of the world's finest driver's cars.
One of its most noteworthy forays came in the nineties, the company swapping four wheels for two to create the Type 108 bicycle. It was upon a Type 108 that British cyclist Chris Boardman claimed gold in the 4,000m pursuit at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, catapulting the innovative bike, and its maker, into the limelight. In the modern era of Hoy, Wiggins and Froome, Cavendish, Cooke and Pendleton it seems unthinkable, but at the time the win marked Britain's first Olympic cycling medal for 72 years, a huge coup for a struggling Lotus.
With its innovative design - a development of Mike Burrows' original concept - carbon-fibre construction and world-beating ability, the Type 108 provided the then-beleaguered manufacturer with a much-needed good news story.
Today the company is thankfully in significantly better shape. Nonetheless, it has today announced a return to velodrome in the form of a new partnership with Hope Technology. The British car and bicycle manufacturers entering into a collaboration to "explore new ways to push the boundaries of bicycle design and technology." At its core, says Lotus, will be a "collaborative programme of research and development, data analysis and knowledge-sharing, covering topics such as lightweight engineering, aerodynamics and advanced material manufacturing."
Lotus CEO Phil Popham said of the development: "Lotus is thrilled to be back in cycling for the first time in 25 years. Innovation and ingenuity have always been part of the Lotus DNA, and working in collaboration with Hope is a fantastic illustration of how the Lotus Engineering consultancy can support projects outside of the automotive sector."
While Hope Managing Director, Ian Weatherill, added: "When we started making innovative, highly-spec'd disc brakes, back in the late Eighties, we didn't imagine that Hope Technology would evolve into what it is today - a company with more than 150 employees hand-crafting components for both mountain and road bikes, 24-7. We are proud to have stuck rigidly to our philosophy, relentlessly pursuing only the best possible products. To be partnering with Lotus is certainly a great place to find ourselves in 2019, and it's an exciting time for us all."
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