Lotus at the Olympics.

[GavinT]

While the world is in the Olympic spirit, here's an article on Team GB and their tricky Lotus x Hope HB.T carbon fibre track bikes.

A replacement chain is a snip at only £450.00 . . .

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/a-closer-look-at-the-lotus-x-hope-hbt-team-gbs-radical-track-bike-at-the-tokyo-olympics/?fbclid=IwAR3rMXvsd5Iyjk2CQg_jc5cdJFwlEJhWgTlExd7lnQwir74ZtJYk5jxlYl0

[EuropaTC]

It doesn't look much like something you'd nip to the shops on, does it ?

I'm a Chris Boardman fan and in one of his books he talked about the Lotus involvement in his Olympic medals years ago. Apparently the bikes were true Lotus, they kept breaking !

Brian

[4129R]

It seems the Lotus bike does not break at the handlebars unlike the Australian Argon 18 bike which fractured. Luckily the rider was the 4th, so was not run over by anyone behind.

A crash at 70km/h must have shaken the rider up a bit. 

[BDA]

Interesting bike, GavinT! That's not the only Olympic bicycle Lotus made. at a Lotus Ltd. Lotus Owners Gathering a few years ago, a previous Lotus Olympic bicycle was displayed. Unfortunately, if I took a picture of it, I can't find it. So I did a search for "Lotus Olympic Bicycle" and while they are not all for the Olympics, I was surprised at all the bicycles Lotus has made!

[EuropaTC]

Interesting bike, GavinT! That's not the only Olympic bicycle Lotus made. at a Lotus Ltd. Lotus Owners Gathering a few years ago, a previous Lotus Olympic bicycle was displayed. Unfortunately, if I took a picture of it, I can't find it. So I did a search for "Lotus Olympic Bicycle" and while they are not all for the Olympics, I was surprised at all the bicycles Lotus has made!

You're right BDA, in the 90s Lotus had an involvement with Mike Burrows in the development of the bike that Chris won his Olympic title with. After the Olympics there were a few bikes produced, I remember seeing a second hand one for sale in a bike shop in Halifax, close to where we lived at the time. It was kitted out as a time trial bike rather than the track version Boardman rode. I was hooked by the Lotus connection but decided the bike just wasn't practical for me at the time. (it still wouldn't be practical, but now I'd probably buy it anyway)

Loads of stuff on Youtube about Mike Burrows, definitely one of those "characters". This is the Olympic story though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK4i3aKHtSA

[BDA]

Searching youtube for him, I found this video where he gives his opinions about the new GB bike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOURDA8ItIk

[EuropaTC]

Just watched it, yep, that's definitely Mike Burrows ! 

If you ever wanted a poster boy for the "Eccentric Englishman Inventor" working away in his shed, then Mike fits the bill. I must admit, I like the guy and his attitude although I've no doubt he'll rub someone up the wrong way.

Graham Obree, a Scot, had similar oddball ideas about bikes although his weren't quite so scientific. Obree made his own frames just to fit him and apparently when he built one for the World Hour Record attempt he used a washing machine bearing on the cranks because that's what he had around at the time. 

There's a pattern emerging here about crazy British cyclists.... 

Brian

[BDA]

The first Lotus Olympic bicycle started a lot of talk as I remember. Being eccentric is sometimes a good thing!

[GavinT]

Couple of bingles.

Team GB Womens team pursuit come a cropper.

Australian track rider Alexander Porter crashed after the handlebars broke on his Argon 18 Electron Pro.

So it appears the Oz Electron Pro bike is more fragile than the Lotus.
Or, considered another way, the Lotus is obviously too heavy! 

[4129R]

The Danish rider going straight in to the back of the GBR rider was amusing for everyone else. The Danish rider was head down looking at the red line on the track, and did not see the rear of the GBR Lotus bike.

The GBR Lotus bike was crash tested, and passed.

The Danish rider seemed to think it was the GBR riders fault !

It took hours for the officials to determine that the Danish team should not be disqualified for taking out the GBR rider. Apparently in the pursuit, if one team gets to within 1m of another team, the race finishes, so technically the race had finished before the collision occurred.

Just as well Mercedes and Red Bull are not involved in crash testing cycles ! 

[BDA]

Somehow it seems bizarre that a bicyclist would have a DNF.

[4129R]

Somehow it seems bizarre that a bicyclist would have a DNF.

Quite a lot of crashes recently.

Punctures as well.

[BDA]

Crashes are one thing but it sounds like sometimes a bike doesn’t last the distance!

[4129R]

Crashes are one thing but it sounds like sometimes a bike doesn’t last the distance!

When the handlebar stem breaks, you know you have taken lightness to the limit.

Those track bikes are built for aerodynamics and lightness, not durability.

[BDA]

Not knowing anything about track racing, I did some searches and it seems a long track race is 4000 meters. A bike may not last 2 1/2 miles! They really did add too much lightness!