Lotus Engineering Shows New Olympic Bike

Performance of the human sort.

Lotus Engineering showed today gen 2 of the Hope-Lotus bike with revised front forks and handlebars and the HBT Paris Frame, developed by Hope Technology. Lotus Engineering has collaborated with the Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT), Hope Technology and Renishaw to modify the Tokyo 2020 track bike which contributed to the track team winning seven Olympic medals and leading the event medal table. The competitive track debut will be in August at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Lotus and GBCT have developed the cockpit of the bike, evolving the unique front fork* and handlebar design to allow for greater aerodynamic efficiency. This is coupled with the Hope HBT Paris frame which includes refinements to the headstock and seat stays. Renishaw has provided support in design and production of wind tunnel models and other components on the final bike.

Richard Hill, Chief Aerodynamicist at Lotus, was responsible for the design of the Lotus 108 Olympic track bike and 110 Tour De France bike in the nineties and has continued to play a role in both the Tokyo Olympic track bike and now, the 2024 Hope-Lotus Olympic track bike.

Lotus Engineering said it “has played to its strengths of optimized aerodynamics, advanced materials, lightweighting and engineering innovation to help guide the bike’s cockpit development. It has applied learnings made over 75 years in vehicle dynamics to improve front-end feel and stiffness to enhance rider confidence. Additional evolution of the components creates the sensation that the bike is carving through air, a signature element of the aerodynamic design found in the new Lotus vehicle line-up.(AutoInformed: Lotus Eletre SUV EV at Goodwood)

* Said to be inspired by fighter jets, the fork’s serrated edge creates a smoother airflow around the rider. The fork uses the same high-grade carbon fiber and manufacturing process as the Lotus Evija.