The HOY bike range being developed by Sir Chris Hoy and Evans Cycles won't be available until late May 2013. In the meantime we've been given another update on the seven road and city bikes that will initially make up the series.
It's been confirmed that all the bikes will be alloy, bucking the trend for new brands, many of whom seem to favour off-the-peg carbon frames picked from a catalogue. HOY bikes product developer James Olsen explained their reasoning behind their decision: "Carbon is for future ranges; we're not buying any open-mold frames for Hoy bikes so it'll take time to develop this area. We’re a small team and can’t do everything at once, and do it properly needless to say that doesn't thwart our vision. A steel Keirin bike is a possibility too..."
Sir Chris has been involved in testing the bikes along with James and fellow product developer Joel Natale. Given the different requirements of the three riders, we imagine there were some heated discussions about how the frames should perform. "Chris has many ideas about the bikes as well as a willingness to let James’ design experience take over in other areas," said Natale. "He is very conscious that not everyone wants to ride in the way that he is conditioned to and the outcome is a great compromise."
Sir Chris testing his bikes
According to Natale, the result was "road bikes that aren't back-breakingly aggressive nor do they have a particularly tall head tube, delivering a ride which with a slightly different cockpit set-up fitted both Sir Chris and James."
They're not back-breakingly expensive either. The £850 entry level road model features a 6061 aluminium frame and is equipped with Shimano Tiagra. £1000 gets you a 6066 aluminium frame, a carbon fork with Shimano 105 componentry and RS10 wheels. For £1350 you'll get a Shimano Ultegra equipped machine with Mavic Aksium wheels. But it's not about the spec, it's about the ride and we'll be aiming to test these bikes as soon as we can.
There are four city bikes in the HOY range. These start at £550 for the entry level model with 1x8 SRAM X4 gearing, disc brakes and 6061 alloy frame and fork. For £650 you get 1x10 SRAM X5 gearing, while £750 gets you a carbon fork with 2x10 SRAM X5 gears and higher spec disc brakes. The top model features 2x10 SRAM X7/Rival gearing.
HOY bikes say their sizing range will fit riders between 4'10" to 6'4" and there will be options to choose different bar widths and stem lengths.
For more information about HOY bikes, follow @HOYbikes on Twitter.