British Cycling has unveiled the track bike to be used by Team GB at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games.
Described as a collaboration between “the best of British engineering talent”, with Hope, Lotus and Renishaw all represented, the bike is an evolution of the machine used at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
According to British Cycling, notable developments include the 3D-printed Renishaw titanium crank and split seatpost, also designed in conjunction with additive manufacturing experts Renishaw.
This summer’s Olympic bike, including that split seatpost, was originally teased in July last year.
Hope’s HB.T frameset, which originally broke cover in 2019, remains at the heart of the bike, with its radically wide fork legs and seatstays.
According to British Cycling, the bike is designed to “work as one with the rider”, with the fork legs breaking the airflow over the rider. The seatstays are then effectively ‘hidden’ from the trailing airflow by the rider’s legs.
Introducing the Hope HB.T Paris
Compared to the original design, the Hope HB.T Paris features a narrowed frontal area and an updated fork with a sawtooth trailing edge.
British Cycling says this design is complemented by 3D-printed handlebars that “support increased aerodynamic positioning” – or, in other words, enable the bike and rider to integrate with one another in a manner that is more aerodynamic and comfortable.
The Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D, which Filippo Ganna used to smash the UCI Hour Record, has a sawtooth leading edge on its seat tube and seatpost, for example.
Likewise, some wheel manufacturers produce aerodynamic rims with sawtooth designs, such as Zipp’s 353 NSW and the Princeton CarbonWorks Mach 7580.
Splitting the difference
Towards the rear of the bike sits a striking split seatpost, made from 3D-printed titanium by Renishaw.
British Cycling remains coy on how this design improves performance, though its similarity to the wide seatstays suggests the split design may serve a similar aerodynamic purpose.
Again, such a design may enable the seatpost to effectively be ‘hidden’ from the airflow by the rider’s legs.
Unlike the Look P24 track bike, which is due to be raced by the French national team at the Paris Olympics, the Renishaw seatpost converges at its base to a single point, enabling it to fit the Hope frame.
3D printing galore
The new bike will also use a 3D-printed titanium crankset from Renishaw.
This, as you’d imagine, has been aerodynamically optimised, although British Cycling doesn’t detail what the potential performance advantage could be compared to the carbon fibre cranksets it used previously.
As is de rigueur in elite cycling nowadays, the crankset is finished with what appears to be a very big chainring, constructed from carbon fibre.
Although the bike pictured here shows it in ‘pursuit’ setup, with time-trial style aero extensions and a flat base bar, the bike will also be compatible with a set of aerodynamic drop handlebars for sprint and mass-start track events.
As built here, the bike is finished with a Simmons full-carbon saddle and a set of Hope track disc wheels.
Mismatched tyres
It appears Team GB will opt for a narrower tyre up front – to optimise aerodynamic performance on the bike’s leading edge – with a wider tyre at the rear – for reduced rolling resistance.
Both wheels appear to be shod with tubular tyres. With the recent announcement of its new Super-9 Clincher Track Disc, though, Zipp teased that a number of riders at this year’s Olympics would be using clincher tyres on the track.
The bike showcased is finished with a set of Wahoo Speedplay Zero pedals, though it’s possible these are simply the personal preference of the individual rider to whom this bike belongs.
How much does the Hope HB.T Paris cost?
At the time of writing, we don’t know.
However, per UCI rules, the bike should be listed for sale – so you will technically be able to buy one, if you want to.
We can be fairly certain it won’t be cheap, though.
Even prior to the COVID-19 induced price spirals, the Hope HB.T cost a cool £15,500 for the frameset alone.
