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TECH NEWS
Lotus-and-Leger---concept-bike-development-1Lotus reveals new bike range is in the pipeline as partnership with Jenson Button’s Léger brand announced
Lotus has announced that it intends to develop a range of precision-engineered bikes with input from former Formula 1 racing drivers Jenson Button and James Rossiter.
There's also a new cycling kit collection made in collaboration with the cycling apparel brand Léger which will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) this coming weekend, alongside the iconic Hope/Lotus British Cycling Olympic track bike.
The Norfolk-based automotive company has announced its intention to develop a range of precision-engineered bikes with input from Button and Rossiter.
“Both are experienced triathletes and cyclists, and come with extensive knowledge and passion from their respective motor racing careers,” says Lotus.
“Creative expertise and technical excellence will come from Lotus Engineering, the consultancy division of the business.”
These bikes are just in the concept stage at the moment, but Lotus says it’s a demonstration of its desire to push the boundaries of bike design by bringing along its automotive precision.
“They will have high-end performance at their heart, being lightweight, stiff, and highly aerodynamically efficient,” Lotus promises.
Lotus Engineering already has some experience in this area, having developed the new British Cycling Olympic track bike with bike component builder Hope Technology and engineering firm Renishaw.
Find out about how the new Hope/Lotus British Cycling Olympic track bike was designed and made
Lotus were also behind the individual pursuit Lotus Type 108 bike that Chris Boardman won the 4000m pursuit on at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the Lotus Type 110 that Boardman used in the 1994 Tour de France where he won the prologue time trial to take the yellow jersey.
Design Museum
The Hope/Lotus track bike, that will be making its Olympic debut in Tokyo this year, will be on display at the Lotus stand at Goodwood's FoS, alongside some new Lotus x Léger jerseys.
Léger was founded by former British Formula 1 driver Jenson Button in 2009 with fellow racing driver James Rossiter, who raced for Lotus in the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2014.
The jerseys feature the Lotus roundel and “in line with the key principles of both brands, are lightweight and aero efficient, incorporating Léger’s seamless sleeve transition and breathable back-panelling,” says Lotus.
Anna has been hooked on bikes ever since her youthful beginnings at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. As an avid road and track racer, she reached the heady heights of a ProCyclingStats profile before leaving for university. Having now completed an MA in Multimedia Journalism, she’s hoping to add some (more successful) results. Although her greatest wish is for the broader acceptance of wearing funky cycling socks over the top of leg warmers.
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25 comments
Just another rich-boy brand that had nothing whatsoever to offer the average cyclist.
Unaffordable, unattainable and pointless for most.
A jersey is $185US FFS.
Lotus were also behind the individual pursuit Lotus Type 108 bike that Chris Boardman won the 4000m pursuit on at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the Lotus Type 110 that Boardman used in the 1994 Tour de France where he won the prologue time trial to take the yellow jersey.
Many people seem to forget that Lotus only fined tuned the aerodynamics of the bike and Chris's position in their wind tunnel. All the design, manufacture of the original prototypes were done by Mike Burrows with the help of HQ Fibre Products. All the other components were manufactured by small specialist cycling part manufacturers.
Why are they showing off their new bike in the Holodeck of the USS Enterprise?
It was supposed to show them at the finish of the Tour in Paris, but it had crashed ...
No need to dope any more - just hack the TV feed...
Not sure I like the poster boys for bikes to be people famous for making unnecessary car journeys. Nor for the bikes to be made by (or precision-engineered by) a manufacturer still developing and manufacturing petrol-driven turbo-charged cars in 2021.
However, maybe having car manufacturers getting involved in cycling will encourage some petrol-heads to take up cycling? At least Lotus are making a serious effort to design an aero bike whereas from what I can remember, most other car brands just slap a paint job and a few decals on existing bikes.
I take your points about potentially encouraging some out of their cars and that they are making a serious effort. It still stinks of greenwashing though.
A story with no connection to Brexit.
Transparent again Nige, trying to hi-jack the thread once more.
Time for another of Peter's War Games images, or a nice squirrel picture at least.
<filler>
I'd assume that line was just sarcasm? Then again, it'll wind up the Brexiteers instead.
In what field ? Hypothetical bikes or Jerseys ?
Didn't Boardman have a fallout with Lotus and use a re-badged Hotta in the 1994 prologue?
Anyone remember Aston Martin making a frame to have a go at the 1 Km TT back in the early nineties?
No he definitely used the Lotus in '94 - he used Hottas to win in '97 and '98.
That Boardman Lotus bike still hasn't been surpassed for sheer beauty in my view. It always reminds me of what Clive James said about an F1 car, "A piece of modern art fuelled by burning money", though of course it's far nicer than any car.
shame the same cant be said for the latest Team GB "Lotus" track bike, it looks ok side on, but head on, ugh.
Just looked it up - that's a pig alright. Looks like it's designed for bikepacking with integrated front and rear carriers!
I doubt that how the bike looked was top of the list for the designers of this bike - speed was and hopefully it will give Team GB an added advantage over everyone else.
Quite so,but there is an old adage in motorsport & aviation, which rely heavily on aero design, that a car/plane that just intangibly "looks good" is always quicker.
Something we havent yet been able to code into a computer language that pure CFD analysis alone can understand.
Let's hope the modelling is accurate and it delivers what it promises.
I'm generally open to new bike tech but I think that Hope track bike is hideous. Also largely unseen so far.
If it wins stacks of gold expect to see next years road bikes taking some influences from it.
What? Rubbish. These are Olympic athletes we are taking about. They are told what to eat and when to eat, when to train, how to train, when to sleep, what clothing to wear and what bike to ride. These people are 100% dedicated to their sport so you really think they are going to look at the bike and think "Ooh not sure I want to ride that, the forks are a bit weird". Do you not think they'll say "Will it make me faster? Ok then, thank you chaps!"
I'm commenting about the looks of a bike and using an old adage used by aero designers to describe it. what have the riders dedication and what they eat got to do with that ?
Theyll be given the bike and told to sit on it, they might be lucky and get a proper bike fit with one though that hasnt always been the case in the past.
It's a bike designed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is known for creating stuff like these fork placements because the computer says its faster, but they often find the practical application in the real world then isnt, because it's very hard to model the real world accurately in a computer and calibrate it successfully.
If its accurate it will deliver its performances, if it's not and it's just a theoretical gain in a perfect wind tunnel style environment it wont.
I always regret commenting on a post because inevitably I get drawn into an argument with a bored stranger but what the hell....
I'm just saying you might not like how the bike looks but that is way down on the list of priorities of not only the designers but the end user as well - if it is on it at all.
The Hope Lotus track bike isn't meant to "look pretty", this is a performance tool just like an F1 car. F1 cars in my eyes looked better 20 years ago than they do now (not that I watch it) but I bet they can go round corners faster due to all the "computational fluid dynamics (CFD)". I can use (copy) big words as well.
I was also talking about the athletes who are going to riding it because these people have dedicated their lives to their sport and sacrifcing an awful lot for the potential to maybe win a medal of two - do you think they care if it isn't as pretty as Australia's track bike? No they want the fastest one full stop. Anyway beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder and I see 2 British names on one awesome looking bike.