The Great Britain Cycling Team and multinational engineering technologies business Renishaw have expanded their cooperation following their work to create a highly successful track bike for the Tokyo Olympics. Renishaw will leverage its expertise in additive manufacturing (AM) as an authorized supplier to the Team to produce lightweight, complicated parts for an updated track bike design that seeks to lower drag and increase top speeds for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Renishaw has been invited to join the Olympic bike development team by British Cycling, the country’s national governing body for cycling in the United Kingdom, in 2019. The team believed that Renishaw’s proficiency in metal 3D printing and advanced engineering was essential for enabling the fabrication of lighter, more complicated components than conventional manufacturing processes and enhancing the bike’s speed.
In order to conduct aerodynamic testing of the new design for the Tokyo cycle, Renishaw used its in-house expertise to quickly build plastic and metal prototype pieces. This allowed the company to ensure that the parts were light, geometrically precise, and robust enough to withstand the strain from riders. The company used its RenAM 500Q AM systems to build handlebars and other aluminum and titanium components for the race bikes after confirming the parts were functional. The components were then modified for specific athletes.
In order to boost the Great Britain Cycling Team’s performance and prospects of success after the seven medals it won at the Tokyo Olympics, the bike’s speed will be increased through an improved design in preparation for the Paris Olympics.
Ben Collins, Senior Applications Engineer for Renishaw’s Additive Manufacturing Group, said, “After the success in Tokyo, we’re incredibly delighted to be working with the British Cycling team once more. It was difficult to design a bike that was both light enough for Olympic competitions and compliant with Union Cycliste Internationale regulations, but it also provided an opportunity to highlight how additive printing can be advantageous for different kinds of businesses.
The bike fared admirably at the Tokyo Olympics, as the team brought home three gold, three silver, and one bronze medal. It was a tremendous win for the squad as well as for ourselves. It will be incredibly fascinating to see how we can assist the bike perform better for the Olympics in Paris now that we’ve renewed our agreement, Collins said.
The Hope-Lotus track bikes contributed to British Olympic history in Tokyo in 2020. After winning a gold medal in Madison alongside Katie Archibald and a silver medal in the women’s team pursuit, Laura Kenny became the most successful British female Olympian of all time. Jason Kenny, who won gold in the men’s keirin and silver in the men’s team sprint, also became the most successful male Olympian for Britain.
British Cycling’s Stephen Park, Director of Performance, stated: “We have a terrific relationship with the staff at Renishaw. They played a key role in the development of what we think is the world’s fastest track cycling bike, which we are currently perfecting in preparation for Paris. This relationship enables us to develop cutting-edge components that enable us to customize our bikes for each individual rider, something we have never been able to accomplish before. The knowledge of the engineers, designers, and staff, together with the outstanding technology in terms of production capability, are the main advantages of working with Renishaw.
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