Team GB’s Paris Olympics track bike officially unveiled

The bike that Team GB’s athletes will hope to ride to glory at this summer’s Paris Olympics has been officially launched. 

The latest incarnation of the Hope-Lotus HBT was developed in partnership with Lotus Engineering, Renishaw, and Hope Technology, and made its debut at the Track World Championships in Glasgow last year.

However, this was used just once for homologation at last summer’s competition, before its manufacturers set to work in getting a fleet ready for Paris, with events kicking off in under 100 days. It follows on from the success of the Tokyo track bike, also a Hope-Lotus collaboration, which saw GB’s riders win seven medals, including three golds.

The new Hope-Lotus design has the same characteristically wide seat stays as the first edition, but now features a split seatpost, ribbed forks and aero-enhanced handlebars. It also comes with a 3D-printed optimised Renishaw titanium crank.

According to GB performance director Stephen Park, the “impressive machine” gives GB’s riders the “best possible platform to succeed”. He previously called it the “most advanced bike that has ever been ridden by British athletes”. 

The bike has incredibly wide fork blades, in order to reduce high-pressure air buildup around the front wheel by giving the turbulent airflow as much room as possible. The fork blades also adjoin right at the top of the headtube, in order to improve stiffness. The split seatpost also aids aerodynamic gains.

It comes with two different setups, with TT-style extensions for the pursuit, and drop handlebars for other races.

“Lotus’ long-standing collaboration with British Cycling has been pivotal in advancing the frontiers of sporting performance and engineering with the 2024 Hope-Lotus Olympic track bike,” Mark Stringer, the commercial director at Lotus Engineering, said.

This ongoing partnership has enriched our depth of knowledge, further enhancing and embracing the innovation that proved successful in Tokyo. We’ve been able to continue pushing engineering boundaries in the pursuit of performance to deliver efficiencies and to give British track riders the best possible opportunity for success.”

The Hope frame was manufactured in Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Last year, Cycling Weekly revealed a new line of skinsuits debuted by Team GB for homologation before the Olympics. These included the Project 1.0, designed by Kalas in partnership with aero experts Vorteq, and a never-before-seen, thick-collared suit worn by Will Tidball at the World Championships in 2023.