British Cycling has officially unveiled the Team GB Olympic track bike for the Paris 2024 Games, with multiple components additively manufactured with Renishaw's metal 3D printing technology.
Renishaw, along with Lotus Engineering and Hope Technology, has continued the collaboration with British Cycling which started in the run up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Together, they have developed what British Cycling has described as a 'world class' track bike, with a focus placed on reducing part weight and improving aerodynamics.
Over the course of the last three years, Renishaw has been tasked with designing and additively manufacturing the crank, seat stay bridge, dropouts and the seat post of the bike. With the help of additive manufacturing, British Cycling has been able to perform several design iterations through the process to optimise a set of complex and aerodynamic geometries that would not be possible using traditional manufacturing technologies.
Renishaw
On the back of the 2020 Games in Tokyo, one component that was identified as a potential area for improvement was the crank. Renishaw therefore helped to design the internal structure of the titanium crank to deliver an optimised lightweight part. To do this, it incorporated an internal lattice structure that was optimised to have increased density where required to maintain the strength of the part, and less density where possible to help reduce weight of the bike. The 3D printed parts have been manufactured using Renishaw's RenAM 500Q machine.
The bikes will be ridden by Great Britain’s cyclists at the Paris 2024 Olympics track cycling events. These take place between August 5th and 11th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games National Velodrome.
“After Team GB brought home seven Olympic medals from the Tokyo Olympics, we were delighted to be asked to continue our partnership with the British Cycling team and develop components for the Paris 2024 bike,” said Ben Collins, Lead Additive Manufacturing Application Engineer at Renishaw. “Bringing together the best of British engineering talent, we have been able to refine the design even further and showcase how additive manufacturing can deliver strong yet lightweight parts for cycling, while demonstrating these benefits to other industries. Every bike is tailored to the measurements of the athletes, which is more difficult and costly using traditional manufacturing techniques, so it’s a great example of the role of AM in bespoke manufacturing.
“It was great to see the success of Team GB and the bike in the last Olympic cycle and we are excited to see how the bike performs in Paris after creating the split seat post, seat bridge, dropouts and crank. Our aim for this Olympic bike is to push the boundaries with AM technology further, whilst still achieving high-performance components that are tailored to the riders and meet Olympic requirements for strength and weight.”
Renishaw
“As industry leaders in additive manufacturing, Renishaw has provided support in design and production of wind tunnel models and prototype parts during the development of the Paris Olympic bike,” added Oliver Caddy, Lead Project Engineer at British Cycling. “However, Renishaw’s contribution is not limited to development as crucial elements of the bike, including the seat posts and crank, have now also been produced by additive manufacturing, showcasing its power in the cycling industry. The Renishaw team has been incredibly reliable throughout the entire process of developing parts ahead of the 2024 Olympics,” explained Caddy. “It’s clear that they are as committed as we are to delivering excellence on this project. It’s also appreciated by the athletes that are working hard to ready themselves for their events in the summer.”
“British Cycling has a long and renowned history of being a world-leader in bike technology, and we are continuing to break new ground when it comes to the speed, efficiency and innovation of track bikes,” commented Stephen Park CBE, Performance Director of the Great Britain Cycling Team. “For the Paris track bike, the team have continued to look to new and innovative solutions to deliver this impressive machine, which we believe will give our riders the best possible platform to succeed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
The bike also features Lotus trailing-edged fork and handlebars that support increased aerodynamic positioning, and the Hope HBT Paris frame. Every component of the bike has been designed to with the rider in mind.
British Cycling
