In 2015 Sir Bradley Wiggins was gearing up to attempt the world record for distance covered on an Olympic track in one hour. The record was previously held by fellow Briton Alex Dowsett.
To stand Wiggins in the greatest stead his team reached out to the University of Sheffield to help create super lightweight, titanium, aerodynamic handlebars to make Wiggins' ride as efficient as possible.
One of the advantages of using the Arcam BEAM was how quickly adjustments could be made and a new prototype created, meaning subtle changes could be implemented throughout the rigorous testing period, without the need to create new moulds each time, allowing for rigorous testing.
The titanium 3D printed handlebars are perfectly tailored to Sir Bradley’s body size and cycling style. In order to do that a number of design variations had to be produced and tested in a very short timeframe, something that would be difficult to achieve with carbon fibre, which the rest of the Pinarello Lab bike frame is made of.
Bolide HR is the most aerodynamic bike in the world. When it came to the handlebars, we needed them to be as good in terms of aerodynamics, but we also needed them to be a perfect fit for the rider. We’ve already seen our design working well in trials and Sir Bradley is cycling faster than ever.
Dimitris Katsanis
Chief Designer, Pinarello Lab