With the UCI World Championships nicely underway, there is a hoard of latest tech breaking cowl in Glasgow, and nowhere extra abundantly than on the monitor within the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome.
We have already lined the official unveiling of the Canyon Speedmax CFR Observe, which was developed together with Chloe Dygert, in addition to the identical model’s surprising sourcing of tartan paint.
Right this moment, although, Cyclingnews editor Peter Stuart has been monitor centre, and has noticed a trio of latest bikes. Amongst them a pair of wild-looking, wide-stance bikes courtesy within the French and Japanese camps respectively. Plus there is a new BMC, which we managed to glimpse regardless of being stored partially below wraps by close by mechanics.
New Look P24
We’ll begin with France, the place there seems to be a model new bike from the French model Look. In keeping with a sticker on the chainstay and notes discovered within the UCI’s Listing of Tools Registered for Inspection in Glasgow, this will likely be often called the P24. It’s going to exchange the P20, and we are able to logically conclude the ’24’ pertains to the following Olympic 12 months of 2024.
Considerably harking back to the Hope HB.T, which itself acquired an replace final week, the Look P24 is fitted with ultra-wide-stance fork legs and seat stays. Additionally just like the Hope bike, it sees a two-pronged seatpost, however the design right here is considerably extra built-in into the design of the general body.
The seatpost itself is definitely a seatmast topper which slides over the 2 upward-facing masts that protrude out in a continuation of the rear seat stays. We have additionally noticed a wild-looking forward-facing horizontal seatpost design, which successfully places the seatpost additional backwards behind the rider’s legs, relatively than instantly above the seat tube.
It additionally seems that the seatmast part might be faraway from the rear of the body, maybe suggesting that this may additionally accommodate a extra commonplace single-prong seatpost or seatmast building.
Unsurprisingly, each tube on the body, together with the brace of seatposts and the wide-stance fork legs are hyper-deep of their profile. We do not know for positive with out measuring, however would speculate that Look has taken benefit of the UCI’s rest of body tube profile guidelines.
Up entrance, apparently, the wide-stance fork legs finish within the extra standard place on the crown, beneath the pinnacle tube of the body, relatively than persevering with upward across the head tube as seen on the Hope.
The fork connects to the body in a bayonet-style fitment, placing the steerer tube in entrance of the pinnacle tube and connecting to it at each the highest and backside. That is just like the outgoing P20, and can be a design utilized by the Cervelo S5 aero highway bike.
Within the racing we have seen thus far, the P24 has been utilized in each pursuit (with time trial aero bars) in addition to in bunch racing (with drop handlebars) setups.
Upon our nearer look, we solely noticed the bike with the drop handlebars, however it might seem that through the 4 torx bolts and an indentation on what’s successfully the stem, this similar body can accommodate each disciplines with a handlebar change. That is made simpler by monitor bikes’ omission of gears and brakes, that means no cables to re-route when swapping.
Japanese V-IZU TCM monitor bike
Transferring onto the Japanese camp, and though we’ve got a lot much less to go on when it comes to element, there are nonetheless a number of attention-grabbing design options we are able to glean.
The paintwork, of which there’s none on this raw-carbon prototype-looking machine, provides nothing away as to the model behind the bike. Nevertheless, a UCI sticker on the highest tube provides us the UCI body code, which leads us to the UCI’s checklist of authorised frames and forks.
It reveals the bike is from a model known as V-IZU, and the bike’s mannequin identify is the TCM2. The UCI checklist additionally reveals a V-IZU TCM1, and each had been homologated on June 22 of this 12 months.
A Google search of the V-IZU model brings up nothing of be aware, and nothing below that very same identify was used within the Tokyo Olympics, so we’re assuming that is both a brand new model to hit the market, or maybe a motorcycle designed by the Japanese nationwide federation, just like Staff GB’s bike developed by the UK Sports activities Institute forward of 2012. The identify’s likeness to the Izu Velodrome in Tokyo would again up this idea, however we’re not sure.
When it comes to the bike’s design, it is one other with wide-stance forks and seat stays, which regardless of changing into extra frequent as evidenced by this very story, nonetheless seems radical by comparability to conventional narrow-legged monitor bikes such because the aforementioned Canyon, the Stromm that we uncovered earlier within the 12 months, or the brand new BMC Trackmachine (extra on that beneath).
In contrast to the Look P24, the fork blades on this prototype observe the Hope x Lotus college of design, persevering with upwards past the normal crown place. The ensuing design is that of a double crown. It nonetheless meets the pinnacle tube each from above and beneath, however with the steerer tube passing by the pinnacle tube, relatively than in entrance.
When Hope introduced the HB.T in 2019, it claimed the wide-stance fork leg design method broke up the airflow earlier than it hit the rider’s much-less-aerodynamic legs behind, that means that the legs might cross by it extra simply, thus decreasing their drag. We might speculate that this extra materials engulfing the pinnacle tube from above would additionally enhance front-end stiffness and result in improved energy switch when wrenching on the bars, as monitor sprinters particularly are vulnerable to doing.
Apparently, the forks even have what seem like air-smoothing guides on the outer face of the legs.
Atop the fork, the pictures we have seen present the bike in a bunch racing setup, with dropped handlebars, nevertheless just like the Look and the Hope, it seems this may also be swapped for a pursuit handlebar.
On the rear, wide-stance seat stays are additionally featured, though there’s a lot much less trickery right here as regards to adjustment or two-pronged seatposts. The stays are roughly the identical width because the forks and the rider’s legs, they usually return inwards in step with the highest of the horizontal high tube. As soon as once more, it’s a seatmast with a topper, relatively than a seat tube with an inner seatpost, however that is extra conventional in form and building.
The realm surrounding the rear dropouts have been smoothed considerably, too.
New BMC Trackmachine
Lastly, it seems there may be additionally a brand new BMC monitor bike on the best way, courtesy of this new bike discovered within the Swiss camp. The UCI sticker on the seat tube reveals the code BMC-TRACK01, which having dug by the UCI’s checklist of authorised frames and forks, tells us it is a new model of the Trackmachine, homologated by the UCI on July 15. It additionally reveals that the bike will are available in three sizes, from S to L.
It does not look wildly completely different from the present Trackmachine, however regardless of being partially lined by wheel baggage, we have noticed a few attention-grabbing factors.
The seat tube junction now contains an extra part that protrudes rearward. We’re not sure of its actual function however might speculate that it helps to direct turbulent airflow rearward, just like how a diffuser would work.
It additionally incorporates a barely adjusted entrance finish, with the bayonet-style head tube connection getting a bigger notch on the high, bringing the highest of the cockpit in step with the highest of the highest tube an extra aero profit.