Cycling NZ Unveil Revolutionary New Olympic Bikes

Cycling New Zealand has unveiled bikes they believe will have a revolutionary impact on the Rio Olympic velodrome. Since the track team's two bronze medal haul at the London Games, local investment has helped research and develop sprint and endurance bikes to advance their 2016 cause.

Working in secret, Cycling New Zealand combined with High Performance Sport New Zealand, manufacturers Avanti, wheelwrights Southern Spars, aerodynamic experts Kinetic Simulation and Auckland University's wind tunnel in an effort to produce track bikes capable of delivering gold. Bicycle design engineer David Higgins led the project for Sheppard Industries, who market the Avanti brand.

A lot of mouths need to stay mum. Two were Yin Fai Li and Ben Goodwin, researchers based at Auckland University's wind tunnel in Newmarket.

Two 90 kilowatt electric motors power wind into the tunnel through mesh screens to remove turbulence in a looped circuit.

New Zealand's top track cyclists tested simulated designs at the venue. Higgins says the key thing for the sprint bike was reducing aerodynamic drag - eventually cut by more than 15 percent - and lightening the bikes' weight.

"We've integrated a new handlebar design into the frame. In the past it all bolted together, whereas this bike is one piece of fluid design.”

"With the pursuit bike, the main design feature is the wings. They are part of a new fork design. The fork load pass is attached to the handlebars rather than the frame. That makes a more direct attachment to the wheel which reduces the weight on the front.”

"Each set of handlebars is customised for individual riders and the new design provides substantial aerodynamic and stiffness benefits after honing in the wind tunnel."

The design team liaised with the UCI to ensure they met competition specifications. Cycling New Zealand was allocated $17.5 million of taxpayer money across the Olympic cycle.