Renishaw and British Cycling have announced an extension of their partnership ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The pair previously worked to develop a track bike for the Tokyo Olympics, which leaned on Renishaw’s metal 3D printing technology and helped British athletes to secure seven medals. A track bike was also developed using Renishaw’s metal printing technology for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Their relationship started in 2019 when British Cycling invited Renishaw to join the Olympic bike development team, with the national governing body for cycling in Great Britain hoping to harness the 3D printing and advanced engineering expertise of the company. For the Tokyo 2020 bike, Renishaw provided plastic and metal prototype parts to undertake aerodynamic testing of the new bike design and ensure parts were light, geometrically accurate and strong enough. Renishaw’s RenAM 500Q AM systems were then used to manufacture aluminium and titanium components, such as the handlebars, for the competition bikes. Some parts were customised for individual athletes.
In the run up to the Paris Olympics, the aims of the partnership is to increase the bike’s speed through an enhanced design.
“We’re really excited to be working once again with the British Cycling team after the success in Tokyo,” commented Ben Collins, Senior Applications Engineer for Renishaw’s Additive Manufacturing Group. “Creating a bike light enough for Olympic competition that also stayed within the Union Cyclist International guidelines was a challenge, but it also gave us the chance to showcase how beneficial additive manufacturing can be across all industries. Now that we’ve renewed the partnership, it will be really exciting to see how we can help improve the bike’s performance for the Paris Olympics.”
“[Renishaw have] been integral in helping create what we believe is the fastest track bike in the world and one which we are now refining towards Paris,” added Stephen Park, Performance Director for British Cycling. “The partnership allows us to create world-leading parts that allow us to optimise our bike for each individual rider, which is unlike anything we’ve been able to do in the past. The key benefits of working with Renishaw is the experience of the engineers, designers and all the employees, along with the incredible technology in terms of manufacturing capability.”
At the Tokyo Olympics, Team GB won seven medals in the cycling events, including three gold and three silver medals. Riding the bike engineered with Renishaw metal additive manufacturing technology, Laura Kenny became the most successful British female Olympian of all time after picking up a gold medial in the madison with Katie Archibald and a silver in the women’s team pursuit. Her husband, Jason Kenny, also became the most successful male Olympian, winning gold in the men’s keirin and silver in the men’s team sprint.
