Italian manufacturer Pinarello has wheeled out what it bills as the first high performance 3D-printed bike, and the fastest 3D-printed bike ever built. We won’t have to wait long to see if those claims check out, with celebrated Italian cyclist Filippo Ganna to take the Bolide F HR 3D to the track in an attempt at the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)’s Hour Record next month.
The Bolide F HR 3D was designed especially for Ganna’s attempt at the UCI’s Hour Record, in which riders see how far they can cycle on an empty velodrome track in 60 minutes. In designing a bicycle for this endeavor, Pinarello has made use of an aerospace alloy designed for use with 3D printers called Scalmalloy, which was fashioned into a custom frame with millimeter-perfect sizing.
Pinarello worked closely with Ganna in developing the bike to suit his body shape, and propel him around the track at the fastest possible speeds. It also drew inspiration from the way humpback whales can perform tight maneuvers in the ocean thanks to protrusions in front of their flippers called tubercles, applying similar ridges strategically to the frame to reduce drag.
We've seen bicycle manufacturers dabble in 3D printing before, some to produce left-field designs as a demonstration of what’s possible, and others built for superior strength. In carrying out “extreme research” and building the Bolide F HR 3D for speed from the ground up, Pinarello is looking to push this type of bicycle manufacturing into new terrain.
Ganna is set to take on the UCI Hour Record in the Grenchen velodrome in Switzerland on October 8, looking to surpass the 55.548 km (34.51 miles) traveled by Daniel Bigham of Great Britain in August.
“I have been training on the new bike and it’s super-fast – I like it,” Ganna said last month. “It’s another step on from even the high level we’re already at with our equipment. The team puts so much time and effort into these projects, they’ve done their part now it’s my turn. I’m going to feel good stepping into that velodrome with that bike. Mentally that’ll already give me some extra meters.”
You can check out a little teaser video for the Bolide F HR 3D below.
Source: Pinarello