Bicycles

One-off racing bike will turn heads at the velodrome

One-off racing bike will turn heads at the velodrome
The Pluma Track Bike may be lightweight and aerodynamic, but its design is also intended to protect the rider
The Pluma Track Bike may be lightweight and aerodynamic, but its design is also intended to protect the rider
View 5 Images
The Pluma Track Bike was first conceived of in 2010
1/5
The Pluma Track Bike was first conceived of in 2010
The Pluma Track BIke features a PRO 5 Spoke Carbon Track front wheel
2/5
The Pluma Track BIke features a PRO 5 Spoke Carbon Track front wheel
Development of the Pluma Track Bike took one year
3/5
Development of the Pluma Track Bike took one year
The Pluma Track Bike was built by French company Constellation Composite
4/5
The Pluma Track Bike was built by French company Constellation Composite
The Pluma Track Bike may be lightweight and aerodynamic, but its design is also intended to protect the rider
5/5
The Pluma Track Bike may be lightweight and aerodynamic, but its design is also intended to protect the rider
View gallery - 5 images

Back in 2010, Portuguese industrial designer Nuno Teixeira first conceived of the ultra-aerodynamic Pluma Track Bike. After existing purely in concept form for several years, it has now actually been built for a Geneva-based client. As can be seen, the end result is definitely not the sort of thing you come across every day.

Development of the Pluma (Portuguese for "feather") took a year, with final construction being done by French company Constellation Composite. Given that the bike is made for track racing, it has no brakes and just a single 51 x 15 fixed gear.

Its fairing consists of a PVC foam core, sandwiched between outer layers of carbon fiber. The back end of that fairing can be removed, to access the rear wheel and adjust the chain tension. That wheel (even though it's enclosed) takes the form of a PRO Track Carbon Disc, to minimize drag within the fairing.

Besides offering an aerodynamic advantage, the Pluma's unique design is also intended to protect the rider from the drivetrain and the spinning rear wheel in the event of a crash – something that happens not infrequently in the world of track racing.

Source: Nuno Teixeira Industrial Design Studio via designboom

View gallery - 5 images
4 comments
4 comments
Milton
quite the machine! WOW @ the inner wheel being a disc to reduce drag inside the fairing.
wle
these seem silly, if you use one and win, was it you or the bike that won?
seems like cheating
wle
Matt Fletcher
Not sure why people keep putting seats on track bikes. I used to ride all the time and barely sat at all for 30 minutes at a time because the more you sit the less weight on your peddles, the slower you go! It's stupid really, unless you push off against the seat (which no one does) and in that case the seat should be switched to something more like a bar to lean on. Personally I'd rather lean against a bar then crush myself on the seat.
chase
put all that tech into a recumbent race bike and... aah shucks... you can't trace it. Banned because it's too damn unbeatable.