Pinarello Bolide HR Track Frame

Redesigning the Frame for the Pinarello Bolide HR Bike

Hour Record is cycling’s toughest test of strength and endurance. In redesigning the Bolide frame for the track, Pinarello focused on improving aerodynamics and stiffness.

The Hour Record is ridden on a track and, with the exception of the starting laps, the speed should be high and constant. Considering these conditions, the main characteristics pursued in the development of the Bolide HR are the aerodynamics (which is the most important considering the high speed) and the stiffness (to transfer the riders’ energy to the rear wheel). In developing improved aerodynamics for the Bolide HR, Pinarello took into account the fact that rider will spend almost half of their time on the curves (most velodromes today are 250 m long and the maximum banking is about 42°), and included calculations for the lateral airflow component.

Development Process of the Bolide HR

With all this in mind, Pinarello began the development of the Bolide HR using the road version of the Bolide as the starting point. Since many parts of the bike are missing from a track-specific frame, this permitted the redesign of some parts the Bolide frame and fork, to improve the aerodynamics; on the road version, the front part of the fork is shaped to house the front brake, and the nose of the fork is made accordingly; on the track version instead, since the brake is not needed, the fork surfaces were made smoother, with a significant decrease of the aero drag. Even the front dropout on the Bolide highlighted a low pressure zone and has been modified to improve aerodynamic flow for the HR. The selection of components for the Bolide HR was narrowed down significantly, making it possible for Pinarello to match the different components better and extract better performance overall.

The 3D printed titanium handlebar allows Pinarello to produce a small batch of handlebars, each different from the other, creating the ideal aerodynamic shape. This method, developed for the Bolide HR, will now be used to provide a similar service to Pinarello customers via the most parts brand.

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