McLaren, a pioneer of carbon-fiber technology, which it successfully uses in Formula 1 and on its MP4-12C road car, has teamed up with U.S.-based Specialized Bicycle Components [SPC] for an unusual project: building the ultimate road bike.
Called the Venge, the race bicycle has an ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber frame made by McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT). Its engineers optimized the way the carbon was cut and applied, and improved efficiency by 10-15 percent by choosing the most suitable plies. As a result, the frame weighs less than 950 grams (2.09 lbs).
According to McLaren, this improvement is “more than anything previously seen in the cycling world,” with the Venge being “the fastest complete-performance bike in the world.”
“The S-Specialized + McLaren Venge project is unique. We paid no attention to the typical limiting factors and focused solely on producing the most advanced bike possible – Formula 1-style!” said Brad Paquin, composite design engineer for Specialized Bicycle Components.
The Venge will debut in the classic Milan-San Remo race this Saturday with Mark Cavendish, the 2009 Tour de France winner, sitting in
Find out more about the project by watching the video below.
By Dan Mihalascu
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