Can a €28,750 Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D Track Bike Frame Help Italy Win Olympic Gold?
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Pinarello officially unveil the 2 new Bolide F HR aerodynamic track bikes that they hope will give team Italy the edge for Olympic Gold this summer in Paris. Not a prototype any longer.
Based on the Hour Record-setting, 3D-printed scandium alloy Bolide F from 2022, these two next-generation bikes aim to set more benchmarks on the track in the men’s and women’s Olympic team pursuit events.
The reigning Olympic champion men will race on 3D-printed scalmalloy Bolide F HR 3D bikes. While the women will race on an all-new carbon iteration, the Bolide F HR C track bikes, fresh out of a new mold…
Where did this 3D-printed track bike come from?
The 3D-printed alloy bike was initially developed for Filippo Ganna’s Hour Record attempt in October of 2022. A distance that a year and a half later, still stands. The 3D-printed alloy Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D actually quietly debuted a couple months earlier with another rider breaking the previous benchmark. Ganna’s Ineos team performance engineer Dan Bigham set a then-record distance of 55.548km while testing the new bike in August. Only for Ganna to ride his new Bolide F HR 3D track bike 56.792km in an hour just 7 weeks later in Grenchen, Switzerland.
“The following week Ganna also set a new 4km individual pursuit world record at sea level on the bike at the UCI Track World Championships, breaking the four-minute barrier with his time of 3min 59.636sec.” Apparently, he must have a pretty solid recovery program, too.
Pinarello Bolide F HR track bikes for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Now, the Italian national track teams hope they can leverage Pinarello’s record-breaking Bolide F HR bike to Olympic victories. The Italian men are already reigning Olympic champions in the team pursuit. And the women hope to follow suit. Each on their own new iteration of Ganna’s bike. Gold logos for the reigning champion men…
Tech-wise, both new 3D-printed alloy and molded-carbon bikes share those biomimicry ‘AirStream’ ridges on the frame’s seattube and seatpost. “Developed in collaboration with the University of Adelaide and aerodynamics R&D partner NablaFlow”, these ‘AeroNode’ bumps based on humpback whale flippers aim to smooth airflow in the turbulent space between the rider’s spinning legs.
Beyond whale bumps, the frames feature narrower and deeper airfoil sections throughout. Taking advantage of the UCI ditching the old 3:1 rule. Now the new Bolide F HR utilizes frame cross sections that go as deep as 6:1 or even 8:1 ratios to further decrease aero drag.
While some wild bikes like the Hope & Canyon went ultra-wide to smooth airflow over spinning wheels, Pinarello stuck with narrow forks and seatstays. Pinarello explains that their analysis of the wide-open concept was “not conclusive“. “We made the decision therefore, to adopt a more reliable combination of narrow forks and seat stays to minimize the weight of the frame in order to yield faster results.”
“Optimised handlebar geometry was achieved as a result of multiple rounds of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing to minimise the total drag of rider and bike. Again, we collaborated with NablaFlow to conduct countless simulations using their AeroCloud software – which runs on AWS, the preferred cloud solution of the FIA and many F1 teams – to determine the most efficient design.“
How is a complete track frame 3D-printed in alloy?
Pinarello creates the Bolide F HR 3D with Direct Metal Laser Sintering of Scalmalloy, a high-strength scandium, aluminum & magnesium alloy. Each frame is produced in 5 individual parts. There’s 3 for the front triangle, plus one for each side of the combined seatstay and chainstay. It all gets bonded together to create the final frame.
Then, Pinarello can sand and paint it all to aerodynamic perfection.
There is also a newly-developed Most pursuit handlebar and aero extensions that “allow for precise positioning and optimal aero advantages”. Presumably, they also use the same 3D-printed tech like on Filippo Ganna’s prototype Hour Record bike.
Why now in C carbon OR 3D alloy?
A big shift since Ganna’s 3D-printed alloy Bolide F HR prototype, Pinarello now offer the bike in alloy or carbon. The 3D-printed alloy bike is heavier and more than twice as expensive as carbon. So why offer both now that the carbon molds have been created?
The 3D-printed scalmalloy made obvious sense when Pinarello was only producing one or two frames. And when they were still ironing out the kinks producing prototypes. But apparently, for track racing the alloy bike is still better “under the increased forces and speed the male athletes produce”.
The lighter weight women with generally lower peak power output, on the other hand, will get all the stiffness they need out of a carbon variant. And the lighter carbon Bolide F HR C model will be quicker to get up to speed.
“As an iconic Italian brand, we could not be prouder to work with the Italian track team, who like us, are continuing to push the boundaries of athletic performance… We have invested a lot to produce six 3D-printed scalmalloy bikes for the male riders and six carbon fibre versions for the women (including three separate sized moulds). Our hope is that the men will defend their Olympic title on the track this summer and our super-strong women’s team also succeed in their quest for gold. We’ve done everything we can to give them the best-possible chance.”
– Fausto Pinarello
Pinarello Bolide F HR – UCI-approved, options & commercially available pricing
Both the alloy Bolide F HR 3D and all-new carbon Bolide F HR C come in three stock frame sizes. All of which have been tested and UCI-approved. In accordance with the publicly available concept of UCI, and especially Olympic racing, both frames are available to buy now – in two standard black paint jobs. Budget constraints might keep most potential buyers at bay. But other Olympic hopeful teams might jump at the new frames.
Pick up a lightweight carbon Pinarello Bolide F HR C track bike for 12,500€. Or the extra stiff 3D-printed scalmalloy alloy Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D for a cool 28,750€.
I guess, just pop into your local Pinarello dealer, and place your order today.
Then, see you in Paris.
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