Can Dutch spin gold out of million dollar bike?
Published: 11 June, 2008, 12:36
Theo Bos (AFP photo / Franck Fife)
Dutch cycle makers hope their new $US 1 million bike will help cyclist Theo Bos win gold at the Beijing Olympics. Four years ago in Athens he narrowly missed the big prize.
The Koga Miyata company, that operates in the northern Netherlands, makes bikes by hand and sells them for an average of $US 2,000.
It has enlisted specialists in aerodynamics and material science to make the superbike. Some of them came from space and military projects like the Joint Strike Fighter.
The company initially planned to spend $US 100,000 on the project, but that rose tenfold as they tested various materials and designs.
The result is a racing bike called 'Chimera' after the mythological Greek creature. It has a jutting saddle, a front wheel with just four thick spokes and a solid back wheel.
Koga believe their bike has the lowest air resistance of any bike in the world.
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