Feast your eyes on the £20k ‘Type 136’ Lotus
… which is a road bike. An e-bike, no less. Here's what you need to know
By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 1 November 2023 / Loading comments
Bikes are big business on PH – see the Pedal Powered forum for proof of that. We know that Lotus news tends to be eagerly received as well, what with its sports car building form. So this ought to go down a treat: it’s the Lotus Type 136, an e-bike that ‘harnesses design and engineering excellence from more than 30 years of road track cycling success’. Though taking inspiration from recent Olympic rides, this 136 will be available to the public; a First Edition launches now, with a standard model coming in the spring.
To specs. This being a Lotus, naturally the bike is lightweight – just 9.8kg, in fact, so don’t go spoiling that with a big pastry at the coffee stop. That’s achieved through features like a carbon fibre frame and a 1.2kg e-bike motor system from HPS (the motor weighs just 300g, and the battery is disguised as a water bottle). The Type 136 has V-shaped handlebars, wing-shaped forks, and vaulted chain stays, helping it, says Lotus, ‘carve through the air with speed and efficiency.’
Sir Chris Hoy is an ambassador for Lotus; he said of the 136: “This is an incredible bike, which says so much about the pioneering endeavours of Lotus and the iconic status of its bikes over the years. As a teenager I vividly remember watching Chris Boardman powering Type 108 to a gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 and smashing records on Type 110 to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France two years later.”
Those after a closer look/drool can see the new Lotus at Rouleur Live in London from tomorrow until Saturday. Anyone wanting to bring their next MAMIL meet to a standstill by arriving on one will need £20,000 – or run-of-the-mill money, as it’s known in Richmond Park. That buys a First Edition Type 136, which will be individually numbered and ‘available in an iconic motorsport livery’. You can guess how many will be made. A standard one will be launched next year, presumably for a bit less money. What a way to get around on two wheels.
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